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: B When an outfit like Iowa’s Mississippi River Distilling Co. (MRDC) announces they are releasing a whiskey that approaches big industry standards for aging, it automatically sparks more than just my interest. MRDC is not just one of the major craft distilleries in Iowa, but also in the Mid-Western region, one of the “Four Kings” of ...

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 ...

By Father John Rayls Rating: B+ I was cruising the “bottom-shelf” at a local liquor warehouse when I discovered a nondescript bottle of bourbon listed for under 25 bucks. The bottle appeared generic and the label did nothing to draw any attention, but I had found Lazy River Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey nonetheless. I had never heard of it. Apparently, ...

By April Manning Rating: B 1792 High Rye Bourbon is the creation of Barton 1792 Distillery, which is the oldest distillery in Bardstown, Kentucky. The name honors the year Kentucky became a state. In 2009 the Barton distillery was acquired by the largest distilling company in the United States, the Sazerac Company. The 1792 brand is bottling a line of ...