114 WHISKIES

RATED!

Cocktails Made Simple

5 WHISKY CLASSICS TO MIX AT HOME

Scotland’s Newest Distilleries • Made in America Single Malt

 VOLUME 29, NUMBER 2 SUMMER 2020

54
F EAT UR ES

54 Cocktails at Home 68 Fresh Faces by Jonny McCormick

Master five of the all-time great whisky cocktails with Single malt scotch enjoys a long and storied history,
the help of bartender tips to make every drink your best. but a recent surge of newcomers is breathing new
With these helpful variations and creative solutions, life into the world’s greatest whisky nation.
nothing can stand between you and a refreshing drink.
56 Highball by Zak Kostro 76 The American Way by Zak Kostro
It’s not just for Scotland anymore. These American
60 Mint Julep by Susannah Skiver Barton
craft distillers are determined to put single
62 Old Fashioned by Sam Stone malt whiskey on the New World map.
ISTOCK

64 Manhattan by Jeffery Lindenmuth

66 Whiskey Sour by Ted Simmons Cover photograph by Jody Horton
 DE PART MEN T S
18

11 From the Publisher

by Marvin R. Shanken

13 Dear Whisky Advocate

Letters to the editor

17 Distillations
PLAN for a Pittsburgh adventure,
DELIVER a pizza and whisky
pairing, CONNECT with virtual
tastings, INDULGE in cherry whiskey,
SANITIZE with help from distillers,
PREPARE for rare Japanese whisky,

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: DEVEN BROWN; ISTOCK / WHISKY ADVOCATE; ISTOCK; WILL KIRK / JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY
SUPPLY your cocktails with spice.
38 34
47 Straight Talk
by Charles K. Cowdery
Craft distilling is the movement
that has become an industry,
while staying on a human scale.

48 Head, Heart & Tales

by Jonny McCormick
Whisky is conducive to private
moments—relishing quietness,
stillness, and composure.

51 The Thinking Drinker

51 by Stephen Beaumont
The right background music
can make or break your chosen
whisky. Bring on the bagpipes!

83 Buying Guide
Reviews of the latest whisky releases

95 I’m a Whisky Advocate

Photos from our readers

96 A Lighter Dram
by Terry Sullivan
America’s bibulous expert, Mr.
Whiskey, serves full-strength advice
in response to reader questions.

We’re All in This Together
O
ne of our favorite things
about whisky is enjoying it
with like-minded friends,
and, due to the current pan-
demic, that simple pleasure
has largely disappeared. Like many of you,
much of the Whisky Advocate magazine staff
has been in isolation, working from home
since our New York offices closed in mid-
March. As we reflect on life before COVID-19,
we realize just how fortunate we were.
However, the resilience and camaraderie
of the entire whisky community has proved
an inspiration. Numerous distilleries have
turned their production of ethanol into hand
sanitizer rather than beverages to help in the
fight against the spread of COVID-19 (see
PORTRAIT: JOE MCKENDRY
page 38). At the same, many of these distill-
ers are themselves suffering due to shuttered
tasting rooms and flagging sales. An April
survey of craft distillers from the Distilled
Spirits Council of the United States and
American Distilling Institute reported 43% of
staff have been furloughed or laid off.
TH E WH I S KY ADV OCAT E
Bars and restaurants have been especially
hard-hit. With donations from both major
spirits companies and individuals, the United
States Bartenders’ Guild has already distrib-
uted more than $2 million in relief to the men
and women who once served our whisky
with a smile. Bars will likely be among the
last businesses to reopen, but you can satisfy
your desire for a cold cocktail even while
sheltering in place. In this issue, we examine
classic whisky cocktails for home mixing
(page 54). These are timeless recipes, but our
bartending pros capture the moment with
resourcefulness and creativity, ensuring you
can construct the best possible cocktail.
Like so many of you, we are carrying
on and looking forward to a future where
we reconnect in person. We hope you’ll
join us in the fall for WhiskyFest New
York on October 29, and the inaugural Big
Smoke Meets WhiskyFest on October 31,
in Hollywood, Florida, featuring plenty of
whisky and some superb cigars.
Until we can resume clinking glasses, our
digital team is inviting whisky lovers to stay
engaged and join the conversation from
home. Regular Friday afternoon Instagram
Live chats feature stars of the whisky world,
like Chris Morris of Woodford Reserve and
Stephanie Macleod of Dewar’s. Follow us
on Instagram to see who shows up next. Or,
join the hundreds of readers engaging using
#tastewithspace, a way to share photos of the
whiskies you are enjoying while in isolation.
Much has changed, but some things have
not. Now more than ever, whisky remains a
way to connect, to find common ground, and
to celebrate the good things in life. I wish for
you to keep safe and well.
Sincerely,
Marvin R. Shanken
Editor & Publisher
WHISKY ADVOCATE SUMMER 2020 11
 Dear Whisky Advocate...
FANS OF THE CLUB ISSUE
Dear Whisky Advocate,
It wasn’t until I began reading the recent
Whisky Advocate “Start Your Own Tasting
Club” [issue] that I realized it wasn’t just
another “regular” issue. Instead, it was one of
the most informative and educational
publications I have ever read!
As a relatively recent discoverer of brown
spirits, it was the perfect primer to the pro-
cess of making the whisky we love, a broad
brush to the various ingredients, mashbills,
bottlings and proofs, and countries of origin
of various whiskies, as well as an excellent
lifestyle guide to finding better and more
creative ways to appreciate it.
I thoroughly enjoy both Whisky Advocate
and Cigar Aficionado. I fly regularly for work,
and hold on to these magazines for long
transcontinental legs, so I can enjoy them
with no interruptions!
I’m already looking forward to the next one!
Sincerely,
Matt Harper
Greetings, Matt.
Thank you for the very kind words and
welcome to the wonderful world of whisky.
We’re delighted to accompany you, wherever
your journey may lead.
Dear Whisky Advocate,
Bob Faucett here from The Villages, Florida.
Huge whiskey fan and long-time subscriber
of Whisky Advocate. I have finally waded
through your Tasting Club special edition
cover to cover. Great work!
In case you don’t know, The Villages in Cen-
tral Florida is the largest adult community in
the world, currently housing 135,000 of us and
growing rapidly. I had been thinking of organiz-
ing a whiskey club, so your special edition was a
perfect encouragement. While the current
Coronavirus has put a crimp on everything, I
have put out some feelers to possible co-orga-
nizers and have some very positive feedback to
pursue when the world returns to normal.
In the meantime, I would like to share my
Tasting Club edition with some of the
leadership prospects but don’t want to loan
out my own copy. Any chance of getting a few
more copies to pass around to the charter
members? Our Barnes and Noble is closed
and no telling when it will reopen or if that
edition will be available when it does.
Bob Faucett
Hello, Bob!
We’re glad you are inspired to start a whisky
club and by now you should have received the
copies of the issue for your friends. Also, see
page 34, where we check in on a few whisky
clubs to find out how they’re tasting together
during COVID-19.
COVER STORY STRIKES A CHORD
Dear Whisky Advocate,
I thought the article about “flipping whiskey”
was very good. But it does prove a point of the
old adage of a fool and his money. I enjoy good
whiskey, and have been fortunate enough to
have tasted some of the coveted listings.
However, anyone who is of proper age can
purchase very good whiskeys for a very fair
price, every day, almost everywhere. So unless
you care more about impressing others [with]
what you have [rather] than just having a good
whiskey, just go purchase a good whiskey at
the local liquor outlet. Then enjoy it in lieu of
fretting over what might have been, or you
wish you had. If enough people would do this,
the market for flipping would flip.
John Cowgill
Salutations, John!
We don’t deny anyone the right to spend their
money as they wish. But your wisdom rings
true—there is no shortage of very fine whisky at
fair prices for those of us who choose to enjoy it!
Dear Whisky Advocate,
Thanks for Sean Evans’ article [Flipping
Whiskey, Spring 2020] on how crazy the
market has become for us whiskey drinkers. It
is so frustrating to be a person who has
enjoyed finding new discoveries over the
years only to see it become a thing of the past
as those “rare” brands are increasingly
unavailable to the general public. Between
your whiskey ratings and our desire to try
them, we seem to have created a monster.
A bottle of Weller 12 year [old] that I pur-
chased for $45 two years ago is now selling
behind a locked cabinet for $180, and the
Special Reserve that I picked up for $27 in
Georgia last summer is in the same locked
cabinet for $80! And while I enjoy Blanton’s
at $60/bottle, it is not something that I am
going to purchase at $130/bottle.
I totally understand the [thrill of the] “hunt”
for rare whiskeys. I was always pleased to find
WHISKY ADVOCATE SUMMER 2020 13
 some hidden gem among the shelves at my
local liquor purveyor. Unfortunately, the flip-
pers have destroyed that experience for many
of us, as the brands either no longer make it to
the shelf or are too pricy to make it enjoyable,
A publication of M. Shanken Communications, Inc. (the prices I shared above are my former liquor
825 Eighth Avenue, New York, NY 10019 store’s, as they have become too greedy for me).
vol. 29, no. 2 As my sons have started to explore whiskeys,
I am now directing them to the ones that are
Editor & Publisher Marvin R. Shanken available at decent prices (such as Larceny).
Executive Editor Jeffery Lindenmuth And if they want to try something special, we
Managing Editor Melanie Schwenk will hit the whiskey bars (once this COVID-19
Art Director John Thompson event is over). That said, I have started to hide
Vice President, WhiskyFest Events Joan McGinley my more rare bottles in the back of my bar as I
Senior Whisky Specialist & Digital Editor Susannah Skiver Barton don’t know if or when I will replace them.
Contributing Editor Jonny McCormick Maybe this will all blow over like the
Digital Assistant Editor/Tasting Coordinator Ted Simmons
Beanie Baby craze. Wishful thinking, but
Assistant Editor Zak Kostro
until distilleries can match demand, this will
Assistant Tasting Coordinator/Editorial Assistant Sam Stone
Photo Editor Casey Oto be the way for some time.
Imaging Eli Halpern, Lindsay Mitchell Again, great article and thanks for helping
to expose the issues for all parties involved.
Vice President/Advertising Director Michael P. McGoldrick Sincerely,
Advertising, Cigars and Luxury Barry Abrams Joe Schlegel
Corporate Advertising Miriam Morgenstern
Cheryl Lewis Good day, Joe.
Michael DiChiara Thank you for sharing your appreciation for our
Advertising Services Manager Jennifer Arcella cover story. Enjoying good whisky at fair prices
Circulation Director Phylicia Bedoya
and sampling the rare stuff at your favorite
Assistant Circulation Manager Tina Ratwani
whisky bar sounds like a great strategy. Your
Senior Retail Sales Director Jeanne Holly
Office Manager Kathy Fox sons are fortunate to have your fatherly advice!
Copy Editor Sam Komlenic
Dear Whisky Advocate,
Vice President, Shanken Creative Group Don Gatterdam I just finished reading Terry Sullivan’s article A
Creative Director, Shanken Creative Group Ken Ferris Lighter Dram in my Spring 2020 edition of
Designer, Shanken Creative Group Eleni Stathakos Whisky Advocate. I read it to my wife while she
cooked breakfast. When I finished, she placed
Mission Statement in front of me a bottle of Hungry Jack pancake
To be the most informative and entertaining drinks publication by promoting syrup and said, “Open the lid.” To my surprise I
the intelligent, responsible, and joyful consumption of the world’s whiskies.
found an emoji stamped into the plastic.
Terry, good luck in embarrassing the cul-
Mailing address
22 S. Second Street, Suite 201, Emmaus, PA 18049 ture to BSF (Before Smiley Face)—it’s every-
(610) 967-1083 where and [takes our] culture too far down
the hieroglyphic road.
mail@whiskyadvocate.com When I was a chaplain resi-
www.whiskyadvocate.com dent in a large teaching hospi-
tal 40 years ago I encountered
M. SHANKEN COMMUNICATIONS, INC. a physician who had a smiley
Chairman Marvin R. Shanken face on his lapel, with a sad
Vice Chairman Michael D. Moaba face under it—he flashed what
Executive Vice President Laura Zandi he felt was needed given the
Senior Advisor to the Chairman Mel Mannion medical moment. I thought
Senior Vice President, Advertising Constance McGilvray
then I could teach him how to
Senior Vice President, Events Lynn Rittenband
smile or cry, but I digress. Back then it was
Chief Financial Officer Steven Gordon
Vice President, Business Development Jessica Shanken radically new to have a sad face. It’s nice to
Vice President, Production Kevin Mulligan know that the “they” people have progressed to
Executive Assistant to the Chairman Sheena Dellanzo dog poop on a beer mug.
Colonel William Ziegler, USAF (Ret)
Questions about your subscription? Call (800) 610-6258 or email whiskyadvocate@mshanken.com
Questions about your retail sales account? Call (800) 344-0763 or email retailsales@mshanken.com Dear Colonel Ziegler, &.
14 SUMMER 2020 WHISKY ADVOCATE
 DISTILLATIONS

Distillations
LEAD A MORE SPIRITED LIFE

Steel Away to Pittsburgh

Home to the Great Rye Revival 18
Order Pizza, Pair Whisky 24 • One the Set with "Lodge 49" 26
Spicy Whisky Cocktails 32 • Limited-Edition Japanese Whiskies 44
PHOTO CREDIT TK

At Pittsburgh, the Allegheny

River meets the Monongahela,
which shares its name with a
ISTOCK

historic style of rye whiskey.

WHISKY
WHISKYADVOCATE
WHISKY
ADVOCATESUMMER
ADVOCATE
SPRING 2020
FALL2020
2019 17
48 HOURS

Andy Warhol Museum

Kimpton Hotel Monaco

Pouring It On in Pittsburgh
At the confluence of whiskey and history

N Day One
o city in the country has including the grand dames Omni William
deeper roots in whiskey Penn, Renaissance Pittsburgh, and Kimp-
history than Pittsburgh. It ton Hotel Monaco, all downtown. Breakfast, anyone? Head to the Strip Dis-

TOP LEFT: ADAM MILLIRON; TOP RIGHT: THE ANDY WARHOL FOUNDATION FOR THE VISUAL ARTS, INC.
was virtually the epicenter Since downtown is laid out on a triangle, trict, named for the long, thin strip of land
of the Whiskey Rebellion in traffic intersections are less than traditional between the Allegheny River and the hillside.
1794, when farmer-distillers and parking in some areas is at a premium, so Once the rail terminal for supplying the city
raised arms against federal agents. The area opt for the “T,” Pittsburgh’s light rail system. with produce, the Strip’s transformation from
gave rise to our nation's first named whiskey There is no fare between downtown stations, industrial to retail has made it one of Pitts-
style: Monongahela rye. It was famous long and charges are reasonable to the southern burgh’s top destinations.
before Kentucky bourbon, and dominated the suburbs. There’s also great bus service with DeLuca’s Diner has been here long enough
national market until after the Civil War. citywide access. to witness that transformation and keeps
Pittsburgh's history is also entwined with the
industrialization of the U.S., and it embraces
its hard-working reputation decades after the
decline of the steel industry. Once a shot-and-
a-beer town, the Steel City’s move into the 21st
century has seen tremendous improvements in
everything from air and water quality to food,
drink, and entertainment. This heritage makes
the city more a rye and bourbon mecca than a
haven for other styles, like scotch.
Nothing quite prepares you for your first
glimpse of this city. After a rolling drive from
the airport and emerging from the Fort Pitt
tunnel, the dramatic skyline before you is
reminiscent of the Emerald City of Oz. De-
fined by the confluence of the Allegheny and
Monongahela Rivers forming the Ohio, it’s
breathtakingly beautiful, and Pittsburghers
are approachable, friendly, and genuine.
Pittsburgh offers a number of great hotels, Bridges and Bourbon

18 SUMMER 2020 WHISKY ADVOCATE


busy serving breakfast
and lunch daily. You know
you’re in “the 'Burgh”
when you have kielbasa
with your eggs! Also here
is Pamela’s Diner, a local Butcher and the Rye
chain famous for its crepe-
style pancakes and Lyonnaise potatoes.
The Strip is Pittsburgh craft distilling’s
beating heart, so get started at Wigle Whis-
key, the first distillery in the city since
Prohibition. Named for whiskey rebel Philip
Wigle, it has a wide selection of spirits, some
organic, including rye and bourbon, offered
up in a contemporary tasting room. Try the
Kilted Rye, finished in Laphroaig quarter
casks. Tours are available on Saturdays by
TOP: DEVEN BROWN; INSET: LAURA PETRILLA
reservation. This is also the western terminus
of the Whiskey Rebellion Trail that extends
to Philadelphia and Washington, D.C.
Pennsylvania is a control state, so one liquor
store is much like another, but Pennsylvania
Libations has smashed that model to bits. The
state’s craft distillers are allowed to operate up
to three satellite locations, and this store repre-
sents multiple distilleries in a single storefront.
You can taste before you buy (a concept foreign
in Pennsylvania’s “state stores”) from a selec-
tion of over 20 craft brands.
DISTILLATIONS
Once you’ve made a pur-
chase, stroll up the street
to Leaf & Bean, a BYOB-
friendly cigar lounge and
coffee shop. It’s a great
place to relax, and there’s
often live music mingling
with the aroma of coffee and cigar smoke.
Next, head down Smallman Street to King-
fly Spirits, the newest distillery in town, lo-
cated in a beautifully restored old warehouse.
The only whiskey currently offered is a blend
made from sourced bourbon. Its own bourbon
will be ready after 5 years in cask, while rye is
in the planning stage. The cocktails here are
top-notch.
The Strip offers some of the best food in
the city. Choose from any of the many restau-
rants for lunch: Iron Born Pizza makes great
Detroit-style pizza, while Wholey’s fries the
city’s favorite fish sandwich. Primanti Bros.
created the much-imitated “Pittsburgh”
sandwich—the one with fries inside. Sit at
the counter and have an iconic Iron City beer
with your sandwich, but order it like a local:
“I’ll have an 'arn.”
Cinderlands Beer Co. is new to the Strip
but has developed a devoted following for
its creative approach to brewing, including
Kingfly Spirits
refermenting with fruit and vegetable juices
resulting in inventive brews. Next, swing by
Maggie’s Farm. There's no whiskey here, but
the rums are exceptional and diverse. Try an
amazing cocktail in the lounge overlooking the
distillery’s Spanish-made pot stills.
Visit the Heinz History Center, located on
the Strip, offering a compelling look at the his-
tory of Western Pennsylvania and its contribu-
tions to the world. Then take a stroll through
scenic Point State Park, where the rivers
converge, and dip your toes into all three at
once. Another must-visit is Phipps Conser-
vatory and Botanical Gardens, a 14-room
glasshouse and 23 distinct gardens on 15 acres.
The most whiskey-focused distillery is in
nearby Washington, about a half-hour south of
the city and the very hub of activity during the
Rebellion, where Mingo Creek Craft Distill-
ers makes Liberty Pole whiskeys. Its rye may
be the best local representation of the modern
Monongahela style, and the peated bourbon is
delicious. Tours are offered by reservation—
with a focus on the history of the Rebellion—
and include a cocktail and a tasting flight.
Once back in the city, head across the Al-
legheny on one of the many bridges to the
North Side, where the Pirates play baseball at
PNC Park, one of the most beautiful ball-
WHISKY ADVOCATE SUMMER 2020 19
 DISTILLATIONS

parks in the country. This area also has nu-

Duquesne Incline
merous world-class attractions: the National
Aviary, the largest in North America; the
Mattress Factory, a pioneer of site-specific
installation art; and the Andy Warhol
Museum. (Andy was a 'Burgh native.) Do
not miss Bicycle Heaven, the world’s largest
bicycle museum and store, with a mind-
blowing 4,000-plus bikes on display.
Pittsburgh’s first craft brewer, Penn Brew-
ery, is still on the North Side after over 30
years, offering authentic German food and
stellar beers, including Kaiser Pils, one of the
best pilsners anywhere (including Germany)
and the seasonal German chocolate cake stout,
served with a coconut-dipped rim.
For dinner, head back downtown for more
whiskey-themed dining options. Butcher
and the Rye has the best selection in town—
nearly 700 bottles, including more than 25
Wigle Whiskey Willett Single Barrel whiskeys and some from
silent distilleries—two bars, great cocktails,
and a whiskey-friendly menu. Bridges and
Bourbon is a newcomer to the downtown
Cultural District, but has quickly earned a
reputation for its whiskey selection, high-end
cocktails, and small plates. For starters, try
the grilled cheese and tomato bisque, then
bourbon chocolate chip cookies for dessert.
At Spirits & Tales in nearby Oakland (about
a 10-minute drive from the Strip District),
which was recently named best hotel bar
in the city, you can enjoy a Toki Highball
dispensed from an official Suntory-branded
machine, with fresh East or West Coast oys-
ters on the half-shell to get things started.
For a nightcap, visit Speakeasy at the Omni
William Penn. The hotel was built just before
Maggie's Farm Prohibition by industrialist Henry Clay Frick,
the grandson of Abraham Overholt and one
of the owners of his family’s flagship distill-
ery. Frick included this clandestine space in
the hotel’s design to continue serving his Old
Overholt rye to discerning patrons. Choose
from the Collins menu, or try a pour of Old

CENTER LEFT: ISTOCK; BOTTOM: PHIL JOHNSON

Overholt or Booker’s 25 year old.

Day Two
Take the T across the Monongahela to Station
Square, a shopping and dining destination on
the South Side, where the river was once lined
with steel mills, with their requisite bars run-
ning up and down East Carson Street. Carson
is Pittsburgh’s equivalent to Bourbon Street
in New Orleans, with multiple watering holes
and quirky shops on every block. Breakfast
Phipps Conservatory today is at Waffles INCaffeinated, a casual,

20 SUMMER 2020 WHISKY ADVOCATE

brightly colored joint where you can top your
waffle of choice with bourbon syrup.
Piper’s Pub is your best option for scotch
whisky, with its British vibe and Premier
League soccer on the telly, while Acacia
mixes up elaborate cocktails in a speakeasy-
style setting. There are also any number of
local dives waiting to be explored.
Make it a point to seek out The Pretzel
Shop, hidden along East Carson, where they
have been making hand-twisted, hearth-
baked pretzels since 1927. Get the pepperoni-
mozzarella pretzel or a chicken-jalapeño pret-
zel sandwich. Great cheap lunch, cash only.
Then take the dramatic ride up Mount
Washington on the Duquesne Incline. Pitts-
burgh once had 17 passenger funiculars, and
two remain. Check out aptly named Grand-
view Avenue for its stores, restaurants, and an
unbelievable view of the city below. It’s about
a mile between the incline stations, so you can
Speakeasy
walk or rideshare your way across. There are
plenty of shops and drinks along the way.
Linger and have dinner while you’re up
here, and enjoy the view; there’s a number of
fine-dining contenders. Monterey Bay Fish
Grotto offers a killer blackened shrimp and
scallop étouffée over cheddar grits; pair it with
a Black Walnut Old Fashioned. Enjoy wagyu
beef on the deck at Grandview Saloon and
Coal Hill Steakhouse or delicious, crispy-
roasted raspberry duck at LeMont. Both offer
full bar service. Then catch the Monongahela
Incline back down for the best incline view of
town, and rideshare back to your hotel.
After two days of fun, food, and fantastic
dining and drinking in one of the country’s
prettiest and friendliest places, Pittsburgh
knows “yinz’ll” be back.
—Sam Komlenic, with additional research by
Aaron Hajduk of Pittsburgh Whiskey Friends
Distilleries/Breweries
Cinderlands Beer Co. 2601 Smallman St.;
cinderlands.com
Kingfly Spirits 2613 Smallman St.;
kingflyspirits.com
Maggie’s Farm 3212A Smallman St.;
maggiesfarmrum.com
Mingo Creek Craft Distillers 68 W. Maiden
St., Washington, Pa.; libertypolespirits.com
Penn Brewery 800 Vinial St.; pennbrew.com
Wigle Whiskey 2401 Smallman St.;
wiglewhiskey.com
Bars/Restaurants
Acacia 2108 E. Carson St.; acaciacocktails.com
Bridges & Bourbon 930 Penn Ave.;
bridgesandbourbonpgh.com
Butcher and the Rye 212 6th St.;
butcherandtherye.com
DeLuca’s Diner 2015 Penn Ave.;
delucasdiner.com
Grandview Saloon and Coal Hill Steakhouse
1212 Grandview Ave.; thegrandviewsaloon.com
Iron Born Pizza 1806 Smallman St.;
ironbornpizza.com
LeMont 1114 Grandview Ave.;
lemontpittsburgh.com
Monterey Bay Fish Grotto 1411 Grandview
Ave.; montereybayfishgrotto.com
Pamela’s Diner 60 21st St.; pamelasdiner.com
Piper’s Pub 1828 E. Carson St.; piperspub.com
The Pretzel Shop 2316 E. Carson St.;
thepretzelshop.net
Primanti Bros. 46 18th St.; primantibros.com
Speakeasy 530 William Penn Pl.;
omnihotels.com
Spirits & Tales 5130 Bigelow Blvd.;
spiritsandtales.com
Pennsylvania Libations
Waffles INCaffeinated 2517 E. Carson St.;
wafflesincaffeinated.com
Wholey’s 1711 Penn Ave.; wholey.com
Hotels
Kimpton Hotel Monaco 620 William Penn Pl.;
monaco-pittsburgh.com
Omni William Penn 530 William Penn Pl.;
omnihotels.com
Renaissance Pittsburgh 107 6th St.;
marriott.com
Attractions
Andy Warhol Museum 117 Sandusky St.;
warhol.org
Bicycle Heaven 1800 Preble Av.;
bicycleheaven.com
Duquesne Incline 1197 W. Carson St.;
duquesneincline.org
Heinz History Center 1212 Smallman. St.;
heinzhistorycenter.org
Leaf & Bean 2200 Penn Ave.; leafandbean.com
Mattress Factory 500 Sampsonia Way;
mattress.org
Monongahela Incline 8 Grandview Ave.;
monongahelaincline.com
National Aviary 700 Arch St. aviary.org
Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens
1 Schenley Dr.; phipps.conservatory.org
PNC Park 115 Federal St.;
mlb.com/pirates/ballpark
Point State Park 601 Commonwealth Pl.;
dcnr.pa.gov
Station Square 100 W. Station Square Dr.;
stationsquare.com
Whiskey Rebellion Trail
whiskeyrebelliontrail.com
Shop
Pennsylvania Libations 2103 Penn Ave.;
pennsylvanialibations.com
WHISKY ADVOCATE SUMMER 2020 21
 DISTILLATIONS

INFORMER

The Mighty AVERAGE

White Oak HEIGHT

80-150
feet
hisky isn’t whisky
without the barrel it’s
aged in. Whether it’s the
vanilla and caramel notes of bour-
bon, or the rich, fruity influences of
a sherry finishing cask, many classic WHITE OAK FACTS
whisky flavors can be attributed to
Can live for
the barrel—and more often than not, centuries
it's made out of white oak. Since Prefers slightly
barrels curve and trees are straight, acidic to neutral soil
not all wood types are equal when Grows at a slow to
it comes to barrel-making. White medium rate
oak triumphs because of its density Prefers full sun or
and strength—those elements make AVERAGE partial shade
TRUNK
it able to stand up to being bent and DIAMETER Bark is light gray
curved into staves, while still main-
taining its structural integrity. Here,
3-5 feet
Some white oaks can
we break down some of the key met-
produce 2,000 to 7,000
rics of this crucial whisky resource.
acorns per year
—Sam Stone

