By Genevieve Jacot-Guillarmod Rating: B Produced at the James Sedgwick Distillery in South Africa, Three Ships is one of the country’s best known whisky brands alongside Bain’s. While Bain’s uses a corn-based mash bill, the Three Ships range focuses on blends and single malts. The Three Ships 10 Year Old was initially released as series …
By Kurt Maitland Rating: B+ Old Forester is a well-known and much-loved Kentucky straight bourbon whisky produced by the Brown–Forman Corporation. It was the first bourbon sold exclusively in sealed bottles and was bottled and marketed in 1870 by the former pharmaceutical salesman turned bourbon magnate, George Garvin Brown. The Brown–Forman Corporation is still managed …
By David Levine Rating: B+ Continuing Loch Lomond Group’s track record of putting out affordable single malts at heritage age statements, today brings Loch Lomond 18 Year Old Single Malt. Notably, it’s closer to the $10/year threshold than its Glen Scotia 15 cousin (by business, not by location). If you’re looking for an approachable, easy-to-drink, …
By Richard Thomas Rating: B+ Operating out of Columbus, Ohio, Middle West Spirits is one of those distilleries that has been around for years, but drew little attention from whiskey fans outside their immediate area until recently. The distillery was co-founded by engineer Ryan Lang in 2008, who has served as their master distiller from …
By Richard Thomas Rating: B+ Several years ago, Kirin stablemates Four Roses Bourbon and Asheville, North Carolina’s New Belgium Brewing announced they were doing a collaboration brew: Four Roses bourbon barrels would be sent to New Belgium and used to make a bourbon barrel ale. The twist is that New Belgium reportedly used their own …
By Randall H. Borkus Rating: B Bushmills’ Distillery began in 1608 with a royal distillery license granted to Sir Thomas Phillips, which serves as the basis for the brand’s claim as the world’s oldest licensed distillery. However, the actual and direct lineage of the distillery was founded in 1784 by Hugh Anderson. Bushmills is best …
By Randall H. Borkus Rating: B+ Rabbit Hole Distillery Series Regallier begins with a good Kentucky Straight Bourbon and uses French oak casks to create something special. They use a high rye, double malt bourbon mash bill that begins resting in #3 wood-fired, toasted and charred new American Oak barrels and is finally tempered in French …
By Richard Thomas Rating: B Yellowstone Bourbon was revived at the Lebanon, Kentucky’s Limestone Branch Distillery, which is now part of the MGP drinks empire, First Luxco acquired the Yellowstone brand, then they bought half of Limestone Branch and gave Yellowstone to them, and then MGP buying Luxco in turn. In August, Limestone/Luxco/MGP announced they …
By Richard Thomas Rating: B- The new First West line from 15 Stars has three bourbons, with the Toasted Oak Finish positioned as the middle expression, between the normal bourbon (the Small Batch) and the “extra aged” eight year old. The company started in a well-tested fashion, releasing older whiskeys sourced through Kentucky, Tennessee and …
By Richard Thomas Rating: B+ “Single barrel heritage barrel.” Try saying that one three times fast. The phrasing is a mouthful to be sure, but I was happy to receive this bottle of Jack Daniel’s for review. My book Whiskey Stories delved into Mr. Jack, his contemporaries and heirs, and I have another book wholly …
