Tag: b grade

  • Chattanooga Founder’s 10th Anniversary Blend Scoresheet & Review

    Chattanooga Founder’s 10th Anniversary Blend Scoresheet & Review

    Chattanooga Whiskey have been making quite the name for themselves the past few years. Nowadays people are familiar with their impressive Cask 111, recurring bonded releases, and occasional wildcard finishes (often gift shop exclusives). However, the whiskey they got started with (though relatively pedestrian) was crucial to not only letting…

  • Wheeler’s Raid Toasted Honey Rye Elixir Spirits Pick Scoresheet & Review

    Wheeler’s Raid Toasted Honey Rye Elixir Spirits Pick Scoresheet & Review

    American history holds no shortage of interesting stories. This reality isn’t lost on whiskey producers, as entire brands and individual expressions alike often pay homage to these very tales. Many of the larger, more established brands honor significant individuals and points in history pertaining to whiskey in some way, shape,…

  • Clynelish 14-Year Scoresheet & Review

    Clynelish 14-Year Scoresheet & Review

    Knowing where to start with Clynelish is tough. Where many distilleries have a defining characteristic, historic or otherwise, Clynelish is ostensibly far less extravagant. Not unlike Caol Ila, Clynelish’s present claim to fame isn’t even a claim for itself: it’s the whisky’s role in Johnnie Walker blends. The brand’s history…

  • Caol Ila 12-Year Scoresheet & Review

    Caol Ila 12-Year Scoresheet & Review

    It’s almost impossible to discuss Caol Ila without mentioning Johnnie Walker. Malts.com, the page for Diageo’s multiple scotch brands, literally calls it “the Islay home of Johnnie Walker.” That alone should clue curious minds into just how big this Islay distillery is, but if you want numbers, the distillery is…

  • Talisker 10-Year Scoresheet & Review

    Talisker 10-Year Scoresheet & Review

    Whisky is very much a product of its environment. Wherever the aging spirit physically resides will impact how the final product comes out, from the surrounding climate to the casks chosen for maturation. One of the more interesting ways whisky can take on a unique personality is through coastal influences.…

  • Michter’s Single Barrel Rye Scoresheet & Review

    Michter’s Single Barrel Rye Scoresheet & Review

    Do you ever accidentally do something backwards? That’s how I felt coming into this review. The last time I looked at an expression by Michter’s was with their Barrel Strength Rye. Without giving too much away, I’ll just say that it’s a personal favorite. And yet, like most of the…

  • Chattanooga 1816 Reserve Scoresheet & Review

    Chattanooga 1816 Reserve Scoresheet & Review

    Some things simply slip through the cracks. When preparing one of my upcoming reviews, I realized that I hadn’t talked about a certain bottle that I bought on a whim during my vacation last year. That bottle is 1816 Reserve from Chattanooga Whiskey. Although the folks at Chattanooga Whiskey were…

  • Willett Family Estate Rye Scoresheet & Review

    Willett Family Estate Rye Scoresheet & Review

    Willett has always been a tricky distillery for me to pin down. A host of people hold the brand in particularly high regards, largely thanks to their purple-top (Family Estate Bottled) bourbon. These coveted bottles can occasionally push the 30-year mark, but tend to land between 4 and 12 years…

  • Maker’s Mark 2021 Wood Finishing Series (FAE-02) Scoresheet & Review

    Maker’s Mark 2021 Wood Finishing Series (FAE-02) Scoresheet & Review

    Maker’s Mark is one of my favorite distilleries. That’s not exactly an unpopular opinion, given the brand’s iconic look and penchant for consistency. However, my appreciation for Maker’s Mark largely comes from their uniquely finished products, namely the Private Selections and Wood Finishing Series. Rather than taking their whisky and…

  • Old Forester 100 Scoresheet & Review

    Old Forester 100 Scoresheet & Review

    Divisive opinions are nothing new to the overarching whisky community. It’s just one of many factors that makes sharing and discussing whisky both interesting and enjoyable. Yet if I had to identify one distillery that splits thoughts more than any other, Old Forester would certainly be a frontrunner. This primarily…

  • Wilderness Trail Yellow Label Scoresheet & Review

    Wilderness Trail Yellow Label Scoresheet & Review

    Out of all the distilleries I visited in Kentucky last year, Wilderness Trail had the most je ne sais quoi to it. Their grounds are a bit out of the way on the Bourbon Trail, with the most immediately eye-catching part being just how much land they occupy. Yet the…

  • Knob Creek Small Batch 9-Year Scoresheet & Review

    Knob Creek Small Batch 9-Year Scoresheet & Review

    Many casual drinkers probably don’t realize just how prolific brands like Jim Beam actually are. Bottles bearing the Clermont distillery’s name are easy enough to discern, but Jim Beam plays host to many others as well. Consider their parent company, Beam Suntory, and Jim Beam’s prominence becomes that much more…