So I rated Old Bardstown’s 90-proof expression as a “Must Try” for two reasons: It was inexpensive tasty bourbon AND it was own-distilled whiskey from a recent legend in the bourbon game, Drew Kulsveen and the Willett company. Willett had made a name for themselves by bottling impeccable bourbon from other sources, and I was excited to see bottled bourbon from their own new distillery in Bardstown, Kentucky.
You know how on the Internet there are rabbit holes of information that are populated by fanatics who have devoted themselves to topics so esoteric you didn’t even know they were topics until you stumble onto them? Apparently such is the case with Haig Dimple (known as Dimple Pinch in the US market). It’s an ancient – in whisky industry terms – brand of blended scotch now owned by Diageo, but its long history of association with “luxury” or “premium” scotch means there are many old bottles float
New Riff Distillery, located in Newport Kentucky, is an actual distillery. It saddens me that I have to specify that, but so many brands that are new to the shelves in the last decade can’t say the same.
I last reviewed Blanton’s bourbon in the halcyon days of 2011, when people (myself included) had to be convinced that premium bourbon was worthy of attention, not just single malt scotch. Also, the idea that many brands of bourbon would sell out instantly and be allocated and restricted to waiting lists was… laughable. Even Pappy was sometimes just sitting on shelves.
New Riff Distillery, located in Newport Kentucky, is an actual distillery. It saddens me that I have to specify that, but so many brands that are new to the shelves in the last decade can’t say the same.
Sazerac is one of the industry workhorses, fueling many a bar’s rye-based cocktail menu. Normally that would be a mark against it, but Sazerac (distilled by Buffalo Trace) still manages to be one of the best quality-to-price options on the bloated rye whiskey shelf. Amazingly, it can still be found for the same price it was selling for in 2012 when I first reviewed it!
Independent bottler Douglas Laing has been weathering the dry years (decades?) of the single-malt boom by making its name on blended malt whiskies such as Timorous Beastie, Rock Island, and Big Peat. The bottler still puts out excellent casks of single malt under its Old Particular label, and I have been very pleasantly surprised by the value offered by some of them. That said, it’s a dry time for independent bottlers because there is so little “extra” scotch lying around in warehouses for them
Smooth Ambler is a West Virginia distillery founded in 2009 that, like so many other upstart distilleries, initially turned to sourcing and relabelling whiskey while waiting for its own new-make spirit to age. Like High West, Smooth Ambler has chosen the route of creative blending to add value and individuality to these sourced whiskies. The Old Scout and Contradiction bottlings are both examples of this, and the website is very transparent about where these whiskies were (not) made, stopping ju
I’m a big John Glaser fan. I think he’s done more to elevate blended scotch and especially blended malt (The Artist Formerly Known As Vatted Malt) than anyone in the industry. That said, the last many releases I’ve found to be overpriced and while not underwhelming, they have not exceeded expectations. I’m sure this is due to a drastic increase in pricing of barrels on the secondary market, a drastic decrease in the quality available on the secondary market (distilleries are keeping their good b
I’ve not been a huge fan of Old Forester products before, although I had some fun with the “Prohibition Style” release (whatever that means). However, a reviewer’s job is never done and there are always more whiskies to try. Onward!