By Richard Thomas Rating: A- San Francisco’s Old Potrero is part of a tiny class of distillers that I dubbed “craft whiskey before there was craft whiskey.” I say this because outfits like Old Potrero, St. George and Prichard’s were small distillers, starting out in an era when the whiskey industry as a whole was …
By Richard Thomas Rating: B- The Old Elk brand got started with a blend of bourbons, crafted by former MGP Master Distiller Greg Metze. Their next step was to expand the line with a straight wheat and a straight rye whiskey. All three are sourced, and the sourcing remains undisclosed. Old Elk’s rye uses the …
By Richard Thomas Rating: B Located right in the middle of the Speyside region, Tamdhu Distillery has spent most of its existence furnishing malt for use in other blends. My understanding is that it has been such a reliable producer in this respect that it is jokingly referred to as the “Can-dhu Distillery.” That said, …
By Richard Thomas Rating: B Here at The Whiskey Reviewer, we took a look at Old Elk, the brand launched with the guidance of former MGP Master Distiller Greg Metze, with their 2018 inaugural Blend of Bourbons. They’ve since opened their tasting room in Fort Collins, Colorado and have greatly expanded their line. It’s well …
By Richard Thomas Rating: A- For most of the 21st Century, the “sipping whiskey” coming out of Lynchburg, Tennessee was not associated with age statements. That truth actually makes a great deal of sense, when you consider that the Lincoln County Process that Jack Daniel’s is known for is the original shortcut on maturation; for …
By Richard Thomas Rating: B At my book launch late last year, I was asked what brand was overdue for a cask strength version. Without even a moment’s pause, I said “Bernheim.” Heaven Hill released the cask strength version of its seminal Elijah Craig Small Batch a decade ago, in 2013. Back then, both the …
By Kenrick Thurston-Wilcox Rating: B Inspired by the bootstrap ambitions of Western frontier settlers, Deerhammer strives to put it’s own mark on the whiskey world, having started with a single malt when most of their peers were making bourbon. They have since moved on to make other whiskeys, including a rye, a four-grain bourbon and …
By Richard Thomas Rating: B What to write about Elijah Craig Barrel Proof that I either haven’t written before or merits restatement? It’s worth looking back and recalling that 2023 kicks off the 11th year for the expression, and this is the second strongest bourbon in the entire series at 125.6 proof. Also, Heaven Hill …
By Richard Thomas Rating: B+ Ever since Barrell Craft Spirits added Barrell Bourbon New Year to their line-up, some of my colleagues have made a point of posting a write up of the whiskey on New Year’s Day. Well, it’s still the first week of the new year, so I do not feel as if …
By Richard Thomas Rating: B+ With it’s sour mash whiskey, Michter’s harks back to its brand roots in southeastern Pennsylvania, and especially so with Shenk’s Homestead. Michter’s Sour Mash disappeared in 1989, one of the late casualties of the 1970s world whiskey bust. “New Michter’s” reintroduced it in 2012, as one of those expressions that …
