Indholdsfortegnelse for Summer 2018 i Whisky Advocate

It’s summertime and millions of us will spend our weekends grilling various forms of meat over open fires. Mostly, though by no means exclusively, those meats will take the form of sausage, from the humble all-beef hot dog to bratwursts, chorizos, spicy Italian sausages, and the odd lamb merguez or Dutch boterhammenworst. Enjoyed alongside all those wursts and foot-longs will be plenty of cold beer, principally lager, or in a pinch, chilled white wine. What will only rarely merit grill-side consideration is whisky, and it’s time to rethink that position. “Every kind of sausage is an emulsification of fat and protein,” explains Jesse Vallins, executive chef at Toronto’s Maple Leaf Tavern and three-time champion of the city’s chef-driven sausage cook-off Sausage League. “The main thing that gives it flavor is…

Joe Heron, founder of the Louisville distillery Copper & Kings, wants to make one thing clear about his product: “It’s not Cognac made in America. We make American brandy.” Heron is an anomaly in Louisville, the heart of American whiskey country, as part of a group of intrepid distillers who are turning heads with brandy. Distilled from grapes or other fermented fruit and often aged in oak casks, brandy is to grapes as whiskey is to grain—the distilled essence of its materials, aged to enhance flavor, blended for balance, then sipped or mixed. Like bourbon and American whiskey, American brandy is stepping out from the shadows of the traditional European brandy producing regions—Armagnac and Cognac. Americans purchased roughly 123.3 million bottles of brandy/Cognac in 2017, outpacing gin, scotch, and Irish…

ORGEAT SYRUP “This almond syrup that typically has a floral marzipan-like note is the linchpin ingredient in a Mai Tai,” Reiner explains. She recommends T’Orgeat. orgeatworks.com FALERNUM A type of rum-based syrup/liqueur flavored with almonds, ginger, lime peel, and clove. Orgeat Works makes a great one, says Reiner. orgeatworks.com GRENADINE This pomegranate syrup isn’t hard to make yourself. If you don’t want to DIY, Reiner suggests Small Hands Foods. smallhandfoods.com ALLSPICE DRAM A potent allspice liqueur used to lend that all-important spice note to tiki cocktails. Look for St. Elizabeth Allspice Dram online or at retailers. totalwine.com ORANGE CURAÇAO True orange curaçao is made with a brandy base and infused with orange peels from the Dutch island of Curaçao. Reiner likes Pierre Ferrand Dry Curaçao. pierreferrandcuracao.com TIKI BITTERS A broadly…

The wash that goes into a whiskey still is sometimes called distiller’s beer, but this un-hopped fermented liquid tastes nothing like your favorite IPA. Now though, some craft whiskey producers are distilling the same craft beers you could buy off the shelf, with tasty results. “The overarching philosophy behind it is if you have a good product going in, you have a good product going out,” says Clint Potter, cofounder of San Francisco's Seven Stills Brewery & Distillery. At Berkshire Mountain Distillers in Massachusetts, founder and distiller Chris Weld finds fodder across the panorama of American craft beer—everything from Samuel Adams Boston Lager to Terrapin Hopsecutioner IPA and even Belgian-style ales. Each whiskey carries the DNA and flavors of the beer it was made from. “It’s for the beer geeks,”…

Cancel Out the Noise A good set of noise-canceling headphones will dramatically reduce the effect of engine noise on your enjoyment of food and drink. Bring a Playlist Various studies conducted by professor Spence and others have shown that high-pitched piano music may work best at restoring the perception of sweetness lost at altitude. Do a Nose Job Experiment with ways of humidifying your nose, from a simple hydration spray—easily found at most drug stores—to a spritzer from which you can mist your glass of whisky. Pack a Glass Studies suggest that the weight and texture of a glass can increase the perception of quality and enjoyment of the contents therein. Make a Bold Decision Given that sweet and salty notes may be muted, consider a whisky that is a…

If you are looking for an achievable collecting challenge, there are only a handful of Oban whiskies to chase down. The Oban Distillery is hemmed in on all sides by the town and unable to expand, which keeps production volumes low, with everything bottled for single malt releases. All the spirit passes through its two faithful copper pot stills and condenses in the unusual rectangular-shaped worm tubs hidden away on the roof beneath the red painted distillery chimney. Oban 1969 32 year old is the oldest official bottling and it is likely to represent your greatest outlay. It was released in 2002, the first of Oban’s three appearances in the Diageo Special Releases range. Packed in an elegant slate gray tube, the 6,000 bottles retailed for £175, approximately $270 at…

