Kentucky, Day 5: Clermont

So did I wake up early enough to get to Bernheim Forest before my lone distillery tour? NOPE. I was a 46-year-old man drinking unwise amounts of oak extract for four days in a row. The fact that I woke up at all is a testament to the existence of an intact liver.

Perhaps I should qualify and quantify "unwise amounts". Some of you excellent readers burn through 1/4 or 1/3 of a bourbon bottle on a Wednesday night. I cannot. Usually I'll make 30mL of bourbon disappear without much struggle, but then the sweetness and tannins lead me to a low-abv lager to wash it all down. On this Kentucky trip, I was trying 8-12 whiskies a day, some 15mL, some not.

Thus when I woke up on Day Five after 11 hours of sleep [Ed. Attention parents, this is a thing you can do when vacationing without children.], my priority was hydration and finding an easy breakfast, rather than sticking to a silly schedule.

Nonetheless, I made it to James B. Beam Distillery on time. And I was the only one in my tour group. That made for a great visit, especially since my guide didn't toe the entire company line about all of their products. In this person's professional defense, I will say they provided all the production facts and history at a perfect pace. And they also didn't disagree when I stated my feelings about the Basil Hayden range, and the company's Canadian brown spirits.

Triple sploosh

The thing is, I really like Beam's bourbon (aside from BH). Despite the company being another soulless conglomerate, they've honed a certain type of figurative wheel that cannot be reinvented by any of the new startups, unless those baby companies are still around in 100 years. (If anything is still around in 100 years.) Knob Creek bourbon just hits right, as does the new Jim Beam 7yo Black Label. OGD 114 still works, as does the latest version of Baker's. I'll never forgive them for disposing of Old Taylor and degrading Old Crow, but that doesn't mean Beam can't maintain a good product or two.

As you may see above, the product ranges aren't just about picking barrels in the rickhouse, though Booker's does come from the center rows, furthest from the windows. There are different spirit cuts, and varying fermentation times (3-5 days) depending on the mash's starting temperature.

Their 65'x6' column still easily measures up in any size contest. They continue to source their corn (yellow #2) from within Kentucky. Bernheim Forest provides their water. And they're transparent about batch sizes. Beam White Label = 1000 barrels. And "small batches" are around 250 barrels.

The company now has a trio of distilleries: the one I visited; another in Boston, KY (where White Label is made); and a little crafty one that was completed four years ago.

At the conclusion of the tour, I got to put my thumbprint on my own bottle of Knob Creek Single (1 of 1, baby! It's worth a fortune!), and then I went upstairs to the bar, because of course.

Clermont Steep, Beam's single malt, works for my palate because it is very barley-forward, and not gussied up with extra-extra-charred barrels. Baker's High Rye 7yo, is good enough to buy......once I whittle down the bottles that came back to OH from KY. The OGD 16yo with the excellent label was probably the best of the four, with KC18 just behind it. Not a single complaint from me about their qualities.

Then FINALLY, Bernheim Forest.

Is this heaven? No, it's a Bob Ross painting.

Yes, a day with sunlight! I highly recommend a visit to Bernheim Forest, especially since it's just across the road from Beam, and the perfect place to indulge one's buzz and then walk it off on a clear day.

Happy little trees, flooded

Me posing with Ardbeg's latest cask experiment.

Upon returning to the hotel, I got changed and headed out for another long stroll, this time to downtown Bardstown. After an early dinner, I went to Evergreen Liquors to explore their bar.

After trying two of Evergreen's sold out exclusive single barrels (see above), I ventured to the nearby Volstead Bourbon Lounge. Why there? Because:

With a visual setup reminiscent of my favorite Tokyo whisky bars, Volstead provides the patron with just a few beverage choices. Luckily, I sat down right in front of an 11yo single barrel of MGP rye. Was it delicious? I'm going to say......yes. Only upon finishing my pour did I realize the bar was closing.

I exited the bar and walked 45 minutes through dark neighborhoods, back to the hotel. Was that wise? Probably not. Was I sober? I'll let you guess. The evening air was calm and cool, and I didn't have to pee. Equal pluses in my book.

Under the covers I went, moments after returning to my room. I slept the sleep of an organism processing ethanol. Louisville would beckon me in the morning.

Kentucky, Day 4: Bardstown

I started writing this post a few days ago, and now I'm completing it on a day when many of my coworkers and friends were laid off. And I'm doing so without a drink in hand. The optimism of the first half of the post is genuine, but no promises about the second half.

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Downtown Bardstown won me over instantly. It's so cute! A bunch of restaurants, independent shops, coffee houses, bars, and at least one good liquor store. It all closes up very early though.

Thousands of acres of bright green not-quite-bluegrass surrounds the town. And upon that land stands a number of distilleries and their warehouses. Thus I booked two nights in Bardstown.

My original goal was to wake up early and walk a few miles of Bernheim Forest. I did neither. And in a rare moment of insanity, I arrived at my first facility early.

