By Richard Thomas When the owners of Kentucky Owl bourbon brand, the Stoli Group, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in late November 2024, an interesting footnote was an example of how an American liquor company can sometimes fall victim to mafia state tactics. Stoli blamed the bankruptcy on a malicious Russian cyberattack, essentially describing the …
By Richard Thomas Rating: A- Although each review is a thing unto itself, so it is basically fine to retell the same or a similar story for these annualized expressions, this time I really do not want to repeat the backstory of the defunct Bomberger Distillery in Pennsylvania and the Michter’s brand history. I’ll skip …
By Richard Thomas Rating: B+ Having examined the background of Indiana’s Starlight Distillery at length in my review of their bottled in bond bourbon, I will focus exclusively on the whiskey-making. The whiskey is made from small batches of 15 to 18 barrels (these being 53-gallon American Standard Barrels or ASBs), but small batching is …
By Richard Thomas Spirits broadly and whiskey especially experiencing a sales slump and part of the reason is that the generational cohort entering the marketplace, Gen Z, has broader range of choices in legally available mind altering substances then their predecessors to choose from while also sharing the signature characteristic of youth everywhere: buck what …
By Genevieve Jacot-Guillarmod Rating: B Produced at the James Sedgwick Distillery in South Africa, Three Ships is one of the country’s best known whisky brands alongside Bain’s. While Bain’s uses a corn-based mash bill, the Three Ships range focuses on blends and single malts. The Three Ships 10 Year Old was initially released as series …
By Alex Southgate Rating: A The folks over at Halcyon Spirits kindly sent me their latest offering to try, and I couldn’t be happier. I’ve already reviewed their fourth and fifth release, which was great. This being said, I was elated to see their newest expression, because this time it is a 28 Year Old …
Old Forrester was made at one of the few distilleries ultimately allowed to continue making whiskey during the latter stages of Prohibition, so to mark the end of Prohibition the brand has launched the latest installment in its 117 Series, Prohibition Era Still Proof. Prohibition was repealed on December 5, 1933. Bottled at 130 proof, …
Something significant is happening within the whiskey world, and Ireland is at the center of it. Modern drinkers, collectors, and casual enthusiasts alike are gravitating toward heritage Irish whiskey bottlings with a level of enthusiasm the industry hasn’t seen in decades. This renewed attention isn’t based on nostalgia alone. It’s rooted in a deeper appreciation …
By Kurt Maitland Rating: B+ Old Forester is a well-known and much-loved Kentucky straight bourbon whisky produced by the Brown–Forman Corporation. It was the first bourbon sold exclusively in sealed bottles and was bottled and marketed in 1870 by the former pharmaceutical salesman turned bourbon magnate, George Garvin Brown. The Brown–Forman Corporation is still managed …
By David Levine Rating: B+ Continuing Loch Lomond Group’s track record of putting out affordable single malts at heritage age statements, today brings Loch Lomond 18 Year Old Single Malt. Notably, it’s closer to the $10/year threshold than its Glen Scotia 15 cousin (by business, not by location). If you’re looking for an approachable, easy-to-drink, …
