By Douglas Fraser Rating: B- Shady Mile is said to be made (sourced) from the tenth oldest distillery in the state of Kentucky, and named after a point in the country roads where bootleggers met to conduct business and have a sip of whiskey. The whiskey is known to come from Owensboro, and Green River …
By Richard Thomas Rating: B Like so many other well-established small whiskey companies, West Virginia’s Smooth Ambler is in the midst of transitioning from being a bottler of sourced whiskeys to a fully independent distillery. Their current line-up reflects this, with a foot in all three types of products such a company might produce. Old …
By Richard Thomas Rating: B The middle rung of Royal Brackla’s regular range of single malts offers something special for fans of Sherried whiskies. This 18 year old single malt is finished in Palo Cortado Sherry casks. If that term leaves you scratching your head, read on. This is a rare type of Sherry that …
By Michael Cervin Rating: B Nikka was founded in Japan in 1934 and currently uses two different distilleries to hone their blends. As the bottom tier blended whisky of the Nikka brand (The Nikka, and Super Nikka hold the top spots), the Days iteration is meant to be light, easy going and affordable for everyday …
Barrell Bourbon Batch 033 Rating: B Barrell Craft Spirits, based in Louisville, Kentucky, is an independent blender of sourced whiskey and rum. They have earned recognition as whiskey design experts, that continue to produce cask strength spirits. According to their founder Joe Beatrice, “Barrell Craft Spirits was awarded Best Bourbon twice at the San Francisco …
By Andrew Graham Rating: B+ Bushmills released the second installment of its renowned Rare Cask series in May, nearly 20 months after the inaugural Rare Cask expression was released in October of 2020. It’s worth comparing the specs on this expression with those of the first Rare Cask installment. Whereas the first Rare Cask release …
By Richard Thomas Rating: B+ Earlier this spring, Jack Daniel’s introduced a new series on bottled in bond whiskeys. One of these was a revamping of an already existing expression, Jack Daniel’s Bottled in Bond Tennessee Whiskey. This one took an already existing, one-liter travel retail bottle and repackaged it as a general release in …
By Richard Thomas Rating: B+ Michter’s Barrel Strength Rye is a fan favorite; indeed, it’s something my Deputy Editor, Kurt Maitland, continues to speak glowingly of, often citing it as a perfect example of how higher proof is better. For a while, it looked like this expression was going to become a periodic release, like …
By Richard Thomas Rating: B+ A distillery in the Dewar’s portfolio, the regular line of Craigellachie is a relatively new fixture among Scottish malts, having been introduced in 2014. The malts have since become known for their meaty quality, something of a middleweight hitter on the spectrum of Speyside malts. Craigellachie 13 Year Old is …
By Richard Thomas Rating: B+ Introducing a distillery to The Whiskey Reviewer readership is a rarity these days, so it’s refreshing to take on task for Royal Brackla. The distillery was started in 1812 by an ex-soldier, Captain William Fraser, on the estate of the Earl of Cawdor. Despite frequently clashing with local tax officials …