Though I have no pictures of the Heaven Hill Bourbon Experience, there are plenty of notes staring back at me right now. Heaven Hill's actual distillery operates in Louisville, but their offsite Experience offers more whiskey stuff than Evan Williams in River City (more on that in a few days). At the Experience I chose the "Grain to Glass Tasting Experience" experience.

That Heaven Hill had partnered with independent farmers to make spirit-forward whiskies I had known, but not much more than that. The Grain to Glass range offers a bourbon, wheated bourbon, and rye. With the corn (strain Becks 6198) and wheat grown at Peterson Farms. The event lets tourists try each of the three, get all the supply chain details, and receive a Heaven Hill history lesson.

While the wheated bourbon and rye rumble in at barrel strength, the rye-d bourbon is bottled at a lower strength, 52%abv. Each has a 6-year age statement. And, yes, they are spirit-forward, but in a calmer fashion than Craft whiskey. For what it's worth, I enjoyed all three, but the straight rye won (surprise!), it also took to water much better than American whiskey usually does.

Heaven Hill stats: The founding family, the Shapiras, still owns the company with Kate Shapira running the show. (Yes you read that correctly, a woman of Jewish lineage oversees a massive American whiskey company. 🩷)  Within their 83 warehouses, in seven different locations, Heaven Hill has the second-highest volume of aging whiskey in the country; 2.6 million barrels, with Beam edging them out at 2.8 million. The current distillery produces 450K barrels per year, while a new smaller distillery in the works.

If you have not seen any of the footage of the 1996 Heaven Hill fire, I strongly recommend you do so. The images may be triggering for some of my California readers, specifically the size and intensity of the conflagration's flames. As the company rebuilt its facilities in the late '90s, many of the other major distilleries provided whisky for Heaven Hill to bottle so that business wouldn't stop completely. One wonders if the industry would be so united today.

On a final note, I may have discovered why I find HH's whiskies so much more palatable than most of the other distilleries' products. The majority of major bourbon distilleries use a #4 or #5 char inside their barrels, while Heaven Hill uses #3 char. Could that lead more graceful aging, more spirit notes, and less bitterness? I think so.

And then I went to Willett...

I'll start with the positives. The tour guide, Ila, was EXCELLENT. The distillery has three cats, which gets three thumbs up from me. And there's a large black rooster that appeared on their grounds one day and then never left.

So that's pretty cool. The two guys behind me on the tour making B.B.C. jokes about it were not very cool.

On the tour I tried nine of their whiskies (all of them distilled on site), and liked none of them. The rye, of all things, was the most difficult to drink. The bourbons were all very bitter and acidic. The rye was such a shock because, after all the years of gorgeous MGP-sourced single barrels, the product with the same bottles and labels now contain unbalanced Craft rye. Expensive unbalanced Craft rye. Maybe it gets better after 4 years?

Here's the rundown of Willett info: They have seven five-story rickhouses, none of which are temperature controlled. They do not rotate their barrels (similar to Four Roses but with very different results). Their mash gets 2-3 days of fermentation (in their seven 10K fermenters) until the beer is 8-10%abv. Each whiskey comes from a small batch, 18-24 barrels (#4 char).

After buying a bottle of Noah's Mill — Why? I don't know. — I drove to downtown Bardstown for dinner at the Talbott Inn bar. Then I walked around until the sun set. This old body started feeling beaten up by all the booze. Weather reports said there'd be no rain the next day. So I tumbled into bed, setting my alarm so that I'd wake up early enough to get to Bernheim Forest before my lone distillery tour...

Kentucky, Day 3: Lawrenceburg

Day 3 loomed large on my schedule and, sure enough, it did not disappoint. A lot of alcohol was consumed.

Before Austin, Nichols & Co. changed the distillery's name to match the brand, Wild Turkey Distillery was known as Old Ripy, Old Moore, Old Hickory Springs, Ripy Brothers, Anderson County, and J. T. S. Brown & Sons Distillery. Master Distiller Jimmy Russell has been there since the Ripy family broke ground on the original facility in 1850. Just kidding, a little bit. Jimmy Russell has been working at the distillery for a mere 71 years.

Wild Turkey and its warehouses sit on a gorgeous piece of land bursting with greenery on the day of my visit, thanks to all the downpours.

Here's a pro amateur tip: Go to the toilet before any distillery tour starts, but also leave time to do so. Three times during this Kentucky trip, I ran out of the bathroom, chasing after my tour group, struggling to zip up my fly on at least one occasion.

Wild Turkey grows their yeast on site, from a batch started over 70 years ago, though the Mother is kept in a lab in San Diego, as a precaution. They source their corn from Kentucky, rye from Poland, and barley from Montana (where it's malted). Their mash gets a 72-80 hour fermentation until the distiller's beer reaches 10-12%abv. This cloudy sweet stuff then gets fed into the 52-foot Vendome column still for the low wines, then to the doubler pot still for the high wines. The spirit (which often reaches 65%abv) is reduced to 57.5%abv before barreling. 850,000 of these barrels are currently turning the spirit brown in the company's warehouses.

