By Richard Thomas For those of us who live in the Bluegrass and regularly make the trip between Lexington and Louisville, the billboards telling travelers to stop in at either the Lexington or Louisville location of Justins’ House of Bourbon is a familiar sight. Billed as Kentucky’s premier bourbon shop, these stores have become a fixture for bourbon diehards visiting ...

Here at The Whiskey Reviewer, we have never convened an annual rewards panel. Instead of handing out medals or drawing up a conglomerated list, every member of the team keeps her or his own voice, naming their personal choice in three categories. Best New Whiskey Best Whiskey To Pass My Lips (the absolute best, new or not) Biggest Disappointment   ...

By Richard Thomas Much of the DNA of Teeling Whiskey comes from Cooley Distillery. When John Teeling started this plant in 1989, it was only the third operating distillery in Ireland, and it’s only independent one. Nowadays, Cooley is owned by Beam Suntory, and the Teelings have all moved onto other projects. John Teeling’s sons, Jack and Stephen, went on ...

By Richard Thomas When I revisited my round-up of budget rye whiskeys from 2016 in late November, I found–much to my surprise–that it was still pretty solid, despite being seven years old. Despite time, changes in the whiskey market and the recent ravages of inflation, only Bulleit Rye isn’t still hovering near the $30 price point. That left me with ...

By Richard Thomas Often commented upon in the media is how the complexion of whiskey-making is changing, and that more women and people of color are taking leading roles in this. It’s true, but I often think that the focus on folks occupying big corporate positions or those who left big corporate careers to do start-ups misses the point. Just ...