By Emily Mullis Rating: C+ With so many whiskey pioneers out there it can be hard to keep up with who started what, and every county seems to have its own leading trailblazer who has stamped their name on the ledger of whiskey history. What makes this fun for distillers and whiskey connoisseurs is that no matter the pioneer, the ...

By Richard Thomas Rating: C Michigan’s Wonderland Distilling Company enters a pretty crowded field, because the Wolverine State has a pretty well-developed craft whiskey scene. Like many newcomers, they have started by releasing a sourced product; what many croakers have never been willing to accept is that liquor is a business, and it makes all the business sense in the ...

By April Manning Rating: C+ Not all chickens are cocks, but all cocks are chickens… When you are over 160 years old and known as The Famous Old Brand, you need a worthy back story… and this one has several.  In 1856 James A. Miller set off on the journey of producing a high-quality whiskey in Paris, Kentucky, which, as ...

By Richard Thomas Rating: C Rye’d On represents a departure for Castle & Key. Most of the brand’s releases have been whiskeys sourced from MGP in Indiana, perhaps aged in Castle & Key’s unique Warehouse B, and typically part of a vertical series. An example is Pinhook Rye Time. The new whiskey represents an entirely separate creature, as Rye’d On ...

By Douglas Fraser Grade: C+ The Kooper Family Distillery is 100% family owned and operated, by Troy and Michelle Kooper, who have spent years making and blending whiskey in Ledbetter, Texas. Their blends can be found predominantly in the Lone Star State, but aren’t unknown elsewhere. Like many a small whiskey company, they started by blending sourced distillates before making ...