By Richard Thomas Rating: B Perhaps the most perplexing thing about the feverish madness that surrounds Pappy van Winkle and all things Buffalo Trace is how in that fever, the Buffalo Trace-obsessives have blinded themselves to all the good wheated bourbon made at other distilleries. Wheated bourbon is literally the only thing Maker’s Mark does, as does Heaven Hill. Yet ...

By Richard Thomas Rating: B Continuing up Ian Macleod Distillers’ ladder of Isle of Skye blended whiskies has taken me to their 18 Year Old expression. It’s a pretty typical progression, really, although one that seems to show large jumps to American eyes. The cooler, milder climate of Scotland and heavy reliance on used cask stock means Scotch whiskies mature ...

By Richard Thomas Rating: B Old Potrero’s signature style is a 100% malted rye whiskey, which is why they call themselves a “single malt,” even though that term is most often associated with malted barley. The California distiller has been pursuing this style since the 1990s, part of a distinguished class of small distillers who were doing craft whiskey a ...

By Randall H. Borkus Rating: B+ The Glenturret Distillery is one of the oldest distilleries in Scotland. Located near Crieff in Perthshire, it lays claims to be the oldest working distillery dating back to 1775. Like many Scots distilleries, going back that far means pointing to some smugglers or Scottish moonshiners, so the “oldest distillery” debate will continue, I am ...

By Richard Thomas Rating: B+ The question I find myself asking lately is when will Denver’s Laws Whiskey House hit the limit on their progressively older bonded whiskey releases? Although bottled in bond expressions are now fairly common in the craft whiskey sector, Laws has one-upped the game by often raising the age statement on their expressions with successive releases. ...