Balcones Distilling Celebrates 15 Years of Texas Whiskey

Balcones Distilling in Waco helped put Texas whiskey on the map when it opened in 2008, and this past weekend, the distillery marked it’s 15th… Read More

Balcones Distilling in Waco helped put Texas whiskey on the map when it opened in 2008, and this past weekend, the distillery marked it’s 15th anniversary with a rain-soaked party. We spent the weekend in Waco for the celebration, and sat down with longtime head distiller Jared Himstedt to get answers to some of your questions. In the news, whisky cask investment schemes in the UK are coming under scrutiny, while a charity auction to benefit victims of the recent Irish floods has raised nearly €35,000. 

Episode 1029: November 5, 2023

Links: Balcones Distilling | Irish Whiskey Auctions.ie | Edrington | William Grant & Sons | MGP | Thompson Bros. | Scotch Malt Whisky Society | Lost Lantern Whiskey | Frey Ranch Distillery | 2XO Whiskey | Benromach | GlenDronach | Talisker | Crown Royal | Aberfeldy | Ardray

Ardray Arrives In The USA

Beam-Suntory-owned Ardray – a blended Scotch whisky – has officially arrived on USA shores after previously only being available in London and Shanghai. Ardray blended Scotch whisky is a blend of whiskies from Beam-Suntory-owned distilleries including Ardmore, Auchentoshan, Bowmore, Glen Garioch and Laphroaig combined with Edrington-owned brands Glenrothes, Highland Park, The Macallan and others and […]

The post Ardray Arrives In The USA first appeared on Whisky Critic – Whisky Reviews & Articles – Style. Attitude. Whisky..

Beam-Suntory-owned Ardray – a blended Scotch whisky – has officially arrived on USA shores after previously only being available in London and Shanghai.

Ardray blended Scotch whisky is a blend of whiskies from Beam-Suntory-owned distilleries including Ardmore, Auchentoshan, Bowmore, Glen Garioch and Laphroaig combined with Edrington-owned brands Glenrothes, Highland Park, The Macallan and others and was bottled at 48% alcohol by volume [96 proof].

Ardray blended Scotch whisky is being made available in the USA – albeit only in Los Angeles and New York – for $85 per bottle.

The post Ardray Arrives In The USA first appeared on Whisky Critic - Whisky Reviews & Articles - Style. Attitude. Whisky..

Beam Suntory Combines Whisky From Three Regions To Produce Ardray

Beam Suntory has created a new three-region blended Scotch called Ardray that combines malt and grain whiskies from the Highlands, Lowlands and Islay Scotch whisky-producing regions of Scotland. Beam Suntory owns the Ardmore, Auchentoshan, Bowmore and Laphroaig Scotch distilleries and, in a collaboration with Scottish spirits company Edrington [owner of Glenrothes, Highland Park and The […]

The post Beam Suntory Combines Whisky From Three Regions To Produce Ardray first appeared on Whisky Critic – Whisky Reviews & Articles – Style. Attitude. Whisky..

Beam Suntory has created a new three-region blended Scotch called Ardray that combines malt and grain whiskies from the Highlands, Lowlands and Islay Scotch whisky-producing regions of Scotland.

Beam Suntory owns the Ardmore, Auchentoshan, Bowmore and Laphroaig Scotch distilleries and, in a collaboration with Scottish spirits company Edrington [owner of Glenrothes, Highland Park and The Macallan], produced Ardray.

Beam Suntory Ardray was bottled at 48% alcohol by volume [96 proof] and is said to offer notes of citrus, floral and vanilla custard.

Beam Suntory Ardray was initially only available in four cities – London, Los Angeles, New York and Shanghai – but will be made available worldwide for $80 per bottle.

The post Beam Suntory Combines Whisky From Three Regions To Produce Ardray first appeared on Whisky Critic - Whisky Reviews & Articles - Style. Attitude. Whisky..

Glenglassaugh Trio Highlight the Week’s New Releases

Seven years after acquiring Glenglassaugh Distillery, Brown-Forman is releasing a new core range from the coastal distillery. The lineup includes the first 12-year-old single malt… Read More

Seven years after acquiring Glenglassaugh Distillery, Brown-Forman is releasing a new core range from the coastal distillery. The lineup includes the first 12-year-old single malt since Glenglassaugh was revived in 2008, along with two no-age statement expressions.

Sandend gets its name from the nearby Sandend Bay, and is matured in a combination of ex-Bourbon, Sherry, and Manzanilla casks, and will carry a recommended retail price of £55 in the U.K. Portsoy gets its name from the village near the distillery, and also because it’s matured in Port wine casks along with Sherry and Bourbon casks. Portsoy will carry a recommended retail price of £60 in the U.K. The 12-year-old will carry a recommended retail price of £50 in the U.K. U.S. pricing and availability have not been announced.

