By Richard Thomas Rating: B+ Michter’s Barrel Strength Rye is a fan favorite; indeed, it’s something my Deputy Editor, Kurt Maitland, continues to speak glowingly of, often citing it as a perfect example of how higher proof is better. For a while, it looked like this expression was going to become a periodic release, like the brand’s Toasted Barrel Bourbon. ...

By Richard Thomas Rating: B+ A distillery in the Dewar’s portfolio, the regular line of Craigellachie is a relatively new fixture among Scottish malts, having been introduced in 2014. The malts have since become known for their meaty quality, something of a middleweight hitter on the spectrum of Speyside malts. Craigellachie 13 Year Old is drawn from ex-bourbon and ex-Sherry ...

By Richard Thomas Rating: A Summertime had been a pretty sleepy season on the whiskey release calendar. Autumn is the time of year most of the exciting one-shot releases and fan favorite annual editions come out, running right up to Christmas. Springtime also has some buzz, especially in Europe. Perhaps because summer isn’t considered “whiskey drinking season” in most of ...

Updated August 16, 2022 By Richard Thomas Average Rating: B Introducing a distillery to The Whiskey Reviewer readership is a rarity these days, so it’s refreshing to take on task for Royal Brackla. The distillery was started in 1812 by an ex-soldier, Captain William Fraser, on the estate of the Earl of Cawdor. Despite frequently clashing with local tax officials ...

By Kenrick Thurston-Wilcox Rating: B Mortlach is most likely not a household name to the average whiskey (or “whisky”) drinker, yet many have probably tasted at least some of what this distillery has to offer. That is because the distillery is known for it’s use in blends, particularly Johnnie Walker. It’s also known for it’s complex distillation system known as ...