Category: Over $500

Michter’s 20 Year Old Bourbon Review (2022)

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 Richard Thomas

Rating: A

Michter’s 20 Year Old Bourbon (2022)(Credit: Richard Thomas)

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 next year or after an interval of one, two or even three years. So, I reviewed the 2015 edition of Michter’s 20 Year Old, and subsequent releases came out in 2016, 2019, 2021, and now the edition I will now address: 2022.

According to Michter’s, they closely monitor their older barrels at the 17 year mark, and refer to that as the “fork in the road” point. Certain barrels can achieve “extraordinary” quality after that point. Promising barrels continue maturing, and some are dumped for use in the 20 year old. This expression was a single barrel back in 2015, but that language was replaced with “limited release” on the label for the 2019 edition and has stayed that way ever since. The company describes it as a small batch release now.

The Bourbon
The pour into my copita glass takes on a rich, dark amber coloring, which reflects both the age and the 57.1% ABV bottling strength. This has never been a cask strength expression, despite the high strength, and the proof of 114.2 has been set and stable since the single barrel days.

Michter's 20 Year Old Single Barrel Bourbon 2015
Back in 2015, when Michter’s 20 Year Old was a single barrel
(Credit: Richard Thomas)

The nose is rich with cherries and dried figs, treacle and vanilla, and spiced with cinnamon and clove. The spicy aspect comes forward on the palate, with the cinnamon and clove broadening to include pepper and a sliver of cedar wood, coming into full balance with the sweet side of the bourbon. Behind this, a leathery, earthy note of cocoa had developed, one that grows on the back end. The finish sees that leathery cocoa and the spicy aspect rise up and swamp the aftertaste like a sudden, crashing wave, one that recedes rapidly to leave behind a sweet vanilla note on the tongue that then fades to the slightest brushing with spiciness. It’s a wonderfully sophisticated conclusion that just gives and gives, sip after sip. As rich and wonderful as the rest of this bourbon’s experience is, that finish marks it out as something special.

The Price
Officially, this bottle is priced at $1,200. The market value of Michter’s 20 Year Old is far, far higher, with online retailers asking between $5,000 and $7,000 a bottle.

Rare Hare Lucky Bastard 30 Year Old Canadian Whisky Review

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 Randall H. Borkus

Rating: B

Rare Hare Lucky Bastard 30 Year Old Canadian Whisky
(Credit: Randall H. Borkus)

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 is a fortified wine-mistelle or vin de liqueur, made from either fresh, unfermented grape juice or a blend of lightly fermented grape must, to which a Cognac eau-de-vie is added and then allowed to mature.

No data is available as to where the whisky actually comes from. In addition to my sample, I was lucky enough to find a bottle in the wild. The presentation is elegant! It comes in a bright red box with gold lettering, and the 700ml bottle screams “I’m a Diva.” It also included a sleek set of Lucky Bastard Playboy playing cards. I must admit we contemplated for a moment just what the Playboy playing cards were hiding from us in the package. Playboy Spirits produced 2,500 bottles at 89 proof.

The Whisky
The whisky’s color is a deep golden amber, and it runs a little thinner than expected as it drips down the sides of my Glencairn glass.  On the nose, Lucky Bastard declares it is Canadian whisky and sprays me senses with notes of vanilla, slightly burnt gingerbread, and toasted butter. The front palate holds hints of over baked fruits with plenty sweetness and toasted banana coconut drizzle. The finish is spicy then sprinkled burnt sugar wafers drizzled with more toasted banana coconut settling into a nice walnut-oak dryness.

I like it, but I am missing most of the Pineau Des Charentes barrel influence that I had anticipated would reveal itself as I imbibed this little gem.  It tastes like so many other aged Canadian whiskies I’ve come across over the years and I seem to miss any significant Pineau Des Charentes influence here.

The Price
The suggested retail is $599 and with minimal research I found it offered for a little less on the internet.

