By Richard Thomas Rating: A- The latest Single Barrel Special Release from Jack Daniel’s draws on their rye whiskey but combines that with the twist that swiftly became a fan favorite after it was first used with their staple Old No. 7 Tennessee Whiskey: Coy Hill. Coy Hill overlooks the distillery and was the first …
By Richard Thomas Rating: B+ Although I am sure it seems counter-intuitive to some, the end of the Bourbon Boom should actually guarantee the entry of new companies and brands into the market. The logic is simple: as demand slides back down to a level similar to that of the middle Boom years (as opposed …
By Richard Thomas Rating: B+ All fans of smoky Islay whisky jumped for joy (honestly, if they did not were they really fans?) when Laphroaig announced they were reviving their historical core expression, the middle rung 15 Year Old single malt. This is such good news, a brief summary of the Laphroaig Distilery’s background is …
By Richard Thomas Rating: A- When I realized The Whiskey Reviewer has been covering Remus Repeal Reserve, which is basically a showcase for the bourbons made by MGP in Indiana, from the beginning, I thought “wild.” We have not gotten every single expression and I personally did not review them all, but we were there for …
By Richard Thomas Rating: B The next step up in Chicken Cock’s core line-up from their entry level Straight Bourbon is the Chicken Cock Small Batch. The term “small batch” remains ill-defined, but rarely abused, and this whiskey is a perfect example. Mine is from Batch 30, drawing on just five barrels. Anyone who would …
By Richard Thomas Rating: B+ The last of the trio from Old Elk’s new collection of 10 year old whiskeys is named as the 10 Year Old Straight Bourbon, which is so named because there is a wheated bourbon in the trio. By calling it “straight,” what they mean is that it uses the traditional, …
By Richard Thomas Rating: B It has been little over a year since Ohio’s Middle West Spirits bought Old Elk Distillery, based in Colorado, but now Old Elk has come out with its first major release since the acquisition. This new launch is a 10 year old collection, consisting of a straight bourbon (rye recipe); …
By Richard Thomas Rating: A- Sometimes pundits have real, lasting influence. So, whenever I see someone scoff at Blade & Bow in a blog or an internet forum, I chalk it up to Chuck Cowdery’s very personal feud with certain individuals at Diageo, which had the trickle down effect of a chunk of enthusiasts being …
By Richard Thomas Rating: B+ Baker’s was first introduced as part of the seminal Jim Beam Small Batch Collection of the 1990s, but was the last of the four brands to receive a 21st Century, Bourbon Boom makeover and marketing push. Booker’s was revised so individual batches of the brand got their own sub title, …
By Richard Thomas Rating: A- Baltimore’s Sagamore Spirits has unveiled their oldest expression to date in a limited edition offering in their Reserve Series: a sourced 10 year old rye. The whiskey in question must have been drawn from the sourced stocks acquired by the company prior to the opening of their distillery, because while …
