By Richard Thomas Rating: B- Before the World Whiskey Boom, Slane Castle was one of several independent and sourced whiskey brands, in this case associated with the namesake estate that hosts one of Europe’s best known annual music festivals. However, after Beam Global (now Beam Suntory) bought Cooley Distillery in 2011, the sourcing for these independently bottled brands dried up. ...

By Richard Thomas Rating: B- One of the late releases to come out of Islay last year was one near to my heart, at least on paper: a Kilchoman whisky matured for five years in red wine casks from the Portuguese Duoro Valley. Added to that was a high strength bottling, 50% ABV, equivalent to a Bottled in Bond American ...

By Elizabeth Emmons Rating: A- I had the pleasure of tasting PM Spirits’ Mic Drop at a blind whisky tasting in October. At the time I thought it was clear this mystery whiskey I was tasting was a bourbon, but what on earth could this be? Four Roses private barrel release? No. A Michter’s? No. We were all stumped. Whatever ...

By Richard Thomas Rating: B+ In terms of its peculiarity, I don’t think there is any bourbon on the market right now that outdoes Barrell Bourbon’s New Year 2018 release. The sourcing for this blend speaks for itself: seven distilleries from five states. A decade ago, you would have been hard pressed to scrape up stock bourbon from more than ...

By Emma Briones Rating: A Phenomenology is a school of thought that studies the perception of objects by the observer or, as others may say, the subjective experience. Fittingly, it is also the name of the latest expression from Compass Box. Compass Box Phenomenology is a blend of 5 whiskies. According to Compass Box, to produce Phenomenology they tried mix ...