Mackmyra is now presenting a seasonal whisky with a port finish, Vintersol (Winter Sun); the release is a collaboration with Quinta Do Vallado, one of the oldest and most reputable port producers in the Portuguese Douro Valley. Vintersol has been 50 per cent finished for 16 months in Swedish oak casks that previously held port. With the port setting the ...

By Richard Thomas Rating: B+ Ever since distillery construction exploded in America, I have been awaiting the rise of independent blenders who truly mirrored the work of negociants in the Scotch Whisky trade. Then the American craft spirits movement began moving into the vacuum of American Malt Whiskey, the one place that none of the big distillers or Kentucky and ...

By Richard Thomas Rating: B+ I’m a wood nerd. This extends well beyond whiskey: I like trees, wood floors, wood furniture, wood burning, etc. In terms of whiskey, I’ve become keenly interested in the properties of different species of oak and their regional growing patterns. This explains why I pay the keenest attention to what Seattle’s Westland Distillery does with ...

By Richard Thomas Rating: A- Whenever a wholly new whiskey comes out and is established as a good one, I think the first question to follow should be “what will it be like at full proof/cask strength?” If it’s an American Whiskey and you aren’t asking that question, well, feel ashamed and check in your enthusiast credentials; you are officially ...

It’s that time of the year – changing leaves, cooler nights and the release of Buffalo Trace Distillery’s annual 2019 Antique Collection of whiskeys. The much anticipated collection will once again feature five limited-release whiskeys of various ages, recipes and proofs.  Here’s what fans can expect: George T. Stagg The proverbial powerhouse favorite of the Antique Collection, George T. Stagg, ...