Updated January 6, 2018 By Father John Rayls Average Rating: B Smooth Ambler Contradiction Straight Bourbon Whiskey was a real surprise! I wasn’t expecting much from a blend of a somewhat young 2 year old “wheater” bourbon, made in-house by Smooth Ambler in West Virginia, and a 9 year bourbon rye from MGP in Indiana.  The Smooth Ambler wheated bourbon ...

By Richard Thomas Rating: C+ New Zealand Whisky Company is presently engaged in bottling the stock from what had been the country’s sole whisky distillery, Willowbank. This rather aged example is a blend drawing on a most unusual cask profile. 70% malt and 30% grain whisky, it was aged in ex-bourbon barrels for six years before being transferred to French ...

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. ...

Castle Brands, owners of Jefferson’s Bourbon, has made a major investment in their future stake in the American Whiskey sector by purchasing $4.2 million in aged and new-fill bourbon whiskey stock. These January 4th purchases are on top of acquisitions already made for the current fiscal year, bringing their total investment in bourbon whiskey stocks to $9.6 million. Jefferson’s Bourbon ...

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 ...