Interview With The Man Behind Garrison Brothers Distillery By Richard Thomas Sometimes I am asked that if Kentucky and Tennessee are America’s top whiskey states, who is vying for third place? In today’s booming craft distilling scene, Texas is on my short list for that bronze medal slot. The Lone Star State has a that combination of numbers, quality and ...

By Richard Thomas Whiskey and entertainers, especially musicians, is becoming a staple here at The Whiskey Reviewer, and the lesson we’ve learned about performers is to have no expectations when it comes to taste. Take Brooklyn-based singer-songwriter Brett Saxon, who hasn’t got much interest in Scotch, but loves just about everything else under the whisk(e)y umbrella, including moonshine. RT: Running ...

By Richard Thomas Rating: B- The Glenlivet scored a notable achievement in 2014. Already the second-placed single malt whisky in terms of sales, the brand closed the gap with top-seller Glenfiddich by breaking through the one million cases mark for the first. The margin of market share separating this pair of top brands shrank to less than 1%. Around the ...

A Rebuttal To Fred Minnick By Richard Thomas A few weeks ago, Whisky Advocate magazine did a two-part point/counter-point series on their blog, with Chuck Cowdery adopting the position (similar to The Whiskey Reviewer’s own) that the bourbon shortage is mostly yellow journalism, or “clickbait” as he called it. Fred Minnick took the contrary pose, that the shortage is very ...

The Beginner’s Guide To Drinking Whiskey From The Emerald Isle By Richard Thomas Surging Irish whiskey sales are a clear sign that many drinkers are ready to either discover Irish whiskey for the very first time, or else move beyond staples like Jameson and Bushmills White Label. Yet that very same surge means a plethora of new expressions have grown ...