By Richard Thomas Rating: B For those who don’t know the brand histories, Jim Beam had a reason for using Old Granddad’s distillate in creating the Basil Hayden brand back in the 1990s. Raymond Hayden created the Old Granddad brand in the 1880s, naming it for his grandfather, Meredith Basil Hayden. The two names have …
By Genevieve Jacot-Guillarmod Rating: B+ Compass Box is an independent Scotch whisky maker and blending company rather than a distillery. They do not own stills and, historically at least, have not distilled their own spirit. Instead, they purchase whisky from various Scottish distilleries and combine it to create their own products. They describe themselves as: …
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 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 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, …
By Richard Thomas Rating: B+ Operating out of Columbus, Ohio, Middle West Spirits is one of those distilleries that has been around for years, but drew little attention from whiskey fans outside their immediate area until recently. The distillery was co-founded by engineer Ryan Lang in 2008, who has served as their master distiller from …
By Richard Thomas Rating: B+ Several years ago, Kirin stablemates Four Roses Bourbon and Asheville, North Carolina’s New Belgium Brewing announced they were doing a collaboration brew: Four Roses bourbon barrels would be sent to New Belgium and used to make a bourbon barrel ale. The twist is that New Belgium reportedly used their own …
By Randall H. Borkus Rating: B Bushmills’ Distillery began in 1608 with a royal distillery license granted to Sir Thomas Phillips, which serves as the basis for the brand’s claim as the world’s oldest licensed distillery. However, the actual and direct lineage of the distillery was founded in 1784 by Hugh Anderson. Bushmills is best …
By Randall H. Borkus Rating: B+ Rabbit Hole Distillery Series Regallier begins with a good Kentucky Straight Bourbon and uses French oak casks to create something special. They use a high rye, double malt bourbon mash bill that begins resting in #3 wood-fired, toasted and charred new American Oak barrels and is finally tempered in French …
