By Richard Thomas Rating: B Although it defies the expectations of many denizens of internet’s whiskeydom, those of us with long memories or knowledge of history realize that just because the Bourbon Boom is over does not mean new companies and brands will not be forthcoming. Some of the most popular and well-established brands today …
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 Richard Thomas Rating: A- I think to understand why Baltimore’s Sagamore Spirits does things the way that it does, one needs to start with what Maryland style rye whiskey is. While the Kentucky style of rye, which is as close to bourbon as possible without actually being bourbon, or Pennsylvania’s lots of rye, no …
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 Douglas Fraser Grade: A Proper 12 was co-founded by Irishman and former UFC Champion Connor MacGregor, but the brand is now owned by Proximo Spirits. Following scandal, MacGregor is no longer the public face of the brand. The 13 Year Limited release is the first of the 13 Year series of single malt whiskeys, …
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 …
By Richard Thomas Rating: B+ Last month, newcomer whiskey company 15 Stars announced a line extension, meaning they added a new line to the brand: First West. Briefly, 15 Stars was started by the Columbus, Ohio-based, father and son team of Rick and Ricky Johnson. A negociant/non-distiller producer (NDP), 15 Stars released their first bottlings just …
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 …
