David Tao
While 30 year bourbon isn’t exactly a novel concept, it’s exceedingly rare. In the past few decades, only a handful of brands have bottled bourbon that’s hit or eclipsed the three-decade mark, among them Final Reserve (45 and 42 Years), Redemption Whiskey (36 Years), I.W. Harper (34 Years), and Jefferson’s Bourbon (30 Years). So while…
For most whiskey fans, December marks the end of release season. For devotees of Colorado-based Stranahan’s (self-proclaimed “Strana-fans”), it’s time for Snowflake, the distillery’s most anticipated and acclaimed whiskey. Bottles go on sale following a week of branded festivities, with nearly all going to those who camped out to reserve spots in line. Whiskey, it…
Hotaling & Co. is a San Francisco-based distillery that officially split from Anchor Brewing around 2017, an especially fortuitous turn given the latter company’s closing in 2023. (The brewery has since been purchased, though there’s no immediate sign it will restart operations.) But Hotaling’s history predates that legal separation by decades, and the distillery has…
Brooklyn-based (and Heaven Hill-owned) Widow Jane is back with its seventh iteration of The Vaults, a 15 year blend of straight bourbon whiskeys finished in a changing lineup of secondary casks. As usual, the base liquid is a mix of Kentucky, Tennessee, and Indiana-distilled bourbons. No surprise there, but when it comes to secondary maturation,…
Smokeye Hill is a Colorado-based producer that made a semi-viral splash in 2024 with their barrel proof bourbon with blue corn in the mashbill. I was personally and pleasantly surprised at that release’s quality, and it holds up as one of the more captivating new bourbons I tasted last year. (We also thought their 93…
The Glenlivet is kicking off a new, annual series of releases dubbed Beyond Speyside. As the name suggests, the line will focus on whiskies “inspired by destinations from around the world.” A first stop on that promised global tour is Jamaica. At least, it’s a taste of Jamaica, in this case represented by rum cask-finished…
Rye, but make it Scotch. That’s the impetus behind a new release from Bruichladdich, the producer behind (among other things) Port Charlotte and Octomore, in addition to its namesake line. One of nine active distilleries on the Scottish island of Islay, Bruichladdich is the only one currently distilling rye. And its first rye release is…
One of just a handful of true grain-to-glass American distilleries, Nevada’s Frey Ranch is owned and operated by fifth generation family farmers. The distillery grows, harvests, and malts all grain used in its whiskeys. They also mash, ferment, distill, age, and bottle entirely on site. Best known for rye and four (and even five) grain…
Back when it debuted in 2015, 1792 Port Finish made a quick splash and built a gradual reputation among collectors. That’s partially due to its (especially at the time) exceptionally lengthy finish of two full years in Port casks. Since then, the only in-house finishing we’ve seen out of Barton 1792 Distillery was the Thomas…
Independent bottler Lost Lantern is back with its third iteration of Far-Flung Bourbon, a blend of straight bourbons from six smaller producers across the United States: Frey Ranch (Nevada) Wollersheim (Wisconsin) Rock Town (Arkansas) Rich Grain (Mississippi) Still Austin (Texas) Smooth Ambler (West Virginia) As Lost Lantern’s marketed flagship bourbon, the blend is intended to…