Claxton’s ‘The Single Cask’ Glen Keith 1995 (22 year old) 49.2%

Refill Bourbon Hogshead/ Dist: Nov 1995 Btl: 2018/ Tasted: Apr 2018

Mature, straw-like barley aromas with hints of apricot conserve, lime, Satsuma and a subtle raisinated back note. Good balance with a touch of gooseberry adding a fresher element.

The palate opens with the milky/ creamy oak, along with vanilla coated apricot and pineapple. Hints of straw and barley follow along with a touch of mature baked fruit. Good length with refreshing lime, gooseberry, white peach, pear and barley finish.

Claxton’s ‘The Single Cask’ Glen Keith 1994 (23 year old)...

Claxton’s ‘The Single Cask’ Orkney 2007 (10 year old) 63%

Bourbon Hogshead/ Dist: Mar 2007 Btl: 2018/ Tasted: Apr 2018

A thunderously oaky nose with coffee and toffee. Hints of sweet apricot, barley and a rough edgy spirit note follows (that gives away the distillery!). With time some earth, malt and smoke appears but the edginess jars!

The palate is tight and alcoholic with again a rough spirit character. Gritty barley, coffee and malt comes through on the middle and the finish is masked but shows some raw, but sweet Turkish delight marc notes. Right now it doesn’t feel integrated.

A drop...

Claxton’s ‘The Single Cask’ Auchentoshan 1991 (26 year old) 54.1%...

Willet 3 year old Family Reserve Rye 53.7%

First distilled in column still, second distillation in a copper pot still, from the Willet distillery, which re-opened in 2012.

Tasted: Apr 2018

Youthful aromas of rose petal marc and coffee. Hints of burnt toast, caramel and baked apple. The column still distillation gives it an unusual lightness and makes if feel more like a European than an American rye. Late notes of pepper, bitter spice and subtle treacle.

The palate opens with baked apple, peppery spice and rose petal marc notes. The middle displays some gritty oak tannins, but with grittiness...

Citadelle Oak Aged Old Tom 46%

Aged in a combination of Acacia, Mulberry, Cherrywood, Chestnut, ex-Pineau de Charentes French oak and ex-Cognac casks. Married together in the custom build egg!

Botanicals: Juniper, coriander, angelica, cumin, nutmeg, almonds, grains of paradise, liquorice, cubeb, savory, cinnamon, star anise, blackcurrant, iris, violet, fennel, orange and lemon zest.

Tasted: Mar 2018

Given all  those different casks, the oak is pretty well balanced on the nose. Juniper heavy with hints of cinnamon and nutmeg. Subtly sweet with a touch of vanilla, almond and dusty but smooth tannins. Late Cognac, berry, fennel and citrus notes.

The...

Plantation OFTD (Old Fashioned Traditional Rum) Overproof 69%

A blend of Guyana, Jamaica and Barbados rums

Tasted: Mar 2018

Pungent aromas of dark dried fruit along with a touch of lighter column still dried fruit. Lightly herbal and treacly with burnt coffee. For a supposed Navy rum, the nose is pretty well balanced.

The palate opens with the herbal treacle, dark raisinated fruit and lighter column still dried fruit. Seriously alcoholic, which masks the middle and finish, but there’s a touch of toffee coated banana and a dark chocolate and bitter spice finish.

With water the nose becomes quite...

A.D Rattray North British 1991 (25 year old) 53.2%

Re-Charred Sherry Butt 262058/ Dist: Sept 1991 Btl: Jun 2017/ Tasted: Apr 2018

Aromas of mature, rum-like baked fruit and plenty of winey spices. The sherry is very subtle and adds just a soupcon of sweet-ish raisinated fruit, cinnamon, redcurrant and nutmeg. A balancing crisp, grain note comes through with time.

The palate opens with more of the sherried dried fruit, walnut, liquorice, nutmeg and cinnamon, although some subtle grainy dried fruit does come through. Hints of cream coconut and vanilla on the middle, which has turned into a riot of peppery spice!...

A.D Rattray Ardmore 1996 (21 year old) 59%

Bourbon Hogshead 149022/ Dist: Aug 1996 Btl: Mar 2018/ Tasted: Apr 2018

A dense and nutty nose with coal/ peat smoke. Some subtle, herbal spirit notes mingle with edgy citrus, crisp barley, lime and greengage. It certainly feels younger than 21, but a touch of baked fruit hints at some age. The barley sweetens with time and a touch of creamy vanilla appears. The alcohol, although on the high side, especially for a 21 is pretty well integrated.

