By Richard Thomas Rating: A- Two of the most exciting newcomers to Kentucky’s whiskey industry are Bardstown Bourbon Company (BBCo) and Copper & Kings. The former’s position as a leading contract distiller means they are very, very busy; the latter doesn’t actually make whiskey, but their barrel stock winds up being used in so many top notch finishes. The latest ...

By Emily Mullis Rating: C+ With so many whiskey pioneers out there it can be hard to keep up with who started what, and every county seems to have its own leading trailblazer who has stamped their name on the ledger of whiskey history. What makes this fun for distillers and whiskey connoisseurs is that no matter the pioneer, the ...

By Richard Thomas Rating: C Michigan’s Wonderland Distilling Company enters a pretty crowded field, because the Wolverine State has a pretty well-developed craft whiskey scene. Like many newcomers, they have started by releasing a sourced product; what many croakers have never been willing to accept is that liquor is a business, and it makes all the business sense in the ...

By Paer Johansson Rating: B+ Something big happened this week. Did you feel it? The 13th of October, Irish Distillers launched their 37th Edition of the Midleton Very Rare range. This is the last edition released by Former Master Distiller Brian Nation, as he is handing over the banner to Kevin O’Gorman. Brian chose a selection of pot still and ...

By Richard Thomas Rating: B+ Independent bottler Cask 88 has done some pretty fine work in the past, and anything Islay and well-aged coming out of such a bottler is guaranteed to grab a certain amount of attention. So it is with Cailleach Beira, a Laphroaig distilled in 2001 and aged for 19 years. Building on that is a finish ...