By Richard Thomas Winter is usually a fairly sleepy time for new whisk(e)y releases. After all, it’s the autumn that is the time of year bursting at the seams with hot ticket items. Once Christmas rolls around, things quiet down. That may seem a bit counter-intuitive though, since winter weather is pretty much synonymous with winter-warmer, whiskey-drinking weather. Thankfully, “fairly ...

By Richard Thomas Whenever I ask someone who enjoys Bourbon or Irish Whiskey why they don’t like Scotch, the answer is most often “because it’s smoky.” That perception likely comes from the use of certain smoky whiskies to add character to the big brand name blends, such as Johnnie Walker, and if it doesn’t it’s then because some of the ...

By Richard Thomas Richard Thomas, Owner-Editor Best New Whiskey, Michter’s 25 Year Old Single Barrel: Amid the slate of greatly anticipated limited edition bourbons that come out every Fall, this one was the standout. The last time Michter’s released a 25 Year Old was 2008, and this time around it eclipsed all the other ultra aged, hot button bourbons of ...

By Richard Thomas The bottle of whiskey kept in a desk drawer and trotted out as occasion demands is not just something from episodes of Mad Men. It is cultural fixture, observed in offices everywhere as much as it is depicted in books, film and television. Besides, few are allowed the privilege of maintaining an actual office bar these days, ...

By Richard Thomas In my book, a hallmark of an insufferable snob is insisting that only certain glasses (worse, just one type of glass) is suitable for drinking whisky. My stock response is “tell that to Jimmy Russell and Booker Noe, who used to drink their stuff out of Dixie cups.” I could just as easily point to the numerous ...