By Richard Thomas Based on the former Seagram’s plant in Lawrenceburg, Indiana, MGP has become the center of its own American Whiskey empire. MGP continues to be the principal supplier of aged stock whiskey in the US and used by many sourced brands, but they have also acquired some of their best customers (such as …
By Richard Thomas Bourbon is chock full of poorly defined terms, and I think the wrong ones receive far too much of attention. Take, for example, small batch. For a couple of decades, croakers have made a cottage industry complaining about the use of small batch. Although that term has no official definition and should …
Old Rip Van Winkle Distillery and Buffalo Trace Distillery announced at the end of last week that the 2026 Van Winkle Whiskey Collection is on its way, once again delivering one of American whiskey’s most sought-after and closely watched annual releases. Produced in highly limited quantities, the collection represents four generations of Van Winkle whiskey-making …
Concurrent with the annual Kentucky Bourbon Festival, the Kentucky Bourbon Hall of Fame today welcomed its 24th class of inductees, celebrating their lasting contributions to Kentucky’s Bourbon industry and its worldwide legacy. A record number of more than 300 industry leaders, legends and luminaries gathered in Louisville to honor the newest members of the prestigious …
By Randall H. Borkus Rating: C+ Redwood Empire Whiskey is located in the heart of the Russian River Valley wine region of Sonoma County, California. The name “Emerald Giant” comes from the fastest growing of the redwoods, a real tree that can be visited. The distillery focuses on sustainability, thus, for every bottle sold, Redwood …
By Douglas Fraser Rating: B Redemption Single Barrel Bourbon is hand selected by Master Blender Alan Kennedy for character, structure, and balance. But it is also a Bottled in Bond whiskey, meaning distilled by only one distillery in a single distilling season, matured in a government-supervised warehouse and bottled at 100 proof. It’s also at …
Heaven Hill Distillery has announced the release of the 20th edition of the Parker’s Heritage Collection, a 14-Year-Old Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey distinguished in that it was made with rye backset. The annual ultra-premium release continues to honor the legacy of Heaven Hill’s late Master Distiller Emeritus Parker Beam. “The Parker’s Heritage Collection has allowed …
Lexington, Kentucky’s Town Branch Distillery kicks off Bourbon Heritage Month (September) with its high-end limited-edition bourbon built on a 50% wheated bourbon foundation, bottled at Cask Strength (115.1 Proof), non-chill-filtered, and offered at an SRP of $119.99: IMPERIUM MMXXVI. Imperium MMXXVI Bourbon is a relative newcomer to annualized limited edition bourbon releases, with 2026 marking …
Idiosyncratic Islay distillery Bruichladdich has announced its highly anticipated annual Octomore series is available in the US today. Each release explores the influence of barley origin, peat levels and cask maturation on the final whisky. Octomore is built around a paradox: despite its high levels of peat, measured in parts per million (PPM), the distillery’s …
Today Vermont’s WhistlePig has announced the latest release in The Boss Hog annualized series. This thirteenth edition has been dubbed “The Golden Pharoah.” Beginning today, The Boss Hog XIII is available for presale for the first time, allowing whiskey enthusiasts and collectors to reserve The Boss Hog Series’ newest crown jewel ahead of its nationwide …
