By Douglas Fraser Rating: B+ Nestled in the former whisky capital of the world, Campbeltown, Scotland, lies the small distillery of Glen Scotia. Campbeltown is recognized as one of the Scotch Whisky Regions, even though it is home to only three distilleries today. Known for promoting its heritage, much of the original equipment designs are …
By Richard Thomas Rating: B+ Nevada’s Frey Ranch checks off a number of categories one often finds in the craft sector, but rarely all in the same basket. Their standard bourbon is made with a four grain mash bill, while their rye whiskey is 100% rye. They have bonded and single barrel whiskeys; in the …
By Richard Thomas Rating: B+ It all started in 2010 with inserting some French Oak staves into existing barrels of maturing bourbon to create Maker’s 46, but since then Maker’s Mark has taken the stave insert concept to its limits. The Loretto distillery erected the world’s only bourbon-aging cellar to further the production process for …
By Richard Thomas Rating: B Six years ago, Old Forester introduced its first rye whiskey. Keeping that in mind, it is about the time the company should do something to build further on its rye. The brand was introduced at 100 proof, so it was already in tandem with Old Forester Signature (the 100 proof …
By Douglas Fraser Rating: A Sagamore Spirits is known for making its rye whiskey in Baltimore. Time and time again, Sagamore aims to outdo themselves and create something better than what they have done before. This latest expression is no different. This Maryland rye whiskey distillery sets the standard for rye whiskey everywhere. Sagamore Spirits …
By Douglas Fraser Rating: C The Samuel Maverick Distillery is named after Samuel Augustus Maverick (1803 – 1870), a lawyer and signer of the Texas Declaration of Independence. He is therefore one of those founders of a First Family of Texas. Just a few steps away from the historic Alamo site, the distillery is located …
By Richard Thomas Rating: B Ever since the entire category of Japanese Whisky (finally) blew up and attracted international, popular acclaim more than a decade ago, the category has been beset by a shortage of aged stocks of whisky that has put classic brand names like Nikka and Yamazaki out of reach of most consumers. …
By Richard Thomas Rating: B+ For the last decade, Pappymania has crowded out enthusiast attention for wheated bourbons not made at a certain riverside distillery in Frankfort, Kentucky. As Pappy Van Winkle gained popular renown, extending outside bourbon circles, a fever started building. First that fever swept up the other wheated bourbons (the Weller bourbons) …
By Richard Thomas Rating: B+ The brand history behind this latest release from Old Forester, the 1910 Extra Old Bourbon in their 117 Series, is actually a little convoluted. It began as an extension of the 1910 Fine Old Whiskey from 2018, which we were unable to write-up. In its turn, the 117 Series is …
By Richard Thomas When the Hendersons, the founding family of Angel’s Envy Bourbon, announced the launch of their new whiskey company in September 2024, the word came with two new expressions. The company is called True Story, and the first expression was dubbed “Volume One,” a bourbon in an opaque black bottle. That was accompanied …