White Oak's Range American

white oaks
in the United States clock in with
12 to 24 inches
of growth per
About 33% year
of America's
hardwood
resource is
white oak

White oak is often known as “stave oak”

because of its frequent use in barrels

Famous White Oaks

ILLUSTRATION: DAVE STEVENSON

Mercer Oak Basking Ridge Mingo Oak Wye Oak

New Jersey Presbyterian West Virginia Maryland
300 years old
Church White Oak 600 years old 460 years old
New Jersey
Height unknown 145 feet tall 96 feet tall
600 years old
Named for American 100 feet tall Was at one point the Was the state tree
Revolution general largest living white of Maryland until its
Hugh Mercer. George Washington oak. death.
Died in 2000 apparently picnicked Died in 1938 Died in 2002
under the tree.
Died in 2017

WHISKY ADVOCATE SUMMER 2020 23


WHISKY WITH...
Whisky and a Slice
P izza and beer? Of course, we’ve
known that works since our college
days. Pizza and wine? Naturally, it’s
what the Italians do, and they did invent
pizza after all. Pizza and whisky? Um, really?
Pairing pizza with single malt, bourbon,
Irish, Canadian, or Japanese whisky might
not be anything you or I would consider, but
one meal at pizzeria Dry Milano in Italy’s
fashion capital will change your mind. For
in that acclaimed restaurant, excellent pizza
is served alongside not just a superlative
cocktail menu, but also an impressive list of
spirits, with a strong emphasis on whisky.
Before turning to the pairings, however,
it makes sense to look first at the dish itself,
since pizza can and often is interpreted quite
differently in Naples, New York, Chicago and
the democratic republic of Pizza Hut. To help
sort it all out, I turned to Rocco Agostino, ex-
ecutive chef and partner in Toronto’s Pizzeria
Deep-Dish Sausage Pizza
with a Woodford Reserve
Manhattan
The combination of rich
bourbon and sweet vermouth
is bold enough to handle
sauce, sausage, and crust.
24 SUMMER 2020 WHISKY ADVOCATE
DISTILLATIONS
Libretto, which in 2009 became the first res-
taurant in Canada accredited as a producer of
"true Neapolitan pizza" by the Associazione
Vera Pizza Napoletana (VPN).
While you might expect some snobbish-
ness from the maker of such strictly regu-
lated pizza—the VPN certification process
takes days and covers everything from how
the dough is made to oven construction and
temperature, and, of course, flavor—Agostino
says that he is first and foremost a pizza lover.
“I see pizza as a blank canvas,” he says,
adding that so long as tradition is respected,
there is no reason not to tweak it any way
you see fit. Noting that he personally grew
up on Sicilian pizza—thicker crust and ample
sauce, usually rectangular, he sees nothing
wrong with Detroit pizza—thick and crispy
crust with cheese to the edge—Chicago
deep-dish pizza, or New York style pizza.
“There are probably two or three variations
Margherita Napoletana
with Toki Japanese
Blended
A meeting of equals: pure
pizza with a delicate whisky of
surprising complexity.
within New York pizza alone,” he says.
The primary point of differentiation, Agos-
tino maintains, is the crust, which can vary
widely depending on its hydration, proofing,
and weight. After that, there are obviously
the toppings to consider—which Agostino
says can easily cross over between styles—
and then the baking temperature, which can
range from 500º F for New York pizza to
800º F for Neapolitan.
When deciding on a whisky to sip along-
side your slice, then, it makes sense to begin
with the crust and choose heftier, fuller
whiskies for thick-crust pies and lighter,
more delicate ones for thin crusts. So, for
the most elemental of pizzas, the thin crust,
sauce-basil-and-cheese Margherita, a light
Japanese blend, triple-distilled Irish, or
single grain scotch is an ideal partner.
Move to a more imposing crust and you’ll
want a much bigger spirit, such as a full-
bodied bourbon. For deep-dish or Sicilian
pizza, mix it up with a Manhattan, with the
vermouth balancing the sweetness and acid-
TOP: ELEONORA GALLI / GETTY; BOTTOM PIZZAS LEFT TO RIGHT: ISTOCK; MINYOUNG SON / EYEEM / GETTY; ISTOCK
ity of all that tomato sauce.
In between, of course, we have the take-
out and delivery pies from independently
owned or chain pizzerias. For these, with
their medium-thick crusts, look at the pizza
as a whole and take a contrasting approach to
pairing whisky: the more complicated the top-
pings, the simpler the spirit. So for a standard
supreme pizza, a lighter Canadian or Irish
whiskey, perhaps with a little ice or water,
makes a refreshing, palate-restoring compan-
ion. Similarly, although with a bit of a twist, a
dry, complex, and not-too-smoky single malt
serves as the ideal foil to the diverse, salty, and
intense flavors of a meat-topped pizza, and
for a spicy diavola, reach for a straight rye to
match and balance the heat.
—Stephen Beaumont
White Pizza ai Funghi with
Springbank 10 year old
The earthiness of mushrooms
(funghi) unencumbered by
tomato sauce blends beautifully
with smoke and nutty caramel.
 ICON
Eric Allan Kramer
Walks Into a Bar...
The "Lodge 49" actor on his favorite whiskies
T he tavern on “Lodge 49” had
all the makings of a great TV
bar; a colorful cast of characters
filled the Southern California
space each week, brought together by a
shared sense of community. The patrons of
the fictional, members-only lodge, otherwise
known as the Ancient and Benevolent Order
of the Lynx, would convene for a cold pour
and a good story, escaping the outside stress
of dead-end work, faltering relationships, and
uncertain fortunes.
“The first time we all walked into that
space [on set], it was like that spot had
existed for a hundred years,” says Eric Allan
Kramer, who played Scott in the show’s two-
season run on AMC. “I mean, just the detail
and the weathering and it already felt like
there were generations of Lynx before you
who had sat at that bar, shared their stories,
bought rounds of drinks.”
“Lodge 49” was cancelled in October of
2019, meaning it won’t have the longevity of
“Cheers” or “It’s Always Sunny in Philadel-
phia,” but through the tavern and the people
26 SUMMER 2020 WHISKY ADVOCATE
experience that requires being in the same
space and just having that immediacy,”
Kramer says. “All the stuff you sort of take for
granted, you suddenly realize how important
it is now, but it’s been taken away.” Kramer,
who occasionally sang and played guitar on
the show, cancelled plans to host a whisky-
fueled jam session for his birthday in light
of recent developments. “And suddenly you
can’t really call your friends up and go for a
happy-hour drink anymore.”
But that doesn’t mean he won’t enjoy a
birthday whisky all the same. Kramer’s true
appreciation for the spirit dates back to a
guest spot he did on the 1993 show "Johnny
Bago." He and some fellow cast members,
playing a trio of Irish brothers, had a bet
that whoever messed up their lines the most
Kramer (far right) and fellow cast had to bring in a bottle of booze on the final
members laugh it up on "Lodge day of shooting. His friend Les Lannom lost
49," which is streaming on Hulu.
the bet and brought a bottle of Powers Irish
whiskey to the set. At the time, Kramer con-
sidered himself a bourbon guy.
“I went, ‘Wow, this is really nice. I’ve never
had Irish whiskey before.’ He goes, ‘Well, if
you like that, you’re going to love the single
malts I have over at my place.’” Lannom, a
member of the Scotch Malt Whisky Society,
invited Kramer to a tasting event where he
was introduced to Macallan. “As soon as I
tasted that I was like, ‘I think I’ve just found
that inhabited it, it shares DNA with both. “It
was one of those shows that just connected to
who we are as a people, as a community, and
just a society trying to figure itself out,” Kram-
er says of the show, whose
full series is now streaming
on Hulu. “It had its heart.”
ICON INSIDER
my drink.’”
Kramer has been drinking single malt
scotch ever since. “I quickly discovered that I
like the peatier stuff,” he says, branching out
to Laphroaig and Caol Ila
before discovering Ardbeg
Corryvreckan as his go-to.
It’s a particularly strange WHO Eric Allan Kramer, actor “I’ve got bottles of it now
time to be chatting with FAVORITE STYLE in my cabinet,” he says.
Kramer about “Lodge 49,” Single malt scotch “Ardbeg and I have been
bars, and whisky, as the GO-TO WHISKY Ardbeg friends since L.A. went on
country enters the early Corryvreckan lockdown.”
stages of self-isolation amid SEEN IN “Lodge 49,” “Robin As others are currently
the COVID-19 outbreak. It’s Hood: Men in Tights,” “True self-isolating, there is
a time when TV shows with Romance,” “The Hughleys,” a chance that they will
bars are the closest we can and “Good Luck Charlie” discover “Lodge 49” for
safely come to experiencing FAVORITE L.A. BARS Oyster the first time, finding a
them. “Lodge 49” made its House, White Harte, MacLeod surrogate for their own
mark examining the human Ale Brewing Co. bar experiences. “It’s just a
condition, coping mecha- place that feels like home,”
nisms, and existential quandaries, and it’s Kramer says of the Lodge’s tavern and all
that quality that brought together its charac- communal drinking spaces. “It’s a place that
ters, fans, and cast, making it a particularly gives people just a real sense of comfort and
soothing watch in this moment. coming together.”
“There is something about the human —Ted Simmons
 DISTILLATIONS

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WHISKY ADVOCATE SUMMER 2020 29

 DISTILLATIONS

The Heat Is On
Add some spice to your life with these cocktails
Prince of Passion
Created by Mike Bender, assistant general
manager of Seven Grand Denver
This bright, fresh cocktail has a light, toasty,

W
hen you seek relief from the brutal summer sun, turn up the heat.
Drinks that balance spice with refreshment are the perfect way
to chill out, and since many styles of whisky are inherently spicy,
they’re perfect to combine with a little caliente flourishes. For ex-
ample, “Rye brings some great baking spice and vanilla notes that
pair great with chile spice,” says Lenny Heykants, bar manager at
El Chingon Mexican Bistro in Denver. And the roasted notes of anything aged in oak match
well with jalapeños and poblanos, adds Mike Bender, assistant general manager of Seven
Grand Denver. Try these no-sweat recipes and see how cool spice can be.
Rye on Fire Suzie Q
Created by Lenny Heykants, bar manager Created by Justin Lane Briggs, beverage
at El Chingon Mexican Bistro in Denver consultant at The Cabinet Bar in New
Wait for the heat with this drink. “This cock- York City
tail starts citrusy and floral on the palate. The Perfect for those who like spice but not heat,
spice creeps in on the back end while still this cocktail uses concentrated ginger syrup
being crisp and refreshing,” Heykants says. to enhance the natural spice in rye whiskey.
1½ oz. Rittenhouse Bottled in Bond rye (or 1 oz. Rittenhouse Bottled in Bond rye (or
other high-proof straight rye) other high-proof rye)
¾ oz. Ancho Reyes Ancho Chile liqueur ½ oz. Suze liqueur
½ oz. fresh-squeezed lemon juice ½ oz. Apologue Saffron Spiced liqueur
½ oz. cinnamon-agave syrup (recipe below) ½ oz. ginger syrup (recipe below)
1 dropper Bittermens Hellfire ¾ oz. lime juice
Habanero shrub ½ tsp. simple syrup
1 oz. citrusy and floral IPA (such as 4 Noses 2 oz. club soda
Brewing Company 'Bout Damn Time IPA) 1 dash Angostura bitters
Lemon twist and dried chile de árbol for Candied ginger piece for garnish
garnish
Add rye, Suze, Apologue, ginger syrup, lime
Combine all ingredients except IPA in a cock- juice, and simple syrup to a shaker with ice.
tail shaker with ice. Hard shake for 10 to 15 Shake until chilled. Strain over fresh
seconds. Strain over cubed ice into a Collins ice cubes in a Highball glass. Top
glass. Top with IPA. Stir gently and garnish with soda and bitters. Garnish
green-spice kick. “The oaked bourbon adds
roasted chocolaty notes that nicely cradle ac-
cents from the jalapeños and the poblanos in
the Ancho Reyes,” Bender says.
1½ oz. Balcones Pot Still bourbon (or other
four grain or high-rye bourbon)
½ oz. lemon juice
¾ oz. jalapeño-passion fruit syrup (recipe
below)
¼ oz. Ancho Reyes Verde poblano liqueur
1-2 oz. Fever Tree ginger beer (or other
ginger beer)
Fresno chile pepper and lemon wheel
for garnish
Add bourbon, lemon juice, syrup, and Ancho
Reyes to a shaker with ice. Shake until chilled.
Strain over fresh ice cubes in a double Old
Fashioned glass. Top with ginger beer. To
garnish, cut three slices of pepper and use
toothpicks to place on the lemon wheel. Place
wheel and remaining pepper on the rim of the
glass.
Jalapeño-Passion Fruit Syrup
9 oz. hot water
1 Tbsp. chopped dehydrated or fresh jalapeño
1 cup sugar
16 oz. passion fruit puree
Bring water to a boil over high heat. Re-
move from heat and add jalapeños. Steep for
seven minutes or until desired spice level is
achieved. Strain 8 oz. of the jalapeño water
into another container and add sugar.
Stir well until sugar is dissolved.
Add passion fruit puree and

THIS PAGE: ISTOCK; OPPOSITE: JEFF HARRIS

with lemon twist and dried chile de árbol. with candied ginger. stir until combined. Keep
refrigerated in a sealed
Cinnamon-Agave Syrup Ginger Syrup
container for up to 12
1 cup agave nectar 1 cup Sugar in the Raw
days.
½ cup water ½ cup ginger juice
—Brittany Risher
1 Mexican cinnamon stick, broken into pieces
Combine sugar and gin-
Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan ger juice in a saucepan
and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce over medium heat. Stir
heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Cool. Strain until sugar is dissolved.
into a sealed container. Keep refrigerated for Remove from heat. Cool.
up to two months. Keep refrigerated in a sealed
container for up to one month.

32 SUMMER 2020 WHISKY ADVOCATE

 Choco Chili
Created by Marina Spidla,
bartender at Blind Donkey in
Pasadena, Calif.
Consider this a chocolate Thai-
chile cocktail. “The chocolate
bitters pair nicely with the Thai
chiles, and the smooth artichoke
flavor mellows out the spice,”
Spidla says. The rye helps bal-
ance it all out.
2 oz. High West Double Rye! (or
other straight rye whiskey)
½ oz. Cynar amaro
2 dashes Fee Brothers Aztec
Chocolate bitters
¾ oz. Thai chili simple syrup
(recipe below)
Orange peel for garnish
Stir all ingredients with ice in a
mixing glass until chilled. Strain
over a fresh ice rock in a double
Old Fashioned glass. Express
orange peel over top.
Thai Chili Simple Syrup
5 Thai chiles, diced
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
Combine all ingredients in a
saucepan over high heat and
bring to a boil. Remove from
heat and steep for one hour.
Double strain into a sealed con-
tainer. Keep refrigerated for up
to one month.
PHOTO CREDIT TK

The Rye on Fire, left,

and Choco Chili, right

WHISKY ADVOCATE SPRING 2020 33

 WHISKY CLUBBING
Connecting With Whisky
Whisky clubs keep tasting together despite COVID-19
W hile social distancing has helped
slow the spread of COVID-19, it
has put a stop to many activities,
including whisky club meetings. Nevertheless,
clubs continue gathering around whisky from
afar. “We did a virtual tour of the Balcones
Distillery [on March 17], with members logging
in from our chapters all over the world—from
Mexico City to all across the U.S. to Beirut—
where they helped us do two barrel picks,”
Drammers Club president Charlie Prince says.
34 SUMMER 2020 WHISKY ADVOCATE
The barrel pick had been scheduled weeks
before, with plans for Drammers members to
attend in person. When the need for social dis-
tancing arose, Prince decided to carry on with
it solo, assisted by Balcones stillhouse manager
Gabriel RiCharde and Texas state sales man-
ager Alex Elrod, and opening it up to the club
via Facebook Live. “Gabe and Alex led the dis-
cussion, walking me around the warehouse to
the location of the actual barrels,” Prince says.
As he, RiCharde, and Elrod sampled whiskey
straight from the cask on a live video feed, “the
three of us talked about what we were tasting,
received questions from members about the
barrels, and at the end, I picked two barrels
with input from the members who were fol-
lowing along remotely,” Prince adds.
Women Who Whiskey has 30 chapters
worldwide; the Long Beach, California
branch held its first virtual happy hour last
March using Zoom video conferencing, fol-
lowed by a virtual tasting of solid, accessible
whiskeys—Wild Turkey 101, Rittenhouse rye,
and Paddy blended Irish whiskey. “I know a
lot of people are having trouble finding sup-
plies, and a lot of people aren’t working right
now,” chapter president Stacey Smith-Clark
says, which is why she chose whiskeys that
are both tasty and affordable. “But certainly,
as we move forward, we can all try different
ryes, bourbons, or scotches.”
Meanwhile, Black Bourbon Society’s
thousands of whisky-loving members around
the globe are “busier than ever,” founder and
CEO Samara Rivers says. “We have amped up
our digital [presence] by adding daily live”
content on Zoom, and “Whiskey Weekly,” a
live webinar series that’s featured interviews
with the likes of Smooth Ambler CEO and
master distiller John Little, and spotlighted
Joe Louis Bourbon, named for the former
world heavyweight champion boxer.
Additionally, Black Bourbon Society started
live-recording its “Bonded in Bourbon” podcast
and added a “Mixology Monday” segment fo-
cusing on whisky cocktails. “We stream every-
thing through Zoom, and once the recording is
finished, publish it to our YouTube channel and
IGTV,” Rivers says. Keeping busy has paid off.
“We’ve seen a huge spike in interest,” she adds,
noting that membership jumped to more than
14,000 as of last March, up from around 10,000
people in late 2019. For Rivers, the member-
ship surge proved a silver lining amid uncertain
times. “My goal since all this started has been
‘keeping spirits high with spirits,’” she says.
Prince agrees that the global whisky com-
munity’s resilience has given him reason for
hope. And social distancing has, paradoxically,
bolstered camaraderie. “Everyone’s stuck at
home, so it’s a rare opportunity to get to know
each other,” he says. “It shows that whisky is
ISTOCK / WHISKY ADVOCATE
universal. There aren’t necessarily a ton of
things we can all connect on, but people can
appreciate good whisky in most places around
the world, so there’s not a lot of barriers to
connecting people now. That part’s nice.”
—Zak Kostro

Cherry on Top
W hile flavored whiskeys are often
looked at askance by drinks
connoisseurs, there is nothing
inherently wrong with them. Sure, many
of them on the market are purely that—
CHERRY WHISKEYS TO TRY
“flavored,” with artificial ingredients and
sugars that can make them taste cloying
and synthetic. That’s not the case in a sub-
category of flavored whiskeys that is emerg-
ing—ones infused with real cherries—from an
epicenter in Michigan.
“We’re a whiskey company based in the
cherry capital of the world,” says Chris Fred-
rickson, co-founder and distiller at Traverse
City Whiskey Co. in Traverse City. “And that,
combined with our family history in cherry
farming—my father is a third-generation
cherry farmer—made it an obvious first ex-
tension for us.”
He suspects people enjoy these new cherry
whiskeys because they’re lower proof (often
in the 35% to 40% ABV range) and extremely
approachable. Many drinkers find them a
refreshing option on ice and likewise great
for adding a fun twist to classic cocktails. All
the better when these cocktails are garnished
TOP: ISTOCK
with spirit-preserved cocktail cherries, which
several distilleries also produce.
—Aaron Goldfarb
DISTILLATIONS
Traverse City American Cherry
$30, regional availability
Traverse City Whiskey Co. distiller
Chris Fredrickson adds 10 pounds of
Montmorency sour cherries, grown in
his family’s orchard in Traverse City,
to the distillery's high-rye bourbon to
create an easy-sipping whiskey.
Grand Traverse Cherry Whiskey
$40, local or seelbachs.com
Local Montmorency cherry juice is
blended with Grand Traverse bour-
bon. As merely 3% cherry juice is
part of the final blend, just a hint of
cherry flavor appears on the palate,
making this stellar for Manhattans
and Boulevardiers.
Leopold Bros. Michigan Cherry
Whiskey
$33, Colorado only
It’s not so odd that this Denver-
based distillery has a Michigan-style
cherry whiskey—it initially began
operations in Ann Arbor. Montmo-
rency cherries from Michigan are
juiced and then blended with Leo-
pold’s small-batch whiskey before
resting in used bourbon barrels.
DIY Cherry Whiskey
from Steven Grasse, author of
“Colonial Spirits: A Toast to Our
Drunken History”
1 750 ml bottle of whiskey
1 cup sugar
1 lb. sour cherries, stems and
pits removed
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
Combine 1 1/2 cups whiskey
and sugar in a 1-quart jar with
a tight-fitting lid. Seal the jar
and shake to combine. Add re-
maining whiskey, cherries, and
vanilla bean. Seal and shake.
Place in a cool dark place for 4
to 6 weeks or up to 6 months.
Strain the mixture through
a fine-mesh sieve lined with
cheesecloth or a coffee filter.
Discard the solids.
Store in a tightly sealed jar or
bottle and use within 2 months.
DISTILLERY-MADE CHERRIES
Traverse City Premium Cocktail
Cherries
$16, tcwhiskey.com
Northern Michigan Balaton cherries
and their natural juice are boiled
with Traverse City straight bourbon
before jarring. All the alcohol burns off in the
cooking process, making the fruits ideal for a
Bourbon Smash or ice cream sundaes.
Copper & Kings Old Fashioned
Cocktail Cherries $12,
shop.copperandkings.com
Bordeaux-style maraschino cher-
ries are marinated in Copper &
Kings American brandy. These meaty cherries
are perfect for anything from Old Fashioneds
and Manhattans to a dessert topping.
Old Sugar Madischino Door County
Cocktail Cherries $12, tasting room only
Fresh Wisconsin cherries are cured in Old
Sugar Distillery’s Cane & Abe Small Barrel
rum before being cooked and
jarred with a blend of sugars and
spices. Try them in Wisconsin
Brandy Old Fashioneds
and Whiskey Sours.
WHISKY ADVOCATE SUMMER 2020 37

Lending a Hand With Sanitizer
This spring, many distillers produced hand sanitizer to fight the COVID-19 pandemic
A s the COVID-19
pandemic shut down
states and over-
whelmed hospitals this spring,
many distillers jumped at the
opportunity to help. Hand
sanitizer became scarce, so
numerous distilleries across
the country started producing
their own. This effort looked
different at every distillery,
but they were all united by the common goal
of serving their communities during a crisis.
“Distilleries are in a unique position—we
38 SUMMER 2020 WHISKY ADVOCATE
make ethanol, something
that’s vital in helping stop
the spread of COVID-19 and
keeping those on the front
lines of this fight safe. It’s
also in short supply, so the
decision to start making hand
sanitizer was something we
immediately considered,”
says Brian Treacy, president
of Sagamore Spirit. In the last
week of March, the Baltimore-based distillery
began producing sanitizer in large quantities
for first responders and healthcare providers,
Distillers across the country are producing
hand sanitizer during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Clockwise from top left: Ko‘olau Distillery in
Hawaii; DeKalb, Illinois-based Whiskey Acres;
Baltimore’s Sagamore Spirit; the New Riff Dis-
tilling team delivering hand sanitizer in bulk
to Newport Fire & Rescue. Inset: sanitizers
made by Balcones Distilling in Waco, Texas.
SAGAMORE: WILL KIRK / JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY
including nearby Johns Hopkins.
New Riff Distilling in Newport, Kentucky
also began producing hand sanitizer and deliv-
ering it in 55-gallon drums to first responders.
“Making great whiskey always feels like a priv-
NEW RIFF: MACKENZIE FRANK / MKF PHOTO;
ilege but to pivot to helping first responders
to stay safe when they are fighting for all of us
on the front lines in this war against an unseen
enemy galvanizes the entire New Riff produc-
tion team,” says head distiller Brian Sprance.
“This is our community, where we live and
raise our families; we are proud to do our little
bit to fight for its protection.”
—Sam Stone
 Distillers
Double Down
on Finishes
I f there is a father of cask finishes in the
American whiskey world, it would most
likely be the late Dave Pickerell. The
longtime master distiller for Maker’s Mark
had been exploring finishes for years when the
Hillrock Estate owner Jeff Baker
(below) uses a variety of cask
finishes to accent the whiskeys
company that is now Beam Suntory bought without overwhelming them.
the operation. “Beam soon made it clear those
experimental products would not be brought
to market,” says Jeff Baker, owner of Hillrock
Estate Distillery. “But we were very interested.
We wanted complex layers.” Pickerell joined
Hillrock as master distiller, bringing his array of a nod to where the category began.
of finishing techniques to the upstate New “We chose to finish our Double Cask rye
York operation. with port, sauternes, and madeira because
Once controversial, cask-finished whiskies those wines were in real demand back when
are now commonplace. Whether it’s a wine, rye was popular, when George Washington
beer, or other spirits cask, distillers are doubling was making it,” Baker says. “Dave believed that
down by applying two or more finishes to one some of that original rye would’ve made it into
whisky. For some, it’s a byproduct of a zealous those finish casks. Those flavor profiles go in-
quest for complexity. For others, it’s braggado- credibly well.” He adds that finishes should be
cious showmanship. For Baker, a fan of finished an accent, not overwhelming characteristics:
single malts who believes this is a natural pro- “We don’t want our rye to taste like port.”
gression for American whiskey, it was also a bit continued on page 42

Multi-Finished Whisky Tracking four whiskies from start to finish

Abraham Kamiki
Bowman 1 2 Sakura 1 2
13 year old Japanese
Twice blended
Finished new Potomac sauternes malt oak Yoshino Japanese
American charred Point Winery barrel 48% • $95 barrel Sugi cherry-
oak barrel port 2 months Japanese wood
50% • $70
8 years, barrel cedar Sakura
3 months 4 years, cask cask
7 months
TOP (2): PETER GARRITANO

Hillrock Tyrconnell
Estate 1 2 3 16 year old 1
American Oloroso & 2
Single Malt Moscatel
(Barrel new Hillrock oloroso Pedro Cask-Finished bourbon barrel
OPX-30) charred bourbon sherry Ximénez single malt barrel seasoned
oak barrel barrel cask sherry 16 years with oloroso
48.2% • $105 Irish
cask sherry, then
46% • $100
moscatel wine

