By Richard Thomas Rating: B+ Anchor Distilling’s (now Hotaling & Co.) Old Portero is craft whiskey before there was craft whiskey, predating the movement we know today by almost two decades. However, it took the explosion of small distillers for Old Potrero to pursue brand expansions. After all, you need to know a market is there. Old Potrero 18th Century ...
Read More »Between $61 to $90
Port Askaig 8 Year Old Scotch Review
By Andrew Graham Rating: B+ Saying Islay whisky is known for peat and smoke is like saying the newest iPhone is known for its screen. While, yes, that is its most obvious and dominant feature, it takes many different things working together behind the scenes to create the distinct and specific experience one enjoys and learns to expect. Port Askaig ...
Read More »Elijah Craig Barrel Proof Bourbon Review (C-918)
By Richard Thomas Rating: A- I write this review on what has been an emotionally tortured week for America at large (the Brett Kavanaugh hearings), but also a sad one for bourbon enthusiasts, particularly the enthusiasts of Kentucky. Heaven Hill, makers of Elijah Craig Barrel Proof, announced they were discontinuing the classic Heaven Hill 6 Year Old Bottled in Bond. ...
Read More »Barrell Bourbon Batch 016 Review
By Randall H. Borkus Rating: B+ Barrell Craft Spirits is a non-distiller producer (NDP), also known as an independent bottler, that uses sourced whiskey to create its magic in a bottle. They offer cask-strength expressions of predominantly American whiskeys. The founder, Joe Beatrice, has expanded operations in Louisville, Kentucky and is developing his own distilling, barreling and aging facilities in ...
Read More »Belle Meade Cask Strength Bourbon Review
By Randall H. Borkus Rating: B+ In the late 1800’s, Belle Meade Bourbon was one of some 30 different labels that Charles Nelson produced, differing from some of his other products in that the brand was sourced from Sperry Wade & Company in Nashville, TN. Belle Meade Bourbon became well known for its quality and was sold from 1878 until Tennessee ...
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