By Richard Thomas Heretofore, whenever the subject of “new oak” comes up in reference to European whiskey-making, the wood in question was never from the whiskey’s country of origin. The whiskey might be Irish or Scottish, while the oak is almost invariably American, French or Spanish. But no longer. New Midleton is ready to turn the corner on that mix ...

By Richard Thomas Rating: B- In my mind, Cragganmore 12 Year Old is one of those single malts that a Scotch novice should move onto after becoming acquainted with the Big Pair of single malt Scotch, Glenfiddich and Glenlivet. The distillery’s owner, Diageo, recognizes this too, having made the expression the Speyside whisky in its Classic Malts range. This is ...

A Conversation With Jameson’s Master of Maturation By Richard Thomas Jameson likes to present the production of their whiskey as a team effort, and while the roles of their Master Distiller and Master Blender should be familiar to even casual whiskey enthusiasts, what the other members of that team might be less so. That last point is especially odd when ...

The Top 5 Pioneers Of World Whiskey By Richard Thomas Like many industries, the world whiskey industry has numerous figures that helped nudge it along into what we see today. The big Scotch brands were created in the main by several Scottish grocers, men who invented blended Scotch as we know it. Charles Gordon turned Glenfiddich into the first single ...

By James Philips The Gold Strike Casino Resort in Tunica, Mississippi opened the TEN10 Wine & Whiskey Bar last year. It is an intimate lounge with a very elegant design and modern furniture similarly to what can be usually seen in Las Vegas casinos. The bar houses more than 60 brands of fine whiskeys, scotches, and several other wines. Some ...