WHISKY ADVOCATE SUMMER 2020 41


TASTING LESSON
Take a Crack at Coconut
Tasting Lesson is a drink hack to help
you better identify common whisky
flavors and their origins
C oconut aromas might be more read-
ily found in sunscreen and shampoo,
but some whiskies offer an array of
coconut scents and flavors, a particular plea-
sure in hot weather. These characteristics
may call to mind cracking the fibrous shell to
reveal snowy white flesh, devouring a maca-
roon, inhaling the moreish aromas of toasted
flakes, scooping up spoonfuls of
coconut cream pie, or biting
into a Mounds or Almond
Joy: associations that
make us feel good.
For coconut flavors in
whisky, however, the
journey to your glass
starts in the forest with
the decision of which tree to
chop down to build casks.
Coconut notes are associated with oak
lactones, colloquially known as whisky
lactones. These volatile oak lactones are
not a single compound, but the important
ones to know are the cis- and trans- forms of
3-methyl-4-octanolide. All types of oak used
for casks contain oak lactones, but Quercus
alba, American white oak, has much higher
levels than Quercus robur, European oak.
After a tree is felled, the oak’s age can be
determined by counting the dark rings of its
cross-section. Oak lactones are found in the
highest concentrations in the earlywood, the
lighter rings of the trunk that grow during
CHOCOLATE-
DIPPED
COCONUT
Wild Turkey
Master’s Keep
Cornerstone Ken-
tucky Straight Rye
Lemon honey,
raisin, oak spices
SHELL GAME: Try to identify coconut flavors in these whiskies.
42 SUMMER 2020 WHISKY ADVOCATE
DISTILLATIONS
continued from page 41
More than half of Hillrock Estate’s whis-
keys spend time in a secondary finishing bar-
rel. For the Solera Aged bourbon, the number
of casks can be in the dozens. “All start in a
new, char No. 3 American oak barrel, then
into a used bourbon barrel, then into the sol-
era system,” explains Baker. “Then two more
ex-bourbon tiers, then into an oloroso sherry
springtime. Slow-growth oak has a much cask, and then into a sauternes, cabernet, or a
higher proportion of earlywood than fast- pinot noir cask.”
growth oak, which has a visibly coarser grain Expect to see more wine-cask finishes
due to the wider rings of latewood. Whether creeping into Irish whiskeys. We’re enjoying
a tree is slow-growth depends on many fac-
tors, including its position in the forest, soil
quality, rainfall, elevation, and the density
of trees around it. When distillers talk about
their commitment to high-quality oak casks,
a boom in single pot still whiskeys crafted
from heritage mashbills, which means
“brands are going back to their roots and re-
leasing a style of what people were drinking
100 years ago,” says Michael Egan, U.S. brand
one of the specifics they typically insist on is ambassador for Tyrconnell. “Soon, distilleries
slow-growth wood. won’t have the aged older stuff available so
At sawmills and cooperages, air-seasoning they may release younger products, 4 or 5
(drying) the timber for 18 to 24 years old, or all source from the same produc-
months promotes higher er. Fortified wine cask finishes are one way to
levels of oak lactones differentiate that liquid.”
than shorter periods of Tyrconnell started cask finishes in 2007 as
seasoning or artificially annual special releases for its single malts.
reducing the moisture From the first offering—three 10 year olds, each
of the wood in a kiln. finished in madeira, port, or sherry—drinkers
Like the caress of warm were hooked. This year, a 16 year old whiskey
sun on the wood in the was treated to wine casks from the Andalusia
yard, toasting the staves helps region, initially seasoned with oloroso sherry
to increase the levels of oak lac- followed by a second seasoning with moscatel
tones below the surface layers, though these wine, a unique twist on the double finish.
levels can be destroyed if the cask is heav- The time in the finishing casks varies and
ily charred. Most of a barrel’s oak lactones requires frequent check-ups to find the sweet
are extracted by whisky in its first filling; spot. “We sample at regularly defined inter-
although rejuvenation—scraping and re- vals during the initial trials to determine the
charring the interior—can extend the work- best finishing duration,” says Sarah Dowling,
ing life of a cask, it’s not possible to restore master distiller and blender for Kilbeggan
the oak lactones once they’re spent. Distillery, which produces Tyrconnell. “I
Seek out the flavor of coconut in whisky don’t necessarily think any time is too long
and let it be your passport to an exotic para- in a barrel, but it depends on the spirit being
dise of gently lapping ocean waves, coconut finished and the character of the finishing
palms, and barefoot strolls along white sandy casks. You don’t want the taste profile of
beaches—even if only in your imagination. one to overpower the other. It’s a delicate
—Jonny McCormick balance.” Likewise, cask order matters, per
Baker: “Our single malt finishes first in Pedro
Ximénez casks, then oloroso sherry. The
COCONUT COCONUT reverse order didn’t taste as good.”
MACAROON CREAM Experimentations don’t always turn out as
Barrell Bourbon Aberlour
expected. “Dave talked about a giant distiller
(Batch 21) A’bunadh Alba
Candied pea- Cask Strength
who did a chardonnay finish,” recounts Baker.
nuts, peppery (Batch 001) “It was one of the worst whiskeys he’d ever
spices, grilled Shortbread, tasted. Dave was a chemical engineer, so he
peaches vanilla, poached could articulate why that bad chemical reac-
TOP: ISTOCK
pear tion destroyed this whiskey. In addition to the
art, there is a fair amount of science involved.”
—Sean Evans

Olympic Efforts
The Tokyo Olympics have been postponed, but 2020 still
looks like a gold medal year for Japanese whisky
J Ohishi
apanese whisky makers have grappled
with dwindling stocks in recent years
as thirst grows for their prized liquid.
Yet that hasn’t stopped major distilleries and
smaller producers alike from releasing exciting
new whiskies to celebrate a momentous year
for Japan—in spite of the Tokyo Summer Olym-
pics being pushed to 2021 because of the global
COVID-19 pandemic. —Zak Kostro
Suntory
A JAPANESE WHISKY TITAN
Suntory is releasing a 55 year old Yamazaki
single malt—the oldest liquid ever from the
vaunted Osaka distillery, according to Beam
Suntory. Significantly, the youngest liquid in
this whisky was distilled in 1964, the same
year as the previous Tokyo Summer Olympics.
The packaging aims to showcase Japan’s
meticulous craftsmanship, with “Yamazaki”
engraved in calligraphy on the bottle, and
gold dust and lacquer embellishing the age
statement. The bottle mouth is wrapped in
handmade washi paper, and bound with a
Kyo-kumihimo plaited cord, a traditional
craft from Kyoto. Each bottle comes in a box
made of Japan’s treasured mizunara oak.
44 SUMMER 2020 WHISKY ADVOCATE
DISTILLATIONS
Yamazaki 55 year old single malt
ABV: 46%
Price: ¥3 million/$28,000 (700 ml)
Release: June 30
Availability: 100 bottles via lottery; deliv-
ered only to addresses in Japan
Chichibu
A LEADER OF JAPAN’S CRAFT
DISTILLERS
Craft whisky pioneer Chichibu plans to
release a 10 year old single malt—its first
age-statement whisky—this fall, according to
brand ambassador Yumi Yoshikawa.
Chichibu 10 year old single malt
ABV: To be decided in August
Price: To be decided in August
Release: Planned for fall 2020
Availability: 3,000 to 6,000 bottles total;
allocation to be decided
Karuizawa
JAPAN’S LOST DISTILLERY
Whisky collector and entrepreneur Eric
Huang has chosen 2020 to release his very
last cask from Karuizawa Distillery, which
ceased production in 2000. The Last Master-
piece is meant to represent a “perfect” ending
of the legendary Karuizawa.
Joining Huang is online Japanese whisky
retailer Dekanta with a 35 year old Karuiza-
wa. Even with the Tokyo Games postponed,
Dekanta still wanted to honor Japan with a
release that company founder Makiyo Masa
says is inspired by the concept of budo-—a
Japanese term to describe martial arts—and
the skill of Olympic athletes who “continue to
practice the technique.”
Karuizawa 50 year old The Last Mas-
terpiece single malt Cask No. 6017
(distilled in 1970, bottled in 2020)
ABV: 58.3%
Price: ¥5 million/$46,000 (700 ml)
Release: Planned for July
Availability: 211 bottles; not available in
the U.S.
Karuizawa 35 year old Cask Budo -
Collection single malt Cask No. 7147
(distilled in 1981; bottled in 2017)
ABV: 51%
Price: To be announced
Release: July or August
Availability: 129 bottles (43 sets of three
bottles; available only at dekanta.com)
JAPANESE RICE WHISKY
Ohishi is releasing a sherry cask-matured rice
whisky. There will be 888 bottles available—
a number chosen specifically because 8 is a
lucky number in Japan, says Chris Uhde, vice
president of importer ImpEx Beverages.
The label features “Ganbare Nippon”—“Go
Japan!”—written in calligraphy, and the whis-
ky itself is “to celebrate Japan as a whole.”
Also in 2020, Ohishi is releasing an 11 year
old mizunara oak-finished whisky. But if that’s
not enough for fans, there’s more to look
forward to. Uhde says a limited-edition 16 year
old sherry cask-matured whisky is planned for
release in 2021.
Ohishi 11 year old Sherry Cask
ABV: 41%
Price: $99
Release: August 1
Availability: 888 bottles; U.S. exclusive
Ohishi 11 year old Mizunara Cask-
Finished
ABV: 42.4%
Price: $99
Release: August 1
Availability: 2,004 bottles; U.S. exclusive
Ohishi 16 year old Sherry Cask
ABV: To be determined
Price: $160
Release: Planned for 2021
Availability: 2,350 bottles; U.S. exclusive
 DISTILLATIONS

COLLECTING

BUY IT NOW

Single Malts Rule Midleton Very Rare Silent

Distillery Collection
This takes collectible Irish whiskey to new heights.

F
or more than 30 years,
single malt has been
the most sought-after
style of whisky at auction. The
single malt designation offers
assurance about the source of
the liquid inside the bottle: It
was made at the distillery named
on the label. This is not to be
taken for granted as, incredu-
lously, representatives of some
of the world’s best-selling single
malt scotches, like Glenfiddich
and Glenlivet, find they need
to convince people that those
names aren’t just household
brands produced at large-scale
distilleries in different parts of
the world and that they actually
are distilled at the individual
distilleries in Speyside.
When it comes to record-
breaking whisky auction prices,
it’s single malts that write all the
headlines: Scotch whisky from
Macallan and Bowmore, and Jap-
anese whisky from Karuizawa,
Hanyu, and Yamazaki command
the highest prices. Few of us can
afford million-dollar bottles, so
most whisky lovers focus their
collecting on single malts within
their price range. They may be
luxury items in grand presen-
tation cases, treasured bottles
from a distillery visit, or a dusty
picked up at auction after being
salvaged from a forgotten cellar.
Collecting should be about the
pleasure derived from assem-
bling bottles and cherishing
the experience and the history
behind each one, not a tawdry
excuse for rubbing your hands
with glee over their value.
Nothing compares to single
malts’ singular flavors, nobody
can quench our curiosity for
exploring the idiosyncrasies of
every single cask, and nothing
matches its ability to develop
complexity in oak, whether over
a period of 12 years or as long
as 75 years. Collectors have also
kept a light burning for single
malts from closed distilleries,
venerating the dwindling stocks.
Even within a single distillery,
there is a rich back catalog of
different bottles to explore, col-
lect, taste, and discuss. Despite
the diversification of whisky
styles, the bedrock of our love of
whisky remains unshaken: single
malts rule.
—Jonny McCormick
It was made at Old Midleton Distillery in 1974
and is 45 years old, making it the oldest Irish
whiskey release. Created as an experimental
batch, it's a peated single malt from a distillery
known for blends and single pot still whiskeys.
This is Chapter One, a worldwide release of 48 bottles priced at
$35,000/£32,000, in this new annual series planned to run until 2025.
RECORD BREAKERS
U.S. RECORD
Yamazaki 1984
Hammer price $10,000
Skinner Inc, Boston, February 2020
The use of mizunara oak on this Japanese single malt
captured the attention of collectors on its release, despite
an original price tag of $600. This sale narrowed the gap
on the Yamazaki 1984 world record bid of HK$95,000
($12,103) set by Bonhams, Hong Kong in August 2018.
WORLD RECORD
Bowmore 34 year old 1971
Hammer price HK$40,000/$5,137
Bonhams, Hong Kong, February 2020
This wonderful sherry-cask matured 34 year old was re-
leased in 2005 at a price of $800 as part of Bowmore's
Vintage Distillation Series. Limited to 960 bottles and
bottled at 51% ABV, the whisky was rated 90 points by
Whisky Advocate, garnering praise for its lush fruits and
kiln smoke. Bonhams, Hong Kong took the record from
Scotch Whisky Auctions in this online sale.

AUCTION NEWS

COVID-19 Pandemic Hammers Whisky Auctions Activity

Whisky trading at auction was
essentially halted in March during
the global shutdown as country
after country went into quar-
antine to reduce the spread of
COVID-19. Initial efforts by online
auction houses to continue trad-
ing were shelved as offices closed
to prevent face-to-face contact
BOTTOM: ISTOCK
als such as cardboard, plastic,
and metal. The pandemic’s effect
on whisky prices is unpredict-
able. The impact may bring more
substantial collections to auc-
tion—demand rose for alcohol
for consumption at home during
the early weeks of self-isolation—
while other collectors may have
grew stronger during the 2008
economic slowdown as investors
put their money into alternative
commodities. We expect online
auction houses will be the best
place for a restart when govern-
ment restrictions are lifted, thanks
to their digital platforms and
partnerships with global shipping

between auction house staff and decided to open their best bottles companies, but in the meantime
whisky collectors, while concerns to see them through the crisis. will likely continue to explore how
circulated about the persistence It’s worth remembering that they can use technology to get
of the virus on packaging materi- the secondary whisky market up and running again.

WHISKY ADVOCATE SUMMER 2020 45


Brothers in Arms
T
he craft spirits movement—
which has exploded the num-
ber of distilleries in the U.S.—
has not made much of a dent
in terms of sales. Its market
share is barely measurable, but it contributes
in other important ways.
Old Line Golden Edition American single
malt whiskey is a product of Baltimore’s Old
Line Spirits, which started distilling in 2016.
It is 8 years old. If that math doesn’t work for
you, therein hangs the tale.
Golden Edition, a limited release, was not
made at Old Line’s distillery in
the Highlandtown neighbor-
hood east of downtown Balti-
more. It was distilled 3,000 miles
away on Samish Island, north of
Seattle, in a 60-gallon pot still at
Golden Distillery. Founded early
in the craft spirits movement,
Golden Distillery was a labor of
love for two buddies in their 60s,
embarking on a retirement career.
PORTRAIT: JOE MCKENDRY; PHOTOS COURTESY OF OLD LINE SPIRITS
The pair, Bob Stilnovich and Jim
Caudill, set up in a chicken coop on
Bob’s property, and in 2010 started
to make malt whiskey and fruit
spirits. In 2012, their 2 year old whiskey won
best single malt at the American Distilling
Institute’s (ADI) annual convention.
In 2014, Caudill became ill and couldn’t
continue distilling. They decided to sell the
business if they could. ADI’s convention was
in Seattle that year. Stilnovich drove down to
see if he might discover some interest.
Meanwhile, Mark McLaughlin and Arch
Watkins of Baltimore were contemplating
their own futures. They were only in their
30s, with established careers, but entertained
distillery dreams. To start the ball rolling,
McLaughlin quit his job in finance and flew
to Seattle, for an ADI conference, to learn
STRAIGHT TALK
by CHARLES K. COWDERY
about distillery ownership.
A day or so in, he had the inevitable exis-
tential crisis. “In a moment of feeling over-
whelmed, I stepped outside of the conference
area and sat down on a couch in the lobby,”
recalls McLaughlin. A few minutes later Bob
Stilnovich joined him, and they started to talk.
“He asked why I was there, and I told him it
was my first step toward opening a distillery.”
Both men are veterans. Stilnovich fought
in Vietnam, McLaughlin was a naval aviator
in Iraq. Both of their business partners were
Golden Distillery founders Bob Stilnovich and
Jim Caudill (left) passed the distilling torch
to Mark McLaughlin and Arch Watkins (right),
founders of Old Line Spirits.
veterans too. Stilnovich explained the situa-
tion to Caudill (now deceased) and wondered
if McLaughlin and Watkins might want to
come to Washington, learn the business, buy
it, and take it back to Baltimore.
As unlikely as all that sounds, they did.
Along with the still and related equipment
came some whiskey. When it passed its 8th
birthday last year they bottled it as Golden
Edition. It went on sale this past November.
They think it tastes like an unpeated scotch
malt. It seems more Irish to me. Either way,
it’s quite good. A good omen for what an
American single malt, a style struggling for
recognition, can achieve.
Old Line is still small, but it has stepped
up to a 300-gallon still and now has about
90,000 proof gallons of whiskey aging in its
25,000-square-foot facility in Highlandtown.
McLaughlin and Watkins are sensitive about
the veteran part of their story. “We don’t try to
leverage our military backgrounds for business
gain,” says McLaughlin. “We embrace it as our
heritage, but our brand isn’t built around it.
Bob, Jim, Arch, and I connected as vets. That’s
how we rapidly established
trust and rapport. That is the
context but not the story. The
story, in my opinion, is in the
transfer of a labor of love from
one generation to the next.”
Yes, the American craft
spirits movement is estab-
lished enough now for that
kind of torch-passing. What
Stilnovich and Caudill built
in the Pacific Northwest lives
on in the Mid-Atlantic. As
McLaughlin and Watkins are
now in their 40s, there is another generation
coming up behind them. The movement has
become an industry.
Old Line’s story is one of many. As the
major producers get bigger, craft distillers
help keep the business on a human scale.
Small-scale craft producers provide the fuel
for similarly small-scale, craft-oriented liquor
stores, bars, and restaurants, which you can
now find in diverse communities all over the
country. The craft producers have perhaps
not so much changed the industry as aug-
mented it, given it another dimension: a way
for drinkers to connect with distilled spirits
more intimately. „
WHISKY ADVOCATE SUMMER 2020 47

Silence of the Drams
Stop all the stills
Cut off the water supply
Prevent the copper dog from dunking
with a juicy bung
Silence the kiln, peat shovels succumb
Bring out the boffins, let the visitors come
I
(With apologies to W. H. Auden)
t’s silent season in Scotland, now
more than ever. Manway covers on
cold copper pot stills hang open,
chattering birdsong floats in through
the stillroom’s open win-
dows, and the clanging tools of
whistling workmen echo in the
distance. Summer’s warmth has
raised the temperature and reduced
the flow of the distillery’s water
source, the season’s annual chal-
lenge to the production of consis-
tent high-quality spirit. In years
gone by, the visitor center crew
would gird their loins at the sound
of airbrakes as buses offloaded the
next distillery tour groups. The
guests would have to use their
imagination to experience the
vibration of the mill, the mashtun
rakes turning through the foam, the
drone of the stillhouse, and the
invisible clouds of carbon dioxide
lurking beneath the washback
hatch. Silent season enables the
machinery of distillation to rest as it
undergoes repairs, unplugged from the
round-the-clock business of producing spirit.
For any flagging spirits feeling a little run
down by life at the moment, plan your own
silent season this summer. I’m not talking
about any populist month-long sobriety move-
ments either. Yes, there’s a part of our connec-
tion with whisky that thrives at boisterous
parties, carousing in cocktail bars, and
48 SUMMER 2020 WHISKY ADVOCATE
HEAD, HEART & TALES
by JONNY MCCORMICK
thumbing our screens as we swallow a bellyful
of messages through our social media feeds
until we’re filled up. Whisky is a social activity,
certainly, but there’s also a magical quality to
whisky that allows the world to stop.
Stress, anxiety, and fatigue are common
features of many of our lives right now. While
whisky can help us unwind, alcohol is recog-
nized as a mood depressant and not a cure for
stress, though I can’t help contrasting the
dejected, earnest expressions you used to see
on the faces of people at their workplaces
and battling through the daily commute with
the relaxed smiles, laughter, and camaraderie
you see at a whisky tasting. I know which one
I find beneficial to mental well-being.
In your silent season, look for quietness,
stillness, and composure. Whisky has an
elemental quality that amplifies the experi-
ence, especially in natural surroundings. It
connects us with the countryside, open land-
scapes, and wilderness. Given the barrage of
new whiskies competing for our short atten-
tion spans, it’s good to stop once in a while
and admire the beauty in every bottle. On one
of summer’s long dry days, take a slow walk
beside a field and let your fingers run through
the nodding ears of ripening barley ahead of
the harvest. Indulge yourself in one of this
decade’s greatest rediscovered luxuries:
Leave your phone behind. Cross the peat-
lands with a springy stride, the moss sucking
at your boots, while damselflies scatter ahead
of you in flashes of electric blue. Seek out
water; cup your hands in a stream and splash
your face or take a boat out
across the shimmering surface
of a loch. Find an oasis in an oak
forest, reconnect with the music
of nature, and let it restore your
spirit. Sit down, perhaps even lie
down on the ground, stretch out
your limbs, touch the earth, and
look up at the wispy clouds
through the canopy. Find solace
and experience the tranquility
and the reassurance of the woods
that surround you.
Now is the perfect moment for
a whisky. The versatility of
PORTRAIT: JOE MCKENDRY; ILLUSTRATION: CHRIS LYONS
whisky means you can enjoy it on
your own, free from intrusive
texts and emails, without a proper
glass, miles from a power outlet,
and without recording the mo-
ment with a selfie: This is private
bliss between you and your hipflask. The
secret to whisky is knowing that it comes
with the luxury built in. Shrug off your cares,
let it soothe you, and concentrate on the
complexity and harmony of just one whisky.
Tip it back, bask in it, relish it; savor every
minute of calmness that it brings. Disconnect,
reconnect, then come up to the surface and
breathe. „

The Potency of Music
B
ack when I was in my twenties,
and the New Orleans Jazz and
Heritage Festival wasn’t quite
the colossus it is today, my
friends and I were regulars at
the springtime music fest. We’d pick one
weekend or the other—then, as now, the
festival ran over two weekends with a
weekday break in between—and build a trip
around it, enjoying the outdoor music during
the day and reveling even more in the
ubiquitous concerts that took place at night
in such legendary venues as Tipitina’s, Maple
Leaf, Mid-City Lanes, and the long-since
defunct Muddy Waters.
One night, we ventured on foot from a show
at Tipitina’s to a place none of us had been to
before, an uptown venue called Benny’s. We
arrived to find a street corner joint with a
PORTRAIT: JOE MCKENDRY; PHOTO: ISTOCK
blues-rock band wailing from a stage encased
in a Blues Brothers-style sort of cage, the
building fully open to the street on one side
and partially so on the other. The crowd was
sparse but enthusiastic, and the vibe friendly
with a slight suggestion of danger. As I ap-
proached the bar, my mind drifted to the
most absurd drink I could possibly order
considering the circumstances and, upon
spying the bottle, immediately settled on a
Courvoisier V.S.O.P. cognac, generously mea-
sured into a plastic cup.
THE THINKING DRINKER
by STEPHEN BEAUMONT
It was the worst cognac I have had in my
life, before or since.
Which is not to slight Courvoisier, but
rather to cast well-deserved aspersions upon
my own youthful decision. Because in trying
to be clever, I ignored a basic truism of taste,
which is that environment fundamentally
affects the enjoyment of any beverage.
Basically, my Courvoisier sucked because it
was the absolute wrong time, place, and mu-
sic for drinking cognac.
Far too many years have passed for me to
remember what else was on the backbar that
night at Benny’s, but it being New Or-
leans, I’m betting that there was bourbon,
probably Jim Beam and Wild Turkey,
As I type these words, I am enjoying a peaty yet
mellow single malt scotch while jazz artists like
Stan Getz and Sonny Rollins play in the background...
maybe Maker’s Mark or Ten High, and
with a couple of cubes of ice those would
have suited the steamy setting to a tee.
Being then young but not stupid, or at least
not entirely so, I learned from my experience.
As I type these words, for example, I am
enjoying a peaty yet mellow single malt
scotch while jazz artists like Stan Getz and
Sonny Rollins play in the background, the
smoke of the whisky evoking the dimly lit,
cigarette-clouded clubs where the originals
of these recordings were once played.
My friend, British writer Pete Brown, gives
a series of talks demonstrating the effect
different genres of music have on the enjoy-
ment of different styles of beer. While I tend
not to get as precise as he does—Pete goes so
far as to pair individual artists with specific
beers—I do agree that music and drinks can
and do impact each other.
I love the punkish Chicago whiskey bar
Delilah’s, for example, where I tend to only
drink American whiskey or beer, since I feel
certain that the subtleties of Canadian or
Japanese whiskies would be lost amid the
cacophony that descends upon the bar late on
a Friday or Saturday night. (Straight rye
works best, I find.) Conversely, amid the mel-
low tunes that have formed the soundtrack to
my experiences at New York’s Brandy Library,
a single malt or my previously misplaced
cognac is the ideal tipple.
Lest I leave the impression that I feel mu-
sic and whisky pairing is all about the degree
of attention you need to pay your tipple,
however, I should also note that some of my
favorite Scottish bars can grow quite raucous
late at night, just as many of my fondest Irish
whiskey drinking experiences have been in
pubs best described as “heaving.” But even at
these, the music often sets the stage; Scottish
rock and pop in the case of the former, and an
impromptu session featuring local musicians
at the latter.
And, frankly, if you’ve never enjoyed a
dram or two to the wailing sounds of multiple
bagpipes, well, my friend, you’ve never really
tasted scotch whisky!
The bottom line is that your surroundings
will affect the way you appreciate—or don’t—
almost anything you eat or drink. So paying
attention to the mood and environment, both
physical and aural, can improve your experi-
ence. Whether you’re paying $110 for a bottle
or $12 for a dram, why would you not want to
get the most impact for your money? „
WHISKY ADVOCATE SUMMER 2020 51
 Whisky
Cocktails
AT HOME
Everything you
need to know
about these
5 classics

I
n a perfect world, we’d all be
well-equipped with a sterling Highball
silver cocktail shaker, a variety page 56
of premium mixers, and fresh
fruit, prepared to transform our
favorite whiskies into tasty cock-
tails at a moment’s notice. However,
life is often less than perfect. Mint Julep
So, we’ve delved into five classic page 60
whisky cocktails with the help of
some top bartenders, asking a lot of
questions that begin “What if…?”
Because sometimes you’re low on
Old
limes, or can’t find a cocktail Fashioned
strainer. If you’re willing to put page 62
aside some of the pomp and ped-
antry, there’s more than one way to
make a cocktail. In fact, more than a
few great cocktails have been in- Manhattan
vented out of necessity. page 64
With their relatively short ingre-
dient lists and simple recipes, the
MARTÍ SANS / STOCKSY

whisky classics are well-suited for

improvisation. If you’re hankering Whiskey
for a cold cocktail at home this Sour
summer, read on to learn how to page 66
construct a great drink, while let-
ting nothing stand in your way.