Warehouse A was built in 1894, and it looks all of its 131 years,
in a good way.

Here's a random bit of trivia: Nearly all of Wild Turkey's emptied barrels are used by Midleton Distillery for Jameson whiskey, out Ireland-way. This practice started back when Wild Turkey and Jameson were both owned by Pernod Ricard, and despite WT's sale to Campari Group in 2009, this part of the supply chain continues.

According to Dwight, the tour leader who balanced loads of information with an excellent sense of humor, the company's current 101 bourbon is 6-8 years old, while the 101 rye is from 4-6 year old lower rack barrels. Their Rare Breed bourbon contains 6, 8, and 12 year old whiskies, while the Russell's Reserve barrels (150 per batch) come from the center of the Nelson & Tyrone rickhouses.

As the tour and its tasting concluded, the smell of smoky pulled pork crept into the room. I followed my nose to the second floor bar and kitchen, whereat I consumed multiple sliders filled with said salty goodness, chasing it down with the rich Russell's Reserve 13 year old.

And that's how my day began. I needed two hours to simultaneously dry out and hydrate up. Then it was off to...

🌹 🌹 🌹 🌹 

When asked what my favorite bourbon brand is, I often say Four Roses. And I don't think I'm lying about it. Aside from the transparency about 10 different bourbon recipes, they also make some reliably very good whiskey under $50. Also, OBSK rules.

I'm looking at my mess of Four Roses notes, and the memories are kinda blurry, except when the reflux (esophageal, not still-related) kicked in at the end of the tasting, probably because I had a freaking cocktail before the tour began. So, I'm just going to list the information and skip any commentary.

Oh look, more rain.

Similar to Wild Turkey, Four Roses sources their corn from Kentucky, rye from Eastern Europe, and barley from Montana. They also grow their two yeast strains on site. Combining those elements with water from the adjacent limestone-rich Salt River, they give the mash an 84-hour fermentation to produce an 8%abv distiller's beer. They use two 45x4 column stills for the first distillation, and a pot still doubler for the second, creating a high wine of 69%-70%abv. This is then reduced to 60%abv for (#4 char) barreling. Four Roses uses single story rickhouses, with barrels stacked six high, in order to maintain control.

The Spanish Mission style facility was known as Old Prentice Distillery back when it was built in 1910. It was owned by Seagram from 1943 to 1999 after which it bounced between Vivendi Universal, Pernod Ricard, Diageo, and finally Kirin across less than three years. Current owners, Kirin, put an end to Four Roses Blended Whiskey to focus on the distillery's bourbon.

Their standard Four Roses bourbon comes from a mix of all 10 recipes, using 5-7 year old barrels. The Small Batch is "a little older" and contains just the K and O recipes. Their newer Small Batch Select is non-chillfiltered, and is fashioned from six of the recipes.

To my great surprise, the gift shop had a single barrel of high-powered OBSK on offer. So I took them up on a bottle, in exchange for money.

Yes, I got back to the hotel safely, after which I watched Manos, Hands of Fate (MST3K style). As I drifted to sleep, I promised myself I would never visit more than two distilleries in one day. I'm a promise-keeper, so I toured no more than two distilleries the following day...

Kentucky, Day 2: Frankfort

I drove southeast from Cincinnati toward Frankfort, KY, through a heavy rainstorm. Three accidents on the freeway put me one hour behind. Luckily I was able to reschedule my next distillery tour to later in the day.

The Castle & Key grounds were saturated so large muddy pools of water were forming everywhere as I arrived. But the dark sky formed the perfect background to one of the most beautiful distilleries I have ever seen.

Formerly the Castle Distillery, founded by EH Taylor, this facility once produced my favorite bourbons (y'all can keep yer Stitzel-Wellers) under its National Distillers ownership. The distillery closed in 1972 and was left to rust and rot by the landowners for three decades.

The limestone aquifer

In 2012, the property was bought up by developers who had big eyes for the real estate boom. And though they never got around to building anything, they did tear down some of the buildings. They sold the property to a consortium led by Will Arvin and Wesley Murry in 2014. This new group went to work refurbishing what they could, and reviving the production facilities with all new gear, and began distillation in 2016.

The imposing Warehouse E, built by World War II veterans, continues to serve as a home for the distillery's barrels, looming heavily over the inner courtyard, impenetrable, looking more ancient than Kentucky itself.

Castle & Key sources all of its white corn for its 73/10/17 (wheated) mashbill from Kentucky farmers. Their rye (63/20/17) spirit is used for their gin, and bourbon spirit for their vodka. They have no master distiller, and the gentleman who worked at a desk next to column still did not know how tall the still was, nor did he know what I meant by "a thumper".

