By Richard Thomas Rating: B- Following their branding and custom, California’s Redwood Empire named their blend of whiskeys after a very old, very tall redwood tree. The tallest coastal redwood, Lost Monarch the tree is 157 feet high and found in Jedediah Smith State Park. Lost Monarch the whiskey is a blend of (presumably MGP-sourced) bourbon and rye. I think ...

By Richard Thomas Rating: A- As part of their rebranding push for the US market, The Glenlivet replaced certain whiskies with the new Sample Room Collection, consisting of a 21 and 25 year old. The new 25 Year Old single malt is a direct follow on to the previous XXV. The old XXV is still around on shelves, and is ...

By Randall H. Borkus Rating: A Fall 2022 Widow Jane Distillery launched the fourth installment in their aged whiskey series, “The Vaults,” this time (officially stated as) aged 14 years from a blend of bourbons ranging from 14 years up to 19 years old, selected and set aside in Widow Jane’s Red Hook, Brooklyn rickhouse by their former Master Distiller ...

By Richard Thomas Rating: B+ Down in Cascade Hollow, Tennessee, George Dickel has emerged from a period that could be described as uncertain, to say the least. Master Distiller John Lunn left in 2015, and although the reasons for his departure are still unknown insofar as the realm of public fact are concerned, it created quite a stir in whiskey ...

By Richard Thomas Rating: C+ The backstory behind Baltimore’s Old Line Spirits is a classic of modern craft whiskey. Founders Arch Watkins and Mark McLaughlin set out in 2015 to make bourbon and rye. In the early stages of that project, they were approached by a small American malt distiller in Washington State, who offered to teach them the ropes ...