Come and meet our female master blender,” urged the invitations, soliciting my presence at numerous tastings in bars and restaurants around the city in the run-up to WhiskyFest Chicago. The correct title is master blender, not female master blender, I mused to myself. What next? Blendress? Several companies have recently touted this calculated corruption of the gender-neutral title of master blender and it does women in the whisky industry a disservice. In the drive for equality, it’s important that we reject a gender binary vision for roles in the workplace: ditch terms like barman for bartender and waitress for server, for example. The same rules apply to a blender as they do to a distiller, coppersmith, doctor, and company president, which means recognizing equality and taking the individual working in…

NATIONAL PARKS There are 59 national parks, more than three-quarters of them in the Western half of the country, including Alaska. FEES From free to $30 for a non-commercial car and all passengers at the most popular parks. Many parks offer annual passes. The America the Beautiful Pass ($80) grants twelve months of access to over 2,000 federal recreation sites, including all national parks. Discounts and lifetime passes are available for U.S. citizens and permanent residents age 62 or older. RULES AND PERMITS Certain activities like camping, fishing, and watersports may require additional permits, fees, or registration, on-site or in advance. BYO POLICIES Most parks allow drinking in campgrounds and in most public-use areas. In general, open containers are forbidden in vehicles, parking lots, pull-outs, and park buildings. Always check…

For Pot Still and Single Malt Fans Ideal for everyday sipping, these whiskeys allow you to appreciate the subtle flavor contributions of the different styles of Irish whiskey in the blend. 90 The Dubliner 40%, $28 An easy-drinking blend of single malt and grain whiskeys brimming with blossom honey, vanilla, whole peach, butter toffee, and an uplifting floral bouquet. 90 J.J. Corry The Gael 46% $75 Fresh hay, floral blossoms, comb honey, dry spice, oak, lemons, and spices on this blend of single malt and grain. Lemon sherbet, vanilla, and pepper with a rich finish of barley sugars. 90 Slane 40%, $30 A triple-cask finished blend of single malt and grain whiskeys. Blackberry and apple-toffee meet malt, vanilla, and sherry. Butterscotch, nuts, dried apple, and red berries, with a touch…

Walk this Way The Speyside Way, a 65-mile route following the Spey Valley, links the Moray Coast with the Grampian Mountains. The breathtaking hike is dotted with distilleries and great whisky bars. speysideway.org Engineer a Tour Hop aboard and take a nostalgic eleven-mile railroad ride from the distillery town of Keith to Dufftown, the whisky capital of Speyside. keith-dufftown-railway.co.uk Ride in Style A chauffeur-driven Range Rover Vogue will ferry you around the whisky sites of Speyside with in-depth tours tailored to fulfill all your Speyside whisky desires. speysidewhiskytours.com Float your Boat Hop into a canoe for a leisurely 50 to 70-mile descent of the River Spey to the Moray coast. Personalized whisky tastings and distillery tours along the way make it quite an oar deal. spiritofthespey.co.uk Hit the Trail The…

SPEYSIDE SINGLE MALTS 92 Aberlour 18 year old, 43%, $125 This has a significant proportion of sherry wood and it marks a real step up from its younger stablemates. It boasts a stylish nose of old leathery cigar boxes, vanilla, and orange marmalade. Syrupy on the palate, with oranges, sweet sherry, honey, and figs. Spicy oak, caramel, citrus fruits, and aniseed in the lengthy finish.—GS 92 Glenlivet 21 year old Archive, 43%, $220 This expression is reputed to contain some whisky up to 40 years old and was matured in a mix of bourbon and sherry casks. The nose offers overt sherry influences, with fruit malt loaf, maple syrup, honey, and old leather. Full and slightly oily on the rich palate, with toffee, raisins, Brazil nuts, and fresh cake mix.…

BOURBON 94 King of Kentucky 14 year old, 62.5%, $200 Simply beautiful. It’s so complex, with notes of molasses, apple butter, toffee, salt water taffy, hazelnut, burnt brown sugar, crème brûlée, caramel flan, butterscotch, crystallized ginger, nutmeg, cardamom, fenugreek, roasted almonds, and marshmallow. With a drop of water, another complex layer forms with cotton candy and burnt pie crust. In both cases, it finishes extremely long.—FM 92 Booker’s 2018-01 Kathleen’s Batch, 63.7%, $70 Bright and pronounced caramel in many forms, from rich caramel chews to caramel pudding. Then a spice backbone jumps out, followed by butterscotch, brown sugar, vanilla wafers, jalapeño cornbread, mustard seeds, and peach cobbler. A drop of water makes it even more complex with savory spices—sage, dried parsley, and a hint of rosemary, meeting sweet: more vanilla…

