By Father John Rayls Rating: A- Baltimore and the state of Maryland have an enviable historical record in whiskey production, with rye in the Maryland style as the  mainstay for the residents of Charm City up until World War II, even surviving Prohibition. Unfortunately, whiskey production in Baltimore and the State of Maryland never recovered from the shocks of Prohibition, ...

By Randall H. Borkus Rating A- Jefferson’s Bourbon founder Trey Zoeller partnered with OCEARCH founder, Chris Fischer, in 2012 to experiment aging bourbon at sea.  OCEARCH is a globally recognized nonprofit devoted to the study and tracking of great white and tiger sharks. At the time, aging bourbon on an ocean-bound ship appeared preposterous; however, Jefferson’s Bourbon Zoeller, rolled the ...

By Richard Thomas Rating: A- American bottle hunters should keep their eyes open this month, because Brown-Forman will be distributing a new bourbon. This one is simultaneously the first installment of a new annual series; a revival of an old brand name; and their most expensive (in terms of recommended retail price) bourbon release to date. It’s called, appropriately enough ...

By Father John Rayls Rating: A My first experience with Balmorhea Texas Straight Bourbon from Garrison Brothers Distillery was last year, as an experimental release. At that time, it was only available at the distillery and was a very limited release. Apparently, they listened to their fan base, because it’s now available as a general release. The whiskey is named ...

By Richard Thomas Rating: A- Beam Suntory upped their game in the Knob Creek brand by extending its rye line. Earlier this year, they released a 115 proof single barrel version of that whiskey; now they have followed up on it by releasing a cask strength (119.6 proof), 9 year old rendition. Between the two, one would have a near ...