At the tour's tasting, I didn't care for their rye or bourbon at all, finding the gin cocktail and chocolate bourbon ball much more pleasurable. I'm so grateful for the company's preservation of such a stunning piece of American whiskey history, so I don't mind that their Craft-work can't match the next distillery's products.

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Buffalo Trace Distillery has had a rough 2025. Flooding knocked one of their cargo containers and a temporary office into the Kentucky River in February. April brought even heavier floods that closed many of BT's building, and covered some vehicles on the property.

Though they reopened the gift shop, tours were cancelled through at least May. One had to book a reservation to go into the shop to buy their goodies, probably to keep the customer flow under control. The shop had very little of note, unless you get excited about EH Taylor Small Batch and 375mL Blanton's.

Tastings were held on the second floor and, again, the standards were all that were on hand. The lineup: Sazerac Rye, Buffalo Trace, EH Taylor Small Batch, a vodka, and another bourbon ball. Buffalo Trace registered better than the EHTSB as it always does for my face. But the bourbon ball was the highlight again. Downstairs they were selling a 12-pack for $40. I instead chose to visit the chocolatier herself (well, one of her stores), Rebecca Ruth, and filled a bag up with treats. For my kids, of course.

Sorry, I didn't take any pictures while I was there. The grounds were a soggy sight, and I have no need for Gift Shop photos. All the shoppers around me wished the distillery workers well, hoping for a quick recovery. And those same shoppers left muttering to each other about a future "EH Taylor Flood Batch", and how cynical the price would be. My kind of people.

Kentucky, Day 1: Cincinnati

Firstly, you will be shocked, shocked to discover that drinking of alcoholic products occurred during this trip. My sober memory isn't worth a dime, so pardon the lack of meticulous detail in these posts.

Secondly, I've lived long enough in the state of Ohio to feel comfortable with saying that, "Cincinnati is basically Kentucky." That is not an insult to that city nor either state. As one drives south of Columbus, The American South reveals itself quickly. It can be heard in the accents and trucks, tasted in the food, and seen on the fire-and-brimstone billboards. And of course, Cincy is right on the border of the Bluegrass State. Now, on to the adventure!

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It is raining in Kentucky as you read this. Parts of the state have been flooding for most of 2025, as the downpour does not stop. And, much like last year's Paris adventure, I did not pack appropriately for the weather.

Luckily the sun held off the dark clouds for the first few hours of day one, as I sped (read: drove incredibly safely) to Covington, KY, because I left my house an hour later than I'd intended. One minute before the tour was to begin, I parked at New Riff Distillery, right across the bridge from Cincinnati.

Kentucky is happy to see me

In 2014, Ken Lewis sold his ownership stake in The Party Source to the employees so that he could build a distillery in their parking lot. He brought on Larry Ebersol, the retired master distiller of the late great Old Seagrams Distillery to consult, and hired Brian Sprance of Sam Adams to run the 60' x 2' massive column still. In 2024, Ken retired, leaving ownership in the hands of his daughter Mollie Lewis and Hannah Lowen.

New Riff Distillery gets its water from a natural aquifer beneath the building, the corn from Indiana, and rye from Germany. Their bourbon comes from a 65/30/5 mash bill, while the rye goes with the MGP-like 95/5 mash. Those mashes undergo a 4-day open fermentation until they've become a ~7%abv distiller's beer. The first distillation goes through that huge 18-plated column still, then the low wines are further distilled in their thumper pot still to get the desired high wines. Their #4 char barrels come from two Kentucky coopers, and each final bottled batch is fashioned from 30-35 of those barrels. They have one bonded warehouse on site, and another off-site.

The tour guide (whose name I did not record, sadly) did an excellent job handling all of my pestering very well. The group tried a bunch of their products during the tour, and I found their Bottled-In-Bond bourbon to be my favorite thanks to its unique tobacco and dark chocolate notes. Afterwards, I went upstairs to their great bar and tried three of their single malts — the 2023, 2024, and 2025 releases — and liked all of them, though the long-gone 2023 was my favorite.

New Riff was a very pleasant surprise. Their whisky feels neither rushed nor raw nor over-oaked. I'd be happy to buy a bottle of that BIB, and the 2023 single malt if I ever find it in the wild.

Afterwards, I went to The Party Source and bought one liter of 190-proof Everclear, as one does.

As soon as I got to my hotel in Cincinnati, the thunder and lightning began, which was fabulous because I had very good tickets to the Reds vs. Nationals game. Though I did not pack a jacket, nor even a sweatshirt, I did have a good umbrella. So after I walked to the stadium, I sat down in my seat, watched the storm, and waited.

Okay, I didn't sit for the full two-hour wait. I ate ballpark pizza and forced down a Yuengling tall boy. And then the rain stopped! And a great ballgame commenced, with Hunter Greene striking out 12 Nationals in six innings, leading the Reds to a 6-1 win.

The rain started again during the eighth inning and did not stop for three days.