IRISH SINGLE MALT WHISKEY 93 Teeling 34 year old Vintage Reserve Single Malt, 40.9%, $5,000 Sheer nectar, dripping with honeyed delights: baklava, maple syrup, syropiasta, vanilla spun sugar, malt wrapped in gentle oak, and a notion of Szechuan pepper. The mouthfeel is flowing and silken, radiating flavors of golden syrup, tangerine, peppercorn, vanilla, light oak, and nougat. As the flavor crests, the sweetness is evocative of Chateau D’Yquem. This decadent piece of Irish history originated as a Teeling family cask distilled in 1983. (U.S. exclusive, 43 bottles)—JM 91 The Whistler 7 year old The Blue Note, 46%, $45 Voluptuous, fruity nose of lemon meringue pie, Conference pear, and fudge, with floral top notes balanced by aromatic spices. The flavors are focused around orange, pear, and lemon, infiltrated by caramel and…

KINDLING A LOVE FOR WHISKY Dear Whisky Advocate, I have subscribed to Whisky Advocate electronically through my Kindle for a little over 3 years. Every quarter I anxiously await the newest edition because I really enjoy reading every page, looking at the advertisements, and determining what I’d like to add to my growing collection. Since my Kindle store has access to all the prior editions since I started my subscription, I can easily re-read those going back to when my subscription first began. What an eye-opener it has been to go back to the magazines you released from 2014 and early 2015 to re-read them… some of the articles have validated things I’ve learned in the intervening years while others have helped me to make sense of things I’ve seen…

The travel, the trails, the tastings—each year whisky lovers make their annual pilgrimages to the distillery meccas of their choice. Scotland and Kentucky remain tops for popularity and convenience, travel-wise, while Canada…well, requires some effort. Here’s the rundown… 1 million+ people visit the rougly 400-mile KENTUCKY BOURBON TRAIL annually 750 or so people complete the entire 2,190-mile Appalachian Trail each year Church or Scotch? 1.5 million visitors to Westminster Abbey in 2017 1.7 million annual tourists to SCOTCH WHISKY DISTILLERIES 1 in 13 tourists to IRELAND visits a distillery 3.8 million Square mileage of CANADA 146,000 Combined square mileage of Ireland, Scotland, Kentucky, and Tennessee “Canada isn’t nearly as concentrated as a Kentucky or Scotland,” says Jan Westcott, CEO of Spirits Canada. “Distilleries with visitor centers like Hiram Walker and…

If you enjoy a chunk of ice in your casual sipping whisky, you’re in good company. More than a few master distillers have confided to us that they like to toss a cube in their barrel-proof bourbon or pour their blended Scotch whisky over a giant sphere. As long you’re being irreverent, why stop there? With these ice molds that make suitably large cubes to chill your dram without over diluting, your summer whisky drinking is all squared away.…

IF YOU LIKE PORT/SHERRY-FINISHED MALTS TRY Catoctin Creek 1757 40%, $50 Catoctin Creek distills Virginia-grown grapes and uses Bordeaux casks for at least 2 years of maturing. The brandy has the vanilla and toffee notes of American whiskey, underscoring a rancio spice and dark fruit. IF YOU LIKE BARREL STRENGTH BOURBON TRY Copper & Kings Butchertown 62%, $55 This full-proof and non-chill filtered brandy is aged in both American whiskey and new oak barrels. The grapes include muscat, chenin blanc, and colombard. Very bourbon-like with vanilla, maple, and caramel, but the fruit comes through with berries, cherries, and pear. Lingering finish. IF YOU LIKE BOTTLED IN BOND BOURBON TRY Christian Brothers Sacred Bond 50%, $18 Christian Brothers is owned by Heaven Hill, producer of several bonded bourbons, so perhaps it’s…

Most whiskey lovers are aware that bourbon must be produced in the U.S., made primarily from corn (at least 51% of the mashbill), and aged in new charred oak barrels. But beyond that, every bourbon label is a jumble of legally required info, meaningful terms we expect to be truthful, and marketing hype. Consider this your spy decoder ring for better bourbon. QUESTION THE MARK Trademarked terms offer assurance. A Brand Name aims to deliver a consistent flavor profile. The Distillery Name can be different from the brand name and identifying the distillery can lead you to similar bourbons you might enjoy. BE LEGAL EYED Legally defined terms leave little room for interpretation. Straight Bourbon is aged at least 2 years in new charred oak, while Bottled in Bond bourbon…