WHISKY ADVOCATE SUMMER 2020 55

Build Your Best…
HIGHBALL
P
erfect for leisurely sipping on a balmy
summer night, the Highball is enjoying
a revival in the U.S. But in Japan,
Highballs are a way of life, says Masa-
hiro Urushido, managing partner and
bartender at Japanese-style cocktail bar
Katana Kitten in New York City. “The
Highball has been popular for over 100
years,” Urushido says. “I think the reason is
because it’s so versatile.”
An ideal whisky drink, the Highball allows
the spirit to step into roles usually occupied
WHISKY SELECTOR
Any whisky you enjoy on its own will go well in a Highball, as the dilution and effervescence serve to reveal and lift up its flavors.
After whisky style, the obvious consideration is price. But given the simplicity of the Highball, the flavor of the whisky remains
largely unadulterated, making it a perfectly suitable vehicle for showcasing even some of your finest whiskies.
$50 & UNDER
JAPANESE
88 Suntory Toki 43%, $35 Smoky embers,
roasted spices, buttered popcorn, and
orchard fruit
BLENDED SCOTCH
90 Johnnie Walker Double Black 40%, $40
Smoke, peat, apple, and orange
BLENDED IRISH
90 Powers Gold Label 43.2%, $38 Ground
cinnamon, coriander, and nutmeg
SINGLE MALT SCOTCH
92 Laphroaig 10 year old 40%, $50
Band-Aids, seaweed, smoldering peat,
vanilla, and caramel
CANADIAN
90 J.P. Wiser’s Triple Barrel Rye
45%, $20 Blackberries, tart kiwi,
ginger, cloves, and nutmeg
BOURBON
82 Old Grand-Dad Bonded
50%, $25 Baking spices, freshly
baked bread, and cinnamon roll
56 SUMMER 2020 WHISKY ADVOCATE
by beer, or even wine. “It pairs pretty much
with anything you’re eating, almost like
champagne,” Urushido adds. Highballs also
temper the potent proof of whisky. “It’s not a
strong drink,” says Peter Mizutani, senior bar
captain at Conrad Tokyo hotel’s bar Twen-
tyEight. “Japanese people drink Highballs to
enjoy the atmosphere. Maybe in the U.S. or
Australia or Europe, they enjoy their whisky
neat, but in Japan we prefer to drink whisky
with soda water.”
—Zak Kostro
$75 & UNDER
JAPANESE
94 Nikka From the Barrel
51.4%, $65 Butterscotch,
orange peel, autumn leaves,
and spice
BLENDED SCOTCH
90 Compass Box The Peat
Monster 46%, $60 Grubby
peat, fudge, and mellowing
cigar stubs
BLENDED IRISH
94 Writers’ Tears Double Oak 46%, $65
Chocolate, cinnamon, and pot still spices
SINGLE MALT SCOTCH
90 Macallan 12 year old Double Cask 43%,
$71 Raisins, figs, hazelnuts, blanched
almonds, and leather
CANADIAN
92 Forty Creek Unity 43%, $75 Luscious
caramels, grape jelly, and hot rye spices
BOURBON
94 Elijah Craig Barrel Proof 68.3%, $60
Oak, allspice, pepper, and cloves
How to Make
a Highball
1 1⁄2 oz. whisky
4 oz. chilled club soda
Lemon twist for garnish
Add a long spear, two or three large
cubes, or several hefty chunks of ice to a
chilled Highball glass. Add whisky and
give it 10 gentle stirs. Slowly add soda.
Stir gently once or twice more, and
garnish with a lemon twist.
YOU’RE DOING
IT WRONG
Slow your stir. The key to a good Highball
is a delicate touch that doesn’t agitate the
ingredients and lose bubbles. “You don’t
need that much stirring,” says Urushido,
who uses his barspoon to “just lift up the
ice from the bottom.”
$100 & UNDER
JAPANESE
93 Yamazaki 12 year old 43%, $85 Lychee,
spring blossoms, lily, rose water, and
raspberry meringue
BLENDED SCOTCH
94 Dewar’s 21 year old Double Double 46%,
$50/375ml Chocolate-dipped raspberries,
OPPOSITE: BHOFACK2 / ISTOCKPHOTO; INSET PHOTOS: ISTOCK
gingersnaps, and bold sherry fruit
BLENDED IRISH
88 Tullamore D.E.W. 15 year old
Trilogy 40%, $80 Barley sugar,
lemon bonbon, and vanilla
SINGLE MALT SCOTCH
94 Ardbeg Uigeadail 54.2%, $80
Peppery peat, warm tar, and
coffee grounds
CANADIAN
92 Wayne Gretzky No. 99 Ninety
Nine Proof 49.5%, $80 Fruity, fading dry
pepper, and spent gunpowder
BOURBON
92 Barrell Cask Strength (Batch 23)
53.89%, $90 Herbal antiseptic, tarragon,
and caramel
Ice
Japanese
bartenders prefer
chunks of crystal-
clear, hand-carved ice.
But Hidenori Komatsu, owner
of Apollo Bar in Tokyo’s
upscale Ginza shopping
district, says that flavor is most
important—namely, that the ice
“doesn’t contain impurities
such as chlorine, has high
transparency, and doesn’t have
a unique flavor.” At home, use
ice from filtered or bottled
water that spent no more than
24 hours uncovered in the
freezer to avoid off flavors.
CR E AT I VE SOLUT I ON
Moment of Clarity
Without a special directional
freezing tray designed to
produce clear ice, you can still
improve ice clarity by freezing
twice-boiled distilled water.
The lack of air and impurities
creates clearer cubes. Keep ice
from cracking in the glass by
tempering in the fridge for an
hour, or at room temperature
for 10 minutes before using.
Fizz
Urushido likes Q Mixers’ club
soda for its high bubble
content. But any type of soda
will perform better if chilled
before you begin mixing the
drink. It retains more of the
carbonated gas in the liquid,
and “the higher the carbon-
ation the better,” Urushido
notes.
C RE AT IVE SOLUT I ON
Join the Club
Seltzer water has bubbles but
lacks the distinct taste of club
soda with its added minerals.
To lend seltzer or homemade
soda water the alkaline edge of
club soda, you can experiment
with adding small pinches of
sea salt and baking soda.
Glass
A Highball glass should be
large enough to hold the liquid
along with plenty of ice, and
have sides that are straight or
curve inward at the top. Avoid
using a wide-mouthed or pint
glass; they allow bubbles, and
flavor, to dissipate.
CR EATIV E SOLU TION S
Mug Shot
Urushido says a glass stein
stored in the freezer keeps the
Highball cold longer since
the handle prevents
direct contact with
the main part of
the glass. “That’s
kind of the classic
vessel in Japan,”
he adds.
Stem Research
Sip your Highball from a large
bordeaux-style wine glass that
conveys the whisky’s aroma
and displays the garnish, notes
Komatsu.
Garnish
Lemon twist is a classic garnish
for good reason. “Citrus aroma
is very neutral,” complement-
ing a range of whisky flavors
and styles, Urushido explains.
Lime, orange, or grapefruit
work well too.
CR EATIV E SOLU TION
Raid the Pantry
Vary your garnish according to
your whisky. Taking his
inspiration from a sherry
cask-aged Macallan Highball,
Komatsu proposes raisins to
highlight the “sweetness of
dried fruits.” To enhance the
brininess of an Islay malt like
Bowmore, he suggests a
salt-rimmed glass. Fresh herbs
match well with rye or
bourbon.
Build Your Best…
MINT JULEP
I
conic in presentation with its silver cup
and fresh greenery, the Mint Julep is
arguably bourbon at its most refreshing.
But historically, the Julep has been made
with brandy, rum, and even genever—and
occasionally without mint—so there’s
precedent for flexibility.
Like many classic cocktails, the Julep bene-
fits from a short ingredient list and ease of
execution. Frank Caiafa, beverage director at
New York City’s The Stayton Room and
WHISKY SELECTOR
Whether you use whiskey or another spirit, high proof is key, as the Julep’s crushed
ice will overdilute something with less alcohol. Consider our favorites or choose
your own, but remember that the sweetener may need to be adjusted accordingly.
Traditional
Kentucky straight bourbon is the
standby in the state that made the
Julep famous.
Wild Turkey 101 50.5%, $25
Balance and heft make an ideal
cocktail ingredient
Heaven Hill 7 year old Bottled
in Bond 50%, $40 Powerful oak,
spice, and sweetness
Old Grand-Dad 114 57%, $33 Bold
and potent, with lip-smacking
character
Modern
These specialty-finished and non-
traditional bourbons break the mold.
Bardstown Bourbon Co. The Prisoner
Barrel-Finished 50%, $125 Graceful,
thanks to a finish in red wine barrels
Joseph Magnus Cigar Blend proof
varies, $149 A mix of cask finishes
adds extra complexity
Chattanooga 111 Proof Straight
55.5%, $47 This high-malt style
ventures outside the box
60 SUMMER 2020 WHISKY ADVOCATE
author of “The Waldorf Astoria Bar Book,”
says that respecting simplicity is important.
“Keep it basic,” he urges. “Stick to protocol.”
Ryan Hart, bar manager at The Crunkleton
in Charlotte, North Carolina says that the
Mint Julep is easily tweaked to suit the
drinker, depending on whether you prefer
your cocktail stronger or sweeter. “What’s
really important is getting the gist of the rec-
ipe and learning how to balance it,” he says.
—Susannah Skiver Barton
Alternative
Beyond bourbon, rye and other
American whiskeys mix nicely with
mint.
Pikesville 6 year old Straight rye
55%, $50 Withstands plenty of ice
melt with a jab of spice
Balcones True Blue Straight corn
50%, $55 Made from roasted blue
corn
Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel Barrel
Proof proof varies, $60 Tennessee
whiskey at its punchiest
Historic
Brandy, rum, and genever have all
made appearances in the Julep over
time.
Sacred Bond brandy 50%, $18 Aged
in Heaven Hill barrels and bottled in
bond
Smith & Cross Traditional Jamaica
rum 57%, $33 Navy strength, with
equally strong flavor
Freeland Spirits Geneva gin 45%,
$44 Botanicals top a rye base in this
genever-style spirit from Oregon
How to Make
a Mint Julep
1 tsp. sugar or 1⁄2 oz. simple syrup
Handful mint leaves, plus a sprig for
garnish
Finely crushed ice
2 oz. bourbon
Add the sugar to a Julep cup, along with
about a teaspoon of water—just enough to
dissolve it—giving it a stir; if using simple
syrup, omit the water. Add the mint leaves,
reserving one generous sprig, and press
gently with a muddler or spoon to extract
the oils. Fill the cup about halfway with
crushed ice. Add bourbon and stir until
chilled. Mound more crushed ice on top.
Garnish with remaining mint sprig, and be
sure to include a straw for sipping.
YOU’RE DOING
IT WRONG
Most people apply too much muscle to
muddling mint. “Breaking the cell wall [of
the leaf] releases chlorophyll, which adds
bitterness to the drink,” says Hart, who
suggests shaking the simple syrup,
bourbon, and a handful of mint leaves
with one or two ice cubes to gently
awaken the flavor of the mint before
building the drink in the cup.
Esoteric
OPPOSITE: MARTÍ SANS / STOCKSY; INSET PHOTOS: ISTOCK
Crack into a pot still Irish or even a
single malt scotch for an eclectic
variation.
Barrell Infinite Barrel Project proof
varies, $65 Batches combine styles
across American, scotch, and more
Aberlour A’bunadh Alba (Batch 001)
single malt scotch 57.1%, $90 Pure
sweetness from bourbon cask
maturation
Redbreast 12 year old Cask Strength
single pot still Irish proof varies, $84
Body and rich flavor, with wild spice
Fresh Mint
Mint leaves are the hallmark of
the drink, used for both mixing
and garnish. “The bouquet, in
both sight and smell, sticking
your face into it—that’s the
whole attraction,” Caiafa says.
But even without fresh mint on
hand, you can enjoy the Julep’s
signature flavor.
C RE AT I VE S OLU TI ON
Newly Minted
Replace the water in your simple syrup with mint
tea: Brew 1 cup of mint tea according to instructions,
remove the teabag, and combine with 1 cup of sugar
until dissolved.
OR Add 2 teaspoons of peppermint or spearmint
extract to a cup of prepared simple syrup.
OR Crush candy canes or other hard mint candies in
a Ziploc bag. Combine 1 cup candy, 1 cup water, and
1 cup of sugar and simmer until dissolved.
CREATIVE S OLUTIO N
Embellish Mint
Swap basil, lemon balm, or other sweet
herbs for mint.
OR Take a page from historic Juleps
that included lavish fruit garnishes for
added aromatics: citrus slices,
pineapple wedges, berries, and
cherries.
OR Go non-traditional and add a pepper-
mint patty or mint cookie to the rim.

Silver Cup
The Julep’s signature vessel is as unique
as the drink itself. But Caiafa says a
Collins glass will suffice, as its height and
shape maintain some of the cocktail’s
“regal presentation.”

CREATI V E SOLUTIO N
Get The Short Straw
The silver cup gets all the attention, but
the straw is the Julep’s unsung hero,
making drinking both practical and
pleasurable. Cut the straw to stick up just
above the mint sprig, so that your nose is
perfectly positioned to inhale those
beautiful aromas.

Ice
Crushed ice is a must for Mint Juleps, as
it chills the liquid much faster than larger
cubes, but ice that’s too small quickly
overdilutes the drink. Evaluate your ice
crusher or refrigerator ice maker before
you begin; the ice should be just fine
enough to pack into a mounded shape
on top. Avoid using a food processor or
blender; the friction of the blades leads
to a watery mess.

Sugar CREATI V E SOLUTIO N

How to Crush It
Whether you elect to use white granulated Take inspiration from the traditional Lewis
sugar or simple syrup, which makes mixing bag, a canvas bag in which
easier, it’s best to start light, since the bartenders crush ice with a
Julep has no sour balancing ingredients. “If wooden mallet. Wrap ice
it’s too sweet, it’s awful to drink,” Hart says. cubes in a kitchen towel or
even a pillowcase and
CR E AT I VE SO LU T I ON
smash them with a rolling
Sweet Talk pin. As the cloth wicks away
You can substitute a variety of sweeten- moisture, it leaves dry crushed
ers (see Equal Measures, page 62). ice, ideal for mounding.
 Build Your Best…

How to Make
an Old Fashioned
1 sugar cube or 1⁄2 tsp. sugar
2 dashes Angostura bitters
2 oz. bourbon or rye
Lemon or orange twist for garnish
In an Old Fashioned or short rocks glass,
add sugar, bitters, and half a splash of
water. Agitate with a spoon or muddler to
dissolve sugar. Add whiskey and one large
ice cube (or several smaller ones) and stir
well. Twist the citrus peel to release the
oils and run it around the rim of the glass,
then drop it into the cocktail.
YOU’RE DOING
IT WRONG
Failing to fully dissolve a sugar cube or
granulated sugar will leave you with an
unbalanced drink that turns crunchy at
the end. “When you put in the sugar and
bitters, add a tiny bit of water and stir
that around to at least start the dissolv-
ing,” says Treadway. Once you add ice, it
becomes much harder to dissolve.
OLD FASHIONED
F
or centuries, the Old Fashioned has
remained a staple at bars around the
world. “It is literally the definitive
Garnish
cocktail,” says Sam Treadway, owner of If you must maraschino, limit it to a
Backbar in Somerville, Massachusetts. single cherry. And aim to add an orange
or lemon twist, which lend a “blast of
“Once upon a time, the word ‘cocktail’ meant
citrus oil and aromatics when you first
specifically this one drink.” As trendy, newer
sip the drink,” according to Treadway.
cocktails were invented, it became known as
the “Old Fashioned cocktail.” CRE ATIVE SO LUTI O N
Will Benedetto, opening beverage director Eye Candy
and bar consultant at The Fox Bar & Cocktail That red cherry is mostly food coloring
Club in Nashville, says the Old Fashioned is and sugar anyway, so Benedetto
highly versatile with whiskey—and beyond. suggests being a bit more
“Any spirit—any worth drinking—can be made creative by reaching for
into an enlightening Old Fashioned,” he says. sugary snacks that echo
It’s doubtful that the elaborate craft cocktails flavors in the cocktail. Try a
of today will be remembered in a century. But toasted marshmallow,
caramel corn, or even
owing to its short list of common ingredients
gummy bears.
and simplicity, the Old Fashioned endures.
—Sam Stone

Sugar CR EATIVE S OLU TION Equal Measures

The Old Fashioned is traditionally made with either granulated white There’s a lot of variety in the world of cocktail sweeteners. Here are
sugar or a sugar cube. Superfine bar sugar is fast-dissolving and equivalencies for some common household sweeteners, although you
eliminates the potential for a crunchy cocktail, as does simple syrup. can always adjust to suit your personal sweet tooth.

Honey 3⁄8 tsp. Agave Syrup 3⁄8 tsp. Brown Sugar 1⁄2 tsp. Maple Syrup 3⁄8 tsp. Splenda 1⁄4 packet Cherry Syrup 3⁄4 tsp.
TIP “If you pour honey TIP Agave works well TIP If you’re substitut- TIP Check the TIP Artificial sweeten- TIP Maraschino
over an iced cocktail it with whiskey, but ing another spirit for ingredients of your ers are often highly cherries are packed in
won’t dissolve and Justin Mitchell, bar whiskey, use brown syrup. For the best concentrated. Mitchell sweet sugar syrup.
incorporate in the manager at The sugar to add a flavor, use 100% maple warns they require Mitchell suggests
drink,” says Benedetto. Dorian in San Fran- barrel-like nuance. syrup. A lot of inferior precise measurement using a barspoon’s
INSET PHOTOS: ISTOCK

His solution is to add cisco, switches to “Something dry like “maple-flavored to avoid over-sweet- worth of syrup, which
it to the room-temper- tequila and mezcal as genever or Lowlands syrups” are made ening your drink. is roughly 1⁄8 oz., or 3⁄4
ature spirit or thin it the base spirit for his tequila would pair well primarily of corn Splenda, for instance, tsp. Or you can smash
with a bit of warm Oaxacan Old with brown sugar,” syrup, Benedetto requires just 1⁄16 tsp., or a cherry in the glass to
water before mixing. Fashioned. says Benedetto. cautions. 1⁄4 of the packet. free its syrup.

62 SUMMER 2020 WHISKY ADVOCATE


WHISKY SELECTOR
As with the rest of its ingredients, the whisky used in an Old
Fashioned can be switched up. It’s traditionally made with rye
or bourbon, and if using bourbon, Mitchell recommends bottled
$40 and Under
BOURBON 89 Maker’s Mark
TOP: VIENNETTA / GETTY IMAGES; INSET PHOTOS: ISTOCK
Kentucky Straight 45%, $25
RYE 91 High West Double Rye!
46%, $40
JAPANESE 88 Suntory Toki
43%, $35
BLENDED SCOTCH 88 Johnnie
Walker 12 year old Black Label
40%, $36
SINGLE MALT SCOTCH
87 Glenmorangie Original 43%, $40
IRISH 90 The Irishman Founder’s
Reserve Blended 40%, $35
CANADIAN 94 Lot No. 40
43%, $40
Bitters
Bitters are an integral part of
holding the drink together. “It’s
almost like adding salt and
pepper to a food dish,” Treadway
says, adding that the bitters can
make the other flavors in the
cocktail taste even better.
CR EATIV E SO LUTI ON
Tea time
An Old Fashioned without bitters
lacks intrigue and balance.
Treadway says you can achieve a
good approximation
with the tannins of
black tea and bitter
citrus peel.
Simply steep one
strong black tea
bag (or 1 tsp.
loose-leaf tea) in ½ cup
of hot water for 5-10 minutes.
Remove the tea bag and add ¼
cup sugar to the hot tea. Stir until
dissolved. Use this simple syrup
as your sweetener, muddling it
with several citrus peels, for a
balanced cocktail.
in bond bourbon for a cocktail “with a little more bite.”
While Treadway points out that scotch works well in the
cocktail, he cautions that it can be “just a little aggressive on
the smoke,” so you need to choose accordingly.
Here’s a list of whiskies in a variety of styles and prices.
$60 and Under $100 and Under
BOURBON 92 Bulleit Blender’s BOURBON 90 Kentucky Peerless
Select Kentucky Straight (Batch Straight 54.9%, $70
001) 50%, $50 RYE 87 WhistlePig 10 year old
RYE 92 New Riff Bottled in Bond Straight 50%, $84
50%, $46
JAPANESE 89 Nikka Coffey Malt
JAPANESE 92 Kaiyo- Mizunara Oak 45%, $75
43%, $60
BLENDED SCOTCH 91 Compass
BLENDED SCOTCH 91 Sheep Dip Box Spice Tree 46%, $69
Original 40%, $43
SINGLE MALT SCOTCH
SINGLE MALT SCOTCH 93 91 Bruichladdich Bere Barley 2010
Ardbeg An Oa 46.6%, $60 50%, $100
IRISH 92 Powers Three Swallow IRISH 92 Tyrconnell 16 year old
43.2%, $48 Oloroso & Moscatel Cask-Finished
46%, $100
CANADIAN 92 Crown Royal Noble
Collection 13 year old Blenders’ CANADIAN 94 Masterson’s 10
Mash 45%, $60 year old Straight rye 45%, $70
WHISKY ADVOCATE SUMMER 2020 63
 How to Make
a Manhattan
Build Your Best…

MANHATTAN
2 oz. whiskey
1 oz. sweet vermouth
2 dashes Angostura bitters
Cocktail cherry or citrus peel for garnish
Combine whiskey, vermouth, and bitters
in a mixing glass. Add ice and stir until
chilled. Strain into a chilled coupe and
garnish with cherry or orange peel,
expressed over the glass.

T
he Manhattan cocktail—a simple
recipe of American whiskey, sweet
vermouth, and bitters that predates
the Martini—yields myriad combina-
tions to suit almost any whiskey lover.
“I’m very choosy, first, about which
rye—yes, rye—works best. Bourbon is too soft
for me in this drink,” says Charles Cer-
ankosky, co-owner of Good Luck, Cure, and
Jackrabbit Club in Rochester, New York.
However, many enjoy bourbon just fine, espe-
cially when matched with the right vermouth
YOU’RE DOING
IT WRONG
to balance its sweetness with bitterness and
“Do not shake a Manhattan! It’s messier
acidity. In fact, almost any style of whiskey than it needs to be, especially at home, and
you enjoy can shine in a Manhattan. a spirits-only based drink like this deserves
The modern Manhattan ratio is 2:1 whis- stirring only,” says Cerankosky. You can stir
key to vermouth, but the original skewed the in almost any containter, as long as you
opposite, with twice as much vermouth as have a strainer to hold back the ice.
whiskey. Try this lower-proof rendition Cerankosky says these work well in a pinch.
well-suited to summer—or find your sweet
spot somewhere in between. When these
ingredients meet with ice, it’s hard to go
wrong. PIE LARGE KEURIG
SERVER SALAD TRAY
—Jeffery Lindenmuth FORK

WHISKY SELECTOR
The classic dilemma of the Manhattan is bourbon or rye. Within these styles exists a lot of nuance. Bartender and instructor on Master-
Class Ryan Chetiyawardana often takes the middle ground with a high-rye bourbon. “I like the corn sweetness over a straight rye—but
currently I’m on wheated bourbons with a little extra age on them to give a balance of sweetness, creaminess, and wood spice,” he says.
BOLDER

Maker’s Mark Cask Strength Bourbon

(Batch 19-01) 54.4%, $40 Wild Turkey Rare Wild Turkey
Breed Bourbon 101 Straight
Old Overholt
BOURBON 58.4%, $45 Rye 50.5%, $26
Bonded Rye Rossville
BELIEVER 50%, $25 Union
“I’m a big believer in bourbon Larceny Barrel Proof Straight Rye
as the base in a Manhattan. Bourbon (Batch A120) 47%, $40
The vermouth in a Manhattan 61.6%, $50 Four Roses Old Forester
Single Barrel Straight Rye

OPPOSITE: MARTÍ SANS / STOCKSY; INSET PHOTOS: ISTOCK

adds sweetness, but you’re
also adding acidity.” Bourbon 50%, $24
High West Double
INTENSITY

Larceny Four Roses Small 50%, $48

—Jordan David Smith Bourbon Batch Bourbon Rye! 46%, $40
46%, $25 45%, $35
SWEETNESS FLAVOR SPICE
Woodford Reserve Distiller’s
Select Bourbon 45.2%, $35
RYE ROOTER
Maker’s Mark Bourbon 45%, $25 Bulleit 10 year
“I’m very choosy, first,
old Bourbon
Buffalo Trace about which rye—yes,
45.6%, $40
George Dickel Barrel Select Bourbon rye—works best.
Tennessee Whiskey 43%, $46 45%, $25 Bourbon is too soft
Basil Hayden’s 10 year for me in this drink.”
SOFTER

old Bourbon 40%, $60 —Charles Cerankosky

Evan Williams Jim Beam White Label
1783 Bourbon Bourbon 40%, $16
43%, $20

64 SUMMER 2020 WHISKY ADVOCATE


Ice
Use fresh ice—and lots of it, advises
Cerankosky. “If you stir with too little
ice, a greater amount of that ice
must melt to sufficiently lower the
temperature,” It sounds counterintu-
itive, but too little ice waters down a
drink faster.
CR E AT I VE SOLUT I ON
Just Add Water
For a foolproof Manhattan, Jordan
David Smith, spirits director at The
Backroom by ODO in New York City,
says you can skip the ice altogether.
Instead, add 1 oz. water per drink.
“Give it a quick stir and stick every-
thing in the fridge for an hour or two.
Perfectly chilled, perfectly diluted.”
Sweet Vermouth
Manhattan drinkers are as fanatical
about their vermouth as they are
their whiskey. “As an ingredient, it’s
bringing a lot to the table: sweetness,
acidity, weight, tannic structure, and
botanical depth,” says Smith.
CR E AT I VE SOLUT I ON
Grape Expectations
Other fortified wines—like tawny
port, oloroso sherry, and madeira—
can yield a tasty Manhat-
tan variation. When
using these in place
of vermouth, reduce
the amount to ¾ oz.
and up the whiskey to
2 ¼ oz., says Smith. A
fruit-forward red wine or
even grape juice can do the job by
adding extra bitters for balance.
Garnish
The maraschino cherry may be
an icon of the Manhattan,
but its sweetness lends
little to the drink. “A
nicely-trimmed, wide,
pithless plank of
lemon peel, rubbed
around the rim and
twisted over top before
being dropped in, does it for me,”
says Cerankosky.
CR EATIV E S OLU TIO N
Sugar and Spice
Deep, layered flavors offer lots of
inspiration for creative garnishes.
Meaghan Dorman of Dear Irving on
Hudson in New York City suggests the
complementary flavors of a square of
dark chocolate or a cinnamon stick.
Diving deeper into the spice rack,
Chetiyawardana prefers a bay leaf or
a sprig of rosemary.
Bitters
While Angostura bitters are the
classic, the third ingredient in a
Manhattan offers more variety than
ever before, with boutique bitters
that accentuate cardamom, grape-
fruit, chocolate, or even rhubarb. You
can also combine multiple varieties.
CR EATIV E S OLU TIO N
Bitters Truth
Making proper bitters takes time,
but an a la minute preparation will
lend the requisite olfactory flair.
James Arsenault, director of food
and beverage at Harbor View Hotel
in Edgartown, Massachusetts,
suggests combining baking spices
like cinnamon, clove, and nutmeg
with finely diced orange and other
citrus peel, and 2 to 3 tablespoons
of dark rum. “When the taste is to
your liking, strain it and you can use
the concoction for your at-home
bitters!” says Arsenault.
Build Your Best…

WHISKEY SOUR
WHISKY
SELECTOR
The Sour is forgiving when it
comes to whiskey. “It’s one
of those drinks that sort of existed because
the spirit was not good. And now using
superior product actually makes it even
better,” Sabo says. Bourbon and rye are the