That one time I went to Kentucky

My goal has been to take one international trip each spring, but I could tell that 2025 was going to be a bit different, even before the year began. Issues with time, money, geopolitics, and personal life converged and I was left without a plan or a plane ticket. Then, several weeks ago, a little impulsive brainstorm blossomed: Go. To. Kentucky.

By car, the Cincinnati border is less than two hours from my house, and yet after nearly nine years in Ohio, I've never made a trek farther than The Party Source. Not with my daughters' mother, nor the four women with whom I've had (limited) relationships, nor any of my whisk(e)y buddies. So my 2025 Spring Vacation would take me to Bourbon Country.

Despite nearly three decades' worth of attempts, my palate has never fully embraced bourbon. I've always found contemporary bourbon's scope of complexity to be far narrower than Scotch whisky's (and Irish whisky's and Japanese whisky's), due to the dependence on the bourbon spirit's intensive oak extraction. In fact, I find white dog and distiller's beer to be more interesting than the resulting brown oak juice.

But I have also lost my way when it comes to American whiskies. At some point I lost interest in seeking out a better bourbon, and cringed at every new Craft creation. As of early 2025, other than Indiana's MGP 95/5 ryes, I didn't know what American whiskies actually work for my taste buds. So, I wanted to find out.

Due to the nutty internal and external life I'm navigating, the one that barely leaves me time to post on this blog, I didn't plan much of this trip. There did need to be baseball games, long walks in the woods, barbecue, and, yes, bourbon distillery tours, the normal ones that anyone else can sign up for, no special behind-the-scenes treatment.

That 9-day trip concluded last weekend. I will now attempt to recap it in less than a handful of posts, and then return to my regularly(?) scheduled(?) whisky reviews. Thank you for your patience.

Three Macallan single malts from ...... Macallan

Since 2021, Macallan has released at least 47 different non-age-statement non-vintage official bottlings, as per whiskybase. In that same time period its fellow giants, Glenfiddich and Glenlivet, released 18 different non-age-statement non-vintage official bottlings combined.

That's a lot of storytelling and mystery Macallan meat. Edrington's cash cow has clearly elected to double down on NAS releases while the rest of the market has backed off from producing the same. They do it because they can. The market exists so it is filled, almost monthly.

Long time readers know I am not part of the Macallan demographic, BUT I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of last week's age-stated independently bottled Macallans. I ended that post with some parting shots, and now it's time for me to fulfill my promise.

Part of the Harmony Collection, Rich Cacao is fashioned from sherry-seasoned European and American oak. It's supposed to taste like good chocolate, and pair well with good chocolates. That link will take you to the official site that offers additional storytelling about Spain, as well as details about the whisky's box that's made with used cacao husks.

The Edition series did actually catch my eye back in the day. Costco used to carry the first two editions for prices below their SRPs, while the whisky flexed well above 40%abv. The boxes are pretty too, if you have the whole collection. Edition No. 2 was partially created by Spanish chefs (just like the Rich Cacao), and is made up of sherry puncheons, butts and refill hogsheads. Thank you, TWE, for sharing the cask detail since Edrington's marketing evades useful information about this product.

And then there's Classic Cut 2023 Edition. Part of an annual range, this edition of The Cut was of interest to me not just because it has a solid ABV, but because its producers admit that the mix includes ex-bourbon casks. Zoiks! What has become of Macallan?!

Here they are:

THREE MORE MACALLAN MATES

Macallan Rich Cacao 44.0%abv	Macallan Edition No. 2 48.2%abv	Macallan Classic Cut 2023 Edition 50.3%abv
Toasted oak, hazelnuts, and Brazil nuts hit the nose right up front, while Chambord, Luxardo syrup, and turpentine stay behind.	The nose starts off slightly paint-y and floral. Semi-sweet chocolate, actual Oloroso, and brine arrive next, followed by cantaloupe and cologne.	The rawest nose of the three, and the fruitiest, with lots of apple skins and port-like berry notes. An even mix of vanilla and barley fill out the edges.
This palate starts off quite similar to the nose, with lots of toasted oak spice, dried blueberries, and something PX-ish. Sweet little oranges tingle in the background.	Toffee, semi-sweet chocolate, and sea salt start the palate. The Oloroso note appears here too, getting drier with time. Hints of marzipan and tart oranges provide additional character.	This very malty, toasty palate reminds me of digestive biscuits (always reliable), with Brazil nuts, tangy limes, and sweet oranges in the back.
It finishes floral and PXy with subtle notes of dried blueberries and sea salt.	The finish is all toffee, toasted almonds, and dried cranberries.	All the maltiness stays through the finish, with a balance of tart and sweet running through the middle.
Comments: This one is a struggle at times. I don't mind the missing chocolate, in fact the whisky's lack of chocolate may make it a better pairing with some nice slabs of the darkest stuff. Instead there's a lot of fortified wine in this mix, resulting in a sweet unbalanced thing. But the salt and oranges do help a bit.	Comments: THIS is the chocolatey one. The spot-on bottling strength helps deliver a bigger whisky than the standard range can offer. It is, of course, all-cask, making it one of countless contemporary whiskies that could have come from nearly any Scottish distillery.	Comments: Though this is probably the youngest of the three, I like it the best. The casks show lots of restraint, something one doesn't often find in this distillery's official releases. Then again, I like the old Fine Oak series more than most folks, so your mileage may vary here.
Rating: 81	Rating: 84	Rating: 85

