By Richard Thomas Rating: B WhistlePig is now three years into their transition from relying on sourced rye whiskey (from Indiana and Alberta, Canada) to in-house production, and the standard bearer of that transition is Farmstock. The company started some 11 years ago, using imported Alberta-made 100% rye whiskey selected by the late, great Dave Pickerell, but the distillery in ...

By Richard Thomas Rating: B+ Ever since distillery construction exploded in America, I have been awaiting the rise of independent blenders who truly mirrored the work of negociants in the Scotch Whisky trade. Then the American craft spirits movement began moving into the vacuum of American Malt Whiskey, the one place that none of the big distillers or Kentucky and ...

By Elizabeth Emmons Rating: A- Port Askaig is a real port that is located on the east coast of Islay, and provides one of two main ferry routes to the island. It is located not too far from the Caol Ila Distillery, and its whisky shares many similar, if not the same, qualities. In my opinon, the Port Askaig 110 ...

By Richard Thomas Rating: A- Back when “deceptive whiskey” was a feverish thing for whiskey bloggers and nerds, I would sometimes point out that the same sort of practices were pretty normal over in the UK, which would produce a lot of ignorant sputtering in turn. Port Askaig is a case in point: it’s whisky sourced from an unnamed distillery ...

By Emily Mullis Rating: B+ Booker’s new bourbon release is a nostalgic nod to the old days when rickhouse workers would sneak a few sips of whiskey from the barrels through the use of hidden, plastic tubes carried in their overalls called “mules.” When these surreptitious sips were taken, the workers’ overalls would rub against the barrels, buffing away the ...