By Father John Rayls Rating: B+ Minor Case Straight Rye Whiskey is named after one of the Beams, that near-ubiquitous Kentucky Bourbon clan, in this instance the grandfather of Limestone Branch’s Steve and Paul Beam. These two modern day Beams opened Limestone Branch Distillery in 2011 in Lebanon, Kentucky, near where their grandfather, Minor Case Beam, had operated his distillery ...

By Emma Briones Rating: C+ In 2013, Label 5—one of the 10 best-selling Scotch brands—launched a new expression for the super-premium price segment, Label 5 Extra Rare 18 Year Old. This is the second Label 5 expression with an age statement, and it is said to be a response to consumers’ “thirst for premium spirits.” Wit upscale packaging and a ...

By Debbie Shocair Rating: B+ For those of you who think I should be eschewing anything resembling a flavored whiskey, I have two answers: First, if it’s tasty, why not? Second, I have always viewed the flavored whiskies (the good ones, anyway) as “gateway whiskeys,” luring the unsuspecting and under-acquainted palate into the realm of traditional whiskey. Once that first ...

By Richard Thomas Rating: B Since 2011, Colonel E.H. Taylor whiskeys have become fan favorites among enthusiasts not just because of their quality, or even their place at the forefront of Bottled in Bond whiskeys, but also because the line yields limited editions that most actually have a decent shot at buying. So it is that I am quite certain ...

By Richard Thomas Rating: B In the United States, the words “blended whiskey” are usually associated with cheap rotgut. To cite just one particularly infamous example, Four Roses went from a popular Bourbon to an unpopular American blend before being revived into what is now a popular Bourbon again. Many Canadian whiskies have a dubious reputation for precisely this reason, ...