WORDS WORDS WORDS

Another positively surprising round. I expected to dish out some 70s ratings for C-grade material, but none of the whiskies dipped to that level. Even the Rich Cacao had some good angles. There was a moment when I considered buying the 2024 Classic Cut if I could find a good deal, but then I remembered I was on my third drink, the point when retail therapy replaces rational thought for the night. But I still do not understand Macallan's pricing, as none of these Macs offer anything that cheaper age-stated whiskies could not replicate or better, especially those from a certain independent bottler.

Three Macallan single malts from Signatory Vintage

Macallan, or rather "Speyside (M)", has become hot stuff in the indie bottler scene with specific thanks to Signatory Vintage. At some point the Symington squad scored many casks from Edrington's cash cow. As of today, Signatory has released at least 45 different Speyside (M)s across three different ranges — Cask Strength Collection, 100 Proof Edition, and Small Batch Edition — in less than two years, all (or most) of which had sherry cask maturation.

This will be the first time I have reviewed a Signatory 100 Proof Edition, a range that instantly created its own rung on the single malt pricing ladder, offering age-stated (usually over 10yrs) high-strength, oft-sherried, very small batch single malts at less than 60 euros. They beat everyone to it. And the quality is there, I can attest to that.

Signatory has also expanded their Small Batch Edition range which offers single malts older than the 100 Proofers, with a less fiery ABV, at a slightly higher price.

The Cask Strength Collection continues to soar, though many of the range's whiskies have had secondary maturations.

Today I will indulge in three Speyside (M)s, one from each of these ranges. The first is an official "Things I Really Drink", a 14 year old 2010 (1st and 2nd fill oloroso butts) from the Small Batch range, a bottle I split halfsies with the Doctors Springbank. The second is a 13yo (1st and refill oloroso butts) from the 100 Proof Edition range. And the third, an 18 year old first-fill oloroso butt, comes from the classic Cask Strength Collection.

I probably have not tried three Macallans in one night in nearly 15 years. Things were different then.

THREE MACALLAN MATES

Speyside (M) 14-year-old 2010 Signatory Small Batch #16 48.2%abv	Speyside (M) 13-year-old 2011 Signatory 100 Proof #27 57.1%abv	Speyside (M) 18-year-old 2005 Signatory Cask Strength cask DRU17/A106#5 57.7%abv
The nose offers mint, chocolate, and walnuts up top; dried cherries, dried raspberries, and a hint of dunnage underneath. It gets more milk chocolatey with time. It picks up more dunnage funk once diluted to 43%abv. Dark chocolate and coal mix with dried raspberries and vanilla bean.	The nose, very different than the 14's, dishes out carob, dried blueberries, baklava, cherry bubblegum, toffee pudding, and a whiff of gunpowder. The gunpowder expands once the whisky is dropped to 43%abv. The nose gets more leathery, briny, and meaty.	The deepest nose of the three. Raw cocoa, asphalt, dried cherries, and black currant jam up front, freshly polished leather shoes in the middle, toffee pudding in the back. At 43%abv, it feels darker (if that makes sense) with dunnage, steel wool, pine sap, and orange oil.
This palate goes a direction different than the nose. Savory dried herbs, metal, and cocoa appear first, followed bitterer herbs, toasty oak, dusty smoke. At 43%abv mixed nuts take over, followed by fresher berries and a touch of soot.	No gunpowder on the neat palate. It's actually quite plummy at first, but then shifts gears: tobacco, raw walnut, raw almonds, salt, pepper, and very dry sherry. Diluted to 43%abv, the whisky takes on a gentle honeyed sweetness, with Cow Tales candy and a hint of gunpowder.	Loads of tobacco, metal, and earth arrive in the palate first, followed by blood oranges, dried leaves, and a wormwood bitterness. This palate also gets sweeter at 43%abv, with banana pudding, sugar cookies, toffee pudding, and mint leaf.
The finish follows the un-sweet path with raw walnuts, dried herbs, and tart limes. When dropped to 43%abv, the whisky gets slightly sweeter, with fresh berries being balanced out with salt and pepper.	Raw nuts, salt, pepper, and that very dry sherry finish it off. It switches to honey, salt, and ash once diluted to 50%abv.	It finishes smoky, leafy, earthy, with raw walnuts and herbal bitterness. The 43%abv finish matches the palate, then adds a vibrant peppery zing.
Comments: I am enjoying my 350mL! The whisky has the right bottling strength, though slight dilution doesn't hurt a thing. The prettier nose and grittier palate offer a great contrast, with neither besting the other. Gimme a little dunnage and soot in my Macallan anytime.	Comments: Slightly dirty, slightly wild, with an impressive dryness (when neat) this Macallan has more fight to it than Edrington would ever allow in their standard releases. As noted above, this reads like the cask was seasoned with something closer to Manzanilla than Oloroso, which is a good thing.	Comments: It's a heavy one, a beast that only shows its sensitive side once doused with water. The surprising earthiness gives the neat finish some Kilkerran vibes. The fruits' cameo appearances push this whisky to the big 9-0.
Rating: 86	Rating: 87	Rating: 90 (when neat)