Picture the cool creaminess of butter slathered over fresh bread, browning to a sizzle in a hot pan, or dripping from a glistening ear of corn. A slightly oily, mouth-coating quality is the calling card of a buttery whisky, but the tasting experience can span the aromas and flavors of butter as well. The buttery textural sensation that appears in many types of whisky is derived from diacetyl, a compound that arises naturally from yeast activity during fermentation that can accumulate due to the action of bacteria in the washback. Distillers aim to keep the level of diacetyl in check: this is where healthy, active yeast can make all the difference. In the stills, the low boiling point of diacetyl means much of it is eliminated with the foreshots, but…

THE ARCANE DISTILLED FROM VARIOUS NEW YORK CITY BEERS Arcane Distilling/Interboro Ales & Spirits and others ABV and price varies by batch Distilled from IPAs from Interboro and other Brooklyn breweries, each batch of The Arcane is defined by fresh orange peel, coriander, and fresh hop flavors. CHARBAY R5 DISTILLED FROM BEAR REPUBLIC RACER 5 IPA Charbay Distillery/Bear Republic Brewing Co. 49.5%, $80 Piney notes of Columbus and Cascade hops meet heavy oak and vanilla from 29 months of aging in French oak. From craft beer distilling's original pioneer, Marko Karakasevic. FLUXUATE DISTILLED FROM FLUXUATE COFFEE PORTER Seven Stills Brewery & Distillery 47%, $37/375ml. Seven Stills’ own coffee porter, made using cold brewed coffee, imparts dark, rich coffee and malt flavors to this whiskey. KIUCHI NO SHIZUKU DISTILLED FROM HITACHINO NEST WHITE…

Reynolds Metals Company created the first aluminum beverage can in 1963, and by 1985, cans were the world’s most popular beverage package. The quick-chilling, convenient, and shatterproof vessel has even won over wine and beer drinkers. Now, whiskey drinkers can trust it to get the job done. Stillhouse Black Bourbon 40%, $20/375 ml This bourbon gets an additional charcoal filtering and final mellowing on roasted coffee beans. Ideal to spike a cola or iced coffee with vanilla and cocoa flavors. Fishers Island Lemonade 9%, $16/4 pack Fishers Island, New York can only be reached by ferry. But you can enjoy the island's trademark cocktail anywhere. Pleasantly tart and dangerously drinkable. Chicago Distilling Old Fashioned High Ball 10%, $1¾ pack Craft bourbon fuels this sweet and oaky Highball with spiced cookie…

A change in ownership of your favorite whisky can have repercussions for the value of your collection. After the Edrington Group, the company behind Scotch whiskies such as Macallan and Highland Park, bought back the Glenrothes brand in 2017, it was predictable that there would be a hiatus on new whisky releases. Behind the scenes, you know a new team will be hard at work looking at what is in the warehouse and putting their stamp of approval on a fresh line of exciting new whiskies for future release. When the first fruits of Glenrothes whiskies emerge, the renewed interest in newly packaged whiskies can have a flattering effect on the value of the old classics in your collection. The original Glenrothes vintage releases were distilled in the 1970s and…

Walt Whitman wrote, “I am large, I contain multitudes.” He might have been describing the American craft distilling movement, which can cover everything from a semi-professional with a 100-gallon still to Bardstown Bourbon Company, which fills hundreds of barrels a day. Even though there are now thousands of licensed distilleries in the U.S., from a mere handful a dozen years ago, the new ones haven’t added much to overall production volume, nor will they anytime soon. Most of tomorrow’s American whiskey will come from the same four heritage producers as today: Brown-Forman, Beam Suntory, Sazerac, and Heaven Hill, in that order. Craft distillers are, however, vitally important for many other reasons. Raising Interest People love to visit the big distilleries in Kentucky and Tennessee. For many, it is a once-in-a-lifetime…

Many of Canada’s most exciting new whiskies never make it to the U.S. The upside to this misfortune? You have a great reason to make the short trek north and scoop up some fantastic whiskies. In fact, there are numerous places just a short drive, train, or ferry ride away where you can experience Canadian whisky in all its diversity. From the blossoming craft scene to established historic distilleries, plus bars, restaurants, and more, here are four destinations to dodge the summer heat and indulge in the whisky bounty just north of the border.…