Sneak Peek: Benriach The Forty Scotch Review

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 Richard Thomas

Rating: A

Benriach The Forty(Credit: Benriach/Brown-Forman)

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 NFT scheme, but we’ll overlook that and focus squarely on the liquid, since the liquid is now physically available. Master Blender Rachel Barrie has drawn on these malts that are old enough to fret about retirement, aged in a combination of ex-bourbon barrels and Port casks. The resulting marriage has been bottled at 43.5% ABV.

The Scotch
I find that older Scotch doesn’t necessarily mean darker Scotch, which has a lot to do with the wood its matured in. Students of bourbon whiskey know that all of the color comes from the new oak aging, and the various kinds of vessels Scotch whisky is aged in could be used two, three or even more times. Thus, when this forty year-plus old single malt came out with a middle amber coloring to it, I take that as a good sign the bourbon and Port casks were mostly or entirely of the first-fill variety.

The nose was packed with plum and citrus zest, thickly layered atop a solid foundation of honey. Hints of earthy nuts and heather round out the scent, which is luscious and should be lingered upon every bit as much as the flavor.

The palate leads with fortified wine elements, coming across with plums, chocolate-covered dried cherries and white peaches. That honeyed foundation continues from the scent into the flavor, and its only on the back-end that all this sophisticated, rich sweetness drops away. The finish rolls up with a current of dry wood, but only briefly, before folding into the flavor of dried tobacco leaf.

I honestly can’t say The Forty is worth the price on offer, for the same reason I can never say a four figures-plus bottle of whisky is worth it: I don’t have four figures of cash to spend on a consumable item of this kind. But if you do have that kind of disposable income, this is a fine bottle to consider picking up.

The Price
The asking price for Benriach The Forty is $4,500.

WhistlePig The Béhôlden 21 Year Old Single Malt Review

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 Randall H. Borkus

Rating: A-

Whistlepig Beholden
(Credit: Randall H. Borkus)

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 malt in North America in modern times; their initial production run dates to 1990, seven years before even St. George Spirits. The Glenora whisky has been finished in WhistlePig’s own rye barrels.

All the bottles are presented as single barrel offerings, numbered and presented in an ultra-deluxe wooden box. My bottle is number 23 from barrel number 006 at 92 proof in a 750ml bottle.

The Whiskey
This single malt is a beautiful dark caramel color in my glass. The nose is loaded with notes of raisins, butterscotch, maple syrup and sweet cherry extracts hints.

The front palate is malty with a butterscotch custard bomb explosion working its way through my mid and back palates. The finish reminds me first of fresh cut lumber followed with a medley of sweet peppermint and butterscotch with a healthy dryness settling into a peppery fresh earthiness in the back of my throat.  This whiskey matches the presentation as it is complex from start to finish.

The more time it spends in glass and with a few drops of water, I am finding hints of candied ginger, cinnamon, earth and fresh nutmeg lingering on my palate. The mouth feel is so buttery, adding a extra satisfying quality to the whiskey.  I thoroughly enjoyed The Béhôlden, and it surprised all of my senses.

One might think the rye spice from the barrel would yield something very awkward; however, with this expression it is perfectly balanced with the malt flavors to create a fantastic savory experience.  The rye barrel influences are so obvious and add so much to the flavor profile.

The challenge for me now is do just drink the bottle dry of its sophisticated flavors or do I hide it away for only special occasions?

The Price
At the suggested retail price of $799 a bottle and in excess of $1499.99 online, I will keep this bottle on the shelf of distinct bottles banked away exclusively for friends and special occasions.

Glenglassaugh 46 Year Old Scotch Review

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 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 whisky brands in the late 19th Century were founded by grocers. It was sold in 1892 to Highland Distillers and remained operational (except for a brief closure for renovation and expansion in the 1960s) until 1986. Under new ownership, it reopened in 2008. It was then absorbed into the BenRiach Group in 2013, which was then acquired by Brown-Forman in 2016. Master Blender Rachel Barrie now oversees Glenglassaugh’s workings.