B
right and buoyant, the Whiskey Sour
is whiskey dressed for a summer day.
The drink may have originated with
18th-century sailors combining
ingredients they had at hand, but the
unbeatable balance of spirit, sugar,
and citrus makes this drink transcend the
whims of cocktail fashion. “It’s beautiful in
its simplicity and it’s delicious and it manages
to be really fun, and it’s also a really nice
access point for whiskey for a lot of people,”
says Dan Sabo, director of food and beverage
at Fairmont Century Plaza in Los Angeles.
As long as you stay focused on a balance of
sweet, sour, and spirit, the Whiskey Sour
leaves plenty of room for interpretation or
tweaking to suit your palate. “There are a
How to Make
a Whiskey Sour
2 oz. bourbon or rye
3⁄4 oz. fresh-squeezed lemon juice
1⁄2 oz. rich simple syrup (recipe below)
1 egg white (optional)
Lemon peel and maraschino cherry for
garnish
Add whiskey, lemon juice, simple syrup,
and egg white to a cocktail shaker. Dry
shake (without ice). Add ice and shake
again to chill. Strain into a rocks glass over
cubed ice. Rub the rim of the glass with a
lemon peel. Float peel and cherry on top.
Rich Simple Syrup
2 cups granulated sugar
go-to choices, with Sabo preferring Ritten-
house Bottled in Bond rye and Bodenheimer
opting for Evan Williams Single Barrel
bourbon. Because it’s a dense drink, proof is
important. “You still want that spirit to come
through,” Sabo says. Avoid 40% ABV
whiskeys, which can get lost in the mix, and
reach for those between 43% and 50% ABV.
This cocktail is a wonderful way to
showcase solid whiskeys and create a
classic drink on a budget. We identified
bottles with substantial proof, ratings of 88
points and higher, and prices that permit a
delicious cocktail for just a few bucks.

thousand things you can do to add a little
twist to it and that’s one of the things that
great classics can do,” says Neal Boden-
heimer, co-owner of Cure in New Orleans. “It
can handle a little bit of innovation, but the
basic version is as good.”
Skip the bottled sour mix and get creative
using these fun tips. As Bodenheimer says,
“There’s really no limitation to what you can
do with a Whiskey Sour.”
—Ted Simmons
Get your Juices Flowing
1 cup water
Heat sugar and water until all sugar is
dissolved. Pour into a sealable container
and keep refrigerated for up to six weeks.
YOU’RE DOING
IT WRONG
Trying to juice lemons, or other citrus,
pulled directly from the refrigerator is
wasteful. As the cold fruit contracts, it
becomes more difficult to extract juice.
OPPOSITE: MARTÍ SANS / STOCKSY; INSET PHOTOS: ISTOCK; PROCESS ILLUSTRATIONS: ORLANDO HOETZEL
Whiskey Sours Under $2
88 Buffalo Trace 45%, $25 ($1.97 per drink)
89 Maker’s Mark 45%, $25 ($1.97 per drink)
88 Old Overholt Bonded rye
50%, $25 ($1.97 per drink)
Whiskey Sours Under $3
91 Evan Williams Single Barrel 2010
Vintage 43.3%, $30 ($2.36 per drink)
88 Rittenhouse Bottled in Bond rye 50%,
$28 ($2.21 per drink)
88 Wild Turkey 101 Straight rye 50.5%, $26
($2.05 per drink)

Whiskey Sours Under $4

To get the most yield Once thawed, place it Cut off the ends then Extract the juice 91 Bulleit 10 year old 45.6% $40
from citrus, place it in on the counter and slice it in half length- using a citrus reamer, ($3.15 per drink)
the freezer. The cell use your hand or a wise, not across, to stand juicer, or a fork. 91 High West Double Rye! 46%, $40
walls will rupture rolling pin to firmly get the most juice. Do Press the citrus ($3.15 per drink)
making for a more roll it back and forth cut across if using a against the tines, and 89 Jim Beam Single Barrel 47.5%, $40
fruitful squeeze. before cutting. handheld reamer. squeeze. ($3.15 per drink)

66 SUMMER 2020 WHISKY ADVOCATE

 Egg White
Egg white doesn’t impart flavor but adds a
creamy texture and a frothy head that can act as
a platform for final ingredients. “You can suspend
ingredients like bitters and orange peels or
lemon peels,” says Chris Tunstall, founder
of bartender consultancy A Bar Above.
If you have concerns about raw egg,
try pasteurized egg whites.
Lemon Juice
Fresh-squeezed lemon juice is what makes a Sour, well,
sour. Shelf-stable alternatives will suffice but beware of
added ingredients in the little plastic lemon- or lime-
shaped bottles. “I always notice a small metallic note to
shelf-stable citrus and the acid might be more pro-
nounced,” says Tunstall.
Look for 100% juice on the label; otherwise you’ll be
dealing with added sugar before you start mixing.
C R EAT I VE S O LU TION
Foam Improvement
Garnish
After whipping up some hummus, save the Lemon peel and maraschino
canned chickpea juice (also known as aqua- cherry are the modern stan-
faba). A tablespoon of this vegan alternative dard, but Sabo says you can use
will add frothy texture very similar to egg the peel of whatever citrus
white. “It doesn’t quite tame down the you’ve squeezed.
acidity as much as an egg white does,”
CR EATIV E SO LUTIO N
Tunstall says, “but it still creates more
of that harmony in the cocktail.” Jarring Experience
No fancy brandied cherries at
hand? According to Sabo, you
can upgrade a jar of grocery
store sundae toppers by
dumping out half the liquid and
replacing it with brandy or
bourbon to infuse them over
several days. At the very least,
give them a rinse so the sweet
syrup doesn’t throw your drink
out of balance.
CR EATIV E SO LUTIO N
Dash Away
A few dashes of bitters
splashed across the frothy head
are an easy alterna-
tive to garnish that
will add a deeper
dimension to the
bright and
buoyant drink.
“Bitters act like salt
in cooking,” Boden-
heimer says. “It helps bind
things and make homogenous
flavors.”
Simple Syrup
You can balance the sharp bite
of citrus with virtually any
sweetener at hand (see Equal
Measures, page 62).
C R EAT I VE S OLU TION
Acid Reigns
When replacing lemon juice with other citrus, reduce the amount of
simple syrup to match the level of acidity. “It’s really fun to experi-
ment with whatever citrus you can get your hands on,” says Sabo.
For lime juice, cut sugar only slightly; the two fruits have similar acidity
levels. When using grapefruit, reduce the simple syrup to about 1⁄4 oz.
With orange juice, reduce the simple syrup to just 1⁄2 tsp. According to Sabo, the
addition of 1⁄2 oz. of orange juice is his secret to a great Whiskey Sour, adding flavor
and gently tempering the bite of lemon juice.
Annabel Thomas, founder of Nc’nean
Distillery, began producing scotch
whisky in 2017 exclusively using
100% organic barley.
RESH ACES
New distilleries express
a bright future for
single malt scotch
BY JONNY M C CORMICK

HE BEST-KNOWN single malt scotch distill-

ers are quick to point to their long history, persever-
ance, and established reputations for greatness. But for
the first time in nearly a hundred years, they are finding
themselves in the company of a throng of newcomers.
Distillery construction in Scotland hasn’t been this
active since the beginning of the 20th century. While
new distillers follow the rules and enjoy the cachet
associated with the world’s most premium spirit, they
are also innovative by nature. These new scotch distill-
ers are finding their niche among the ranks of the old
guard. For whisky lovers, that means a greater selection
of single malts to choose from and fresh directions,
including creative approaches to distilling and finishing.

Green Light
The basis for the surge in new distilleries is more than
just entrepreneurs chasing a piece of the whisky boom.
There are deeper reasons concerning the environment,
the subtle ways in which whisky making is changing,
regulations that now permit smaller stills, and the
general gravitation toward food and drink born of
personalities and places. “There has been a big shift
away from the industrial production of food and drink
by large corporations to more manageable businesses
that have a clear provenance, a face behind the name,
and a reason for being,” says Annabel Thomas, founder
of Nc’nean Distillery. “A lot of it is about trust: That’s
what’s driven the change in beer and gin, and I believe
that’s what’s driving the change in whisky as well.” This

WHISKY ADVOCATE SUMMER 2020 69

 A picturesque view of Nc’nean Distillery.
Below left to right: Nc’nean’s distilling team;
the stillhouse; a delivery of wood chips arrive
to feed the distillery’s biomass boiler.
next-generation distiller hasn’t broken ranks
with the tradition of daunting Gaelic names,
however. Neachneohain means “queen of
spirits” in Gaelic but, true to form, pronunci-
ation is not as hard as it looks once you know
how it’s done: Nc-NEE-an.
Thomas converted vacant buildings on her
parents’ farm in the west of Scotland, fulfill-
ing a family dream to create a distillery. As
the project took shape, she toured Islay dis-
tilleries but was disheartened to hear the
same message repeatedly: Whisky was being
made the same way as it always had been. “I
could see what was happening with whisky
in the rest of the world, and felt it wasn’t
happening enough in Scotland,” she says.
“One of the challenges is that scotch is so
tightly regulated by the SWA [Scotch Whisky
Association]. I think that limits creativity, and
that’s a bad thing for moving the industry on.
It’s not like the regulations on scotch at the
70 SUMMER 2020 WHISKY ADVOCATE
moment mean that every bottle of scotch is
great: It just means that every bottle of scotch
is quite similar to another one.” Thomas
points out that distillers in England and else-
where have more freedom to innovate, and
she sees that creative competition as a mas-
sive risk to the future of scotch. It’s not any
particular regulation that Thomas finds re-
strictive, more the general approach. “Exist-
ing large corporate interests dominate the
SWA, which is the fundamental problem. Its
presence reduces creativity,” she says. “Basi-
cally, you’re not allowed to do anything that
isn’t already being done. You’re taking on
corporates with massive marketing budgets
that small new distilleries don’t have in gen-
eral, but the good thing is it forces a more
creative approach that can create more inter-
esting results for the whisky drinker.”
Nc’nean began distilling 100% organic spirit
in 2017, with sustainability front and center.
“Sustainability is important to it, because it’s
important to me,” Thomas emphasizes. “The
distillery is located in a very wild and natural
place, so we need to tread lightly.” Surrounded
by dense forest, Nc’nean invested in a biomass
boiler that burns wood chips from local timber
to provide energy for distillation. Thomas pays
a substantial premium to source organic bar-
ley from 10 certified farms scattered up and
down Scotland’s east coast. Organic farming
reduces barley’s significant carbon footprint
and encourages biodiversity. “You either think
that’s important or you don’t, but being 100%
organic felt very important to me,” she says.
Despite reports of challenges from distilleries
that have undertaken organic production,
Thomas finds the local barley handles well
and delivers respectable yields—close to 400
liters of pure alcohol (lpa) per ton.
Nc’nean aims to make 100,000 lpa annu-
ally, about 1/150 of Macallan Distillery’s
capacity, from two main recipes. One is de-
signed as a great young whisky with a shorter
maturation due to its blend of yeasts and high
cut points during distillation that exclude
feinty characteristics. The other is more
classic, using a narrower slice of the distillate,
designed to take longer to reach peak matu-
ration and develop more flavor complexity.
At Nc’nean even the waste products aren’t
discarded. The spent grain, or draff, goes to
cows for feed, the pot ale and other effluent is
suitable as fertilizer, and the ash from the bio-
mass boiler is spread on the vegetable garden.
Nc’nean has experimented with yeast
strains used for rum, red wine, chardonnay,
champagne, tequila, and cachaça. “It’s abso-
lutely amazing,” beams Thomas. “The rum
yeast produces pineapple flavors in the spirit,
and the red wine yeast produces lots of lovely
red fruits. We just haven’t answered how
much of the flavors will carry through into
the mature product yet.”
When Nc’nean advertised for a distillery The Isle of Raasay Distillery team (above)
manager, only men applied for the position. produces both unpeated and heavily peated
“I think that has ramifications—when con- whiskies; head distiller Iain Robertson (left).
sumers go ‘round distilleries and only see
men working there, that sends subliminal together like the Japanese?” he thought.
messages in terms of who drinks the prod- Another of Day’s ambitions—to grow bar-
uct,” Thomas notes. “If you talk to Heriot- ley on the island—was met by a local farmer
Watt [Scottish university with brewing and with a mixture of incredulity and pragma-
distilling courses] graduates, there is still bias tism. “He almost fell off his seat laughing,”
against women on the program going into admits Day. “‘It’ll grow,’ he told me, ‘but it
whisky.” Thomas was recently inundated by won’t ripen.’” Day became a convert to the
180 applications when she offered one-week importance of barley varieties after tasting
internships to encourage more women to the whiskies from the Bere barley trials for
take up production jobs in whisky, and her Bruichladdich and Arran, as well as Highland
message is clear: “If this is what you want to Park’s Tartan barley project, conducted with
do, you should do it.”
Nc’nean is currently finalizing its flagship
Isle of Raasay is a the help of Dr. Peter Martin from the Univer-
sity of the Highlands & Islands.
product, with plans to debut it in 2021. “It’s traditional Scottish The lure of a 100% Raasay whisky was
totally magical watching how much a spirit irresistible to Day, and Nordic countries with
changes if you add a drop more from this cask island distillery similar high rainfall and short ripening sea-
or that cask,” says Thomas, who has ruled out sons to the island helped to encourage him.
auctioning off the inaugural release in favor of channeling Japanese Barley explorations led to the current crop of
selling it at retail. “A lot of what we’re about is
trying to make whisky more accessible and
whisky-making Brage, a Norwegian six-row, and Iskria, an
Icelandic two-row. (The farmer was proved
less stuffy: Having bottles for $1,000 has the
opposite effect.”
sensibilities. right: Popular barley strains Concerto and
Golden Promise grew, but failed to ripen.)
Like the best Japanese distillers, Raasay
Island Life of paper,” explains Day. “In Scotland, each makes both unpeated and heavily peated
Isle of Raasay is a traditional Scottish island distillery has its own style, but we haven’t got a whiskies, which can also be blended together
distillery channeling Japanese whisky-making distillery that’s been here for 200 years.” The in the future for a lightly peated style.
sensibilities. Following some successful very notion of a single distillery style is rooted Longer-than-usual fermentations are respon-
adventures in blending with the Tweeddale in the business of blended scotch, when single sible for dark fruit flavors of cherry and
Blend in 2009, co-founder Alasdair Day found malt distillers aimed to supply a consistent blackcurrant. Yeasts typically used for grain
his ideal location for a distillery on Raasay, an product to their primary buyers, the big blend- whiskies and champagne are utilized to de-
island off an island (Skye) in the Hebrides ing houses. So Day drew inspiration from velop other key flavors.
without a history of legitimate distilling. another single malt nation. “What if we made It takes a distiller’s eye to spot some of
“We had the luxury of having a blank sheet different styles in one place and blended them Raasay’s more technical advances. Cooling

WHISKY ADVOCATE SUMMER 2020 71

 26 jackets are able to hold fermentation at a set
ISLANDS
temperature to produce flavorsome second-
ary compounds from the yeast. The yin and
yang of the lyne arms show a gentle decline
17 from the wash still, but an incline from the
24 14 Glen Wyvis
Dingwall spirit still that promotes reflux. There’s an-
14 Established 2015 other cooling jacket on the wash still lyne
10
18 6
8 glenwyvis.com arm, which if deployed ensures heavier com-
SPEYSIDE 15 Holyrood pounds are returned to the pot still. “It actu-
25
11 Edinburgh ally builds up more character in our heavily
Established 2019 peated spirit,” Day explains. A six-plate puri-
5 HIGHLANDS
holyrooddistillery.co.uk fier allows them to switch between a tradi-
22 3
16 Inchdairnie tional spirit still and a Carter-Head still
23
1 21 12
Glenrothes (typically used to produce gin). For the
Established 2014 whisky lover, the takeaway is boundless per-
19
16 inchdairniedistillery.com
mutations from a single distillery.
4 13 15 17 Isle of Harris “Twenty-five years ago, people were
9
Harris amazed at single malt scotch and thought
ISLAY Established 2015
about how to make it in their own countries
20 LOWLANDS harrisdistillery.com
7 and make it better,” says Day. “Now we
CAMPBELTOWN 18 Isle of Raasay should be looking at what they’ve done, and
Raasay
2
bring that back to scotch.”
Established 2016
raasaydistillery.com Day feels the SWA regulations offer him an
advantage over non-Scottish producers. “We
19 Kingsbarns
are absolutely working within the SWA regu-

FRESH OUT OF SCOTLAND

St Andrews
Established 2000 lations and we’re not going to try and step
kingsbarnsdistillery.com outside them because of how it protects
scotch. It does make scotch special and I
Scotch whisky distilleries established since 2010 20 Lagg
Arran think there are lots of approaches we can
Established 2017 take as a new, small, independent distillery.”
1 Aberargie 8 BrewDog laggwhisky.com Raasay’s core whisky is matured in rye
Perthshire (formerly Lone Wolf)
Established 2017 Ellon 21 Lindores Abbey barrels, red wine casks, and high-char, high-
No website Established 2016 Newburgh toast virgin Chinkapin oak casks. The latter,
brewdog.com Established 2017 Quercus muehlenbergeii, is an oak species that
2 Annandale lindoresabbeydistillery.com
Annan 9 The Clydeside delivers more dark fruit characteristics than
Established 2014 Glasgow 22 Nc’nean the vanilla typically produced from the ubiq-
annandaledistillery.com Established 2017 Drimnin uitous Quercus alba. Raasay’s warehouses
theclydeside.com Established 2017 also feature bordeaux wine casks from Châ-
3 Arbikie ncnean.com
Inverkeilor 10 Dalmunach teau Calon-Ségur, Château Margaux, and
Established 2013 Carron 23 Strathearn Château Palmer, along with bourbon and
arbikie.com Established 2015 Methven manzanilla sherry casks in order to take full
No website Established 2013
4 Ardnahoe advantage of the color, depth, and complexity
strathearndistillery.com
Islay 11 Deeside of flavors created by the cask and its former
Established 2018 (formerly Twin River) 24 Thompson Bros. contents.
ardnahoedistillery.com Banchory Dornoch
The distillery opened in 2017, but if Day
Established 2017 Established 2016
5 Ardnamurchan deesidedistillery.net thompsonbrosdistillers. could give advice to his younger self, it would
Acharacle be to build the distillery 10 years ago. The inau-
com
Established 2014 12 Eden Mill gural release and the Raasay individual cask
adelphidistillery.com St Andrews 25 Torabhaig
Established 2012 Skye offer are available at raasaydistillery.com, with
6 Ballindalloch edenmill.com Established 2017 the core malt slated for spring 2021.
Ballindalloch
torabhaig.com
Established 2013 13 Glasgow
ballindallochdistillery.com Glasgow 26 Wolfburn Fruit Machine
Established 2014 Thurso In an area rich with Scotland’s finest links
7 The Borders glasgowdistillery.com Established 2013 courses, Kingsbarns Distillery sits six miles
Hawick
wolfburn.com from St Andrews, the “home of golf.” It was
Established 2018
thebordersdistillery.com the brainchild of local caddy Doug Clement,
who noted that his golfers frequently wanted
Map does not include existing distillery expansions, distillery to visit a distillery but were flummoxed that
TOURS OFFERED resurrections, grain distilleries, experimental distilleries, or rebuilds. none existed within a 50-mile radius.

72 SUMMER 2020 WHISKY ADVOCATE

 Kingsbarns distillery manager
Peter Holroyd takes a hands-on
approach to distillation.

Independent bottler Wemyss Malts lovely tropical fruit,” says Holroyd.

joined the venture in 2012, bringing
blending and bottling expertise as Kingsbarns is now one of the “We also fill Portuguese red wine STR
[shave, toast, re-char] casks, which
well as the requisite funds, and the
distillery is now one of the front-
front-runners in the revitalized gives quite complex flavors of plum
wine and herbal notes.”
runners in the revitalized Lowlands
region, known for its floral and
Lowlands region, known for its The distillery’s first generally
available release, Kingsbarns Dream
elegant whiskies. floral and elegant whiskies. to Dram, comprises 90% first-fill
“You don’t just start a distillery by bourbon and 10% STR casks. “The
plumbing things together, pressing a nose is like a candy store, with tropi-
button, and waiting to see what comes out possibility of extremely tall stills. Its work- cal fruit, pineapple, a bit of icing sugar,” says
the other side,” says Peter Holroyd, Kings- around was to install relatively horizontal Holroyd. “The STR casks deliver richness on
barns distillery manager. “Every aspect has lyne arms to increase the copper contact en the palate, a little bit of sourness mid-palate,
been meticulously planned, from the raw route to the condenser. “We take our time and a hint of ginger on the finish.”
materials [and] the production process to the with distillation and run our stills slowly,” Regardless of their inventiveness, distill-
engineering of the plant.” This starts with shares Holroyd, noting that rather than auto- eries like Kingsbarns share the traits of pride
locally grown barley and clear wort from the mation, distillation adjustments are made by and authenticity inherent to veteran scotch
mash tun to enable the development of fruity hand. “We’ve got a very high spirit cut point, distillers. “If you’re a relatively small pro-
esters courtesy of two yeast strains, with as we’re really just targeting the top of what ducer like us, it pays to make a premium prod-
Fermentis Lesaffre yeast boosting the pro- is coming off the still.” uct,” says Holroyd. He is even getting out of
duction of fruity top notes and complexity. Kingsbarns is shooting for 200,000 lpa, the distillery occasionally to proudly pour the
Due to its location in a historic 18th-century which equates to filling around 34 barrels a whisky at tastings. Despite its youth, it’s im-
building, Kingsbarns was not permitted to week. “We put our new make predominantly pressing even skeptical scotch lovers. After
construct anything higher than the tallest into first-fill bourbon casks from Heaven Hill all, he’s offering a taste of single malt scotch
point of the original structure, ruling out the Distillery, which consistently give us vanilla and unlike anything they’ve experienced before. „

WHISKY ADVOCATE SUMMER 2020 75

V
irag Saksena had already been
brewing beer for a couple decades
when, in 2011, he began dreaming
up a plan to make American single
malt that could stand up to the
finest whiskies from Scotland and
Japan. “In order to do that, the first step was
to understand how the old masters made it,”
Saksena says. He traveled to the source of the
big peated malt whiskies he most adored,
apprenticing at an Islay distillery before he
and business partner Vishal Gauri—both
engineers—opened 10th Street Distillery in an
industrial part of San Jose, California in 2017.
Using a pair of 500-gallon copper pot stills
that are dwarfed by their lofty 6,500-square-
foot space, they’re making peated and
unpeated malt whiskey that is rooted in
European tradition, but with unmistakable
California provenance.
To make their peated whiskey, Saksena and
Gauri use San Jose’s alkaline, mineral-rich
water for mashing and fermentation, combin-
ing it with custom-peated malt sourced from
the Highlands of Scotland. “If you have water
76 SUMMER 2020 WHISKY ADVOCATE
Craft distillers chart the
course to an exciting new
world of single malts
BY ZAK KOSTRO
that is hard, you have to [use] grain that is
more acidic,” Saksena explains. “In our case,
the peated grain, which is acidic, works well
with our water, which comes from Sierra
Nevada snowmelt.” They also open their
fermentation tanks to allow the local micro-
flora to enter and interact with the mash,
introducing a distinct sense of place that
Saksena calls “Bay Area terroir.” This makes
for a “tart wash reminiscent of the famed San
Francisco sourdough,” he says, and creates a
“rich, fruity” new-make spirit.
Like most Scottish single malt, 10th Street’s
peated whiskey is matured in used bourbon
barrels “to tone down the oak elements and
[allow] the more delicate notes from the malt
to shine through, something which is lost
when you use fresh wood,” Saksena says.
However, San Jose’s warm climate acceler-
ates the process of barrel maturation. “The
hot weather makes the angels really greedy,”
Saksena quips, referring to the costly loss of
liquid from the barrel to evaporation. “Our
angels’ share is several times what you’d see
in Scotland. Luckily, the temperature is just
right, where even though aging happens STAN OLSZEWSKI / SOSKIPHOTO
faster, it remains a mellow whiskey. It doesn’t
pick up any harsh flavors from the wood.”
Each of these factors plays a role in creat-
ing a distinctive whiskey Saksena describes
as “clean and complex,” less aggressively
peated than a brawny Ardbeg or Lagavulin.
“We’ve stayed away from elements that
would [exert] a heavy influence” on the
whiskey’s flavor, he explains. “And the way
 10th Street Distillery partners
Vishal Gauri (left) and Virag
Saksena make whiskey following
European tradition, yet steeped
in California provenance.
we’re distilling it, we get nice fruity cuts. So
you’re getting all of these flavors, but in
moderation, balancing each other out. It’s an
easy-drinking whiskey, similar to the easy-
going spirit of California.” A taste of this
highly original whiskey, and others like it,
may be the best way to put your finger on
the emerging style, given that there is not
yet a legal definition of what constitutes
American single malt.
That lack of formality has not prevented
single malt whiskey from becoming a
Striving to Define
American Single Malt
T
he American Single Malt
Whiskey Commission
was founded by nine
distilleries in 2016 and has since grown
to include some 160 craft distillers from
around the country who seek to
establish a standard of identity for
American single malt. “What’s most
important is that the industry at large—
the trade, the retailers, the bars and
restaurants of the world, and ultimately
consumers—starts to recognize this
category,” commission president Steve
Hawley says. “We want consumers to
have confidence that what they’re
picking up off the shelf, what they think
is in that bottle, is actually in that
bottle.”
The commission’s proposed definition
stipulates that American single malt be:
• made from 100% malted barley
• distilled entirely at one distillery
• mashed, distilled, and matured in
the U.S.
• matured in oak casks with a volume
no larger than 700 liters
• distilled to no more than 80% ABV
• bottled at 40% ABV or higher
Comparatively, the Scotch Whisky
Regulations of 2009 dictate more
specifics for single malt scotch whisky,
including pot still distillation, a minimum
of three years’ maturation, and the
prohibition of certain cask types.
Furthermore, all scotch must retain the
characteristics of its raw materials and
production and maturation methods—a
stipulation often interpreted as the
means to ensure that the whisky retain
“traditional” flavors and aromas.
78 SUMMER 2020 WHISKY ADVOCATE
full-blown movement in the U.S., with more
than 160 producers across the country distill-
ing from 100% barley. (To add to the confu-
sion, American regulations list a definition
for malt whiskey, which requires at least 51%
malted barley and maturation in new charred
oak barrels.)
Defining the Future
The American Single Malt Whiskey Commis-
sion, a group of 160 or so craft distillers from
around the country, is rallying behind a
formal petition to define the style—made
from 100% malted barley, distilled at a single
distillery, made and aged in the U.S.—and
their proposal has been under review by the
Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau
(TTB) for over a year. This proposal em-
braces some of the most important tenets of
Virag Saksena
distills both
peated and
unpeated
single malt at
his San Jose,
California
distillery.
single malt scotch, while leaving room for
creativity by omitting requirements like
minimum aging times or cask types, other
than that the whiskey be matured in oak
casks no larger than 700 liters.
“Single malt whisky is inherently interest-
ing because of its diversity,” says American
Single Malt Whiskey Commission president
Steve Hawley. American single malt in partic-
ular promises “a lot of creativity and innova-
tion,” he adds. “You’ve got 160 distilleries [in
the commission] in a country that’s enor-
mously larger than Scotland. There’s a wide
range of climates and styles that are emerg-
ing. We’re also living in a country that’s
largely free from the chains of tradition and
convention. That allows us to explore single
malts in a different way—even within a
definition that is largely very similar to the
Scotch Whisky Association’s,” which stipu-
lates, among other criteria, that it must be
made from 100% malted barley, in a pot still,
at only one distillery.
“We’re trying to make it our own,” says
master distiller Lance Winters of Alameda,
California’s St. George Spirits, one of Ameri-
can single malt’s earliest pioneers. “One of
the things for me that defines America is
being able to do something that’s a little dif-
ferent. There hasn’t been a single malt tradi-
tion in the United States, so it was an
opportunity to create our own tradition for
an American single malt.”
Winters, who came to St. George in 1996
after working as a brewer, saw the potential for
greater flavor variety by distilling from barley
roasted to different levels. “Look at a very tradi-
The American Single Malt
Whiskey Commission is
rallying behind a formal
petition to define the style. STAN OLSZEWSKI / SOSKIPHOTO
tional Scottish brand, and it’s either pale malt
or smoked malt, and that’s it,” Winters says.
“There’s no range to that.” With his brewing
background, he recognized the bold aromatics
and flavors in beer made from more heavily
roasted grains and started experimenting with
them to make whiskey. “We’ve got crystal
malts, chocolate malt, black patent malt,
 hardwood-smoked malt,” Winters says, rattling
off ingredients familiar to fans of German lager,
English porter, and Irish stout. St. George ages
its whiskeys for various amounts of time in
casks that held bourbon, port, sherry, and Cali-
fornia sauternes-style wine, among others, to
further broaden the flavor spectrum. “We’re
definitely shifting the profile,” Winters adds.
Stranahan’s—said to be Colorado’s first
legal distillery since Prohibition—opened in
Denver in 2004, building a portfolio of Ameri-
can single malts and gaining a cult following
for limited-edition releases like Snowflake, a
special blend of different ages and maturation
profiles that changes annually. Head distiller
Owen Martin, who took over from longtime
master distiller Rob Dietrich in 2019, is tack-
ling the chance to leave his fingerprint on a
still-developing whiskey style. “You have the
entrenched institutions of bourbon and
scotch, and American single malt is kind of
finding its way in between those two and
building itself up,” Martin says. “We can take
cues from what we like about both of those
industries and incorporate that into this new
category.”
Similar to St. George, the Stranahan’s house
style draws inspiration from craft brewing,
experimenting with a variety of specialty
malts—including black, caramel, and choco-
late—that Martin says lend the whiskey “a
whole other source of flavors that you don’t Top: St. George Spirits master
see in most scotch.” Meanwhile, ample stocks distiller Lance Winters’ brew-
aging at Stranahan’s allow him to tinker with ing background informs
his whiskey’s mashbill. Below:
the intensity of oak influence in the whiskey’s
Stranahan’s in Colorado has
flavor by considering the amount of time the gained a cult following for its
liquid spends resting in new wood. Matura- limited-edition single malts.
tion starts in new charred oak barrels, the
same as those used for bourbon and rye whis-
key. “But what I play with is how long we
leave the whiskey in that initial barrel,” Mar-
tin says. “Because the longer we leave it in
there, the more bourbon-y flavors we get—
wood sugars, caramel, vanilla. The amount of
time before we decide to take it out and ei-
ther put it in finishing barrels or bottle it—
that’s where we’re defining what American
single malt means.” Leaving the spirit in new
charred oak for four years, for example, al-
lows the malt character to shine through
without barrel flavors taking over. “Then
we’ll put it into wine barrels or other whiskey
barrels, which won’t give all that oak extrac-
tive, but allow the malt flavor to carry on
TOP: MATT SALVO

while adding more nuance to it.”

