Indiana-based 15 Stars has announced the fourth release in its First West collection: First West Explorer. Joining First West Small Batch, First West Toasted Oak and First West Extra Aged, this new expression represents a crossing point for the brand as its first with 100% in-house distilled bourbon. Crafted entirely from 15 Stars-distilled whiskey, First …
Noted Master Blender and consultant Nancy Fraley has retired from her post at Jos. A, Magnus & Co., the sourced bourbon brand named for the man who, in post-Civil War America, founded the once esteemed Murray Hill Club Whiskey brand in Cincinnati, Ohio. After graduating law school, Fraley intentionally bypassed a legal career to pursue …
By Richard Thomas Just the other day, I read some Instagram comments to the effect that it seems all Craft Barrel Spirits does these days is super premium releases. New batches of the classic Barrell Bourbon used to come every season or so. I also recently polished off a bottle of Barrell Bourbon Batch 8, …
It did not take long for the new owner of Barrell Craft Spirit’s state-of-the-art blending and bottling facility in Louisville to find itself embroiled in a lawsuit. And as a bonus, the lawsuit revealed the surprisingly low cost of Canadian Whisky. Wyoming-based American Craft…
By Randall H. Borkus Rating: A Although it is never assured, fans of Michter’s 10 Year Old Single Barrel Bourbon got releases for both 2025 and 2026, two years in a row. Dating back to the days of their first Master Distiller Willie Pratt, who was dubbed “Dr. No” for refusing to bottle releases until …
By Richard Thomas When the owners of Kentucky Owl bourbon brand, the Stoli Group, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in late November 2024, an interesting footnote was an example of how an American liquor company can sometimes fall victim to mafia state tactics. Stoli blamed the bankruptcy on a malicious Russian cyberattack, essentially describing the …
By Richard Thomas Rating: A- Although each review is a thing unto itself, so it is basically fine to retell the same or a similar story for these annualized expressions, this time I really do not want to repeat the backstory of the defunct Bomberger Distillery in Pennsylvania and the Michter’s brand history. I’ll skip …
I’d like to thank Wenzel Distillery and their PR team for providing this sample with no strings attached.
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The Austin Nichols Archives Gold Foil Edition is a genuine, well-executed tribute to the iconic Cheesy Gold Foil bottlings of the 80s and 90s. From packaging to profile, it’s another stellar release from Wild Turkey and Bruce Russell.
The post Austin N…
Never have I had a pour of “Cheesy Gold Foil” Wild Turkey that didn’t leave me smacking my lips and shaking my head, unable to rid myself of the thought that this is superlative bourbon. This bottling from 1985, however, significantly ups the ante.
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