When Glenglassaugh made its comeback, it was on the backs of a handful of ultra-aged releases coming out of their old stock, made in the 1980s or before. One could say Glenglassaugh is best known for its 30 and 40 year old single malts, so it was to great interest when it was announced a 46 year old Glenglassaugh was coming to the United States.

Only 215 bottles of this malt are coming to America (total numbers available globally aren’t known), each filled with whisky distilled in 1975. It’s bottled at 41.7% ABV.

The Scotch
I have had my dark golden-colored pour out on the table as I’ve been writing the above text, and I can already say it’s aromatic. The aroma is rising out of the Glencairn to greet me. That scent is fruity and tropical, with mango and plum sitting on a toasted oaken dish of ambergris.

The flavor is as perfume-y as the nose suggests. Again, it’s fruity with the mango, but the plums morph to cherry and black currant. This is accented by sandalwood and mint. The flavor rolls off those latter spices, before evolving into a pipe tobacco flavor that lingers on and on.

I can’t really say if this pour is worth $4,800 a bottle, because I’m not in the socio-economic stratum that has a middling four figures to spend on a bottle of whisky. That said, I can tell you what is in that bottle with a single word: delight.

The Price
Each bottle is officially commanding $4,800.

Fuji 30 Year OldSingle Grain Japanese Whisky Review

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 …

By Kenrick Thurston-Wilcox

Rating: C

Fuji 30 Year Old Single Grain
(Credit: Fuji Whisky)

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 well as his vast knowledge of blending, having been in the wine and spirits industry since 1988.

Until last year, Japan had not had any set legal standards for the distillation and blending of whisky, instead relying on standards based on reputation, tradition and import requirements. The result was that a Japanese company could, if they chose, import and bottle whiskey from across the globe and calling it Japanese, even though there may be nothing in the bottle that was distilled in Japan. When the boom times came to Japanese whiskey in the 2010s, many took advantage of this giant loophole, pushing out inferior products to make a quick buck and not being transparent, resulting in confusion on what exactly people were buying, and hurting the reputation of Japanese Whiskey in the process.

Not wanting to jeopardize the reputation that the Japanese whisky industry had worked so hard to earn garnered, Jota Tanaka pushed for the industry to adopt regulations that inform the consumer of what, exactly, they were buying. Fuji Whisky exemplifies this push with its 30 Year Old Single Grain Whiskey, which is wholly produced, blended and bottled in Japan. Being able to produce 3 different types of grain whisky on property, this release is a result of their ‘Kettle and Column’ distillation method (which they call a “medium styled Canadian whisky” in-house). This release was bottled at 92 proof, with some of the whiskies in this blend being up to 40 years old, so there is some truly rare and ultra-aged whisky in this release.

The Whisky
Once poured, the liquid is a medium amber color. Unfortunately, the first thing to hit my nose was tannic wood and straight ethanol, overpowering everything else in the glass. After pushing through I found notes of cherry and pine, some red apple and vanilla. I let the liquid sit for 20 minutes after my initial nosing, hoping that the overpowering woody and ethanol notes would dissipate. The extra 20 minutes of air helped reduce the strong ethanol smell, but not by much.

The palate is more fruity with cherry coming back in, followed by orange. The whisky is nice and oily, coating your mouth with a creamy mouthfeel. Unfortunately the ethanol and over-wooded notes are here as well, making the whisky harsh at first. It’s not as overwhelming as the nose, but is still very much prevalent. There also was something that I couldn’t quite place, but was extremely intriguing (butterscotch or toffee were the closest I could come up with but they don’t seem to capture exactly what I tasted). There is not much to say on the finish other then being fruity again, as it was short-lived.