Aberfeldy Distillery is expanding its Red Wine Cask Collection series with a 15 year old limited edition single malt. It’s been finished in Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon wine casks, and is available while supplies last for $69.99 a bottle in the U.S.

Beam Suntory is launching a new blended Scotch whisky. Ardray is a collaboration between Beam Suntory chief Scotch blender Calum Fraser and the Suntory whisky blending team in Japan. Ardray will be available initially in London, Shanghai, Los Angeles, and New York with a recommended retail price of $80 a bottle, with plans to expand to other global markets in the coming months.

Ian Macleod Distillers is expanding the availability of its King Robert the Second blended Scotch range to the U.S. There are three different whiskies in the range with a no-age statement Treble Cask Matured blend, along with 12 and 15-year-old blends. Prices range from $14.99 for the Treble Cask to $28.99 for the 15-year-old. 

Buffalo Trace is expanding its line of Weller Bourbons with a new experimental range named for Daniel Weller, the grandfather of William Larue Weller. The initial release is almost 12 years old, and was made with Emmer wheat, an ancient grain mainly used for bread and beer. There will be a new Daniel Weller wheated Bourbon every other year, but this year’s version is available in limited quantities at a recommended retail price of $499.99 a bottle.

New York’s Hudson Whiskey is celebrating the 20th anniversary of Tuthilltown Distillery with a new 5-year-old straight Bourbon. It’s made from a mashbill of 95 percent corn and 5 percent malted barley, all supplied by Hudson Valley farmers, and will be available nationwide with a recommended retail price of $49.99 a bottle. 

Ireland’s Killowen Distillery has released two single cask bottlings exclusively for the U-S market. One is a single pot still whiskey matured completely in a white Cognac cask using Killowen’s own distillate that will be priced at $106 a bottle. The second is a sourced whiskey from Cooley Distillery that was finished in a West Indies coconut rum cask and is priced at $69 a bottle.

Published June 11, 2023

Glenglassaugh Trio Highlight the Week’s New Releases

Seven years after acquiring Glenglassaugh Distillery, Brown-Forman is releasing a new core range from the coastal distillery. The lineup includes the first 12-year-old single malt… Read More

Seven years after acquiring Glenglassaugh Distillery, Brown-Forman is releasing a new core range from the coastal distillery. The lineup includes the first 12-year-old single malt since Glenglassaugh was revived in 2008, along with two no-age statement expressions.

Sandend gets its name from the nearby Sandend Bay, and is matured in a combination of ex-Bourbon, Sherry, and Manzanilla casks, and will carry a recommended retail price of £55 in the U.K. Portsoy gets its name from the village near the distillery, and also because it’s matured in Port wine casks along with Sherry and Bourbon casks. Portsoy will carry a recommended retail price of £60 in the U.K. The 12-year-old will carry a recommended retail price of £50 in the U.K. U.S. pricing and availability have not been announced.

Aberfeldy Distillery is expanding its Red Wine Cask Collection series with a 15 year old limited edition single malt. It’s been finished in Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon wine casks, and is available while supplies last for $69.99 a bottle in the U.S.

Beam Suntory is launching a new blended Scotch whisky. Ardray is a collaboration between Beam Suntory chief Scotch blender Calum Fraser and the Suntory whisky blending team in Japan. Ardray will be available initially in London, Shanghai, Los Angeles, and New York with a recommended retail price of $80 a bottle, with plans to expand to other global markets in the coming months.

Ian Macleod Distillers is expanding the availability of its King Robert the Second blended Scotch range to the U.S. There are three different whiskies in the range with a no-age statement Treble Cask Matured blend, along with 12 and 15-year-old blends. Prices range from $14.99 for the Treble Cask to $28.99 for the 15-year-old. 

Buffalo Trace is expanding its line of Weller Bourbons with a new experimental range named for Daniel Weller, the grandfather of William Larue Weller. The initial release is almost 12 years old, and was made with Emmer wheat, an ancient grain mainly used for bread and beer. There will be a new Daniel Weller wheated Bourbon every other year, but this year’s version is available in limited quantities at a recommended retail price of $499.99 a bottle.

New York’s Hudson Whiskey is celebrating the 20th anniversary of Tuthilltown Distillery with a new 5-year-old straight Bourbon. It’s made from a mashbill of 95 percent corn and 5 percent malted barley, all supplied by Hudson Valley farmers, and will be available nationwide with a recommended retail price of $49.99 a bottle. 

