By Richard Thomas Rating: A- The Russells are set to become a three-generation dynasty of master distillers at Wild Turkey Distillery. First came Jimmy Russell. Although his father was a distillery worker, Jimmy was the first to rise to the top production spot, a post he held for so much of modern history that the identity of Wild Turkey as ...

By Richard Thomas Rating: Upon returning to Kentucky in November 2016, I spent a few months catching up with the bourbon industry. Of course, during my eight year stint in Europe, I would call on various distilleries whenever I was visiting the family in the Bluegrass, but there was never enough time on any given visit to knock out the ...

By Douglas Fraser Rating: C+ Smokehead Islay Single Malt Whisky is a peat bomb for lovers of smoky whisky. The brand belongs to Ian Macleod Distillers, and its source on Islay is undisclosed and one of the company’s best kept secrets. Rumors point to Lagavulin and Caol Ila, but those are just rumors. This is not the only example of ...

By Richard Thomas Rating: B+ A major league connection between bourbon and beer comes to us through the Japanese brewing company Kirin, but not in the most predictable way. Many bourbon fans already know Kirin bought and revived Four Roses some twenty years ago. However, Kirin isn’t using Four Roses bourbon barrels to age Kirin beers (although they are using ...

By Alex Southgate Rating: B+ I’m the sort of person that loves to try new things and this is absolutely true when it comes down to Scotch. The thing about Scotch Whisky is there is so much to try and always something new to learn, and for me this is very true when it comes to the Cardhu family of ...