Nova Scotia 86 Glynnevan Cabot Triple Barrelled Canadian Rye 45%, $55 A husky dram rich with caramels, peppery rye, and a creamy mouthfeel. Exclusive to Nova Scotia and finished in Caribbean rum barrels. Toronto 92 Stalk & Barrel 100% Rye 60.2%, $100 Still Waters, Toronto’s first craft distillery, has reinvented rye whisky in a scrumptious new cereal-forward vein. This 120.4 proof version is a distillery-only bottling. Windsor 89 Canadian Club 20 year old 40%, $60 A 20 year old whisky for $60! Toffee followed by pruney notes, clean grain, and peppery rye meet brown sugar, unsweetened cereal, and hints of barn boards. British Columbia 87 Lohin McKinnon Wine Barrel Finished 43%, $60 Barrels from Black Sage Vineyard in British Columbia add an extra dimension to this scotch-like single malt made from local barley. PACK…

Avoid an Identity Crisis Whether traveling by ferry, train, plane, or car, you’ll need to present a passport or NEXUS card to enter Canada and reenter the U.S. If driving, bring your vehicle registration and be prepared for a possible search. Relieve Yourself of Duties After 48 hours in Canada, Americans can return to the U.S. with up to one liter of alcohol without paying duty; under 48 hours, it drops to 150 milliliters. Beyond one liter, you must pay 3% of the value of the remaining bottles, in addition to any Internal Revenue tax that is due. Make Sense of Dollars Canada’s currency is Canadian dollars. In recent exchange rates, one U.S. dollar is equal to about C$1.25-C$1.30. You’ve Been Served The legal drinking age in most of Canada…

Want to buy a $20 single malt scotch? Good luck. Desire a quality $30 Cognac? Yeah, right. Even vodka, which can be made in an instant, places its premium products north of $30. Fortunately, we do not need to settle for cheap beer or two-dollar jug wine. Hope awaits us penny-pinching spirits lovers: sitting in new charred oak barrels, resting in Kentucky rickhouses are copious amounts of delicious bourbon that will be bottled in the $9 to $30 range, delivering plenty of satisfying flavor, while still leaving some coin in our pockets. “There’s simply no way scotch will ecplise bourbon in value.”- Fred Noe, master distiller Jim Beam The recent interest in bourbon has priced once-hidden gems like Elijah Craig 18 year old out of the everyday drinking conversation for…

89 Crown Royal Blenders’ Mash, 40%, $28 Recently, Crown Royal began bottling some of the 50-odd whiskies in its core blend. Hand Selected Barrel and Northern Harvest Rye each peeked behind the blenders’ curtain. Now Blenders’ Mash (originally called Bourbon Mash) unveils the woody vanilla signature of Canada’s bestseller. This approachable, creamy, medium-bodied whisky bathes in sweet vanilla and mild oak tannins, seasoned with peppery spices and fruity-floral esters. Incredibly long, creamy, vanilla finish.—DdeK…

DUTCH WHISKY 85 That Boutique-y Whisky Company (distilled at Millstone) 6 year old, 48.9%, $75 Originating from Zuidam Distillers’ diverse inventory of casks, this single malt whisky conjures thoughts of bread dough, white grape, and slightly sour spices. The orange flavors start as a deep glow, then blossom beautifully into rich marmalade aromas. Initially mouth-drawing, with bold, juicy flavors of peach and orange supported by toffee and a gentle lift of spices. Appetizing taste of spiced orange cake to finish. (637 bottles)—JM GERMAN WHISKY 85 That Boutique-y Whisky Company (distilled at Slyrs) 3 year old, 52.5%, $90 White pepper-dappled summer fruits on the nose, with squishy overripe melon, banana peel, zesty lime, dried grasses, and clove, with a slightly rubberized note like BMX handlebar grips. This young Bavarian single malt…

HIGHLAND SINGLE MALT 92 Glen Garioch The Renaissance 3rd Chapter 17 year old, 50.8%, £100 The Renaissance began with a 15 year old expression and charts the same spirit as it continues to mature. Aged in bourbon and sherry casks, the 3rd Chapter exhibits a sweet and sophisticated nose of honey, milk chocolate, Brazil nuts, toffee, and ripe peaches. Supple on the palate, with luscious orange and peach notes, vanilla, oak, and subtle spice. Plain chocolate-coated orange confectionery in the finish, with caramel and ginger. Balanced and delicious!—GS 91 GlenDronach Single Cask #5476, 49.9%, £310 The oldest of the fifteen expressions in Batch 16 of GlenDronach’s single cask release program, this cask-strength offering has been matured for 26 years in a Pedro Ximenez sherry puncheon. The nose yields fresh-from-the-oven Christmas…

