By Debbie Shocair Rating: B- Basil Hayden, with its reputation as the lightest of Beam Suntory’s Small Batch Collection (also including Knob Creek, Booker’s and Baker’s), is named after Meredith Basil Hayden, Sr. Her recipe for a high-rye whiskey in the late 1700s is said to have inspired the current Basil Hayden mashbill, although Basil Hayden originated as an 8 ...

By Father John Rayls Rating: B Kilchoman Sanaig is named after a rocky inlet northwest of the Islay distillery. According to the distillery manager, John MacLellan, “Sanaig is a bold marriage of sherry and bourbon cask maturation. It is both a continuation of the classic Kilchoman style people know and love as well as a development fans of Kilchoman have ...

By Father John Rayls Rating: A- There are many opinions about Orphan Barrel whiskeys, ranging from love and devotion to cynicism and avoidance. For myself, having found several sourced whiskies that I thoroughly enjoy, I remain open-minded concerning the Diageo’s Orphan Barrel releases.  While I’m skeptical about the stories of suddenly rediscovering barrels that are 12 to 25 years old ...

By Emma Briones Rating: A Launched alongside another new blend, Compass Box Phenomenology, Compass Box No Name is the peatiest whisky from the independent Scotch blender to date. Both are designed to challenge a drinker’s “thinking about how a whisky is experienced and understood,” by focusing on the sensory experiences that both whiskies bring to the table. But why launch ...

By Richard Thomas Rating: B For most, the Scotch liqueur is synonymous with Drambuie, and with pretty good reason. But it’s not the only liqueur around based on Scotch whiskey, let alone on single malt whisky. Old Pulteney has Stroma, and it’s the first honey liqueur I had it seriously competes with Wild Turkey’s classic American Honey. Stroma takes its ...