By Randall H. Borkus Rating: A Bladnoch Distillery’s 30 Year Old single malt was unveiled in 2022. Many Americans do not know the distiller, which nonetheless has a long rich history. Bladnoch is part of the Lowlands Whisky Region, home to other well-known distilleries which include Auchentoshan, Girvan and Glenkinchie; and newer lesser well-known distilleries …
By Richard Thomas Rating: A- To a bourbon fan, end of summer means more than more pleasant weather and the disappearance of mosquitoes. Autumn brings with it the annual limited edition release season, when all the most ardently sought, annualized whiskeys come out. Every year for the last eighteen years, the end of summer marked …
By Richard Thomas Rating: A- This is one of those whiskeys that I feel should need no introduction or summary, but that said: it is among my personal favorites, one of the expressions I point to as being undoubtedly worth the (official) asking price. I’ll start with the mash bill. At a time when the …
By Douglas Fraser Rating: A- Nestled at the southern point of Loch Lomond is the Loch Lomond Distillery, known for producing its own line of Single Malt Whiskies as well as whiskies made for blending by other Scotch Whisky producers. The distillery prides itself on its unique distillation process, which crafts exceptional whiskies. The roots …
By Randall H. Borkus Rating: A In late March 2025, Michter’s Master Distiller Dan McKee and Master of Maturation Andrea Wilson approved the release of Michter’s 10 Year Single Barrel Bourbon. “Rather than on a strict age schedule, at Michter’s we bottle whiskey when our production team deems it fully matured. This continues the standards …
By Richard Thomas Rating: A- During the 2010s, Utah’s High West made a splash with whiskey nerds for their transparency. Although they were a negociant (or non-distiller producer, as bloggers who didn’t know there was a better term already in use in whisky circles preferred to call such a company), they had two characteristics that set …
By Richard Thomas Rating: A- As it has been years since I last wrote about the brand, a brief background summary of Lock, Stock and Barrel is called for. The brand is owned by Cooper Spirits, a company founded in 2006. Cooper Spirits is an independent bottler, reliant upon sourced spirits, but knowing their foundation …
By Kurt Maitland Rating: A Old Forester is a well known (one could safely say iconic) brand of Kentucky straight bourbon whisky produced by the Brown–Forman Corporation. It was the first bourbon sold exclusively in sealed bottles, first bottled and marketed in 1870 by the former pharmaceutical salesman turned bourbon-merchant prince, George Garvin Brown. The …
Updated June 23, 2025 By Randall H. Borkus Average Rating: A- The Michter’s team has been making quality whiskey since the 1990s, but the 2015 inaugural release of Michter’s Barrel Strength Rye was the start of something special. The rye distillate enters the barrel at 103 proof, an expensive choice for aging, yet one that …
By Richard Thomas Rating: A- Two weeks ago, Maker’s Mark launched its latest whisky, and in so doing made a major departure from the way things are done down in Loretto, Kentucky. That is because the newest bottle from Maker’s Mark is a new brand representing two brand new distillates in a (for them) a …
