The Problem Isn’t The Secondary Market Anymore. It’s The Retailers. By Richard Thomas Whenever the subject of the spiraling cost for limited edition whiskeys has come up during the last decade, someone always curses “the secondary market.” Lately, it has even become the villain for why brands like Blanton’s are no longer available on store …
By Richard Thomas Rating: B+ Newport’s New Riff Distilling is riding more waves of novelty than just those names. The distillery is part of a new class of medium-sized distilleries in Kentucky, and is also part of the group that followed Old Pogue in bringing bourbon-making back to Northern Kentucky. New Riff has also become …
In time for the holiday season, Crown Royal is celebrating the release of the award-winning whisky brand’s most luxurious variant to date. Crown Royal Aged 18 Years is a rare blend of exceptional whiskies, handcrafted by their master blender, patiently aged to perfection for eighteen years. In honor of the release, Crown Royal commissioned celebrity …
Smith Bowman Distillery announces the latest release in its Abraham Bowman series of experimental whiskey, the Abraham Bowman Rum Finished Bourbon. The bourbon in this release aged for nine years in American White Oak before finishing in rum casks for an additional six years. This release may just be the oldest rum cask finished bourbon …
With the holiday season underway, the hunt has begun for the ideal gift, especially for those hardest to buy for on the list. Cascade Hollow Distilling Co. General Manager and Distiller Nicole Austin is releasing a premium rye whisky, perfect for the whisky afficionado in your life. Cascade Moon 13 Year Old Rye is an …
Grain & Barrel Spirits (“G&B”) has released a limited-edition Chicken Cock Cotton Club Canadian Rye Whiskey, which was aged for 20 years and bottled in a Prohibition-era Chicken Cock replica apothecary-style bottle at 100 proof (50% ABV). The mash bill contains 90% rye and 10% malted barley. Originally established in Paris, Kentucky in 1856, Chicken …
By Randall H. Borkus Rating: B+ This 2021 bottling is the first release of US*1 Toasted Barrel Finish Bourbon in three years. The Toasted Barrel expression is distinctive from the standard US*1 Bourbon as it undergoes a second round of maturation, following its initial rest (my best guess 6-8 years) in an American charred oak …
Beam Suntory’s Laphroaig has announced the third installment in the fascinating Ian Hunter Series, ‘Book Three: Source Protector.’ The 33-year-old non-chill filtered whisky is fully matured in ex-bourbon barrels, which allows the iconic peated characteristics of Laphroaig to shine through and continues to honor the legacy of the icon and last founding member of the …
The Woodford Reserve Winter 2021 Master’s Collection release is a whiskey that steps into beer territory, the Woodford Reserve Five-Malt Stouted Mash. For this limited-edition release, Master Distiller Chris Morris and Assistant Master Distiller Elizabeth McCall drew from the distillery’s rich history of innovation and their own interests for inspiration. In Kentucky, a fermented grain …
Barrell Craft Spirits has come out with a new ultra-aged expression, BCS Gold Label Bourbon. This one is a blend of 16 and 17 year old bourbons sourced from four different distilleries in three states: Indiana, Kentucky and Tennessee. One of the four consignments (no word on which one) also counts as a double new …
