By Douglas Fraser Grade: A Proper 12 was co-founded by Irishman and former UFC Champion Connor MacGregor, but the brand is now owned by Proximo Spirits. Following scandal, MacGregor is no longer the public face of the brand. The 13 Year Limited release is the first of the 13 Year series of single malt whiskeys, …
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+ Last month, newcomer whiskey company 15 Stars announced a line extension, meaning they added a new line to the brand: First West. Briefly, 15 Stars was started by the Columbus, Ohio-based, father and son team of Rick and Ricky Johnson. A negociant/non-distiller producer (NDP), 15 Stars released their first bottlings just …
By Douglas Fraser Rating: A- Nestled at the southern point of Loch Lomond is the Loch Lomond Distillery, known for producing its own line of Single Malt Whiskies as well as whiskies made for blending by other Scotch Whisky producers. The distillery prides itself on its unique distillation process, which crafts exceptional whiskies. The roots …
By Richard Thomas Rating: B- When I first wrote about the latest bourbon brand to come to Kentucky, Avalon Spirits’ Whiskey Row, I made a brief, opening observation: given the lead time that goes into starting a venture like a whiskey brand, one rarely gets to choose the circumstances under which one gets started. For …
By Douglas Fraser Rating: A- Lindores Abbey is known in Scotland as being the birthplace of Scotch Whisky. The actual abbey site hosts the oldest evidence for distilling in Scotland, supported by both archaeological evidence abbey documents. These include a written order for a Friar named John Cor to make “acqua vitae” for King James …
By Richard Thomas Rating: B Next Century Spirits was founded by Scott Bolin and Joel Pawlak, and the company opened their distillery in Raleigh, North Carolina in 2018. Their website makes it clear that they have positioned themselves as a contract distiller, but the company also has its in-house brands relying on a mix of …
By Douglas Fraser Rating: B+ Old Elk Distillery, located in Fort Collins, Colorado, has been adding some interesting blends to its lineup of bourbon. Old Elk Slow Cut is the latest release from the distillery, highlighting their lengthy proofing technique. Old Elk has a longer proofing process than most bourbon distilleries, a step undertaken to …
By Richard Thomas Rating: B My first acquaintance with Iowa’s Cedar Ridge Distillery was 7 1/2 years ago, one of those things that serves to remind me just how long I have been writing about whiskey. I had traveled to Iowa to visit a different distillery, invited for the bottling and launch of a different …
Updated January 19, 2025 By Richard Thomas Average Rating: B While working up a feature on the 2025 release of a Single Barrel Collection by Four Roses, one containing four of the ten bourbon variants the distillery makes, I realized that our review for Four Roses Single Barrel was published in 2011 and last …
