By Father John Rayls Rating: A- Grangestone Highland 12 Year Old Single Malt Whisky is produced by an independent bottler, reportedly by retailer Total Wine via their in-house operation, Spirits Direct. They certainly do love to push this particular purchase when you happen to ask about it. The sourcing, as is often the case with these things, is a mystery. The ...

By Richard Thomas Rating: B Because Dad’s Hat is so firmly wedded to the ultra spicy Pennsylvania style of rye whiskey (rye and malted rye, but no corn), watching their development has been a boozy journey as interesting as it is tasty. As time has passed, this small distillery outside Philadelphia has steadily raised its maturation bar. First they released ...

By Elizabeth Emmons Rating: B+ Timber Creek was founded in May 2014, and sits near Destin, FL, a pretty city along Florida’s Emerald Coast, by Aaron Barnes and Camden Ford. Barnes and Ford were neighbors who bonded over their love of beer and quality ingredients, and they set up shop in (1,400-acre) backyard of one of their parents’ property in ...

By Richard Thomas Rating: B- Just because you have an urban distillery doesn’t mean you can’t have a locovore’s, DIYer’s attitude towards running a micro-distillery. Breuckelen Distilling, located (no points for guessing) in Brookyn, New York is an example. They use New York State-grown grains, mill the grain themselves, and distill and age in-house. In case you were wondering, “Breuckelen” ...

By Debbie Shocair Rating: B This was my fourth foray into the litany of whiskies from the Amrut Distillery in India, and this expression showcases the endeavor to take what is essentially good core product and bring creativity to the finish. While Amrut has yet to disappoint me, this one seemed an ambitious undertaking. Yet by using portions of their ...