By Richard Thomas Rating: B I remember thinking in 2014 that Mark Reynier scored a helluva deal. That was when Diageo, in one of the moves rendered utterly inexplicable by their byzantine corporate veil, sold the Guinness brewery they had spent €40 million upgrading over the course of a decade to him for just a little over €7 million. The ...

By Alex Southgate Rating: B+ It’s always nice to go back and visit old friends and this is absolutely no different when it comes to the distilleries that we know well and love. This being said, I’ve been back to the Fettercairn Distillery on a couple of occasions now, and had a really enjoyable experience on both. We’ll be circling ...

By Richard Thomas Rating: A- It’s been seven and a half years since Elijah Craig Small Batch went from 12 years old to No Age Statement, informally hovering between 8 and 10 years old. During that time, people like me have pointed to Elijah Craig Barrel Proof as a way to get at what the seminal brand was like during ...

By Randall H. Borkus Rating: C+ Barrell Craft Spirits recently announced the release of some cask finished whiskeys and their 10th Anniversary Barrell Bourbon, but I’m still working with Barrell Rye Batch 004! This is their first rye batch since 2020. Rye Batch #004 blend consists of straight rye whiskeys from Tennessee, Kentucky, Indiana and Canada. The Indiana rye barrels ...

Irish Distillers has introduced Redbreast Tawny Port Cask Edition, a limited-edition single pot still Irish whiskey finished in tawny port casks from Portugal’s breath-taking Douro Valley. Redbreast Tawny Port Cask Edition marks the third release of the brand’s acclaimed Iberian Series. The series is inspired by Redbreast’s long standing connection to some of the Iberian Peninsula’s most celebrated cooperages and ...