By Richard Thomas Although some magazines and websites revisit the subject of best whiskeys annually, I prefer to wait at least five years before tackling the subject again, at least under my own banner. It’s been almost five years for this particular round-up, so I am jumping the gun a little bit, but I have …
Booker Noe used to have a habit of watering down his bourbon substantially. If you know the whiskey-making trade at all, that shouldn’t come as a surprise; it’s common to see samples watered down to 20% ABV or less for evaluation purposes. Noe used to do servings with one part cask strength bourbon, four parts …
White Peak Distillery has released Wire Works – the second entry in their Small Batch series. White Peak Wire Works Small Batch single malt whisky was matured in both ex-bourbon and the distillery’s STR (shaved, toasted and recharred) casks, bottled at 47.7% alcohol by volume [95.4 proof] and is said to contain notes of bitter […]
Four Roses Distillery will release their 2022 Limited Edition Small Batch Bourbon – the 15th in the Small Batch series. Four Roses 2022 Limited Edition Small Batch Bourbon contains a blend of four bourbons aged 14 to 20 years, was bottled at 54.5% alcohol by volume [109 proof] and is said to contain notes of […]
Barrell Craft Spirits (BCS), the award-winning independent blender of unique aged, cask-strength whiskey and rum, will introduce Barrell Vantage, a blend of straight bourbons finished in three distinct expressions of virgin oak: Mizunara, French and toasted American oak casks. As the newest ongoing release in the BCS portfolio, this expression emphasizes each wood characteristic and …
Today, Four Roses Distillery announced the launch of its 2022 Limited Edition Small Batch Bourbon on September 17. The release will be the 15th in its series of limited–quantity special bottlings. Non–chill filtered and bottled at 109 proof, the 2022 Limited Edition Small Batch features four different hand–selected recipes aged 14 to 20 years. These …
By Richard Thomas Rating: B- Started last year, the Wyoming Whiskey National Parks series embodies the distillery’s partnership with the National Parks Foundation, the official charity of the National Parks Service. Given that they are situated out in Big Sky Country, it’s only fitting that the first two installments in the series are named for …
Booker’s second round for this year is entering circulation, dubbed “The Lumberyard Batch.” This title directs attention to what Booker Noe was doing prior to entering the bourbon trade: working in a lumberyard. This continues a trend this year of Booker’s batches being older than has been the case in recent years. From its origins …
By Richard Thomas Rating: B+ This morning I received word that the second 2022 batch of Booker’s was on it’s way, so it is a good thing I was already intending to write this review of the year’s first batch! This one is called “Ronnie’s Batch,” for a 40 year veteran of Jim Beam who …
By Richard Thomas Rating: B- As I have been working through the Broken Barrel line-up for The Whiskey Reviewer bit by bit these last months, only a brief recap of who these folks are is necessary. Drawing on sourced whiskey made in Owensboro, Kentucky, Broken Barrel then adapts stave bits from other casks (ex-bourbon barrels, …
