By Richard Thomas Rating: C+ John Dewar created his whiskey brand in 1849, but the current version of its main and mass market label has a pedigree stretching back to 1899. That is when the company’s first Master Blender, A.J. Cameron, concocted what would become Dewar’s White Label Scotch. When you consider that Johnnie Walker Red’s immediate precursor, Special Old ...

By Jake Emen Rating: B Abram Smith Bowman built and licensed his eponymous distillery in 1935, right after the end of Prohibition. It was moved from its historic location in Fairfax, Virginia to Fredericksburg in 1988, and is currently under the guidance of Master Distiller Truman Cox, who previously refined his craft while working for Buffalo Trace. The current A. ...

By Richard Thomas Rating: B- Since Town Branch Distillery brought bourbon distilling back to Lexington, Kentucky for the first time since 1958, a word is in order about the namesake for both the distillery and its flagship product, Town Branch Bourbon. A watercourse crossing downtown Lexington, Town Branch could be said to be literally at the heart of the Bluegrass. ...

Updated March 9, 2020 By Kurt Maitland Average Rating: A- As I sit here writing up this review of Elmer T. Lee, one of the excellent but lesser known bourbons from Buffalo Trace, I can’t help but think of a boxing term “punching above one’s weight” and I mean that in the best possible way. Briefly, Buffalo Trace is the ...

By Richard Thomas Rating: C+ If The Famous Grouse does one thing well, it is produce interesting and reasonably priced spins on its core blended scotch. The peaty Black Grouse is one example, and The Famous Grouse Port Wood Finish is another. Old port barrels are not unknown for use in finishing, but they are hardly commonplace. Scotch-makers prefer old ...