Virginia Distillery Co. in Lovingston began
distilling single malt in 2015 and, while wait-
ing for it to mature, has offered a series of
cask-finished whiskeys that combine the

WHISKY ADVOCATE SUMMER 2020 79


10
American Single Malts
to Try Now
93 Balcones Brujeria Sherry
Cask-Finished (Batch 18-1)
62.9% • $130
Raisins and dried chile on the nose, a full,
tannic palate, and dark chocolate on
the finish.
91 Virginia Distillery Co. Courage &
Conviction (George G. Moore Batch)
46% • $75
Lemon and orange oil, guava, kiwi, dried
leaves, nutty tobacco, and peppery spice,
with a gentle, slow-fading finish.
90 Stranahan’s Sherry Cask
(Batch 004) 47% • $80
Milk chocolate Toblerone, grape soda,
raspberry coulis, candied ginger, almonds,
Fig Newtons, and drying oak.
90 Westland Garryana (Batch 4|1)
50% • $150
A gentle nose precedes a rich, robust
palate with nuts and mocha, and a short
but satisfying finish.
89 10th Street 46% • $65
Briny, with rubbery, mineral peat on the
nose, a sweet and savory palate, and a
nutty finish.
89 Hillrock Estate (Barrel No.
OPX-30) 48.2% • $105
A vibrant nose of baby back ribs and
grilled corn; finishes with lingering
savory smoke.
88 McCarthy’s Oregon
(Batch W13-01) 42.5% • $55
Bold peat with creamy malt leads to a
refined finish.
88 Whiskey Del Bac Dorado
45% • $56
Dripping with barbecue flavors; cayenne,
walnuts, and spiced ginger balanced with
apples, oranges, and pears.
87 St. George (Lot 19) 43% • $100
Chocolate-covered marshmallows, plums,
nectarines, and hot cocoa with whipped
cream.
87 Westward 45% • $80
Creamed honey, caramel, and candied
nuts balance big vanilla from new
charred oak.
80 SUMMER 2020 WHISKY ADVOCATE
company’s own-make single malt with malt
whiskies sourced from Scotland’s Highlands.
The delightfully original Cider Cask Finished
ranked No. 13 in Whisky Advocate’s 2018 Top
20. More recently, Virginia Distillery Co.’s
Prelude: Courage & Conviction American
single malt—a limited-release preview of the
fully mature single malt—scored 90 points in
the Buying Guide. The whiskey is malt-for-
ward, with layers of fruit, nut, spice, and honey
flavors. The 91-rated Courage & Conviction
George G. Moore batch, just released in April,
shows lemon and orange oil, guava, kiwi, dried
leaves, nutty tobacco, and peppery spice.
Instead of incorporating a multitude of
different malt types, Virginia Distillery Co.
focuses on mashing, fermentation, and matu-
ration, while leveraging the state’s climate—
hot and humid in the summer, but often
below freezing in the winter—to produce a
single malt whiskey that shines in its com-
plexity and balance. “Rather than insulating
ourselves from the wild temperature swings
in Virginia, we end up embracing them,” CEO
Gareth Moore says. “That’s kind of the easy
part—letting the climate do its thing. In warm
maturation environments, there’s going to be
a lot of influence from the cask in a shorter
period of time than in a traditional climate
like Scotland. The more complex part is
working with our distillate to match those
temperature swings.”
Virginia Distillery Co. uses a longer mash-
ing cycle to create a clearer wort and elimi-
nate cereal flavors from the husks of the grain
carrying through to distillation. It also uses
two different yeast strains and short, high-
temperature fermentations to drive the de-
velopment of fruit and floral esters, with a
sweet flavor profile, before aging the spirit in
three different cask types: bourbon, sherry,
and what Moore calls cuvée. First-fill bour-
bon barrels impart a mellower flavor than
new charred oak, Moore says, but still more
robust than typically found in single malt
scotch. “If you’re sending barrels to Scotland,
it doesn’t make sense to ship empty air across
the ocean, so they’re [often] broken down and
re-coopered on the other side,” Moore ex-
plains. “But if you’re sending them one state
over,” from neighboring Kentucky, they arrive
intact. “That means they’re a little bit fresher,
with more of the bourbon influence, sweeter
notes that would otherwise dry out.”
The cuvée casks, sourced from European
red wine makers, have been shaved, toasted,
and re-charred (the process is known as STR,
and such casks are used by dozens of distill-
eries around the world, including at least a
handful of American single malt producers).
“The inside of the cask has been shaved to a
very precise layer,” Moore notes. “It’s deep
enough that it’s getting to wood that hasn’t
previously been toasted, but also not so deep
that it [eliminates] the influence of the wine.”
When the cooper toasts and re-chars the
barrels, it “creates this really nice crust that
brings out a lot of the sugars in the wood—
even more so than just a regular char, because
it’s not just the wood that’s being toasted—it’s
the wine.” These cuvée casks can impart
intense flavors into the whiskey in as little as
two or three years—a significantly shorter
period of time than aging in bourbon or
sherry casks—so Moore and the distillery
team keep close watch on the liquid as it
matures. “You’re always looking for balance,
and don’t want the STR cask to overpower the
fragile distillate,” Moore adds. “Malted barley
has a lot of very delicate flavors, and we want
that to shine through in the final product.”
Grappling for Consensus
The American Single Malt Whiskey Commis-
sion hopes to secure a formal definition for
the style “within a year,” Hawley says,
although when that could actually happen
remains decidedly uncertain. “It’s out of our
hands at this point and up to the TTB,” he
adds.
Because difference of opinion is a corner-
stone of American discourse, not every dis-
tiller has embraced the commission’s
proposed definition. Among them is Winters,
who believes it’s too soon to establish strict
regulations. “I think that we need to have a
longer period of experimentation, innovation,
and exploration before we say firmly, ‘This is
what [American single malt] has to be,’” Win-
ters says. “There might be [distillers] coming
up with really brilliant ideas and beautiful
executions that would make the category
even more valid and vibrant, and…they get
cut out of the party” if the commission’s
proposed guidelines were ratified. “A far
more valuable regulation for us as distillers
[and for consumers] is one that just insists on
transparency—‘This is how a product is
made, this is what it’s made from, and this is STAN OLSZEWSKI / SOSKIPHOTO
who makes it,’” Winters adds.
A single malt, whether defined by the
Scotch Whisky Regulations or the American
commission’s proposed standard of identity,
can come from only one distillery—that’s the
“single” part. So it’s not surprising that High
West master distiller Brendan Coyle ignited
debate when he asserted that the distillery’s
High Country American single malt—its first

100% malt whiskey, a complex blend of three
different recipes across three different barrel
finishes—is still a single malt, despite the fact
that the liquid was made at two different
sites. High West’s production is spread
across two distilleries—its Park City, Utah
saloon and its ranch facility in nearby Wan-
ship. Each operates under a separate distilled
spirits plant license, and High Country in-
cludes whiskeys from both sites. While some
would say that makes High Country a
blended malt rather than a single malt, Coyle
disagrees. All the liquid “is coming from
100% High West Distillery-owned facilities,”
he said when High Country debuted last
RON RAMMELKAMP
December. “They’re really one and the same.
In a way, it’s like running two different reci-
pes in one location—just happens to be two
different locations, but controlled by the one
driving force.”
“Single malt whisky is
inherently interesting
because of its diversity.”
—STEVE HAWLEY, PRESIDENT OF THE
AMERICAN SINGLE MALT WHISKEY COMMISSION
While Coyle says High West shares “most
views” with the commission, he also believes
there’s room for “robust discussion” when it
comes to establishing an official designation
for American single malt. “High West is a
blender and a producer,” Coyle explains.
“Blending is a very important part of the artis-
tic nature of what we do. For the most part, I
think that aligning with Scotland’s definition
of single malt is a benefit. But I do think that
Virginia Distillery Co. owners
Gareth and Maggie Moore began
distilling single malt in 2015.
we should differentiate a little more for Amer-
ican single malt, open it up a bit, and allow the
opportunity for some more innovation and
blending. It’s very important that we have a
definition that does not allow third-party
[sourced whiskey] to go into a single malt. But
I do think that having the versatility of using
different plants,” provided they belong to the
same distillery, “would be a great addition to
the definition. That’s where [the commission
and High West] kind of differ.”
Even without an official definition locked
in, Saksena sees the road ahead as unequivo-
cally auspicious—for 10th Street and other
craft distillers who are charting the course
for American single malt whiskey. “We’re
trying to create something based on our ter-
roir,” Saksena says. “Rich, complex, flavorful
whiskeys which are not bound by what the
normal conventions have been.” „
WHISKY ADVOCATE SUMMER 2020 81
 VOLUME 29, NUMBER 2 • SUMMER 2020
BUYING GUIDE
I
n the whisky world, “finished” refers to
whiskies that undergo a second matura-
tion in a distinct type of cask to add a final
layer of flavor. They are a familiar topic
around Whisky Advocate and on page 41 we look
at distillers that are using multiple specialty
finishing casks on the same whisky.
This practice may seem excessive, but our
ratings bear witness to the success of whisky
IRISH DISTILLERS
finishes. No style of whisky, and no empty cask,
seem immune to distillers and their penchant for
creative finishing. Among the finished whiskies
you’ll discover sprinkled throughout the Buying
Guide are Dewar’s blended scotch finished in
Ireland’s Midleton Distillery’s
three 75,000-liter pot stills.
mezcal casks, an 87-point bargain at $22. 85 WA Selections
Bardstown Bourbon Co. racks up 92 points with
its bourbon finished in The Prisoner wine
86 Scotland
barrels, while Sagamore Spirit Calvados Cask- 88 United States
Finished rye rated 91 points. Other whiskies 91 Canada
have been finished with various beers (including
dark stout), port, brandy, Pedro Ximénez sherry, 92 Ireland
and even umeshu, in the case of a 92-point 93 Japan
Canadian whisky finished in barrels seasoned
93 World Whiskies
with the Japanese plum liqueur: WhistlePig The
Boss Hog VI (see Collectibles, page 85).
While there is a lot to feast on in every Buying
Guide, we can always count on finished whiskies
to add some spice and an element of surprise.
WHISKY ADVOCATE SUMMER 2020 83

WHISKY ADVOCATE SELECTIONS
Best Values
Whiskies with solid scores, modest
prices, and wide availability.
BOURBON
91 Early Times Bottled in
Bond Kentucky Straight,
50%, $25/liter
Delightfully rich on the nose,
with grape jelly, raspberries,
Raisinets, buttered pecans,
toffee, dark chocolate, baking
spice, leather, and the old oak
smell of a rickhouse. Chewy and
viscous, the palate shows
excellent consistency, balancing
raisins, Concord grape jelly,
baking spice, and dark chocolate with coffee
bean, cola, and lush oak. A lengthy and
elegant finish highlights mocha, grape skins,
cinnamon, black pepper, and rich oak.—SSB
INDIA
89 Paul John Nirvana,
40%, $30
What I love about this is that it’s
fresh and fruity with plenty of
zip. The nose has hard candy,
fresh laundry, floral notes, apple,
and peach puree. A fruit medley
with nectarine, pear, and
satsuma, followed by vanilla,
lime, almond, and five spice,
becoming more rounded, with
apple and fudge and a spiced
citrus finish.—JM
BLENDED MALT SCOTCH
88 Jane Walker,
41.9%, $38
Unlike the Jane Walker package
for Johnnie Walker Black Label
released in 2018, this is a new
whisky altogether, a blend of
various malts aged at least 10
years, including Cardhu and
Clynelish. The nose is floral and
gently nutty, with rose water,
salted almonds, green apple,
nougat, and caramel chews.
Light-bodied and silky in the
mouth, it has bright flavors of lime, lemon,
vanilla, and coconut, before edging into nutty
milk chocolate and finishing with good length,
and a final savory note.—SSB
BUYING GUIDE
Editors’ Choice
This issue’s most impressive whiskies
considering score, price, and availability.
RYE
93 Elijah Craig
Kentucky Straight,
47%, $30
A welcome addition to the
Elijah Craig family, this rye has
rock-solid heft and flavor that
doesn’t quit. The nose swells
with cooked blackberries and
raspberries, fruit leather, iced
tea, cola, and stately oak. It’s
chewy and viscous on the
palate, with more berries and grapes (often
jammy), well-integrated oak, dark chocolate,
and lush spice. The finish rides a long way on
peppery dark fruit, wet walnuts, dark choco-
late, and rich oak.—SSB
SPEYSIDE SINGLE MALT
92 Benromach
10 year old, 43%, $60
This expression was distilled from
malt peated to 12 to 14 ppm, and
aged for 9 years in 80% bourbon
and 20% sherry casks before a
final year in more sherry casks.
Sweet smoke on the early nose,
with malt, vanilla, quite dry sherry,
apple, and toffee. Smoky barley,
vanilla, subtle sherry, and light
honey on the palate. Peaches,
ginger, and woodsmoke on the
medium-length finish. Very accomplished.—GS
BOURBON
92 Bulleit Blender’s
Select Kentucky Straight
(Batch 001), 50%, $50
The nose shows great maturity,
with varnish, leather couch,
black cherry syrup, dark
chocolate, and wet walnuts.
There’s a pleasant tartness to
the palate, like just-ripe cherries,
along with the richness of
chocolate torte, blackberry jam, birch syrup,
Concord grape jelly, and leathery oak. It
finishes with lengthy cherry syrup, high-end
dark chocolate, and more varnish and
leather.—SSB
Collectibles
Whiskies that are generally limited releases
and show the most potential to gain in value.
IRISH SINGLE MALT
94 Midleton Very Rare
Silent Distillery Collection
Chapter One,
51.2%, $35,000
Powerfully smoky for 45 years old,
with charcoal, burnt turf, smoked
venison, dark chocolate, Brazil-nut
dark toffee, roasted chestnut, and a
hint of smoked haddock. Thick
golden syrup, peppery spice, and
vanilla caramel; the peat smoke is
heavier initially, then fades and darts between
other flavors. Toasted oak, dark sugars, cocoa,
and smoke finish an incredible sip of Irish
whiskey liquid history. (48 bottles)—JM
CANADA
92 WhistlePig The Boss
Hog VI: The Samurai
Scientist Umeshu Barrel-
Finished Rye (Barrel 8),
60.3%, $500
Made using ko-ji during fermenta-
tion and finished in barrels
seasoned with umeshu, a plum
liqueur. Earthy and a bit mysteri-
ous, with sandalwood incense,
cedar smoke, eucalyptus, barrel
char, and sweet aromas of vanilla taffy, key lime
pie, and lemon oil. There’s a lot of dry oak on the
palate, but it’s balanced with chewy herbs,
lapsang souchong tea, pistachio, orange peel,
milk chocolate, fennel, and peppery spice. The
finish is long, spiced, and herbal, with licorice,
mint, eucalyptus, and dry oak.—SSB
SINGLE GRAIN SCOTCH
91 The Last Drop
Single Grain 1977
(distilled at Dumbarton),
48.4%, $3,000
Fresh pear, grilled banana, chile
oil, cardamom, brown sugar, oak
sawdust, vanilla, snuff tobacco,
and peppery crackers on the nose.
Light vanilla and caramelized
brown sugar, then mouth-drawing
with apple and lemon peel. A spicy buildup spills
into banana peel and banoffee pie; the mouth-
feel gains weight over time. Smooth, sweet,
caramel finish. (150 bottles)—JM
WHISKY ADVOCATE SUMMER 2020 85
 BUYING GUIDE

Scotland
SPEYSIDE SINGLE MALT
92 Benromach 10 year old, 43%, $60
See Editors’ Choice, page 85
90 Benromach 15 year old, 43%, $100
This spent 9 years in a combination of
bourbon and sherry casks, then 6 years in
first-fill European oak oloroso casks. Sherry is
to the fore on the nose, with apple pie, honey,
vanilla, black pepper, and ultimately pipe
tobacco. A viscous and rich palate, with more
apple pie and vanilla, while the sherry is drier,
with new leather and woodsmoke. Salted
caramel and spicy oak on the finish.—GS
90 Benromach Organic 2011
(Bottled 2019), 43%, $70
First released in 2006, this expression was
distilled from organically certified barley and
aged in virgin oak casks. Spicy new oak and
subtle smoke on the nose, with white pepper,
bananas, cereal, and cut grass. The palate is
oily, with more pepper, hazelnuts dipped in
honey, and tropical fruits. Vanilla and toffee on
the slowly drying finish.—GS
CAMPBELTOWN SINGLE MALT
90 Glen Scotia Victoriana, 51.5%, $82
This was matured in a combination of first-fill
and refill bourbon casks before 70% was
finished in deeply charred casks and 30% in
first-fill Pedro Ximénez sherry casks. Char is
apparent on the nose, along with pineapple,
wood polish, blackcurrants, and a sprinkling of
sea salt. Oily on the palate, with dark berry
fruits, sherry, crème brûlée, and oak. The finish
is spicy, with charred maritime oak.—GS
89 Glen Scotia 15 year old, 46%, $60
After initial maturation in bourbon casks, this
expression underwent a 2-month finish in
first-fill oloroso sherry casks. Initially it offers
char, then ginger, honey, and sweet smoke on
the nose, with apricot tarts and toffee. The
palate is quite earthy and peppery, with stone
fruit, cinnamon, sea salt, and light smokiness.
Medium length in the finish, with citrus fruit
and salty oak.—GS
87 Glen Scotia 10 year old Peated,
50%, $55
Sweet peat on the early nose, with pineapple,
toffee apples, and coconut. Slightly savory,
with wood fire ashes. Somewhat oily on the
palate, where sweet peat begins to dry, along
with oranges, apricots, and marshmallows. The
finish is relatively long, with vanilla and fresh
oak dipped in hot tar.—GS
85 Glen Scotia Double Cask, 46%, $40
Initially aged in first-fill bourbon barrels, then
finished in Pedro Ximénez sherry casks. On the
nose, ripe peaches, apricots, vanilla, caramel,
and mildly smoky sherry surface. The slightly
viscous palate offers more sherry, wood spices,
cinnamon, salted caramel, oak, peanuts, and a
hint of salt. The finish is medium in length,
herbal, and drying, with sea salt.—GS
ISLAY SINGLE MALT
92 Bruichladdich 25 year old Black
Art 1994 (Edition 07.1), 48.4%, $430
The nose reveals blackcurrant, damsons, black
pepper, dark sherry, coconut, and nougat. Very
smooth on the palate, quite full, with early oak,
then leather, tropical fruits, honey, and resin
notes from old component whiskies. A long
finish, with mango, raisin, hazelnut, and lots of
spice. Complex and intriguing. (12,000
bottles)—GS

ABOUT THE BUYING GUIDE

The Buying Guide provides ratings of whiskies from around the
world with an emphasis on new releases available for purchase in
the U.S. Complete tasting notes are provided for all whiskies scoring
84 points or more (on the Whisky Advocate 100-point scale). Lower
scoring whiskies are included at the discretion of the editors, and
some may appear exclusively on whiskyadvocate.com.
R AT I N G S A N D P R I C E S
Ratings are to provide a relative comparison of quality with reference
to both directly competing products and whiskies in general.
Price is not a consideration when arriving at ratings. Prices
shown reflect the suggested retail price. When none is available, we
establish a representative retail price. Actual retail prices may vary.
Whiskies sold in the U.S. have prices marked in dollars; any whisky
priced in other currency is not presently available in the U.S.
REVIEWERS
Our reviewers cover the following territories. (Reviewers are
indicated by their initials at the end of the individual reviews.)
Davin de Kergommeaux (DdeK) has been writing about Canadian
whisky for over 15 years. Canada
David Fleming (DF) has more than 25 years of professional whisky
tasting experience and leads coverage of the spirits industry as
executive editor of Market Watch, Shanken’s Impact Newsletter, and
Shanken News Daily. Staff reviewer
Jeffery Lindenmuth (JL) is the executive editor of Whisky Advocate.
He has been a full-time writer and reviewer of beer, spirits, and wine
for over 15 years. Staff reviewer
Jonny McCormick (JM) is a contributing editor for Whisky Advocate.
He resides in Scotland. Blended scotch, blended malts, grain, Irish
whiskey, Japan, and world whisky

F E AT U R E D W H I S K I E S Susannah Skiver Barton (SSB) is a senior whisky specialist and digital

Groups of similar whiskies sometimes appear as a special focus and
Whisky Advocate Selections are highlights of the issue’s reviews.
These selections and accompanying images are for editorial
purposes only and are not the result of any commercial transaction
between Whisky Advocate and the producers.
editor for Whisky Advocate. She has been writing about whisky for
over 5 years. Staff reviewer
Gavin D Smith (GS) is based in the Scottish Borders and has
contributed to Whisky Advocate for more than 20 years. Speyside,
Islay, Highlands, Lowlands, Campbeltown, and Islands single malt

95-100 90-94 85-89 80-84 75-79 50-74

Classic: a great Outstanding: a Very good: a whisky Good: a solid, well- Mediocre: a drink- Not recommended
whisky whisky of superior with special qualities made whisky able whisky that may
character and style have minor flaws

