By Richard Thomas Rating: B- Heaven Hill chose to kick off 2020 in interesting fashion, with a brand extension of Elijah Craig that carried the line in an entirely new direction: to rye whiskey. My sample bottle was accompanied by a small loaf of bread, made because Heaven Hill’s master distiller Conor O’Driscoll is quite a baker and baking a ...

Updated September 29, 2020 By Douglas Fraser Rating: C George Washington’s Distillery was founded in 1797, after much persuasion from his Scottish farm manager, James Anderson. The original distillery was comprised of five copper pot stills, and by 1799 was producing 11,000 gallons of whiskey a year. Within the first few years of operation, the distillery had much success and ...

By Richard Thomas Richard Thomas, Owner-Editor Best To Pass My Lips, Booker’s 30th Anniversary Bourbon: Whereas the standard batches of Booker’s Bourbon and even some of the special releases of the brand are selected by committee, this Booker’s 30th Anniversary was a project of Fred Noe from start to finish. He brought in his son and apprentice Freddie as as ...

By Randall H. Borkus Rating: B The historic James E. Pepper Distillery was making bourbon in Lexington, Kentucky until 1958, when production ceased and the brand was abandoned for over 50 years. In December 2017, the new James E. Pepper Distillery (DSP-KY-5) began distilling whiskey again in part of the old building, basing its mash bill on historic recipes and ...

By Richard Thomas Rating: B Known to some as the “Johnny Appleseed of Whiskey” and to others as just a swell guy, Dave Pickerell pretty much invented the role of the modern whiskey consultant, and one of his most successful co-creations has been WhistlePig. Pickerell passed away roughly a year ago, but his influence lives on as his incomplete projects ...