By Randall H. Borkus Rating: B Bushmills’ Distillery began in 1608 with a royal distillery license granted to Sir Thomas Phillips, which serves as the basis for the brand’s claim as the world’s oldest licensed distillery. However, the actual and direct lineage of the distillery was founded in 1784 by Hugh Anderson. Bushmills is best …
By Richard Thomas Rating: A Minneapolis’s O’Shaughnessy Distilling Company has shipped it’s oldest offering yet through its Keeper’s Heart brand: a 32 year old Irish single malt. That is much older than the previous release from Keeper’s Heart of this type, last year’s 21 year old. O’Shaughnessy is the distillery that acquired the services of …
By Randall H. Borkus Rating: A Bladnoch Distillery’s 30 Year Old single malt was unveiled in 2022. Many Americans do not know the distiller, which nonetheless has a long rich history. Bladnoch is part of the Lowlands Whisky Region, home to other well-known distilleries which include Auchentoshan, Girvan and Glenkinchie; and newer lesser well-known distilleries …
By Randall H. Borkus Rating: A Longrow is named after a distillery that was once located next to Springbank Distillery in Campbeltown, Scotland. The original distillery was founded in 1824 by John Ross and closed in 1896. The property was later incorporated into Springbank, and Longrow’s old warehouse now houses Springbank’s bottling hall. In the …
By Richard Thomas Rating: A Once one gets past their regular release line-up and into its limited expressions, Michter’s Distillery is not in the habit of doing annual batches. As I will discuss in detail in two weeks with a feature rounding-up the best of Michter’s Barrel Proof Rye, these things could come out the …
By Randall H. Borkus Rating: B Playboy Spirits’ brand launched its luxury Rare Hare collection in 2022, which included previous releases of a 17-year-old bourbon and 1961 vintage cognac. This latest release is Lucky Bastard 30 Year Old Canadian whisky, a single barrel finished in Pineau Des Charentes casks for 120 days. Pineau Des Charentes …
By Richard Thomas Rating: A Benriach Distillery is expanding its lineup of ultra-aged single malts in the United States with “The Forty.” That name is the age statement, so forty years old, but it is more than a forty year old Speyside single malt. The whisky was initially “released” in 2022 as part of an …
By Randall H. Borkus Rating: A- With the end of the first quarter of 2023, WhistlePig Farm brought the market a new whiskey called “The Béhôlden,” their first ultra-aged single malt. WhistlePig have sourced from Glenora Distillery in Nova Scotia. For those who aren’t familiar with them, they were the first distillery to make single …
By Richard Thomas Rating: A Glenglassaugh is a Speyside distillery, located some 50 miles northwest of the regional center of Aberdeen. Founded in 1875, it’s story has fewer twists and turns to it than many of Scotland’s distilleries. The distillery was started by a grocer so as to supply his own retail needs, and many …
By Kenrick Thurston-Wilcox Rating: C In Fuji Distillery’s 50 year history, the whisky-maker has only employed two master blenders, with Jota Tanaka currently filling the position. Jota has the distinction of recently been admitted into the World Whisky Awards Hall of Fame for his contributions to helping the image and transparency of Japanese Whisky as …
