By Richard Thomas Rating: B+ The latest batch of single cask bottlings from Lost Lantern includes some real lovelies, and among them is the bourbon from Boulder Distillery. That Colorado distillery was started by Scotsman Alastair Brogan, who brought Scotch-style whiskey-making to the Rocky Mountains, complete with a Forsyths-made copper pot still. That Scottish style is reflected in their bourbon ...

By Richard Thomas Rating: A- I find myself rather dismayed, sitting here in January 2022, that the autumn release of the George Dickel and Leopold Brothers collaboration blend did not garner more of a buzz among enthusiasts. It certainly got attention from us booze writers, but I didn’t see much enthusiasm expressed on forums and in bars… which to me ...

By Richard Thomas Rating: B- As a distillery located amid the various state and federal parklands preserving redwood forests, Redwood Empire draws heavily on forest imagery in naming its whiskeys. Their bonded rye was named after a famous redwood tree, Rocket Top; their bonded bourbon is named for North America’s biggest bear, the grizzly (this despite that, in California, grizzlies ...

By Richard Thomas Rating: B These last few years, it seems like everybody (even slightly) famous thinks they can start up a spirits brand or merit having an expression named after them. At this point, I am so sick of seeing adds for Proper Twelve that I would gladly watch Floyd Mayweather whup his ass again, and keep in mind ...

By Randall H. Borkus Rating: B+ This 2021 bottling is the first release of US*1 Toasted Barrel Finish Bourbon in three years. The Toasted Barrel expression is distinctive from the standard US*1 Bourbon as it undergoes a second round of maturation, following its initial rest (my best guess 6-8 years) in an American charred oak barrel. The toasted finishing takes ...