86 SUMMER 2020 WHISKY ADVOCATE


HIGHLAND SINGLE MALT
91 Glenmorangie 15 year old
The Cadboll Estate, 43%, $85
This was produced from barley grown on the
distillery’s Cadboll Estate and matured for 15
years in first-fill bourbon casks. Soft malt,
ginger, honey, tangerines, and rose petals on
the pleasing, harmonious nose. Rounded on the
palate, with malt, more honey, white chocolate,
fudge, and tangy citrus notes. Citrus fruit,
vanilla, and cocoa powder on the finish—GS
90 anCnoc 24 year old, 46%, $250
This veteran from Knockdhu Distillery has been
aged in a combination of bourbon and sherry
casks. The nose is rich and inviting, with apricots
in syrup, marzipan, caramel, and new-mown hay.
Voluptuous in the mouth, with tangy fruits,
barley sugar, cinnamon, sherry, and ultimately
coffee grounds. An oaky finish with cocoa
powder, white pepper, and lemon juice.—GS
90 anCnoc Vintage 2001, 46%, $100
Matured in a mix of sherry casks and bourbon
barrels for over 15 years, the nose is floral and
fruity, with honeysuckle, nectarines, malt, and
soft spices. Very smooth and creamy on the
palate, with apple pie, butterscotch, honey,
and tangerines, combining with dried fruits.
Citrus fruit and spicy milk chocolate in the
medium-length finish.—GS
90 Glen Garioch 12 year old, 48%, $60
This was aged in a mix of bourbon and sherry
casks. The nose yields Jaffa orange, plums,
sherry, malt, and vanilla. Ginger, honey, more
orange, dried fruit, and toasted oak on the full
palate. The finish is relatively long, with spicy
orange and oak. Complex and satisfying.—GS
90 Glen Garioch 1797 Founder’s
Reserve, 48%, $45
Butterscotch, vanilla, pepper, and citrus fruit
emerge on the nose. A nutty, peppery palate
features orchard fruits, chile spice, and a
subtle meatiness. Lemon and oak tannins in
the medium-length finish.—GS
90 Glen Garioch Virgin Oak, 48%, $120
Glen Garioch spirit is sufficiently robust to cope
well with virgin oak, and the nose of this
expression yields the bold aromas you would
expect from heavily-charred virgin oak matura-
tion: spicy milk chocolate, buttery malt, and ripe
peaches. Cocoa, malt, and cloves on the palate,
plus lots of wood spice. The finish yields vanilla,
ginger, and the inevitable oak.—GS
88 Glenglassaugh Torfa, 50%, $55
The first peated expression from Glnglassaugh
after reopening in 2008, Torfa is made from
barley malted to 20 ppm and matured in
bourbon barrels. Bonfire smoke, ozone, orchard
fruits, malt, and black pepper are present on
BUYING GUIDE
the nose. Slightly savory on the smooth palate,
with sweet peat smoke, honey, dark chocolate,
and a very mild maritime note. Ginger, apricot,
and more sweet peat in the finish.—GS
87 anCnoc Rascan, 46%, $90
One of anCnoc’s peated expressions, Rascan’s
barley was peated to 11.1 ppm, and aged in
bourbon barrels for what the distiller
describes as “nearly a decade.” The nose
gives sweet smoke, with ripe peaches and a
hint of barbecue. Vanilla emerges, and the
aroma becomes floral. Apples, vanilla fudge,
and peat smoke on the palate. The smoke
dries slowly, with citrus fruit giving way to
oak and chile.—GS
87 Glenglassaugh Evolution, 50%, $55
This is the second edition of Evolution, first
released in 2013, and the ABV has been
reduced from 57.2% to 50%. Like the first, it
was matured in first-fill Tennessee whiskey
barrels. The nose gives vanilla, ginger, honey,
tropical fruits, and milk chocolate, plus a floral
note. More vanilla, milky coffee, oak, honey,
toffee, and pineapple on the oily palate. Spicy
caramel in the finish.—GS
87 Crabbie’s Yardhead, 40%, $25
John Crabbie & Co is in the process of
returning whisky distilling to Leith, Edinburgh,
but in the meantime it has launched this single
malt from an unspecified Highlands distillery.
The nose is light and youthful, with vanilla,
apple peel, peanuts, and developing mild oak.
Clean and straightforward on the palate, with
more apple, butterscotch, and cinnamon spice.
Spicy oak in the medium length finish. Perfect
for cocktails.—GS
85 Glenglassaugh Revival, 46%, $55
A combination of first-fill and refill bourbon
casks was employed for maturation, followed by
6 months of finishing in first-fill oloroso sherry
butts. The nose proclaims youthfulness, with
metallic notes and a hint of yeast, but the sherry
casks provide walnut, old leather, tobacco, and
orange. Sherry, freshly planed wood, white
pepper, and red currants on the palate. Plums
dipped in sherry on the finish.—GS
ISLAND SINGLE MALT
88 Highland Park 21 year old
(November 2019 Release), 46%, $350
This latest release comprises the contents of
nine first-fill European sherry-seasoned oak
hogsheads, eight bourbon barrels, and nine
refill casks, all laid down in 1998. Hints of warm
machine oil and herbs on the nose, with
pineapple, barley sugar, and white pepper,
plus a touch of heather and faint smokiness.
Slightly bitter on the palate, with wood spices,
while fruitiness lurks in the background.
Peppery oak char and coal in the finish.—GS
BLENDED SCOTCH
93 Royal Salute 29 year old
Pedro Ximénez Sherry Cask-
Finished, 40%, $549
This second release in the Flask Collection
epitomizes deft management of PX finishing to
produce an opulent treat. Honey and sherry
notes, chunks of fruit-and-nut chocolate, melting
caramel, plummy fruit, chocolate-covered
raisins, refined dry spices, and stimulating
peppercorn notes as the whisky warms. Thick
and luxurious texture with vanilla, caramel,
Seville orange, plum pudding, crème caramel,
crystallized citrus, and melted chocolate, with a
lightly spicy, sweet caramel finish.—JM
87 Dewar’s 8 year old Ilegal Smooth
Mezcal Cask-Finished, 40%, $22
Double-aged with a finish in Ilegal reposado
mezcal casks, it has a zesty nose with plenty
of bite: lime, cut grass, new bookbindings,
grapefruit juice, and lilies. The glutinous
mouthfeel has more mezcal influence, with dull
fruit, herbal features, caramel, a snarl of
pepper and chile flakes, and lengthy smoke
and spice to finish. A bold creation, but I’m
going to need more persuasion that this
enhances the scotch.—JM
BLENDED MALT SCOTCH
92 Blackadder Puff Adder
(Batch PA 01), 46%, $75
The nose starts with caramel-coated short-
bread sprinkled with sea salt, then opens to
reveal crushed almonds, raspberry jam, grilled
pineapple, and a whiff of sweet peat smoke.
Those raspberries explode on the palate, which
is fruity and sweet but counterbalanced by
brine, nuts, and smoke. The texture is oily and a
bit waxy, mouth-coating and lush without being
heavy: a slithering snake indeed, and pure
elegance. (500 bottles for the U.S.)—SSB
88 Jane Walker, 41.9%, $38
See Best Values, page 85
SINGLE GRAIN SCOTCH
91 The Last Drop Single Grain 1977
(distilled at Dumbarton), 48.4%, $3,000
See Collectibles, page 85
90 Arbikie Highland Rye Single
Grain (2020 Release), 46%, $350
Distiller Kirsty Black selected four casks laid
down in 2015, made from rye grown on the
Arbikie estate. The nose displays greater
depth and fruit than the first (2018) release,
with cinnamon, nutmeg, cocoa, dates, dried
apricots, orange oil, and mango. Chocolate-
covered peanuts, walnut, and cocoa on the
palate, with peppery spices, raisin, date, and
crème brûlée, then a dry finish of dark
chocolate cookies, praline, and further spice.
(1,220 bottles)—JM
WHISKY ADVOCATE SUMMER 2020 87

United States
BOURBON AND
FINISHED BOURBON
94 Elijah Craig Barrel Proof Kentucky
Straight (Batch A120), 68.3%, $60
An herbal nose featuring menthol, eucalyptus,
and horehound is endowed with plenty of
earthy oak, evoking sawmill, empty wine
casks, and dusty floorboards. Generous oak
courses through the palate, the drying tannins
reining in the dense sweetness as the whiskey
brandishes bold spices, including allspice,
pepper, and clove. Water gives this bourbon
much needed room to run, revealing greater
polish and rich layers of flavor.—JL
94 Kentucky Owl Kentucky
Straight (Batch 9), 63.8%, $300
A blend of different bourbons aged 15, 14, 12,
7, and 6 years. A bakery shop nose offers
confectioners’ sugar and warm cherry pie. On
the palate, wild strawberry and cooked fruit
notes of baked apples and raspberry tart
meld with tiramisu and black pepper, all
well-balanced against leather and oak. The
finish offers chocolate spice, raspberry,
cinnamon, bitter almond, and lightly roasted
coffee beans. Powerful but balanced, and
superbly well-integrated. (10,314 bottles)—DF
94 Stagg Jr. Barrel Proof Kentucky
Straight (13th Edition), 64.2%, $50
This kicks off with a bounty of dark fruit—
dark berries, cherry cough drops, and
currants—coupled with heaps of vanilla,
mocha, and rich oaky notes. Big and brawny
on the palate, it pours bold and viscous, the
blueberry and blackberry fruit balanced with
the sweet-bitter notes of burnt sugar and
pipe tobacco. The flavors harmonize beauti-
fully, culminating in a finish of dark jam,
coffee, and semi-sweet chocolate.—JL
94 Three Chord 12 year old Twelve
Bar Reserve Barrel-Proof Straight
(Batch 0007), 53.5%, $70
Butter pecan ice cream, peanuts in the shell,
oily grain, milk chocolate, cooked orange,
cherry tart, and blueberries on the nose. The
palate is spiced, nutty, and chewy, with milk
chocolate, orange soda, cherry cough drop,
baking spice, brown sugar, a hint of eucalyp-
tus, and loads of peanuts. More rich spice,
chocolate, and fruit on the finish, along with
peanut butter, spearmint, and generous oak.
Not a hair out of place.—SSB
94 Woodford Reserve Master’s
Collection Batch Proof Kentucky
Straight (2020 Release), 61.8%, $130
Lovely lavender-like florals and sweet Bit-O-
Honey candies introduce this whiskey, with
88 SUMMER 2020 WHISKY ADVOCATE
BUYING GUIDE
secondary aromas that suggest the vivid spice
and earthy leather that lurk on the palate.
Pleasantly sweet pineapple and citrus keep
things bright on the palate, along with flavors
of chocolate-covered banana. The final show
of dusty oak tannins is laced with bitter
espresso, then cocoa powder, ending with
hints of furniture polish. An intense volley of
flavors, skillfully integrated.—JL
93 Angel’s Envy Tawny Port Wine
Barrel-Finished, 55.8%, $250
The second release in Angel’s Envy’s Cellar
Collection, this one features 10 year old
bourbon finished 10 months in tawny port
casks. Pleasant oak and barrel char on the
nose underpin playful notes of strawberry,
cotton candy, and raisins. The palate is rich,
with chocolate-covered mint, figs, and
orange. Polished oak, bitter chocolate, red
fruits, and blackberry punctuate the finish. A
touch of water brings on a burst of flavors.
(5,400 bottles)—DF
93 Booker’s 2020-01 “Granny’s Batch”
Kentucky Straight, 63.2%, $90
A sack of dried corn and a basket of roasted
peanuts go hand in hand with iced tea,
Coca-Cola, dark berries, caramel, and earthy
clay barn floor. Unsurprisingly brawny and
chewy in the mouth, it’s packed with dark
chocolate-covered peanuts, cola, cooked
cherries, chocolate tart, and tingling spice that
carries well into the finish, which also keeps up
the dark fruit and peanut flavors.—SSB
93 Filibuster Single Barrel Straight,
58.5%, $56
Scan the dessert case and choose your favorite,
because they’re all here in abundance: cake
donuts, sticky buns, pralines, cocoa-dusted
truffles, and strawberry tarts on the nose.
Espresso, tea, and spice notes add some
gravitas to the palate, which is chewy and oak
forward, but dark fruit, milk chocolate, and
sweet pecans and peanuts maintain balance.
The finish is a dream, lengthy and well-
developed, with nutmeg, chai spice, toasted oak,
tea leaf, milk chocolate, and boysenberry.—SSB
92 Bardstown Bourbon Co.
The Prisoner Wine-Barrel Finished,
50%, $125
Part of Bardstown Bourbon Co.’s Collaboration
Series, distilled in Tennessee and aged 9 years,
then finished 18 months in French oak barrels
that previously held The Prisoner wine. The
nose offers raspberry, grape hard candy,
bubble gum, and dried orange slices. A palate
of chocolate fudge, coconut, cinnamon, and
baking spice leads to a finish that’s rich and
smooth, with more chocolate and lively fruit.
Balanced and with excellent depth; a unified,
harmonious whiskey. (10,000 bottles)—DF
92 Bulleit Blender’s Select Kentucky
Straight (Batch 001), 50%, $50
See Editors’ Choice, page 85
92 Lucky Seven 12 year old The Hold Up
Kentucky Straight (Batch 01), 50%, $99
Minty dark chocolate, maple syrup, iced tea,
dark berries, tobacco barn, peanuts, and
leather on the nose. The palate is chock-full of
rich fruit—blackberry jam, plums in syrup,
black cherries—and luscious dark chocolate,
with well-integrated oak, leather, maple syrup
drizzle, and overtones of herbs. It’s consistent
into the finish, with cooked fruit, leather, mint
and other herbal flavors, and plenty of
chocolate. (2,500 bottles)—SSB
91 Belfour Spirits Texas Pecan
Wood-Finished, 46%, $89
Aged at least 18 months in new charred oak,
then finished with Texas pecan wood staves
added to the barrel. The nose offers melted
caramel, buttered pecan, vanillin, oak, and
subtle fruit. A soft palate has notes of baked
plum tart, chocolate, figs, allspice, tea leaf, and
dusty oak. The finish is spiced, with dark
chocolate, light tobacco, and hefty but
well-integrated oak. Bold and robust, with an
abundance of flavors. (42,000 bottles)—DF
91 Early Times Bottled in Bond
Kentucky Straight, 50%, $25/liter
See Best Values, page 85
91 The Justice 14 year old Barrel-
Proof Straight, 47.1%, $99
The nose is thick with peanut brittle and
peanut shells, blackberry cobbler, grape jelly,
allspice, dried ginger, and mint and other
herbs. Beautifully mature flavors on the palate:
cooked plums, raisins, and dark chocolate
mingle with integrated oak, with peanuts
bringing up the rear. Silky, especially in the
finish, which fades almost too quickly to relish
dark chocolate-covered cherries, peanuts, and
smooth oak. (2,000 bottles)—SSB
90 Chambers Bay 5 year old Captain’s
Reserve Bottled in Bond Straight
(Release 1, No. 45), 50%, $55
Comforting aromas of fresh-brewed espresso,
roasted pecans, warm arepas, chocolate-
covered peanuts, Italian hot cocoa, mint
chocolate, and hints of black cherry and grape.
There’s a rich, tactile boldness on the palate,
with flavors of cinnamon, peppermint, black
pepper, cigar wrapper, barrel char, and lots of
high-quality dark chocolate. The full finish has
more dark chocolate, charred oak, spiced coffee
bean, and hints of cigar. (450 bottles)—SSB
90 Lucky Seven 6 year old The Jokester
Kentucky Straight (Batch 01), 47.5%, $55
The nose offers notes of leather, oak, choco-

late, blackberry, and baking spice. The
mouthfeel is smooth, but with heat and power,
as well as rich flavors of honey, cinnamon,
blackberry tart, bitter chocolate, roasted
peanuts, and leather. On the finish come
playful flavors of baking spice, cherry tart,
more blackberry, tobacco, and white pepper.
An excellent blend of spice and chocolate with
playful berry notes—rich, powerful, and
delicate all at once. (2,500 bottles)—DF
90 Penelope Barrel Strength Four
Grain Straight (Batch 4), 58.3%, $60
The nose offers cherry, raspberry tart, dried
orange slices, butterscotch, black pepper, and
antique closet. The palate is powerful, with
sweet syrup up front, bold flavors of herbs and
spice, grain, dusty oak, and an earthy note of
warehouse floor. More spice emerges with
water, bringing semi-sweet chocolate, cooked
raspberries, and leather. Creamy and well-
balanced, with its spice tempered by deep
chocolate, cooked cherries, and a musty yet
interesting character.—DF
89 Redemption High Rye Straight
(Batch 122), 46%, $30
The nose offers caramel custard, chocolate, and
maple syrup. An oak-driven palate has lots of
heat and integrated spice, but is also loaded
with chocolate, coffee beans, almonds, and
maple syrup. The finish is the best part, with rich
notes of chocolate, coffee, and spice, but plenty
of finesse. Water brings out more chocolate on a
slightly tart but rich finish. Lots of assertive
flavors, but with a gentle, smooth texture.—DF
89 Saint Lawrence Spirits Kentucky
Son Straight, 45%, $46
Rich aromas of marzipan, black tea, blackberry,
cherry, chocolate, brown sugar, and tobacco
leaves. The palate is chewy, with oak char, black
tea, roasted nuts, semi-sweet chocolate, root
beer spices, ginger, red apple, and mint; water
brings out cinnamon and pecans. It shows
vivaciousness into the finish, with more oak
char, mint, black pepper, and chocolate-
covered almonds. (2,000 bottles)—SSB
88 Cathead Old Soul Blended Straight
(Batch 1), 45%, $45
Cinnamon babka, powdered donuts, pecan-
studded coffee cake: Call this breakfast whiskey.
The nose is sweet, light, and nutty—a beignet
with sugary chicory coffee. Sturdy and spiced
on the palate, it has flavors of cinnamon, allspice,
pepper, stone fruit, cherry pie, roasted pecans,
and bracing oak, along with garden herbs. The
finish is medium-length, with milk chocolate,
black pepper, and roasted nuts.—SSB
88 Chattanooga 111 Proof Straight
(Batch 19J03E), 55.5%, $47
Grainy on the nose, with butterscotch hay-
BUYING GUIDE
stacks, strawberry lollipop, sugared pineapple,
mango, dried kiwi, and grape soda. Without
water, the palate is crowded with oak, peppery
heat, and cocoa; add a bit, however, and there’s
room for sweet plums and cherries, grape jelly,
butterscotch, and chai spices, finishing with dry
oak, peanuts, licorice, and tobacco. Made with
the distillery’s signature “Tennessee high malt”
mashbill, which includes corn, malted rye, and
two types of malted barley.—SSB
88 Hudson Baby Straight (Batch 9),
46%, $50
The barrel dominates here, by design, and it
manifests on the nose with fresh-cut oak,
cinnamon, black tea leaves, cashews, blackcur-
rant, dark chocolate, and a sprinkling of spices.
Savory and oak-forward on the chewy palate,
which has roasted nuts, grilled corn, dark
chocolate, peppermint stick, dried chile, black
pepper, espresso bean, and tobacco leaf, all
sweeping into a lengthy, chocolaty finish.—SSB
88 Tumblin’ Dice 4 year old
Single Barrel Barrel-Proof
Straight (No. 1), 57.85%, $59
The nose is redolent of tea leaves, peach skin,
herbal honey throat lozenges, blueberries,
brown sugar, licorice, and toasted grain. More
herbaceousness hits on the palate, cooling
some of the cinnamon spice of the high proof
with spearmint and licorice notes; add water,
and nuttiness emerges. Continued herbal
flavors into the finish, which also has citrus oil
and peppery spice. Strong barrel character
throughout. (5,500 bottles)—SSB
87 Oregon Spirit Straight (Barrel
Series No. 150317), 47%, $45
The nose is dark and roasty: clay, dried leaves,
walnut and pecan shells, cacao nibs, dried
chiles, tobacco leaf, and darjeeling tea, as well
as hints of tropical fruit. Full-bodied and
oak-driven on the palate, with spiced tea-leaf
complexity highlighted by tobacco leaf,
cinnamon, clove, allspice, black pepper, mint
oil, chocolate, and roasted corn. Continued
chocolate, oak, and spice into the finish,
interwoven with cigar wrapper and pops of
licorice and mint.—SSB
86 Old Camp Wolf Moon Straight,
40%, $25
Licorice, black tea, lemon, green apple,
pomegranate, and almond on the nose. The
palate is fruity, smooth, and light up front,
with notes of dried orange slices, orange
Creamsicle, lemon curd, and accents of
nuttiness. The finish offers more orange, as
well as flavors of vanilla cream and sweet
raspberry, all spiced with an overlay of white
pepper. Wispy and lacking deep complexity,
but with balanced sweetness and some very
pleasant notes.—DF
86 Oregon Spirit Single Barrel Bottled
in Bond (No. 150330 01), 50%, $75
The nose starts with anise cookies and
butterscotch, then reveals magnolia leaf,
bergamot, sarsaparilla, and tea leaves.
Barrel-driven, the palate is peppery, minty, and
a little piney, with bitter chocolate and roasted
nuts. More black pepper, chocolate, pepper-
mint stick, and bitter oak into the short finish.
Water recommended. (278 bottles)—SSB
86 Penelope Four Grain Straight
(Batch 2), 40%, $35
Fresh, green, and earthy: bell pepper, jalapeño,
unshucked corn, and lime leaf, as well as cacao
nibs, cedar cigar box, and cinnamon. More
peppers on the palate, this time dried and
smoked, along with roasted pecans, chocolate,
nuts, bitter oak, and a hint of tobacco. The
finish is short and light; a little more proof
would go a long way.—SSB
86 Soldier Valley True American 6,
45%, $50
Bright with lemon and lime, as well as garde-
nias and peonies—a fresh garden on the nose;
there’s also uncooked corn on the cob, mint
toothpaste, tea leaf, and pecan shell. The
palate is spiced and oak-forward, countered
by grape jelly, dark chocolate, coffee bean,
and hints of tobacco. It’s occasionally jumbled,
even into the finish, which has roasted pecans,
pipe tobacco, leather, and black pepper.—SSB
86 Soldier Valley Omaha Beach,
45%, $55
There are nostalgic bubble gum notes on the
nose—Bazooka and Big League Chew—as well
as orange sherbet, strawberry shortcake, cherry
pie, snickerdoodles, and milk chocolate. Sweet
and fruit-forward on the palate, with grape jelly,
cherry preserves, chocolate, cinnamon, clove,
and a hint of rose water. It finishes a bit short
and soft, rolling out spiced oak and a bouquet
of candied violets. (700 bottles)—SSB
85 Luca Mariano Old Americana
Small Batch Kentucky Straight
(Batch 2019-03), 41.5%, $45
Peanut brittle on wax paper, corn pudding,
orange slices, grape Nerds, cotton candy, and
kettle corn on the nose. The palate has plenty
of oak, Corn Nuts, peanuts, tea leaf, apple,
white pepper, and Fruit Stripe gum, though it
begs for more proof. It finishes fairly quickly,
with vanilla and oak. (7,000 bottles)—SSB
85 Three Chord Blended
(Batch 0007), 40.5%, $40
Fruit-forward on the nose with apples,
blueberries, cinnamon, coffee ice cream, and
chocolate-caramel milkshake. It’s silky and
light-bodied in the mouth, with a heaping slab
of dry oak, peanut shells, walnuts, pepper,
WHISKY ADVOCATE SUMMER 2020 89

cacao nibs, and orange peel. The oak persists
on the finish, which is a bit abrupt.—SSB
85 Whiskey Acres Bottled in Bond
(Batch 1), 50%, $50
Cinnamon Red Hots, peanut shells, almonds,
burnt sugar, pencil shavings, and fresh ears of
corn on the nose. There’s more cinnamon on
the palate, as well as milk chocolate, Goobers,
orange oil, a pretty floral character, and plenty
of chewy oak; a few drops of water straighten
up the balance. The finish is all about the oak
and cinnamon, warming and sweet. (2,100
bottles)—SSB
RYE
93 Barrell 4 year old Cask Strength
(Batch 003), 58.35%, $90
There’s much to discover in the depths of this
glass, which continues to develop over time.
Dark fruit, tobacco, orange pekoe tea, white
pepper, leather, dry-roasted peanuts, and
varnish unfold on the nose, while the palate is
fruity with blackberry, raspberry, blueberry,
and orange; it also has dry oak, nuts, tobacco,
and a lot of black pepper spice. The finish is
leathery and peppery, with cigar and persis-
tent dark berry flavors. A dense, decadent
whiskey that makes it all seem effortless.
(12,000 bottles)—SSB
93 Elijah Craig Kentucky Straight,
47%, $30
See Editors’ Choice, page 85
91 Hudson Manhattan Straight
(Batch 5), 46%, $50
A well-choreographed interplay of rich dark
fruit—plums, Luxardo cherries, Concord
grapes—and deep spices on the nose, along
with hints of wood char and licorice; it turns
tropical and nutty when water is added. The
palate is richly spiced—cedar, ginger, cloves,
allspice—and silky with extra-dark chocolate,
grilled plums, espresso beans, and hints of
aged cigar. It ends rich and toasty, with lush
oak, hookah tobacco, and coffee bean.—SSB
91 Sagamore Spirit Calvados
Cask-Finished, 50.6%, $69
Mature but lively character; it has dark fruit,
black tea, mint oil, fennel seed, and licorice on
the nose. The palate is brawny and robust—it
practically eats water—and swells with mint,
licorice, root beer, black pepper, baking spice,
espresso, and grape Robitussin. The lengthy
finish is peppery and rich, with oak, herbs,
baking spice, tea leaves, and dark
chocolate.—SSB
91 Wood’s 2 year old Alpine
(Batch 16), 49%, $55
From Colorado-based Wood’s High Mountain
Distillery. A nose of apple, brown sugar, and
90 SUMMER 2020 WHISKY ADVOCATE
BUYING GUIDE
blackcurrant, set against jalapeño spice and
smoke. The palate offers flavors of cinnamon
and burnt espresso beans, with an alluring
smoky bitterness and notes of jalapeño,
smoked chiles, and black pepper. On the finish,
dried dark fruits and bitter chocolate emerge,
with a blast of pepper at the end. Rich,
brawny, and assertive, but also supple and well
integrated.—DF
89 Belfour Spirits Limited Edition
Straight, 50%, $299
A nose of lemon drops, tea leaves, light barrel
char, and herb-garden notes. The palate is
honeyed, with lemon, licorice, herbs, and
earthiness, balancing against vanilla cream and
spice, all integrating well with the barrel. A
lengthy finish is well-textured and spiced,
highlighted by notes of tobacco, herbs, and
chocolate. Creamy, spicy, and a bit unusual,
this whiskey offers spiced complexity and
impressive flavor balance on the palate.—DF
89 Blinking Owl Single Barrel Straight
(Batch 2), 45%, $75
Is there such a thing as “beach rye?” Wafting
breezes carry coconut, almond orgeat, and
tropical fruit aromas, along with dried orange
rind, chamomile tea, clove, mint, and earthy
pecans. The easy-drinking palate has less fruit
and more herbs, with licorice, spearmint, and
allspice, underpinned by nuts and dry oak.
Rounded out with orange blossom water, chai,
dark berries, and more spearmint, allspice, and
oak on the finish. This should come with a
hammock.—SSB
89 Saint Lawrence Spirits Rye Knot,
45%, $42
The nose is layered with mature baking spices,
cacao nibs, tobacco barn, Cherry Coke syrup,
praline, pistachio, and dusty oak. Spiced and
herbal on the palate, with bracing oak, coffee
with almond cream, roasted nuts, dark
chocolate, cinnamon, licorice, and peppermint,
all pillowed by a creamy texture. It finishes
with minty dark chocolate, espresso, leather,
and integrated oak. No need for an after-
dinner coffee; this’ll do. (2,000 bottles)—SSB
88 Tincup Straight, 45%, $30
Dark berries, cola, iced tea, dark chocolate,
toasted oak, white pepper, and lime on the nose,
permeated by an earthy character. Strong oak
on the palate is kept in check by spice—ginger,
cinnamon, pepper—and dark fruit, with notes of
black tea and roasted peanuts as well. The finish
is nutty and quite spiced, with lingering black-
berries and a touch of bitter oak.—SSB
87 Old Overholt Straight, 43%, $18
Sweet cherries, bubble gum, and fresh
blueberry on the nose, along with nougat,
honey-roasted peanuts, and milk chocolate.
The palate has flavors of clove-studded
orange, spice, and the chewed end of a pencil.
It’s light-bodied and verges on thin when
water is added, so be judicious. The finish is
gentle, with peppery oak, cinnamon, and
espresso bean. This is a new higher proof and
the whiskey is now non-chill filtered, so don’t
be surprised by a little haze if you add water
or ice.—SSB
87 Rod & Hammer’s SLO Stills Straight,
45%, $39
Lovely, perfumy, fragrant nose: orange and
peach blossoms, tea rose, lilacs, apricot jam,
and blueberry muffins. It remains floral and
sweet on the palate, but with a solid oak
backbone surrounded by red berries, orange
sherbet, ginger, baking spice, and a fizzy zing
that finishes sweet and light, sprinkled with
pepper and drizzled with Hershey’s chocolate
syrup. (1,000 bottles)—SSB
86 Pinhook Rye’d On Kentucky
Straight (2020 Release), 48.5%, $38
The first whiskey fully distilled at Castle &
Key—site of the old Colonel E.H. Taylor, Jr.
Distillery—since its revival in 2018. A fragrant,
floral nose offers candied orange, lemon,
toasted almonds, and banana cream pie. The
palate is soft, with notes of creamy vanilla,
baking spice, and pepper. A smooth texture
characterizes the finish, with notes of banana
and almond still emerging. Youthful in profile,
but a promising start.—DF
86 Porter’s Small Batch Straight,
45%, $40
A tropical note of lime on the nose, as well as
licorice and ginger root, offers youthful but
balanced oak. The mouthfeel is creamy, with
grapefruit and orange peel on the front palate
melding into vanilla cream and underlying
flavors of spice and pepper. The finish brings
more citrus and creamy vanilla, along with
cinnamon and drying oak. It seems young, but
the profile is fresh and offers interesting
flavors.—DF
86 Three Chord Amplify (Batch 0015),
47.5%, $50
Piney and grassy on the nose, with fruity
aromas of grape Kool-Aid, bubble gum, and
grapefruit, as well as new wood. The palate
picks up the herbal and pine notes, adding
licorice and spearmint, as well as honey,
orange, blueberry, grape, and grapefruit oil,
with Popsicle stick throughout. Lingering mint,
banana bread, citrus oil, and green wood on
the finish. (8,400 bottles)—SSB
86 Wheel Horse Straight, 50.5%, $28
The nose has gooey butterscotch, pralines,
toasted oak, vanilla custard, and blueberry
muffin, with pops of green apple and Asian

