Updated July 26, 2025 By Debbie Shocair Average Rating: B Given what I do, most whiskey fans presume I am opposed to flavored whiskey. On the contrary, I appreciate the flavored stuff as “gateway whiskey,” bringing into the fold those who still harbor reservations. Founded by the late and esteemed Robert Cooper, Cooper Spirits has …
By Richard Thomas Rating: C+ For longer than The Whiskey Reviewer has been in existence, whiskey nerds have scoffed at the term “small batch.” If anyone was complaining about it in the actual small batch era of the 1990s, I was happy enough to not meet them; in those days, the bourbon fans I knew were …
By Richard Thomas Rating: B- The twist for this particular installment of Benchmark Bourbon, a Buffalo Trace whiskey made from the #1 bourbon mash bill and intended as a mass market, bargain shelf product, it draws from barrels aged on the top floors of their rickhouses. In describing Benchmark Top Floor Bourbon, Buffalo Trace Distillery …
By Richard Thomas Rating: B- When Sazerac chose to build up the Benchmark line, it really put its back in and did it in one big push, releasing a five-expression brand extension all at once in 2020. Benchmark Bonded was part of that major expansion. The Benchmarks are all Buffalo Trace bourbon mash bill #1 …
By Richard Thomas Rating: B- When I sampled Gentleman Jack and took my notes some days ago with an eye on making it my last review work of 2024, I did so expecting to revise and update a review from more than ten years ago. I took it completely for granted that either I or …
By Richard Thomas Rating: C+ Whiskey barrel aged wines are now very much a thing, so much like beer, the absence of a whiskey barrel aged wine poses the question of why they have not delved into the practice. You know a thing is a fixture when its not being there is sometimes more interesting, …
By Richard Thomas Rating: B+ Although we only do things whiskey at The Whiskey Reviewer, that bailiwick is widened somewhat by doing all things whiskey. That includes beer and wine aged in old whiskey barrels, such as Josh Cellars bourbon barrel aged cabernet sauvignon. For this expression, Josh takes their standard “cab sav” and gives …
By Richard Thomas Rating: A- Bourbonola is a nod to the long history of the Lexington Brewing Company. By that, I don’t mean the modern company, which was established in 1999 and is very much a creation of the late period of the Craft Beer 1.0 era. There is an earlier Lexington Brewing Company, one …
By Richard Thomas Rating: A- Although Lexington Brewing occupies a clear place in my heart, their place in the beer world is not quite as easily summed up. On the one hand, the company is owned by Alltech, not a big drinks conglomerate. Although Alltech is a substantial company, their base is in animal feed, …
By Richard Thomas Rating: B+ A major league connection between bourbon and beer comes to us through the Japanese brewing company Kirin, but not in the most predictable way. Many bourbon fans already know Kirin bought and revived Four Roses some twenty years ago. However, Kirin isn’t using Four Roses bourbon barrels to age Kirin …
