By Richard Thomas Rating: A The most interesting twist in the dubious Great Bourbon Shortage storyline is how Jim Beam has consistently defied it these last few years. The first act of defiance was in 2019, when it was announced the the flagship Knob Creek brand would return to its roots as a 9 year …
By Richard Thomas Rating: A My first thought when I read about the Old Fitz Bonded coming out this season looked back on when the series was first launched, and how the croakers derided the series as a rip-off, complaining that one of their old favorites had been replaced by an ordinary bourbon with a …
By Richard Thomas Rating: B+ A short history lesson is necessary to explain Bomberger’s Declaration. The 1980s and 1990s were a decidedly mixed period for the American Whiskey industry. On the one hand, the seeds of its future revival were being sewn with the creation of premium expressions, like Blanton’s and Elijah Craig. Maker’s Mark …
By Richard Thomas Rating: A- The bourbon hunt springs off the starting blocks on Monday, and it’s first major (and arguably most interesting) quarry is Four Roses Small Batch Limited Edition. This year’s installment is drawn mostly from 14 year old OESV and OESF, and 15 year old OESK. These three are from the 75% …
By Randall H. Borkus Rating: A Barrell Craft Spirits launched Dovetail, a blend of bourbon and whiskey expressing the company’s favorite sources and flavors, in 2018. For 2022, they have released an ultra-premium Gray Label expression using the same blending. Here Barrell Craft Spirits chose older and rarer barrels with some of the spirits aged …
By Richard Thomas Rating: A Summertime had been a pretty sleepy season on the whiskey release calendar. Autumn is the time of year most of the exciting one-shot releases and fan favorite annual editions come out, running right up to Christmas. Springtime also has some buzz, especially in Europe. Perhaps because summer isn’t considered “whiskey …
By Emma Briones Rating: B+ There are only a few whiskeys that can be proud to have been releasing a high-end limited edition for almost 40 years. But Barry Crockett, ahead of his time, went for it in 1984 when there were barely a couple of distilleries in Ireland. Thanks to his drive and enthusiasm, …
By Richard Thomas Rating: A- So much has been done since Nicole Austin took up stewardship at Cascade Hollow (the Tullahoma, Tennessee distillery where George Dickel is made), that it sometimes needs saying she has been there for not even four full years yet. Although none of the spirits going into these new creations was …
By Richard Thomas Rating: B If one reads these pages about world whiskey or the business of whiskey at all, then the fact that France is the world’s second largest market for our thematic drink should be well-driven into your noggin by now. Because French whisky consumption is the highest in the world, at over …
By Richard Thomas Rating: B+ When I realized the latest installment of the King of Kentucky was the fourth, I shook my head in wishful disbelief. Has it really been four years for this revived brand, carrying cask strength, middle aged Brown-Forman juice in the single barrel format? Soon, I will be able to do …
