By Richard Thomas Rating: B Scotland’s tradition of independent bottling offers whisky connoisseurs a variety of choices they wouldn’t ordinarily have were they limited only to the brands owned by the companies that actually owns the distilleries. This is true not only of crafty blenders, such as Compass Box, but also in the realm of single malts. Take this Gordon ...

By Richard Thomas Rating: B The history of whiskey is replete with distilleries that are not merely shuttered, but actually lost. In Ireland, Scotland and the U.S., a combination of economic tumult, Prohibition, wars and plain bad business practices shut down, many of them so long ago that even the very building is gone, and the names of these places ...

By Richard Thomas One of the signature flavor characteristics routinely associated with Scotch whisky is smoke, specifically peat smoke. Not all whiskies are smoky; in fact, most of them aren’t. Many of the most famous have at least a wisp of smoke in them, however. Islay, arguably the most famous of Scotch whisky regions, embraces peat smoke as a key ...

By Richard Thomas When you talk shop in Scotch circles and the subject of who to keep an eye on comes up, Kirsteen Campbell is a name I hear about. After establishing herself in her first stint as Master Blender for Cutty Sark, Edrington added The Famous Grouse to her portfolio. That makes her the steward of two of the ...

By Richard Thomas Rating: A When it comes to the big blended Scotch whiskies, Chivas Regal is the line known for putting its starting rung in a premium position. The entry level expression is Chivas 12, the go-to drink for Boston Legal’s Denny Crane and Alan Shore got together on the balcony for cigars and chit chat. From there the ...