Who do you trust? Make that whom do you trust. The former was an old television quiz show hosted by Johnny Carson and odds are you don’t remember it or him, but who cares? The question before us today is the grammatical whom do you trust, and the correct answer is maybe your mother. Maybe. All others, in the words posted on your better tavern walls everywhere, will pay cash. And that includes me; under no circumstances should you trust my opinion. Forget that I’m an expert. I must be; national magazines have asked me to help name the best bars in Chicago, in the United States, and—may the gods help us—the world. City magazines have paid me to write bar guides. At least one beverage rating outfit regularly asked…

Remember cassette tapes? When I was a teenager, I walked around with a Sony Walkman so worn that the faded “play” and “stop” buttons often became stuck. I recently found an old Whitesnake tape, which I played every second of my 14th year, and immediately reminisced back to the bleached and tattered, flipped-up collar on my jean jacket. (Those are making a comeback!) That Sony player fit nicely in jacket pockets, and I rocked out like I owned the ground I stepped on. Sadly, I no longer have a cassette player to listen to this relic, so I played “Here I Go Again” on Apple Music and was a kid all over again. “I don’t know where I’m goin’.” “But I sure know where I’ve been.” As this hair metal…

I have a confession: last night I binged. It’s a funny word, “binge.” According to my dictionary, it means “excessive indulgence in anything,” but when I was younger it was pretty much exclusively reserved for eating. Nowadays though, we can “binge” on almost anything, from chocolate chunk ice cream to drinking with friends and time at the gym to the latest season of Game of Thrones. Of course, the last two of those apply mainly to the jokey, “guess I kind of overdid it” sort of bingeing. The more judgmental and sometimes preachy side is still reserved almost exclusively for food and drink, and these days far more for the latter than the former. And yes, as you might have guessed, the “binge” in which I indulged last night was…

Canadian Classics Prime examples of Canadian-style whisky 92 Canadian Rockies 21 year old 46%, $110 Lush, creamy corn whisky from Highwood Distillers, Canada’s last privately owned traditional distillery. With a maple leaf on the label and tasty whisky inside, this bottle makes a delicious souvenir. 90 Crown Royal Blender’s Select 45%, $55 Crown Royal is the only Canadian whisky with a well-developed collector market, and this Ontario exclusive entices its devotees with gingery spices, green grapes, and butterscotch pudding. 90 Gooderham & Worts 44.4%, $45 A robust blend of wheat, corn, barley, and rye whiskies that reveals each in sequence as it travels across your palate and down your throat. 80 Alberta Premium 40%, $27 This much-vaunted 100% rye, though not connoisseur material, is a respectable mixer. After just one sip, you may wonder…

Most blends originate from Midleton, Cooley, or Bushmills, but that will begin to change over the next decade. Many new Irish distilleries have copper pot stills for making single malt or single pot still whiskey, but prefer to source the grain whiskey for their blends. When looking at the components of a blended Irish whiskey, you may be able to deduce the sources given the limited number of distilleries that offer mature whiskey for blending. BUSHMILLS triple distilled single malt COOLEY double distilled single malt single grain GREAT NORTHERN single pot still single malt single grain MIDLETON single pot still single grain WALSH WHISKEY triple distilled single malt single pot still single grain…

86 Evan Williams 1783 43%, $20 Nutter Butters, hazelnut, nutmeg, and vanilla, with hints of roasted nuts. 86 Evan Williams Bottled in Bond 50%, $18 Lightly toasted oak, brown sugar, and butterscotch, with a fun maltiness, concentrated caramel, and slight hints of cinnamon. 84 Evan Williams 43%, $15 Nice balance of honeyed vanilla, caramel, soft oak, with hints of summer fruits and creamy coconut on both the nose and palate. (Commonly referred to as Black Label.) 84 Zackariah Harris 40%, $12 Cherry juice, stone fruit, toffee, chocolate, and marmalade. 82 Very Old Barton Bottled in Bond 50%, $12 Fried-corn salsa, citrus zest, and a hint of butterscotch. A fine bourbon for cocktails. 82 Weller Special Reserve 45%, $18 Caramel-forward with hints of watermelon, fresh-baked bread, and short bursts of crème brûlée, praline, honey, watermelon Jolly Rancher,…