By Debbie Shocair26% Rating: B+ With the prolific explosion of craft whiskey production in the United States, it’s lovely to run across one that genuinely tries to stand apart, exploring new horizons in search for ways that whiskey can be made more interesting. Such is the latest work of Westland Distillery’s Master Distiller Matt Hoffman in their Native Oak series. ...

By Richard Thomas Seattle’s Westland Distillery is already noted as one of the standard bearers in American malt whiskey,  and the distillery makes much of the value of its Pacific Northwest climate and its use of local peat in its whiskey-making. In my April conversation with Westland Master Distiller Matt Hoffman, their use of coopering timber drawn from an oak ...

By Richard Thomas Rating: B Last month Woodford Reserve journeyed into the realm of American Malts by releasing a new Distiller’s Select whiskey, Five Malt. In my view, Five Malt is both the most natural thing in the world for Woodford to do, but at the same time also a keenly innovative, craft whiskey-style stroke. For those who know world ...

Updated June 21, 2016 By Richard Thomas Rating:B- The “Four Kings” of craft whiskey—Mississippi River Distilling, FEW Spirits, Journeyman Distillery and Corsair Distilling—have done it again, releasing a new collaboration whiskey. Once again, three of the best known whiskey-making micro-distilleries in the Mid-West plus one from the South have contributed equal portions of whiskey to create a new blend. Following ...

Woodford Reserve has unveiled the newest release in its Distillery Series, Five Malt. Inspired by the popularity of micro-breweries to explore malted grains typically used for beers when crafting whiskey, Five Malt’s distinctive flavor profile is established within the grain recipe and aging process. To obtain the desired sensory elements, minimum wood exposure is required. Five Malt is a whiskey ...