Updated October 14, 2022 By Douglas Fraser Rating: A+ Sassenach; a noun meaning outsider or stranger in Scottish Gaelic, circa 1700s. The Sassenach Blended Scotch Whisky is the brainchild of Scottish actor Sam Heughan of Outlander fame and Master Blender Michael Henry of Loch Lomond Distillery. Sam Heughan and Michael Henry have brought their mutual love of the Scottish Highlands ...

By Andrew Graham Rating: A- Many whiskey folks know what Midwest Grain Products of Indiana, or MGP, is. For those who don’t, it’s the biggest distiller that they’ve never heard of.  For the uninitiated, MGP is a facility in southeast Indiana, right across the border from Kentucky, that mass-produces whiskey for various brands. Angel’s Envy, Bulleit Rye, Filibuster, George Dickel ...

By Richard Thomas Rating: A- Last month saw Beam Suntory build on their revamping of the Baker’s brand, long the most neglected of the four brands of Jim Beam’s famed Small Batch Collection of the early 1990s (Blanton’s, Basil Hayden, Knob Creek and Baker’s). Following their conversion of Baker’s to a single barrel expression, they have now released and extra ...

By Randall H. Borkus Rating: B+ Irish Distillers has once again joined forces with the Mitchell family to unveil the famed, revived Blue Spot Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey. The last sighting of Blue Spot in the U.S. dates back to 1964. This year’s unveiling ends a 56-year drought and completes the historic Spot Whiskey Family expressions. The story of ...

By Richard Thomas Rating: B Redwood Empire is a distillery in Sonoma County, California’s Russian River Valley, and they draw their name from an old apple company in whose buildings they are operating from. Running with their namesake, the distillery follows a theme of naming their whiskeys after prominent trees, and they also pledge to plant a tree for every ...