The palate is oily, dusty and herbal with coal and peat smoke notes. Hints of honey,...

When you learned about the American folklore hero John Chapman, nom de pomme Johnny Appleseed, in grade school, they probably didn’t tell you he was propagating apple trees throughout the country to make cider and brandy, not for lunchbox snacks. Apple brandy, historically known as applejack, is America’s original spirit. Long before the birth of bourbon, colonial Americans used freeze distillation, a decidedly low-tech precursor to modern techniques, to preserve their apple harvest in liquid form. A century later, Robert Laird, a Revolutionary War soldier, gave his recipe for apple brandy to George Washington. Laird went on to found America’s...

Where can you get ultra-rare whisky, a custom vintage-style roadster, and a trip to Scotland all in one? If you have the cash to lay down, then you’ll find this package at Christie’s auction house from september 25 through oktober 9. Valued at $150,000, the lot features the debut of Balvenie’s DCS Compendium Chapter Four, a bespoke Morgan V8 Roadster tricked out with Balvenie detailing on the interior, and an all-expenses trip to Balvenie Distillery in the heart of Speyside.

The Balvenie DCS Compendium Chapter Four is the second-to-last release in this series that celebrates the legacy of malt master...

Charcuterie has long been a staple of French cuisine, but the widespread embrace of nose-to-tail eating has led to new popularity for high-quality cured meats. Platters of charcuterie now appear on menus everywhere from neighborhood sports bars to white tablecloth restaurants.

Lindy Wildsmith, author of the cookbook and preserving manual Cured , suggests that our passion for cured meat runs much deeper than current culinary trends. “Salt has been an essential part of our diets for thousands of years and was a valuable commodity,” she says. “We love salt, we love fat a little less, but [they are] now beginning...

Michael Cudlitz’s taste in whiskey is as all-American as his most memorable on-screen roles—fighters like Sergeant Denver “Bull” Randleman on the HBO miniseries Band of Brothers and Sergeant Abraham Ford from AMC’s The Walking Dead . We sat down with the avid whiskey fan and Long Island native at Porchlight in New York City to sip our way through a few of 2017’s best American whiskeys and find out what’s next for the actor following the gruesome death of his character on The Walking Dead , season 7.

Cudlitz is well cast as a sergeant; he’s even provided voiceovers for...

Another American whiskey brand is partnering with a major multinational spirits company. Just days after Wyoming Whiskey revealed it was entering a strategic partnership with Edrington Group, Diageo has announced that it will invest in Westward American single malt through its Distill Ventures unit. The whiskey is made at House Spirits Distillery in Portland, Oregon, and the deal includes investment in both the facility and inventory, as well as the Westward brand. Majority ownership and independent control remain with Westward’s founders and current investors, and existing staff, including head distiller Christian Krogstad, will stay on to make the whiskey.

Major...

It’s been another big week for whisky lovers. Westward Whiskey announced a partnership with Diageo’s Distill Ventures unit, a move that allows the American single malt brand to expand its production and availability.

Diageo also unveiled full details of its 2018 Special Releases , including pricing. While some information was previously available, the company announced that its tenth Special Release whisky this year is a blended malt called Cladach. Not every whisky will be available in the U.S. We got all the details.

Meanwhile, there are many other new whiskies coming out now and in the next few weeks. The...

Put a spin on the traditional bourbon or rye Old Fashioned using another American spirit:...

Apple brandy...

If you’re into whisky, it’s not a huge leap to try another aged spirit, made from fruit rather than grain. Apple brandy has a storied American legacy and can be a delicious option for sipping neat or using in cocktails like the Jack Rose and Apple Brandy Old Fashioned . Not sure where to start? Check out these apple brandies, which have flavorful characteristics that will appeal to a whisky drinker’s sensibilities.

Unaged and fresh

Rhine Hall Apple Brandy —40% ABV, $50 An unaged white spirit, in the style of Austrian schnapps. Fruity, lively, vivacious, and above all apple-y—try it...

The surest sign that summer has ended? A slew of new whisky releases have been announced—plus some major news. In case you missed it, Angel’s Envy has filed plans to build a second distillery , located in Henry County, Kentucky, and Wyoming Whiskey has formed a strategic partnership with Edrington Group , the parent company of Macallan, Highland Park, and Glenrothes.

But that’s not all: there are lots of new whiskeys to anticipate. Jim Beam has announced a limited-edition bourbon celebrating the 85th anniversary of Repeal. Jim Beam Repeal Batch is non-chill filtered and will cost $18, available nationwide starting...