By Randall H. Borkus Rating: “Novelty” Tamworth Distilling, a craft distillery out of New Hampshire, was founded by Steven Grasse. He is referred to as a Wonka-like character and was described as the “punk rock prince of small-batch spirits” by writer Alex Halberstadt. Among his other credits, Grasse co-created Hendrick’s Gin in 1999 in partnership with William Grant & Sons, ...

By Richard Thomas Rating: C+ Before there was a Town Branch Distillery or even a sourced brand, there was a Lexington Brewing Company, with the distillery erected on the property of the original brewery. Today’s joint Lexington Brewing & Distilling Company isn’t quite what most people imagine when they think “brewstillery,” because the brewery and distillery aren’t under the same ...

By Richard Thomas Rating: B When Brown-Forman bought the BenRiach Group, they acquired not just BenRiach, but also Glendronach and Glenglassaugh. The acquisition marked the first foray into Scotch Whisky for a company best known for Jack Daniel’s, and they’ve stuck with the trio of malt distilleries these last seven and a half years. This past autumn, Glenglassaugh received a ...

By Randall H. Borkus Rating: B+ Heaven’s Door Calvados Cask Straight Bourbon is the first expression in the Heaven’s Door Exploration Series, a sourced and limited edition expression series showcasing distinct finishing cask stock. This first release in the series is a blend that marries the complexity of a toasted oak barrel and a French Calvados brandy cask finish.  This ...

By Richard Thomas Rating: B+ Glenglassaugh’s location has its interesting features, starting with where it fits into the traditional regions of Scotch whisky. It’s so close to the boundary dividing Speyside from the Highlands that one wonders if the reason the eastern border of Speyside was placed as it is was not to exclude it (more likely, it’s due to ...