By Richard Thomas Two years ago, independent blender-bottler Compass Box found itself in a tussle with the Scotch Whisky Association (SWA), that industry’s trade association. The company run by crafty Master Blender John Glaser enjoyed a reputation for relating more details about its blending recipes than anyone else in the industry, and was warned about giving out too much information ...
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Glenmorangie Spios Scotch Review
By Richard Thomas Rating: B+ Although ex-bourbon barrels dominate the cask stock for maturing whiskey around the world, whether it be in original ASB or hogshead format, one doesn’t hear much about old rye whiskey barrels. Once upon a time, that made a good deal of sense, as rye whiskey production was miniscule compared to bourbon. Yet several years ago, ...
Read More »The Priciest Bourbons And Ryes In 2018
American Whiskeys At Over $3,000 A Bottle By Richard Thomas Although the prices commanded by ultra aged, rare American Whiskeys have not quite caught up with what a similar bottle of single malt Scotch might fetch, much has changed since the last time The Whiskey Reviewer looked at this subject, in the middle of 2015. Prices for prized expressions have ...
Read More »America Needs To Recognize What “Single Malt” Really Means
By Richard Thomas For a couple of years now, malt whiskey has been the great up-and-comer of the American Whiskey Boom. The buzz that it was the “next big thing” proved to be overblown—after two years of hype, American Malts are definitely a thing, but hardly big—yet the malt whiskey scene in America has grown steadily, gaining depth and maturity ...
Read More »Maker’s 46 Bourbon Review
By Richard Thomas Rating: B+ Few individual expressions have the kind of production story about them that Maker’s 46 has built up. The expression was Maker’s Mark first major brand extension, using a finish based on seared French Oak staves inserted into the middle of the barrel. This was an idea first employed by the independent Scotch blender-bottler Compass Box ...
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