By Randall H. Borkus Rating: A Richard Thomas, is my friend, managing editor and the owner of the online magazine The Whiskey Reviewer. He released a book last month called Whiskey Stories: The True Spirit Behind the Labels. This is not Thomas’ first book, so here we have a seasoned, or shall I say well-aged …
Updated April 29, 2025 By Richard Thomas Average Rating: A- The thing about Michter’s Legacy Series is one could be forgiven for forgetting it exists. This is because from its inception, the series has consisted of two brands: Bomberger’s and Shenk’s. Both of those have been around for years, with the pair being spins on …
By Richard Thomas Rating: A+ All through the Bourbon Boom, the Jack Daniel’s company men in Lynchburg and Louisville were resistant to the idea of putting age statements on Mr. Jack’s whiskey. That was despite the historical fact that Jack Daniel himself released age statement whiskeys in his day. Why is not exactly clear, and …
By Richard Thomas Rating: A- Perhaps overlooked in the tumultuous news of major downsizing at Brown-Forman was last month’s release of a new batch of Old Forester 1924 10 Year Old Bourbon. The 1924 expression is a departure from the standard Old Forester in that it has a different origin mash bill: 79% instead of …
By Richard Thomas Rating: A- The new batch of Elijah Craig Barrel Proof is now in circulation, and as soon as I scrutinized the label on my bottle I saw something that I knew would surely excite croaking in certain corners: the age statement for A125 is 10 years, 7 months. The croakers were not …
By Richard Thomas Rating: A- For a long time, the only brand in the Jim Beam portfolio that was more neglected than Old Grand-Dad was Old Overholt. The only two expressions in the line were the namesake standard and Old Grand-Dad 114, a favorite budget buy among fans of high rye bourbon. What is more, …
By Randall H. Borkus Rating: A Longrow is named after a distillery that was once located next to Springbank Distillery in Campbeltown, Scotland. The original distillery was founded in 1824 by John Ross and closed in 1896. The property was later incorporated into Springbank, and Longrow’s old warehouse now houses Springbank’s bottling hall. In the …
By Randall H. Borkus Rating: A This 2024 release of US*1 Toasted Barrel Finish Bourbon is the latest in ten years of the label. The Toasted Barrel expression is distinguished from the standard US*1 Bourbon by its double new oak treatment: a second maturation round in a toasted barrel, following its initial rest in a …
By Richard Thomas Rating: A- In 2023, I chose to do a rare batch review for the 14th installment of Bruichladdich’s famously smoky Octomore series. This year, I chose to tackle October 15.1, 15.2 and 15.3 separately, which brings me to the third and final chapter of Octomore 2024: the ultra-peated Octomore 15.3. Bruichladdich has …
By Doug Fraser Rating: A- Four Branches Founders Blend Bourbon is the result of a culmination of four prior US service members from the four major branches of the US Military (i.e. not the Space Force). The bourbon represents those four branches–Army, Air Force, Marines, Navy–with the intent to be enjoyed by all while still …
