Updated July 20, 2020 By Richard Thomas Averaged Rating: B+ Sitting atop last year’s revamped Highland Park core line is their 18 Year Old single malt. There are older expressions from this Orkney distillery, of course, but they weren’t included in the Viking-themed revamp. The 18 year old is, in some ways, an embodiment of what Highland Park does. The ...

By Richard Thomas The meteoric rise of craft whiskey distilling in America has yielded many fruits, and among the most talked about have been the spirit of innovation and (recently) the emergence of American single malts. While the novelty of experimental techniques or unexplored styles have their attractions, I think most drinks writers are missing something important by focusing on ...

By Richard Thomas One truism about Irish Whiskey is that the better stuff ain’t cheap. Although perhaps not as expensive as Scotch, many of the fan favorite expressions from Ireland are priced in the upper double digit range. Just to talk about good, but reasonably priced Irish Whiskey means placing the bar at $60 or less. To encapsulate the prime ...

By Emma Briones Rating: A In 1984, Barry Crockett, former Master Distiller at Midleton, decided to bottle an expression that showcased the best of the distillery. This limited edition blend has now reached its 33rd edition: Midleton Very Rare 2017. The Irish distillery has also used the launch of this 33rd edition to redesign the packaging of Midleton Very Rare, ...

By Richard Thomas Everything turns green and Gaelic again this week, as St. Patrick’s Day 2018 is upon us. The combination of winter-cusping-on-springtime weather and the Hibernian holiday make it an ideal time to crack open a bottle of Irish Whiskey, and there is no better way to mark the occasion by trying something new. These ten whiskeys, grouped by ...