I added a couple drops of water, hoping I could find some more notes that were hiding under the overpowering ones. The water pushed the ethanol and wood out of the way some, giving way to the fruity character of the whiskey. The taste was still woody, but had a slight chocolate character coming through with a still unimpressive finish. Overall, the water helped to tame the overbearing notes, but destroyed any complexity the whiskey had.

The saying that “an older whiskey is a better whisky,” but that is not always the case. Maturation is a dance between time, climate, liquid and wood. Unfortunately, I think this release spent too much time in the casks, resulting in a whisky that tastes overbearingly like wood and ethanol. There is a lot going on underneath, but is buried much too deeply.

The Price
Only 100 bottles of this release can be found in the US with a price tag of $2,999.99 for a 700ml bottle, with the only states it’s available in being California, Illinois, New York, New Jersey, Maryland, Georgia, and Florida.

Royal Brackla 21 Year Old Scotch Review

By Richard Thomas Rating: A- In Royal Brackla’s repackaged regular line-up, the 21 Year Old expression is the crown, but it’s got a bit more sparkle than just a high age statement. Some whiskies are finished in old Sherry casks, but this one draws on three different types of Sherry wood stock: Oloroso, Pedro Ximenez …

By Richard Thomas

Rating: A-

Royal Brackla 21 Year Old
(Credit: Bacardi)

In Royal Brackla’s repackaged regular line-up, the 21 Year Old expression is the crown, but it’s got a bit more sparkle than just a high age statement. Some whiskies are finished in old Sherry casks, but this one draws on three different types of Sherry wood stock: Oloroso, Pedro Ximenez (PX) and Palo Cortado.

I don’t think a whisky review is the proper venue for the lesson in Sherry wine that would be necessary to explain what makes those three types different. Moreover, whisky enthusiasts should already be quite familiar with the broad characteristics of Oloroso and PX Sherries. It’s the Palo Cortado that stands out in the mix, so a brief word about that wine, especially seeing as how it is a happy accident. It’s bottled at 46% ABV.

Palo Cortado was intended to become a Fino or Amontillado Sherry. However, for some reason the wine loses its cap of flor along the way, starts oxidizing and becomes something more like an Oloroso Sherry instead. Emphasis on the “more like” there, because it brings along some of its start as a Amontillado or Fino with it. The inclusion doesn’t quite double down on the Oloroso as add another Sherried dimension.

The Scotch
The multi-Sherry finish really shows in the glass, as the whisky has a bourbonesque amber cast to it. The nose leads with fruity, floral and damp pipe tobacco, backed by ginger cookies. The flavor layers that up with rum-soaked raisins and a dollop of vanilla. The finish is long, but faint. It’s the main deficiency in what is otherwise a flavorful and sophisticated dram, since it’s not substantial enough to make me want to sit with it for a spell.

The Price
Expect to pay $600 a bottle for this single malt.

Glendronach 28 Year Old Grandeur Batch 11 Scotch Review

By Richard Thomas Rating: A- The latest creation of Rachel Barrie, the Master Blender of the BenRiach Group (also known as the Scotch Whisky arm of Brown-Forman) is also the latest installment in Glendronach’s Grandeur series, a 28 Year Old single malt aged in Pedro Ximénez and Oloroso Sherry casks. Since some readers might wonder …

By Richard Thomas

Rating: A-

Glendronach Grandeur Batch 11 28 Year Old Single Malt
(Credit: BenRiach Group)

The latest creation of Rachel Barrie, the Master Blender of the BenRiach Group (also known as the Scotch Whisky arm of Brown-Forman) is also the latest installment in Glendronach’s Grandeur series, a 28 Year Old single malt aged in Pedro Ximénez and Oloroso Sherry casks. Since some readers might wonder what Glendronach has to do with BenRiach, a little history is necessary.

