By Richard Thomas Concurrent with the whiskey boom has been a surge of whiskey books, so much so that it seems everyone has a book out now (including us: our work was heavily drawn upon for the new anthology, The New Single Malt). Most of these works include a review section, and I think if you are going to get ...

Timed for this year’s holiday season, Usquaebach Blended Scotch Whisky has released its first new blend in nearly 25 years, the An Ard Ri Cask Strength. Usquaebach was established in 1877 and continues to thrive today. The word “Usquaebach” literally translates to “the water of life,” and it’s collection of whiskies resurrects the same fiery spirit that was born in ...

By Richard Thomas Rating: B The history of whiskey is replete with distilleries that are not merely shuttered, but actually lost. In Ireland, Scotland and the U.S., a combination of economic tumult, Prohibition, wars and plain bad business practices shut down, many of them so long ago that even the very building is gone, and the names of these places ...

By Richard Thomas Rating: A When it comes to the big blended Scotch whiskies, Chivas Regal is the line known for putting its starting rung in a premium position. The entry level expression is Chivas 12, the go-to drink for Boston Legal’s Denny Crane and Alan Shore got together on the balcony for cigars and chit chat. From there the ...

Independent bottler Wemyss Malts is releasing three new blended malts to complement its award winning range. Wemyss Malts – Batch Strength is a new range of blended malts that have been blended from a selection of extraordinary casks of single malt whiskies from over 10 Scottish distilleries, each utilising signature malts to define their flavour and aroma as the whisky ...