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Ignoring the fact that one could have bought all three of these terrific bottles together for less than the price of one bottle of the official 18......actually, I can't ignore that. It's crazy crazy crazy crazy. Macallan fans, WTF? Why do you put up with Edrington's showily bloated pricing, for heavily-diluted massive-batched whisky, may I add? You know what, never mind. I'm going to do a three-Macallan-OB Taste Off next, just to see where it takes me.

Dalwhinnie 30 year old 1989 Diageo Special Releases 2020

I'm not sure how many more Dalwhinnie reviews are possible, so I'm happy to have the opportunity to include at least one oldie from that distillery on this site.

Newer readers may not realize this, but Diageo's "Special Releases" were once actually special, not ten year old whatsits in wine casks. Both the 2019 and 2020 sets included a 30-year-old 'Whinnie. Today's 2020 release is the more naked of the two, having lived in only refill hoggies. Gimme gimme gimme.

Distillery: Dalwhinnie

Ownership: Diageo
Region: Highlands (Central-ish)

Age: at least 30 years (1989-2020)

Maturation: refill American oak hogsheads

Outturn: 6978 bottles

Alcohol by Volume: 51.9%

Chillfiltered? No

e150a added? No
(from a bottle split)

NEAT

Surprise! This isn't your average Dalwhinnie nose. It's chalky and lightly earthy, with caramel, shortbread biscuits, and a hint of butterscotch. Then, baked bananas and grilled pears. A mix of lemon cake and clove cigarettes appears after 45 minutes of air. The palate arrives fruitier than the nose, with guava, limes, and canned peaches. Hints of vanilla and dusty smoke drift through the background. Lightly sweet and lightly bitter, the finish starts with lemon curd, then tilts towards lemon juice after some time.

DILUTED to ~46%abv, or ¾ tsp of water per 30mL whisky

Lemon cake, shortbread biscuits, dandelions, and strawberry pie filling on the nose. The sweeter and tangier palate narrows a bit, but adds passion fruit to the guava. The tart and sweet finish matches the palate.

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This spirit is different than contemporary Dalwhinnie, and I prefer it. Both wilder and more varied, it delivers a fuller and more interesting drinking experience. Though this 30yo was not a home run, I wanted more of it because there's more "there" there. (Excellent sentence, man.) And though I don't make outright recommendations on this site, I do encourage anyone with a bottle of old Dalwhinnie (except for the 15) to open it up and indulge in a style that doesn't exist anymore.

Availability - Secondary market?

Pricing - ???
Rating - 88

Dalwhinnie Distillery Exclusive, batch 1

Because the Buchanan and/or Black & White blends have always been popular somewhere on this blue Earth, Diageo (DCL, SMD, UD, etc.) has very rarely released Dalwhinnie casks into the blender/independent marketplace. The conglomerate has also released very few cask strength versions or unique age-stated bottlings of the Cairngorms-adjacent distillery. As a result, official NAS malts are mostly what curious drinkers have had access to.

Today, I'm going to try Batch #1 of Dalwhinnie's NAS Distillery Exclusive series, bottled in 2022. I don't know much more about it, other than it was bottled in a very non-Diageo 48%abv/NC/NCF format. The 15yo will serve as its drinking partner.

Distillery: Dalwhinnie

Ownership: Diageo
Region: Highlands (Central-ish)

Age: ???

Maturation: ???
Bottling year: 2022

Outturn: 7500 bottles

Alcohol by Volume: 48%

Chillfiltered? No

e150a added? No
(from a bottle split)

NEAT

The nose starts with flowers by the ocean, apricot jam, and peach gummy bears. It picks up smaller notes of barley and white chocolate with time. The lightly sweet, but very tangy palate leads with apples and limes up front. Roses, apricot jam, and orange marmalade soak into the midground, while ginger beer stays in the back. It finishes simply with limes, apricots, and ginger beer.

DILUTED to ~40%abv, or 1¼ tsp of water per 30mL whisky

There's a gentler mix of peach skins, roses, and white chocolate on the nose, with hints of raspberry jam and caramel in the background. The palate matches the nose well with roses and fresh berries in the first sip, fresh ginger, lemon juice, and caramel in later sips. It finishes sweetly with ginger beer and lemon candy.

