By Richard Thomas Rating: B Like so many other well-established small whiskey companies, West Virginia’s Smooth Ambler is in the midst of transitioning from being a bottler of sourced whiskeys to a fully independent distillery. Their current line-up reflects this, with a foot in all three types of products such a company might produce. Old Scout is their entirely sourced ...

Corrected September 19, 2022 By Richard Thomas Rating: B The middle rung of Royal Brackla’s regular range of single malts offers something special for fans of Sherried whiskies. This 18 year old single malt is finished in Palo Cortado Sherry casks. If that term leaves you scratching your head, read on. This is a rare type of Sherry that starts ...

By Randall H. Borkus Rating: A Barrell Craft Spirits launched Dovetail, a blend of bourbon and whiskey expressing the company’s favorite sources and flavors, in 2018. For 2022, they have released an ultra-premium Gray Label expression using the same blending. Here Barrell Craft Spirits chose older and rarer barrels with some of the spirits aged up to 20 years. This ...

By Michael Cervin Rating: B Nikka was founded in Japan in 1934 and currently uses two different distilleries to hone their blends. As the bottom tier blended whisky of the Nikka brand (The Nikka, and Super Nikka hold the top spots), the Days iteration is meant to be light, easy going and affordable for everyday use. If you’re new to ...

By Andrew Graham Rating: B+ Bushmills released the second installment of its renowned Rare Cask series in May, nearly 20 months after the inaugural Rare Cask expression was released in October of 2020. It’s worth comparing the specs on this expression with those of the first Rare Cask installment. Whereas the first Rare Cask release was a 28 year old ...