By Randall H. Borkus Rating: B Hazelburn Distillery was a prominent Campbeltown whisky producer in Scotland which was once known as the largest distillery in the Campbeltown region. It operated from 1825 until its closure in 1925 and was demolished in 1926. It was truly a casualty of the broader decline in the Campbeltown whisky, …
By Richard Thomas Autumn is the hottest season of the year for annualized, limited edition whiskeys in the United States, the time when most of the releases passionately sought by enthusiasts and collectors come out. For Heaven Hill, the second largest distiller in Kentucky bourbon, their main entry to Fall releases has been Parker’s Heritage. …
By Richard Thomas Rating: B+ Sometimes I find it hard to believe that Baltimore’s Sagamore Spirits has been around for a dozen years now, while their distillery has been operational since 2017. During that time, Sagamore has made the full transition from being a non-distillery producer (NDP), relying on whiskeys sourced from other distillers (Indiana’s …
By Richard Thomas Rating: B+ The longer I have been acquainted with it, the more I have come to believe that Michter’s Sour Mash Whiskey is neither bourbon nor rye not just in a categorical sense, but on the senses as well. Despite its mash bill being kept in the shadows, it is known that …
By Richard Thomas Rating: B+ Several years ago, Kirin stablemates Four Roses Bourbon and Asheville, North Carolina’s New Belgium Brewing announced they were doing a collaboration brew: Four Roses bourbon barrels would be sent to New Belgium and used to make a bourbon barrel ale. The twist is that New Belgium reportedly used their own …
By Richard Thomas Rating: A I just finished the manuscript on a new book about Buffalo Trace, and a feature of Buffalo Trace nerdom is knowing all the details of their esoteric collection of warehouses found on their main property. The immediate climate for these buildings are all the same, but they come in so …
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- Baltimore’s Sagamore Spirits has unveiled their oldest expression to date in a limited edition offering in their Reserve Series: a sourced 10 year old rye. The whiskey in question must have been drawn from the sourced stocks acquired by the company prior to the opening of their distillery, because while …
By Randall H. Borkus Rating: B+ Rabbit Hole Distillery Series Regallier begins with a good Kentucky Straight Bourbon and uses French oak casks to create something special. They use a high rye, double malt bourbon mash bill that begins resting in #3 wood-fired, toasted and charred new American Oak barrels and is finally tempered in French …
By Richard Thomas Rating: A- Introduced in 2014, Bomberger’s Declaration from Michter’s has become a fixture of late summer’s annualized releases. Although this expression and its sibling, Shenk’s, do not (yet) have the same buzz attached as either Michter’s other limited editions (such as Barrel Strength Rye or the 10 Year Old Single Barrels) or …
