By Richard Thomas Rating: A- Ardbeg is a major favorite among lovers of Islay malts, especially those who could best be described as “smoke geeks.” I say that because first it’s possible to be a whisky smokehead without being a geek about, and because usually the geekier said smokehead is about whisky, the more they love Ardbeg. It’s a prime ...

By Richard Thomas Rating: A Starting with it’s initial release of the Teeling Small Batch, an Irish blend, Teeling Whiskey Company has developed a line of premium, regular releases that includes a highly regarded single grain, a single malt, and a poitin. However, the Dublin-based distiller and bottler has also made a major stake in the very aged, super premium ...

By Randall Borkus Rating: B+ Widow Jane Distillery is a distiller and bottler out of Red Hook, Brooklyn, and owned by Cacao Prieto, the maker of “beans-to-bar” fresh chocolates. In turn, Cacao Prieto was founded by Daniel Prieto Preston, an inventor and aerospace engineer whose family heritage goes back 100 years of farming organic cacao in the Dominican Republic.  Their  expressions ...

By Richard Thomas Rating: A For the last few years, I have thought Highland Park is the natural pairing choice for settling in for a new episode of Vikings. No, the Vikings never drank whisky, but the Orkney-based distillery loves to tie in on the Viking heritage of their island home in the extreme north of Scotland with Norse-themed releases. ...

By Richard Thomas Rating: B+ To mark the start of 2017 (or perhaps celebrate the end of 2016, which has been an abysmal year in so many ways), Barrell Bourbon has released a new style of product to its line up: a blend drawing from three separate distilleries. Heretofore, Barrell Bourbon has offered sourced, cask strength bourbon, but always coming ...