pear. On the full-bodied palate, stewed fruit
and oak vie for pride of place, with baking
spice, butterscotch, and lemon and orange
peel urging restraint. The finish is hot and
centers on toasted oak, stewed apples, and
nuts; cloying at times. (16,500 bottles)—SSB
WHEAT WHISKEY
89 Dry Fly Cask and Release Series
Beer Barrel-Finished, 45%, $50
It opens with floral and fruit aromas:
strawberries, peach blossoms, dried apple
rings, mulberries, plums. There’s also amaretto,
dried ginger, licorice, and cacao nibs. Rich and
a little hot on the palate, it’s chewy with
dry-roasted almonds, cracked walnuts, coffee
bean, chai spice, and grilled plums. Mouthwa-
tering on the finish, drawing out chile heat,
black pepper spice, chocolate-covered coffee
bean, and dry oak. (450 bottles)—SSB
TENNESSEE
90 Jack Daniel’s Tennessee
Taster’s Barrel Reunion #2 Oatmeal
Stout Barrel-Finished (Selection
No. 005), 46%, $40/375 ml
An herbal, lightly malty nose starts with notes
of sweet barrel char, cherry hard candy,
raspberry pastilles, and a hint of green banana.
The palate is rich, with flavors of chocolate
and burnt espresso beans, bitter orange,
pepper spice, and burnt almonds. The lengthy
finish has notes of candied raspberries riding
atop some deeper notes of allspice and
pepper. Balanced and fruity overtones
throughout, anchored by earthiness and spice
underneath. (24,000 bottles)—DF
AMERICAN SINGLE MALT
93 Breuckelen 6 year old Brownstone
Malt (Batch 1), 50%, $75
A peculiar nose of cucumber, cinnamon Red
Hots, cedar shavings, fresh melon, jasmine tea,
and tobacco barn, and somehow it all works.
There’s much complexity to be explored here,
with a whole spice cabinet tumbling out on
the palate, dusting black tea, Cherry Coke,
pecans, espresso, and taut oak with its clouds
of blooming flavor. The finish expresses lovely
barrel char, red chiles, coffee beans, herba-
ceous pops of licorice, and a lingering incense
quality. Enchanting. (1,000 bottles)—SSB
91 Tattersall Single Malt, 55%, $50
Opening with fresh grain aromas, it soon
develops to show complex cinnamon, clove,
chai, black tea, dried orange peel, and smoked
salt; delicate pastry notes also appear. The
palate is rich, roasty, and hot without water,
offering dark chocolate, dried chiles, barbe-
cued brisket, cacao nibs, charred nuts, and
peppery spice that starts as a small flame and
builds into a burn on the warming, chocolaty,
ashy finish. (1,200 bottles)—SSB
BUYING GUIDE
91 Virginia Distillery Co.
Courage & Conviction (George
G. Moore Batch), 46%, $75
The official debut of the distillery’s 100%
own-make single malt. The nose has an earthy
expression of the grain, and works in heady
aromas of guava, pomegranate, blueberries,
and kiwi, along with sandalwood soap. It’s oily
and silky in the mouth, with forthright lemon
and orange oil, guava, and kiwi, as well as
dried leaves, nutty tobacco, and peppery
spice. The finish is gentle and fades slowly,
with lemon oil, milk chocolate, and a hint of
ashy charred nuts. (9,600 bottles)—SSB
90 Westward Oregon Stout
Cask-Finished, 45%, $90
Tropical and floral on the nose, with kiwi,
mango, hibiscus, coconut cream, and pistachio
and almond halva; add water and a big burst
of honeysuckle blooms. There are more
tropical notes on the palate: melon, guava,
pineapple, and Juicy Fruit, as well as almond,
coffee ice cream, milk chocolate, and spice.
The mouthfeel is robust, becoming mouthwa-
tering on the finish, which is oak-led but
balanced with floral hop character.—SSB
88 Wood’s 7 year old Sawatch
American Malt (Batch 2), 49%, $75
At first, the nose is earthy and roasty, with
dried chile, cocoa powder, toasted oak, curing
tobacco, and dried clay, but a few drops of
water reveal dried jasmine, honeysuckle, and
rose petals: a delightful surprise. The palate is
savory and earthy with plenty of mole sauce,
cocoa powder, charred nuts, and pepper. It’s
lengthy on the finish, unfurling into cigar,
espresso, and unsweetened cocoa flavors.—SSB
86 Rogue Spirits Dead Guy, 40%, $45
Tropical fruit on the verge of overripeness:
pineapple, papaya, kiwi, plus jasmine flowers,
almond halva, and the piney-lemon aroma of
hops. The hoppiness is evident on the palate,
which is light in body and consequently less
expressive in flavor, though there’s dry
nuttiness and grain, overlaid with sweeping
tropical fruit. More of the same hoppy, juicy
fruit flavors juxtaposed with oak on the finish.
If you like beery whiskey, this is one to try.
(10,000 bottles)—SSB
OTHER/MISCELLANEOUS
91 High West Bourye Blend of Straight
Whiskeys (Batch 19L06), 46%, $100
A nose of herbs, candied oranges, cherries,
treacle, and baking spice, with pleasant aged
accents of leather armchair and earthy
warehouse floor. The palate offers semi-sweet
chocolate, spice, dark fruit, roasted pecans,
blackberries, cola, and pepper. Water brings
out richer chocolate, pistachio, and blackberry
jam. The finish is nutty, spicy, and peppery,
with balanced oak and light fruit. Excellent
complexity, with spice melding well with notes
of chocolate and fruit. (60,000 bottles)—DF
89 Broken Barrel Isle of Peat, 55%, $50
A blend of American single malt and wheat
whiskeys, finished on staves from peated Islay
scotch casks using Broken Barrel’s proprietary
process. The effect is herbaceous rather than
smoky; this has tons of eucalyptus, bay leaves,
black pepper, and juniper—more like an amaro
in aroma than a whiskey. Dry and lean in the
mouth, there’s mint, black pepper, eucalyptus,
cola spices, dark chocolate, licorice, and
honeyed lemon tea. The finish is medium-
length with oak, mint, pepper, and persistent
herbs. Profoundly outside the box, but it
works. (6,600 bottles)—SSB
86 Blackened American
(Batch 097), 45%, $50
A blend of straight whiskeys that’s finished in
brandy casks using proprietary “sonic
enhancement.” Sweet vanilla, lemon cream pie,
spiced apricots, ginger, cracked corn, and
licorice start off the nose, balanced against a
soft influence of new oak. The palate is sweet
and well-textured, with notes of spice, candied
apple, cooked plums, chocolate nuttiness, and
a fair amount of barrel influence. There’s some
good length on the finish, which offers sweet
flavors of light chocolate, along with lingering
spice and layered oak.—DF
85 Broken Barrel Mizunara, 50%, $50
A blend of 5 year old Kentucky and 4 year old
Indiana corn whiskeys, finished on mizunara
oak staves using Broken Barrel’s proprietary
process. The nose is unusual, with candied
fruit, grape Kool-Aid, blueberries, fresh
coconut shavings, Popsicle stick, and a grassy
character. Muted tropical fruit vies with oak on
the palate, which is silky; soon chile pepper
and oak dominate. It finishes with peppery
heat and sweet oak. (6,600 bottles)—SSB
Canada
92 Benjamin Chapman 7 year old,
45%, $40
A complex nose, rich in aromas of fresh peaches,
wild beach roses, prairie sage, hints of rye
spices, and lumber. A sweet, hot, peppery palate
bursts with rye spices, high floral tones, gummy
bears, then earthy herbal notes, river plants, and
some pulling wood tannins Loaded with rye and
apple juice. Fades slowly into herbal notes,
brown sugar, and a hint of peach pits.—DdeK
92 WhistlePig The Boss Hog VI: The
Samurai Scientist Umeshu Barrel-
Finished Rye (Barrel 8), 60.3%, $500
See Collectibles, page 85
WHISKY ADVOCATE SUMMER 2020 91
 BUYING GUIDE

IRISH SINGLE POT STILL sliding into chewy toffee with coffee notes and
a hint of raspberry, though harried by peppery
FOCUS ON spices so sharp they taste spiky.—JM

Midleton Dair Ghaelach Knockrath Forest 91 Midleton Dair Ghaelach Knockrath

Though the use of virgin oak is not uncommon in scotch, Midleton is the first Forest (Tree 3), 56.5%, $320
modern distillery to produce a virgin Irish oak-finished single pot still A nose of oak, lemon meringue pie, lashings of
whiskey. Foresters carefully select a small number of oaks to be felled from vanilla, pink peppercorns, and paprika. It’s
woods on well-managed Irish estates. The oak travels to a cooperage in particularly mouth-drawing at cask strength,
Spain to be quarter-sawn and seasoned for 15 months before the barrels are offering vanilla, toffee, a slight nuttiness, and
raised and returned to Midleton Distillery in Co. Cork. The third release of this banana, with a clove spiciness that really takes
highly collectible series comes from seven trees grown in Knockrath Forest hold. It keeps surging forward, finding
in Co. Wicklow, which yielded 42 barrels. These were filled with single pot different ways for the spices to peak before
still whiskeys matured in American oak, ranging from 15 to 28 years old, and settling on a vanilla finish.—JM
finished in the virgin Irish oak casks for up to 2 years.
90 Midleton Dair Ghaelach Knockrath
Forest (Tree 4), 56.1%, $320
94 Midleton Dair Ghaelach Knockrath generous nature, moving from lime zest to Heavy on the oak and spices, this has aromas
Forest (Tree 5), 56.5%, $320 grapefruit, with dry oak to finish.—JM of a carpentry shop, with salt and pepper,
A superbly balanced whiskey with huge spices steak rub, and a touch of red fruit buried deep
meeting vanilla head on: a perfect complement 92 Midleton Dair Ghaelach Knockrath in the glass. It has quite a mouthfeel at cask
between the American and Irish oak contribu- Forest (Tree 6), 56.6%, $320 strength; one of those whiskeys that makes
tions. It has a softer body, with lemon, vanilla, There’s orange peel, strawberry fondant, your teeth squeaky. Vanilla, banana, and nicely
and meringue in creamy custard sauce, but vanilla custard, and finely ground pepper on balanced between the slowly unraveling
then the spices go off like a rocket, and as they the nose. It has plenty of fruit, with peach, spices, hazelnut, and oakiness.—JM
glitter across the palate, there are glimpses of citrus, strawberry, and vanilla which vie with
chocolate, coffee, and singed oak.—JM peppery and clove spiciness before oak, 89 Midleton Dair Ghaelach Knockrath
vanilla, and caramel fade into the finish.—JM Forest (Tree 2), 56.3%, $320
93 Midleton Dair Ghaelach Knockrath This has more vanilla and caramel, with less
Forest (Tree 7), 56.5%, $320 91 Midleton Dair Ghaelach Knockrath aggressive wood spices than Tree 1, and aromas
Vanilla, white pear, meringue, caramel, and lots Forest (Tree 1), 56.6%, $320 of clove, sharpened pencils, and dried morel
more toasted oak flavors with nutmeg, clove, Cranberry, watermelon, and cherry, with mushrooms. It’s fruity and mouth-drawing, yet
and pepper. This is fruity and sweet with deeper notes of raisin and prune, are lanced by less weighty than Tree 1, reminiscent of fruit
orange, pomegranate, and caramel, then a piercing spices. There’s a thick and heavy Life Savers and baked apple, and when it peaks
wild, crazy rush of spices. It has a bold and mouthfeel that begins with caramel and vanilla, it breaks with more alcohol than spice.—JM

89 Cask & Crew Double Oaked
Straight Rye, 48%, $50
From Rochester, New York-based Cask & Crew,
this was distilled in Canada, matured 4 years in
new charred oak, then finished in another new
charred oak barrel. Spice, pistachio, and a note
of barrel char on the nose, and a nutty, creamy
palate with notes of blueberry pie, chocolate,
cooked plums, and light spice. The finish offers
more spice, coffee cake, and almond nuttiness.
The profile is young, but full of good
flavors.—DF
delivering a remarkable intensity of red berry
fruit. Orange peel, pine cone, vanilla, and walnut
on the nose. Raspberry, cherry, plums, and
active spices like a wildfire across the tongue,
with pepper and chile heightened by the
strength and menthol late on the finish.—JM
93 Redbreast 21 year old, 46%, $280
Honey, vanilla, peppercorn, Golden Delicious
apples, macadamia nut, green banana, and
clove-spiked orange. The flavors are bright with
green apple, banana, vanilla, and citrus,
developing a delicious creaminess to support
it’s quite nutty, and the spice starts building
early on. Hold out till the end for black cherry,
toffee, and burnt fruitcake, with a finish of
autumnal fruits, menthol, and aniseed.—JM
IRISH BLENDED
90 The Whistler Double Oaked,
40%, $30
Sweetness and richness were my first
impressions of this sourced whiskey blended
at Boann Distillery, and it’s the oloroso sherry
finish that’s made all the difference. Apple,
barley sugar, aromatic spices, baked citrus,

Ireland the pot still spices. The creaminess really

IRISH SINGLE MALT
94 Midleton Very Rare Silent Distillery
Collection Chapter One, 51.2%, $35,000
See Collectibles, page 85
IRISH SINGLE POT STILL
93 Redbreast 27 year old, 54.6%, $500
This new permanent addition to the Redbreast
range is partially matured in ruby port casks,
which have helped the vitality and the
complexity of the finished whiskey while still
crowns this older whiskey as something special,
with the bourbon wood playing a greater role
than in younger, jammier Redbreasts. The finish
is wonderfully long and warming, with spice,
tangy orange, and oak.—JM
92 Redbreast 12 year old Cask Strength
(Batch B2/19), 58.6%, $84
An easy-drinking cask-strength whiskey, the
nose has an equal balance between fruit and
spice, as red apple and bright cherry meet
Chinese five spice, savory undertones, and
salted nuts. This has big, chewy sherry notes;
cherry, and dried apricot against a backbone
of grain. Vanilla fudge, baked fruit desserts,
and apple, it’s rich, smooth, and creamy with
swirling spices before returning to a finish of
vanilla, spice, and dried apple.—JM
88 McConnell’s 5 year old, 42%, $33
Aromas of honey, vanilla extract, dried banana,
and clove, with green herbal notes of parsley
stems and kale. Dark sugar sweetness, vanilla,
baked citrus, clove, and peppercorn flavors,
though the spices don’t overwhelm the mellow
mouthfeel, and it rounds off with vanilla toffee,
sliced banana, herbal grain notes, and linger-

92 SUMMER 2020 WHISKY ADVOCATE


ing spice. Worth getting to know this whiskey
well to appreciate its full potential.—JM
87 Sadler’s Peaky Blinder, 40%, $19
Named after the infamous gang that weapon-
ized their flat caps by stitching razor blades
into the peaks, this whiskey threatens a nose
of raisin, banana bread, Irish soda bread, beer
mash, and dark honey. A lightweight mouth-
feel, with dried apple, baked goods, oat bars,
vanilla extract, and pancakes slathered with
maple syrup, a spicy swallow, and a finish of
burnt fruitcake. An easy-drinking whiskey.—JM
Japan
JAPANESE BLENDED
87 Tenjaku, 40%, $40
This blend is made in Fuefuki, west of Tokyo,
and seems custom-built for great Highballs.
The nose presents fresh pear, baked pastry,
straw, and slightly smoky roasted spices:
coriander seed, peppercorn, and aniseed ball.
It lacks body initially, with sweet orange, fruit
syrups, and ginger root spiciness, but then it
restores your faith with flavors of tropical
fruits, vanilla, and orange cake, and a hot ‘n’
spicy peppery finish.—JM
World Whiskies
ARMENIA
87 Hye-Land 12 year old Small Batch
Armenian, 43%, $39
Hye-Land’s inaugural U.S. release, made from
100% malted wheat at Eraskh Winery in
Armenia (which also has a distillery), aged in
Caucasus Mountain oak barrels, and then
finished in Armenian brandy barrels. The nose
offers seasoned oak, citrus, ginger, and
allspice. The palate brings sweet notes of
melon, coconut shavings, tobacco, Christmas
cake, ginger, and clove, all lightly accented by
black pepper. The finish is viscous and has
balanced sweetness.—DF
AUSTRALIA
95 Dram Hunters 7 year old Southern
Coast Distillers Single Cask Single
Malt (Cask No. 112), 63.6%, $250
Without water, this oddball is deeply herbaceous
and spiced with aniseed, coriander, hardwood
smoke, brown sugar, and powerful oak through-
out the nose and palate. Add some water, and
suddenly the sunbeam breaks through the crack
in the curtain. There are still plenty of herbal and
spice notes, but now more dimension emerges—
orange, forest fruits, semi-sweet chocolate,
coffee ice cream, and sweet woodsmoke, fully
relaxed in its integration. The finish is savory,
then sweet—clean and rich, a revelation. (150
bottles; U.S. exclusive)—SSB
BUYING GUIDE
91 Tin Shed Iniquity Single Malt
(Batch 10), 46%, $225
A curious single malt smoked with native
Australian peat and mallee wood stumps, and
matured in port casks. The smoke expresses
itself little on the nose, which shows aromas
of nougat, apples, pears, blueberries, black-
currants, raisins, and a mineral freshness. But
the palate allows plenty of room for the
smoke, which has a gentle, herbaceous
pungency of tarragon, tobacco leaf, and
eucalyptus; there’s also licorice, dark choco-
late, coffee bean, and rich oak. The finish is
equally rich, with lingering herbal smoke. (120
bottles for the U.S.)—SSB
CZECH REPUBLIC
91 Hammerhead 30 year old Single
Malt (Cask No. 378), 51.2%, $425
The malt shows well on the nose, with toasted
almonds, cooked cereal, and rolled oats;
there’s also coriander seed, dill, dewy grass,
peaches, and nectarines. It’s intensely spiced
and herbaceous on the palate: clove-studded
orange, chai, sandalwood, pouch tobacco,
and more coriander and aniseed. With water,
milk chocolate, almonds, and hazelnuts
emerge. The finish is oaky, with hints of
tobacco and persistent spice, especially
coriander. Compelling. (300 bottles; U.S.
exclusive)—SSB
INDIA
94 Amrut 6 year old Aatma Single Cask
Single Malt (Cask No. 4675), 57.1%, $215
Sweet saline peat on the nose, along with red
berries, milk chocolate, hazelnuts, dates, and
nougat. It’s lush and rich, qualities that extend
to the palate’s oily, dense character, which is
floral and soapy before shifting into plummy
red berry fruit, dark chocolate, roasted
hazelnuts, and a panoply of spices. The finish
is ashy, peppery, sweet, and mouthwatering,
with long, lingering smokiness. Water is a
must to showcase the rounded, powerfully
flavorful balance of this whisky. (360 bottles;
U.S. exclusive)—SSB
90 Amrut 7 year old Single Grain
Single Cask (No. 1431), 57.1%, $100
Clean and sweet on the nose, with
confectionary aromas of vanilla, coconut,
lemon curd, shortbread, and almond halva;
there’s also concentrated orchard fruit, milk
chocolate, and jasmine. It’s dry and chewy on
the palate, with plenty to enjoy—spiced plums,
raspberries, incense, milk chocolate—though
the complexity flattens out into the finish,
which is sweet with vanilla custard, milk
chocolate, fresh raspberries, and lingering
floral notes. (108 bottles; U.S. exclusive)—SSB
89 Paul John Nirvana, 40%, $30
See Best Values, page 85
ISRAEL
90 M&H Whisky in Bloom
Lightly Peated Young Israeli
Single Malt, 46%, $55
M&H (Milk & Honey), founded in 2013, is
Israel’s first whisky distillery. This expression
and its sibling bottling Double Cask are M&H’s
first to hit the U.S. Aged 2 years in bourbon,
STR (shaved, toasted, and re-charred), and
Islay casks, its nose offers candied lemon, lime
leaf, tea, and licorice. The palate is soft, fruity,
and spiced, with chocolate and light peat. The
finish is spiced and lightly peated, with
tropical fruit accents. Brilliant texture and an
unusual spice profile.—DF
88 M&H Whisky in Bloom Double Cask
Young Israeli Single Malt, 46%, $55
Clean fresh malt character manifests as a
whole host of banana products: chips, bread,
and pudding with Nilla wafers; there are also
coconut shavings, sliced almonds, confection-
ers’ sugar, and lemon and lime peels. Though
youth peeks through with heat on the palate,
the bright flavors of lemon, banana, coconut,
and a whole bouquet of violets and roses
provide balance and lead into a clean short
finish. A little more time and this whisky won’t
just bloom—it’ll flourish. (1,560 bottles)—SSB
SOUTH AFRICA
89 Drayman’s Highveld 5
year old French Oak Reserve
Single Malt, 43%, $100
This is a highly fragrant young whisky with
aromas of peeled satsumas, zested lime,
rosebuds, graham cracker, sponge cake, and a
trace of aromatic spice. Light to medium-
bodied with sweet orange honey, marmalade,
walnut, and malt, then a slow crescendo of
cocoa, spice, and cereal notes to a finish of
grated chocolate. (1,200 bottles)—JM
WALES
94 Penderyn 10 year old Madeira
Cask-Finished Single Cask Single
Malt (No. 047-3), 58.1%, $110
When you feel you’ve earned a treat, pour a
dram of this bottled candy. The nose is a tropical
fruit basket, with papaya, guava, mango,
jackfruit, and dried kiwi; extra goodies come in
the form of Jordan almonds and vanilla sand-
wich cookies. Consistent tropical flavors on the
silky palate. Nuttiness, gentle spice, milk
chocolate, and coffee bean emerge with water.
Intensely satisfying on the finish, with persistent
fruit, integrated oak, almonds, and grapefruit
peel. (243 bottles; U.S. exclusive)—SSB
You can search the entire
database of Whisky
Advocate reviews online at
whiskyadvocate.com
WHISKY ADVOCATE SUMMER 2020 93
 Are You A Whisky Advocate? Then Show Us!
Send us your photo. We’ll run the best ones here, or you might see it online.
Email photos to info@whiskyadvocate.com

Friends Kim, Judy, and Wayne gathered in Orange Tim Warner of Chicago is making the best of
Beach, Alabama for a Mardi Gras party that included sheltering in place during COVID-19. The crowd’s
a bourbon and scotch tasting. a little stuffy, but the bourbons are great.

Bernie Kremer (third from left) and

fellow soccer players from the ’80s
reunited in Louisville. A lot of great
bourbons and distillery tours created a
memorable gathering of good friends.

Patricia (pictured) and Jon Gabriel

from Eagleville, Pa. enjoyed their visit
to Glengoyne which included a
private tour and chocolate pairing.

Andrew Bisom (right)

toured M&H Distillery
in Tel Aviv. Master
distiller Tomer Goren
and friend of M&H
Rotem Ackermann Longtime friends Noah, Jim, Jordan, and Patrick make a
posed with Andrew. point to get together at least once every four years to
celebrate their friendship with some fine drams. Cheers!

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New York, NY and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: send all address changes and subscription inquiries to Whisky Advocate, P.O. Box 37367, Boone, IA 50037-0367; go to www.WhiskyAdvocate.com; or call 1-800-
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reproduced in whole or in part without written permission from the publisher. Copyright© 2020, M. Shanken Communications, Inc.

WHISKY ADVOCATE SUMMER 2020 95


Ask Mister Whiskey
M
r. Whiskey, America’s
undisputed expert in all
things bibulous, is back
with the answers to a
curious nation’s burning
questions about distilled spirits, cocktails,
and your sometimes annoying behavior. Also,
Mr. Whiskey knows what he’s talking about
or he wouldn’t be called Mr. Whiskey, would
he? (Mr. Whiskey uses the royal we because
he’s a prince of a fellow.)
My fiancé drinks single malt scotch with
Sprite Zero. Is that OK? —Fran from
Indianapolis
Dump him as quickly as you can. In a country
of 330 million people there are myriad
choices for you among men who aren’t
desperately trying to fit into skinny jeans. We
recommend going to Bardstown, Kentucky,
where male descendants of the Beams and
other sainted distilling families are fairly
thick on the ground. See if you can snag one.
What do you think of peanut butter-
flavored whiskey?—Trendy in Tucson
We think it probably sticks to the roof of your
heart, but if you want to use it in a cocktail,
try the Elvis Special: Strain two ounces of
peanut-butter whiskey through a slice of
fried Wonder bread, then shake over ice with
one shot of a banana liqueur. Serve straight
up in a glass that’s rimmed with crushed
bacon powder, then discard immediately and
replace with a glass of bourbon.
Is there vodka that’s worth $315 a bottle?
—Puzzled in King of Prussia
Yes, if the bottle is wrapped in three one
hundred-dollar bills.
What is handmade vodka?—Artisanal in
Arkansas
96 SUMMER 2020 WHISKY ADVOCATE
A LI G H TE R D RAM
by TERRY SULLIVAN
Neutral grain spirit made in a factory where
the switch for the bottling line is turned on
with a human hand.
I read that Keith Richards drinks vodka
with orange Fanta. Is this a thing now?
—Starstruck in San Luis Obispo
Only if you want to grow up to look like Keith
Richards.
What do you think of hard soda?—Curious
in Keokuk
We try not to, but when there’s no way out,
we think it’s actually pretty easy. Take a shot
of some hard liquor and add it to a glass of
soda. Bourbon and ginger ale comes to mind,
or gin and tonic, rum and Coke, vodka and
club soda, even The Keef: vodka and orange
Fanta. We make our own hard soda; it’s easier.
Are speakeasies real?—Hipster hopeful
Not if they employ PR firms to get the word
out. Real 21st-century speakeasies do exist.
They’re called “blind pigs” and they don’t
advertise. They’re usually in someone’s
apartment and they don’t have liquor licenses
or any other kind of licenses, and you actually
do have to know someone. Also you can get
arrested in them. They’re fun.
Is rye whiskey made from rye bread?
—Confused in Connecticut
Yes. And vodka is made from whole wheat,
while cognac is from French bread, sour
mash bourbon is from sourdough, and grappa
is distilled focaccia. Most tequila is made
from crushed tortillas.
Have you tasted any of the new whiskey
alternatives? —Dry in Des Moines
Indeed, we have. Tried one with Sprite Zero,
paired with an Almost Meatburger, but in the
end we decided to stick with our regular
whiskey alternative, añejo rum.
How do you make a purple yam Daiquiri?
—Aspiring in Ashtabula
We don’t make a purple yam Daiquiri for the
same reason that we didn’t make Purple
Passions in college. Purple is for Tinky Winky
Teletubby and eggplants, and we prefer not
to see either of them in a cocktail glass. If we
feel an unmet need for a glass full of purple,
we order a nice malbec.
Was Johnnie Walker a real person?
—Truth-seeker in Tucumcari
PORTRAIT: JOE MCKENDRY; ILLUSTRATION: GARY HOVLAND
Yes, and so was Jim Beam, Jack Daniel, Evan
Williams, Pappy Van Winkle, J.T.S. Brown,
Elijah Craig, William Grant, Duncan Hines,
and Chef Boyardee (nee Boiardi). Betty
Crocker was fake, however. Also, some
historians believe that the Famous Grouse
wasn’t really all that famous, and that the label
should say the Fairly Well-Known Grouse.
Is it considered bad form to have a cash bar
at my wedding?—Meghan from Milwaukee
It’s considered a crime against humanity. Mr.
Whiskey insists that you cancel the wedding,
call Fran from Indianapolis and pick her up
on your way to Bardstown to look for new
boyfriends. „