By Father John Rayls Rating: B+ For me, Tamdhu 10 Year Single Malt Scotch Whisky was a surprise tasting experience, and I do love these kinds of surprises! Tamdhu is a Speyside distillery, dating to 1896 and its name meaning “dark little hill” in Gaelic. Among its oddities is its use of a Saladin box, a 19th Century piece of ...

By Richard Thomas Rating: Phoenixville, Pennsylvania is home to Bluebird Distilling, a prime example of one of the branches the rapidly expanding craft distilling scene is following. With well over a thousand micro- and nano-distilleries operating in the United States, many newcomers are either becoming very specialized or setting up not in major cities, but picturesque, oft-visited locations. In my ...

By Father John Rayls Rating: B The Watkins Select Bourbon Whiskey is a “bottom shelf” winner.  Bottled at 80 proof, it’s a surprise find and an interesting sample of sourced bourbon from Kentucky. It’s readily available and probably much overlooked, but very little information is available for Watkins Select, and it definitely isn’t a top tier bourbon. Still, it’s good ...

Updated August 7, 2017 By Richard Thomas Rating: B- Whiskey enthusiasts should count themselves fortunate that the Rye Craze started at the same time that the micro-distillery movement took off. That left plenty of room for small distillers looking to make a name for themselves to move into as the rye whiskey scene initially suffered a severe shortage and then ...

By Emma Briones Rating: B How many components are required to create true complexity in a Blended Scotch Whisky? Some will say that many tens are required but, for an independent whisky producer as Compass Box, the answer is simple: just two. The British company has launched the third edition of Compass Box Double Single, a blended whisky made with ...