By Richard Thomas John Lunn could be fairly described as the giant of Tennessee Whiskey that the average enthusiast has never heard of, and he passed away on March 30, 2023. He was 53 years old. In an era when veteran master distillers are revered by a large and growing fan base as rock stars, …
By Richard Thomas High end bourbon has been rocked by twin scandals in 2023, and while they are taking place on opposite sides of the country, all of it lies in the realm of bottles that are either truly finite (i.e. no more are coming) or those commanding demand that far outstrips supply. Collectables, in …
By Richard Thomas For those of us who live in the Bluegrass and regularly make the trip between Lexington and Louisville, the billboards telling travelers to stop in at either the Lexington or Louisville location of Justins’ House of Bourbon is a familiar sight. Billed as Kentucky’s premier bourbon shop, these stores have become a …
Here at The Whiskey Reviewer, we have never convened an annual rewards panel. Instead of handing out medals or drawing up a conglomerated list, every member of the team keeps her or his own voice, naming their personal choice in three categories. Best New Whiskey Best Whiskey To Pass My Lips (the absolute best, new …
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 …
By Richard Thomas Wild Turkey’s most important contribution to the realm of annual limited edition whiskeys has been Master’s Keep, which has put several noteworthy spins on Wild Turkey’s bourbon, plus one rye installment in the form of Master’s Keep Cornerstone. This year, Master Distiller Eddie Russell decided to look back to something he created …
By Richard Thomas As American enthusiasts are left scratching their heads over exactly why even Sazerac Rye is so scarce that it’s now kept in locked cabinets at the liquor store, retail prices for limited edition whiskeys that should be scarce continue to spiral. Leaving inflation out of it, the kind of bourbon one would …
By Richard Thomas An inside joke in the booze writing trade is how made-in-America single malt whiskeys have been the “next big thing” for …., oh, the last several years. Don’t get me wrong: American-made malts have become a vibrant part of the national whiskey scene, and I for one applaud how it is a …
By Richard Thomas When the legendary Master Distiller Barry Crockett hatched the idea for Midleton Very Rare in 1984, I doubt he knew it would be the start of a truly seminal brand, one of the earliest examples the modern class of annual limited edition whiskeys. New Midleton Distillery had only been in operation for …
By Richard Thomas Whenever I want a short explanation for the roots of modern whisky-making, I say it originated with the Irish and Scots, and was carried by immigrants from those places to the United States and Canada. That covers four of the five major whisky-making countries.The Japanese, on the other hand, don’t fit into …
