Redemption repeats their barrel-proof MGP-sourced 95% rye, now at 7 years old. Has a year significantly changed last year's 90-point outing? Oak is more subdued and the pepper floats on sweet, light caramel. It is still quite nice at full-bore, no water needed. Sweet vanilla and bitter rye oil blend surprisingly well; this is hitting the bells, and it's better integrated. Big, swaggering, and sporting big-barrel maturity. Can go toe-to-toe with almost any rye out there.

Reviewed by: Lew Bryson (Spring 2015)

Redemption delivers a 10 year old, barrel proof rye (sourced from MGP); the bottled whiskey is mingled from only six barrels. Nose of hot, bitter rye spice and caramel with oak. Great whambam! feel of sweet whiskey followed immediately by oily, spicy rye, which then controls the flavor and finish without dominating. Not over-oaked, and these older MGP barrels are finally showing what 95% rye can do. At 6 years, it could be a high-rye bourbon; this simply shouts rye. Fascination.

Reviewed by: Lew Bryson (Spring 2015)

An authoritative nose: deep oak structure, cracked corn, warehouse reek. Minty and lively, but deep and almost ponderous at the same time, and not anywhere near as hot as expected. A bare hint of mustiness (which a bit of water helps wash out) keeps it from being truly exceptional, but this verges on greatness. A show-stopper.

Reviewed by: Lew Bryson (Spring 2016)

7 year old whiskey (an unspecified “corn, rye, and malted barley” mashbill “distilled in Indiana”) aged in used barrels. Maple syrup, well-browned popovers, and Canada mint lozenges in a boozy-hot nose. Richly sweet on the palate: pastry dough, hints of anise, buttery and slightly-burnt cornbread, syrupy dark fruits: complex, rich, delicious. Water brings out more of the dough and tames the heat. Delicious, unique, intriguing. Sourced whiskey.

Reviewed by: Lew Bryson (Fall 2015)

Rich, multi-layered nose: vanilla, cornmeal, berries (black raspberries, wineberries), and broad-shouldered oak. Powerful, but not overproof hot in the mouth; controlled. The berries sing a high counter-melody over the corn-oak beat as the whole experience rocks along. It’s powerful, sweet, authoritative, and finishes with a reprise of it all: berries, corn, vanilla, and stronger oak. Mature, complete bourbon with a 7 year age statement, and a real sleeper in the Small Batch Collection.

Reviewed by: Lew Bryson (Fall 2014)

Hugely different from the standard Drambuie: much more dryly herbal, and the whisky's right here in the nose...and yet, they are distinctly related in the base character of the herbs. The whisky is quite present — 15 year old Speyside malts shine like the sun on rippling water — but the flavors of Drambuie are clear as well. Still sweet, but the whisky is much more the star. A Drambuie for us?

Reviewed by: Lew Bryson (Spring 2012)

Cask-strength rye made from Arkansas-grown grain, aged 26 months. Must be a small barrel; it’s quite dark. Nose of crushed rye grain, well-polished oak furniture, and moist rye bread. Swift and certain in the mouth: dense, chewy flavors of rye bread, sweet and full and bitter, crackling with oak spice, and drawing to a sizzling finish. I do like a small distiller whiskey that knows where it’s going. Very impressive.

Reviewed by: Lew Bryson (Summer 2016)

Old school spicy nose, almost archetypal scents of sweet teaberry, cinnamon, and spearmint hard candy, with a firm, warm alcohol backing. True in the mouth: I’m tasting just what I smelled, all on a full bed of corn sweetness, floating off into a warm finish. Could it be more complex? Yes, but it’s beautifully balanced, and not the over-oaked shellac that passes for mature bourbon these days. If this was under $30 a bottle, I’d marry it. (6,000 bottles)

Reviewed by: Lew Bryson (Winter 2015)

Rich and sweet on the nose: crème brûlée, unfinished oak furniture, circus peanuts, overripe warm melon. Corn puffs and sweet cornbread, vanilla cream, oak density, firm heat, and an affably full mouthfeel that doesn’t thin till the very end. Easily one of the best Jack Daniel’s whiskeys I’ve ever had, but the price is jaw-dropping even today (the package does include a previously-unreleased 1966 concert recording of Old Blue Eyes). Price is per 1 liter.

