By Richard Thomas Rating: B+ One of the best aspects of Lost Lantern’s model is also what makes it unique: it’s a true negociant in the European sense, but plying its business in the United States. There are two things to understand about that statement to get at why it makes them unique. First, as …
By Richard Thomas Rating: A- California’s St. George Spirits is an example of what I call craft distilling before there was craft distilling. Founded by Jörg Rupf in 1982. After spending a decade in brandy-making, ex-nuclear scientist and former brewer Lance Winters showed up on Rupf’s doorstep, looking to make whiskey and with a bottle …
By Richard Thomas Rating: B+ Cask finishes figure highly in the annual limited edition game, but enthusiasts usually think only of the major and mid-sized distilleries. However, craft distillers do regular, annual releases too, and some of them are merit more attention than they get. A fine example of that is Laws Whiskey House Cognac-Finished …
Italian whisky distillery Puni has launched Puni Aura Limited Edition 02, which was matured for over 8 years exclusively in Ex-Marsala casks from Sicily. Bottled at full cask strength (63.5% ABV), this whisky offers an extraordinary taste experience. O…
By Richard Thomas Rating: A- I find myself rather dismayed, sitting here in January 2022, that the autumn release of the George Dickel and Leopold Brothers collaboration blend did not garner more of a buzz among enthusiasts. It certainly got attention from us booze writers, but I didn’t see much enthusiasm expressed on forums and …
The GlenDronach today announces the limited release of its first-ever 50-Year-Old Single Malt; the Highland distillery’s oldest and rarest single malt Scotch whisky to date. Distilled in 1971, this expression represents a milestone in the near two-hundred-year history of The GlenDronach Distillery. The GlenDronach Aged 50 Years has quietly slumbered over five long decades in …
The Whiskey Reviewer does not hold an annual awards panel. Yet we are also focused on all things whiskey, have a team of contributors, and because of those three points we have an unusual way of doing what are our de facto awards. Instead of handing out medals or drawing up a conglomerated list, every …
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 …