Ireland’s Killowen Distillery has released two single cask bottlings exclusively for the U-S market. One is a single pot still whiskey matured completely in a white Cognac cask using Killowen’s own distillate that will be priced at $106 a bottle. The second is a sourced whiskey from Cooley Distillery that was finished in a West Indies coconut rum cask and is priced at $69 a bottle.

Published June 11, 2023

Big Changes for Wyoming Whiskey

Wyoming Whiskey marked its 10th anniversary last December, and this April, Edrington took majority ownership of the Cowboy State’s first distillery. That ended the run… Read More

Wyoming Whiskey marked its 10th anniversary last December, and this April, Edrington took majority ownership of the Cowboy State’s first distillery. That ended the run of David DeFazio as Wyoming Whiskey’s president, but he remains the brand’s global ambassador and a part-owner of the distillery. We’ll talk with him about the changes since then, along with what the future holds, both for him and the brand. We’ll also catch up with Wyoming Whiskey’s first master distiller, Bourbon Hall of Famer Steve Nally and master blender Nancy Fraley on this week’s WhiskyCast In-Depth, too. In the news, the drinks industry is mourning the death of Diageo CEO Sir Ivan Menezes this week, while Brown-Forman has won a trademark lawsuit challenge at the U.S. Supreme Court.

Episode 1008: June 11, 2023


Links: Wyoming Whiskey | Diageo | Jack Daniel’s | Glenglassaugh | Aberfeldy | Ardray Whisky | Ian Macleod Distillers | Buffalo Trace | Hudson Whiskey | Killowen Distillery | Bardstown Bourbon Company | Bunnahabhain | Brown-Forman

Big Changes for Wyoming Whiskey

Wyoming Whiskey marked its 10th anniversary last December, and this April, Edrington took majority ownership of the Cowboy State’s first distillery. That ended the run… Read More

Wyoming Whiskey marked its 10th anniversary last December, and this April, Edrington took majority ownership of the Cowboy State’s first distillery. That ended the run of David DeFazio as Wyoming Whiskey’s president, but he remains the brand’s global ambassador and a part-owner of the distillery. We’ll talk with him about the changes since then, along with what the future holds, both for him and the brand. We’ll also catch up with Wyoming Whiskey’s first master distiller, Bourbon Hall of Famer Steve Nally and master blender Nancy Fraley on this week’s WhiskyCast In-Depth, too. In the news, the drinks industry is mourning the death of Diageo CEO Sir Ivan Menezes this week, while Brown-Forman has won a trademark lawsuit challenge at the U.S. Supreme Court.

Episode 1008: June 11, 2023


Links: Wyoming Whiskey | Diageo | Jack Daniel’s | Glenglassaugh | Aberfeldy | Ardray Whisky | Ian Macleod Distillers | Buffalo Trace | Hudson Whiskey | Killowen Distillery | Bardstown Bourbon Company | Bunnahabhain | Brown-Forman

Big Changes for Wyoming Whiskey (Episode 1008: June 11, 2023)

Wyoming Whiskey marked its 10th anniversary last December, and this April, Edrington took majority ownership of the Cowboy State’s first distillery. That ended the run of David DeFazio as Wyoming Whiskey’s president, but he remains the brand’s global ambassador and a part-owner of the distillery. We’ll talk with him about the changes since then, along with what the future holds, both for him and the brand. We’ll also catch up with Wyoming Whiskey’s first master distiller, Bourbon Hall of Famer Steve Nally and master blender Nancy Fraley on this week’s WhiskyCast In-Depth, too. In the news, the drinks industry is Read More »

Wyoming Whiskey marked its 10th anniversary last December, and this April, Edrington took majority ownership of the Cowboy State’s first distillery. That ended the run of David DeFazio as Wyoming Whiskey’s president, but he remains the brand’s global ambassador and a part-owner of the distillery. We’ll talk with him about the changes since then, along with what the future holds, both for him and the brand. We’ll also catch up with Wyoming Whiskey’s first master distiller, Bourbon Hall of Famer Steve Nally and master blender Nancy Fraley on this week’s WhiskyCast In-Depth, too. In the news, the drinks industry is mourning the death of Diageo CEO Sir Ivan Menezes this week, while Brown-Forman has won a trademark lawsuit challenge at the U.S. Supreme Court.


Links: Wyoming Whiskey | Diageo | Jack Daniel’s | Brown-Forman | Glenglassaugh | Aberfeldy | Ardray Whisky | Ian Macleod Distillers | Buffalo Trace | Hudson Whiskey | Killowen Distillery | Bardstown Bourbon Company | Bunnahabhain