Reviewed by: Lew Bryson (Winter 2015)

A very pricy (for Wild Turkey) 17 year old whiskey honoring master distiller Jimmy Russell. Nose is hot for the proof, with oak, dried barrel drool, warm dried corn, tobacco barn, and teaberry. Entry is not hot; rather, a thread of sweet syrup spreads out into thoroughly integrated corn and oak. Finish slides into drier oak. A fascinating journey through bourbon flavors, this is both lighter and more complex than expected. I still prefer younger Wild Turkey, but…

Reviewed by: Lew Bryson (Fall 2015)

An 8 year old wheated bourbon, finished 27 months in Frapin cognac casks. A dark, opulent nose: cocoa, crushed sweet cherry, and vanilla custard, laced with cinnamon and fired with the alcohol heat. My, my…it’s even enjoyable at full proof, and delivers the sweet promise on a solid bed of oak and heat. Heaven Hill’s getting good at these finishes. Expensive, but impressive. (Kentucky Bourbon Affair bottling; others are similar—Heaven Hill’s Bourbon Heritage Center only)

Reviewed by: Lew Bryson (Fall 2014)

Vanilla and oak nose, with a creamy layer of mint that warns you: Rye Ahead. And what a sweet rye wave it is, rolling in with green mint and grass, more bourbony oak and vanilla, lively spice on the top (with enough heat to keep it bold), and a finish that brings everything together. Beautifully integrated, and not overly woody, a tribute to the blending art of Canadian distillers.

Reviewed by: Lew Bryson (Fall 2012)

“Contains five times more rye than A. Smith Bowman’s standard bourbon recipe,” aged 7 years and 9 months. A lean bourbon nose: sweet grain, leather, pepper, oak. Zing in the mouth! Quite spicy, with a smooth, oily feel, notes of dried apple and split fruit-tree branches, and a driving but welcome heat that lines straight through to the long, dry finish. Bold, interesting, and worthy of repeating! Limited release; mainly in Virginia.

Reviewed by: Lew Bryson (Winter 2015)

Hot barrel wood, like opening a rickhouse in July; light allspice, vanilla, and fiery alcohol. Drinkable without water, surprisingly. Hot syrup, corn sugar caramel, tannic oak, and a bit of stickiness. An interesting look at Jack Daniel’s: unblended, undiluted, untamed. It’s still Jack—sweet, insistent—but it’s taller, bigger. I could say I’d like even more heft, more complexity…but would that be asking Jack to be something it simply is not?

Reviewed by: Lew Bryson (Winter 2015)

Dad’s Hat rye has evolved, like many craft whiskeys, but they’re still bottling at 6 to 9 months (another label is planned for a straight version). That’s working well. The nose is rip-roaring rye: crushed grain, grass, sweet spice, bitter herbal notes, with all the complexity of the grain. Delivers honestly on the tongue, too, plus a light barrel character, proceeding to an integrated finish. Excellent young rye, there’s no mistaking the mother grain.

Reviewed by: Lew Bryson (Winter 2015)

Blends 7 and 12 year old bourbons, and a 7 year wheater, in a beautifully packaged tribute to the old brand. Typical nose—cinnamon Red Hots, milled corn, oaky zest—in balanced harmony. Beautiful stuff on the tongue: warm but not hot, expansive corn sweetness that lightens the cinnamon’s intensity, some clove, some oaky dryness. The warm finish only ends after a long embrace. Pricey for 7 year old bourbon, though; is this the future? Sourced whiskey.

Reviewed by: Lew Bryson (Winter 2015)

More Canadian core rye from WhistlePig, this time at full-bore. It’s strong with rye, sweet with melon and dark chocolate notes, but with a wood character like the unfinished inside of an antique oak wardrobe. The antique wood is strong in the mouth, an oddly elegant note, but afterward comes the melon and chocolate, and oily, coiling rye. Interestingly complicated; a bit hard to make friends, but worth the time and effort.

Reviewed by: Lew Bryson (Spring 2015)

This release is based on a mash done at Sierra Nevada brewery, aged in eight different types of casks (including apple brandy and white wine) running from 4 to 15 years old. Delicate fruit, nuts, and sweet malt combine like perfect pastry in the nose. Add a bit of unsweetened chocolate on the palate, finishing with a lingering reminiscence of every bit of flavor, and you have a beautifully integrated whiskey that is unmistakably St. George. Delightful.

Reviewed by: Lew Bryson (Winter 2014)