Glendronach is a classic example of how the ownership and use of a Scottish distillery can become quite convoluted over time. The distillery was started in 1826 by James Allardes, and was only the second distillery in Scotland to apply for a license. The original distillery was destroyed in a fire, rebuilt in the mid-19th Century, and eventually came into the possession of Charles Grant (of William Grant & Sons) in 1920. The Grants eventually sold it to William Teacher & Sons, and Glendronach malt continues to be part of Teacher’s Scotch Whisky to this day. In another acquisition Glendronach was mothballed, then restarted in 2002, went independent in 2008, and was finally acquired by the BenRiach Group. This was, in turn, bought by Brown-Forman in 2016. Glendronach malt is also known to be part of Ballantine’s.

Grandeur is a special release series from Glendronach, focusing on older whisky. This is the 11th batch, consisting of a 3,181 bottle run, bottled at 48.9% ABV.

The Scotch
The nose on this malt leads with a whiff of smoke, one that is swiftly subsumed by a fruity current of peaches and apricots, boozy raisins, and a pinch of white pepper. The flavor follows in much the same vein, but with a mild vanilla note added in for good measure. I found it smooth, flavorful and personable.

The Price
Old Scotch doesn’t come cheap, and this is no exception: officially, Glendronach Grandeur Batch 11 28 Year Old is priced at $800. I’ve seen it listed with retailers for $1,200 and up.

Teeling 32 Year Old Irish Single Malt Review

By Richard Thomas Rating: A+ Although Teeling Whiskey Company is well past its days of being solely reliant on sourced whiskey stocks for their work, having opened their Dublin distillery in 2015. That said, they still have some ultra-aged stuff socked away to play with, which is why we get periodic releases of things like …

By Richard Thomas

Rating: A+

Teeling 32 Year Old Irish Single Malt
(Credit: Kurt Maitland)

Although Teeling Whiskey Company is well past its days of being solely reliant on sourced whiskey stocks for their work, having opened their Dublin distillery in 2015. That said, they still have some ultra-aged stuff socked away to play with, which is why we get periodic releases of things like this new 32 year old single malt.

This whiskey started out by entering an ex-bourbon barrel in 1990, where it stayed for 28 years. Four years ago, Teeling transferred it to a cask used to mature Purple Muscat from Portugal, receiving a particularly long, deep finish before dumping and bottling.

That finishing choice grabbed my attention, given that I lived in Portugal for eight years and continue to visit regularly. Purple Muscat is largely grown and made in Setubal, a region just south of Lisbon that I know well for the scenery, diving and the Queijo de Azeitao. Teeling actually has a track record for finding excellent (and sometimes exotic) cask stock from Portugal, and this time was no exception.

The muscat cask was the only one used for the release, and yielded only 283 bottles. Part of the reason why is it was bottled at cask strength, which coming to 53.7% ABV is one of the strongest Teeling whiskeys to date.

The Whiskey
The coloring of the pour is a dark, deep reddened amber, as one might expect from something that has gotten such a long soaking in a wine cask. No water was necessary here, as I found the whiskey perfectly enjoyable from the bottle.

Taking in the nose gave me a current of bright red fruits (think strawberries, cherries and raspberries, not grapes) and caramel, with a strong accent of peppermint and a sliver of moody, hoary wood. It’s a luxurious, richly endowed dram, which shows itself best on the palate. The fruity side goes a bit dark, with raisins stirred into that cocktail, and the caramel/vanilla note is subdued by a rising tide of tannic, dry oak. The turns sharply, though, with the woody spices moderating out to sandalwood, joined to an earthy oat cookie.

This one is a superlative bottle, and truly a proper muscat bomb, if there were such a category. It sings with its cask finish, but not in such a way as to make you forget there is a well-aged Irish single malt at its core. It’s been a few years since I last handed out an A+, but in this instance I didn’t dither over the grade one bit. The whiskey really is that good.

The Price
The Teeling 32 Year Old will become available in the US next month, with a retail price of $3,499.99.