By Richard Thomas As the craft whiskey explosion brought whiskey-making to places across the American where it had never been known before, I debated in print who would become America’s third whiskey state. For the second edition of my book, American Whiskey, I finally settled on Texas, and the Lone Star State has gone on …
By Richard Thomas St. Patrick’s Day has grown from being the feast day commemorating the death of Ireland’s patron saint into an international (often unofficial) holiday celebrating all things Irish. There is no better time to expand your knowledge of the surging Irish Whiskey scene and get acquainted with some new expressions. I’ve drawn up …
By Richard Thomas The last time I had the opportunity to interview Maureen Robinson was five and a half years ago. Robinson was working at Diageo and a trailblazing woman in the industry, as a four decade veteran in the liquor trade and one of the first women to be named as Master Blender. She …
By Richard Thomas My initial reaction upon first reading about the emerging California Sober movement was thinking “You have got to be f***ing kidding me.” My disbelief was that even in an era when people love to cloak their bad behaviors behind a thick layer of phony moral superiority, disinformation and deflection, the hypocrisy of …
At The Whiskey Reviewer, we have a more informal way of dealing with the question of annual awards. Instead of handing out medals or drawing up a conglomerated list, every member of the team who wishes to opine on the subject keeps her or his own voice, naming their personal choice in three categories. Best …
By Kurt Maitland American whiskey has changed. Bourbon and rye are still dominant, but craft is a vibrant thing, and it feels like American Single Malt has seen more and more attention on the domestic scene. But lots of distilleries fly under the radar and are only known to an observant few. Thankfully we have …
By Richard Thomas For many whiskey enthusiasts, the beauty of a gleaming copper still takes on a certain romantic allure. That is true whether the enthusiast loves bourbon or Scotch and whether the still is a column or a pot, just so long as it polished. I took to calling photos of these lovely pieces …
By Richard Thomas Earlier this year, bourbon fans on both sides of the United States were rocked by news of alleged corruption, in what was the biggest news of its kind since Pappygate. In February, it was revealed that managers of the Oregon Liquor and Cannabis Commission (OLCC) had been under investigation for several years …
The Collaboration of Blade & Bow and Garden & Gun Has Given Bourbon Fans Ways to Raise Their Bluegrass Experience A Notch By Richard Thomas When Blade & Bow Bourbon first started their collaboration with Garden & Gun magazine, that authoritative guide to all things tasteful, upscale and Southern, it was in a standard exercise …
Whiskey Fungus Has Been Around For As Long As Spirits Have Been Aged, And It’s Only Going To Get Worse By Richard Thomas Earlier this year, whiskey fungus got back into national headlines, this time in Lynchburg, Tennessee. Even though the 35,000 residents of the rural Lincoln County love Jack Daniel’s Distillery, in the way …
