By Richard Thomas Rating: B Located in the Appalachian foothills of Virginia, not all that far from Charlottesville, Virginia Distillery made its initial reputation for skillfully created hybrid whiskies: they blended their youthful in-house American single malts with imported Scottish malts, and then gave the hybrid a “marriage” (secondary finishing) in used-but-native Virginia casks. An …
For centuries, Scotland set the standards in single malt whiskey; but in recent years, new voices have emerged to challenge the sanctity of tradition. Starting in October 2021, Westland Distillery sought to assess how their single malts, and those from around the world, measure up against each other and against the original forefather,by launching The …
By Richard Thomas Rating: A- So much has been done since Nicole Austin took up stewardship at Cascade Hollow (the Tullahoma, Tennessee distillery where George Dickel is made), that it sometimes needs saying she has been there for not even four full years yet. Although none of the spirits going into these new creations was …
Treat the whisky drinker in your life to some whisky accessories. Instead of trying to guess which bottle of whisky they’ll enjoy the most, opt for a more creative gift and choose some accessories that will elevate any whisky drinker’s evening tipple. Discover our guide to the best whisky accessory gift ideas. Glasses The secret …
By Randall H. Borkus Rating: A India’s Paul John stepped up a notch again with a stellar single malt in 2021, Mithuna. I received two sample bottles (50ml) earlier this year, and I need to tell you that I enjoyed them. This is an unpeated, not-chill-filtered single whisky. It is matured in virgin American oak …
By Richard Thomas Rating: B+ It is such a fixture of Craft Whiskey 2.0 that I get tired of saying it, only to find that saying it is necessary: whiskey made by small distillers is now properly mature more often than not. Many of the bottles coming out of Pittsburgh’s Wigle Distillery are a perfect …
By Richard Thomas Rating: B+ Seeing as how I was down in the Brooklyn Navy Yard just a few days ago, enjoyed a warm cocktail on a frigid, pre-Snowpocalypse 2022 day, it seems like as good a time as any to address Kings County Distillery’s Empire Rye. It’s a good example of one of the …
By Richard Thomas Rating: B+ This most recent release from the skilled folks at Barrell Craft Spirits is drawn from 6, 7, 10, 15 and 16 year old barrels sourced from the (now familiar) states of Kentucky, Indiana and Tennessee. The company says the 6, 7 and 10 year old bourbons were of two groups, …
Heaven Hill, America’s largest independent, family-owned and operated distilled spirits supplier, has today acquired Samson & Surrey, including its portfolio of brands and facilities. The acquisition of Samson & Surrey further extends Heaven Hill’s portfolio with six high-growth, super-premium brands in several of the industry’s fastest growing categories. “Throughout our 86-year history, our focus has …
By Richard Thomas Rating: B+ One of the best aspects of Lost Lantern’s model is also what makes it unique: it’s a true negociant in the European sense, but plying its business in the United States. There are two things to understand about that statement to get at why it makes them unique. First, as …
