By Richard Thomas Rating: B Bluebird Distilling is found in Phoenixville, Pennsylvanis, due northwest of Valley Forge National Historic Park. The founder, Jared Adkins, has a story familiar to anyone who knows the people who start craft breweries and distilleries: he ditched his white collar job to start his own booze-making business. Their Rye whiskey isn’t quite in the Pennsylvania ...

By Father John Rayls Rating: A- Since 1881, Bunnahabhain has been the Islay scotch very few people could pronounce. It’s actually spoken as boona-HAB-venn.  It’s also a Scotch whisky that many bourbon drinkers, like myself, can get behind. Ironically, Bunnahabhain has the largest production capacity of any distillery on Islay, but it uses that to produce a lot of unpeated ...

By Father John Rayls Rating: B- Painted Stave Distilling, a micro-distillery in Delaware, has named its whiskey line “Diamond State,” and their Diamond State Bourbon is two years old and bottled at 92 proof. I got to try the second batch from this fairly new distillery, which was just released this month and represents a four fold increase in number ...

By April Manning Rating: C+ Westward Oregon Straight Malt Whiskey is the creation of House Spirits Distillery, which is based in what some would consider one of the unlikeliest of places for whiskey, Portland, Oregon. However, Oregon’s dry, warm summers and wet cool winters are just what House Spirits’ founder, Christian Krogstad, called for in the crafting of this spirit. ...

By Father John Rayls Rating: B+ This is another of the many whiskey products stewarded by Wild Turkey’s de facto Master Distiller emeritus Jimmy Russell. Along with his son Eddie Russell, lead Master Distiller since 2015, the father and son have more than 90 years experience crafting whiskey. Apparently, Russell’s Reserve 10 Year Old Kentucky Straight Bourbon is Jimmy’s favorite “go to” ...