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Another very pretty Dalwhinnie. While I appreciate its better presentation, this exclusive batch reads simpler and softer than the current 15-year-old. It's a friendly, casual pour that can take a few drops of water, if desired. It's definitely something that would appeal to a distillery tourist who wants something "smooth". Contemporary Dalwhinnie single malt is indeed a gentle spirit.

Availability - Sold out

Pricing - allegedly £95 in 2022
Rating - 83

Dalwhinnie 15 year old (1980s) versus Dalwhinnie 15 year old (2024)

After the distillery's founding in 1897, Dalwhinnie passed through the hands of five different ownership groups over its first 29 years, ultimately landing in DCL's (proto-Diageo's) large portfolio where it has since served as an ingredient of the Buchanan and Black & White blends.

Dalwhinnie 15-year-old was one of Diageo's original Classic Malts, entering the market in the 1980s. Over one million Dalwhinnie 15yo bottles are sold each year, often landing it among Diageo's top 5 best-selling single malts. It was also one of my first regular single malts (~20 years ago) because Trader Joe's used to sling it for $39.99!

Before I opened this bottle a couple months ago, more than a decade had passed since I'd last tasted the 15. The first thing I noticed was how easily the Dalwhinnie from my new bottle drank. Yes, the whisky had been chillfiltered and diluted down to 43%abv, but its style also matched the malt's advertised slogan, "The Gentle Spirit". Two years prior, I'd also taken part in a bottle split of the original 15yo bottling from the 1980s. It is now time to match them up.

A quick note before the Taste Off commences: These two Dalwhinnie 15s are not the same spirit. The distillery's worm tub and condensers were replaced in 1986, then the distillery went through further updates six years later. On-site maltings were shut down in 1968, so the '80s version may include some of that previous era's spirit as well.

A Dalwhinnie Duo

Dalwhinnie 15 year old bottled in the 1980s 40%abv	Dalwhinnie 15 year old bottled in 2024 43%abv
The nose begins with wet old oak and wet roots. Maybe a funky dunnage hint too. Pencil shavings, limes, and mint leaf emerge after about a half hour.	The nose starts off very doughy with soft notes of saline, anise, and orange peel, adding Midori liqueur, roses, dandelions, and lemon candy after some time in the glass.
A odd mix of bitter wet cardboard and stout arrives first in the palate, followed by vanilla, brown sugar, sawdust, dusty smoke, and a hint of lemon.	First up in the palate: roasted barley, roasted coffee beans, and semi-sweet chocolate. A bold sweet orange note slowly morphs into bitter peels after a while.
It finishes briefly with iron, sawdust, and brown sugar.	A cooling sensation spreads across one's tongue in the finish, bringing with it sweet and tart oranges and a touch of mocha.
Comments: This may have had some Old Bottle action affecting it. Or United Distillers had a whole bunch of funky musty casks in the Dalwhinnie warehouse, 40ish years ago. No matter the reason, this '80s single malt reads like a '60s/'70s cheap blend. That's not a complete insult since '60s/'70s cheap blends are better than many top shelf blends today.	Comments: Sitting down and focusing on this whisky, I find it better than I'd expected. This bottle has served as my casual single malt for the past two or three months, pleasant but mostly forgettable. But now the nose has a very pretty arrival, and it doesn't die out after an hour in the glass. The presentation does the palate a disservice, likely choking off angles and layers, but the flavors that remain are comfy.
Rating: 73	Rating: 84

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Chillfiltration and dilution do not help either of these Dalwhinnies, but the newer bottling weathers it much better. Is that because the liquid is fresher in the newer bottle, or do the extra 3 points of alcohol help? A little from column A and a little from column B, most likely. The 1980s version is also much darker than the new one, and that certainly ain't due to first-fill sherry casks. In a possibly unpopular move, I'm going to say the newer version is constructed better than the older one. Please forgive me.

Four age-stated Hakata whiskies

What exactly is Hakata Whisky? I sent emails to a couple official folks last year, but never received a response, so it's time to source second-to-thirdhand answers from the internets. Please keep that in mind.

The spirit is distilled in Japan, specifically the Fukuoka region, by Hikari-Shuzo Co. Ltd, a shōchū producer. It's a single-distilled spirit made from barley, a portion of which is fermented with the wonderful Koji mold, the happy critter than helps make shōchū and sake. The remaining portion may be unmalted barley, which may or may not make up two-thirds of the mashbill. Despite what the official site says, today's whiskies were not distilled at Hikari Distillery, a facility that opened only 4 or 5 years ago.

So is Hakata aged shōchū? I don't know. In the past, Japan has resisted applying the "Whisky" label to aged spirits distilled like shōchū. But America has not hesitated to do so.

Hakata's standard range includes today's 10yo, 12yo, 16yo, and 18yo, all bottled at 42%abv and aged in sherry casks. By the looks of the liquid, those were some very wet casks.

The Fukuoka Four

Hakata 10 year old 42%abv	Hakata 12 year old 42%abv	Hakata 16 year old 42%abv	Hakata 18 year old 42%abv
The nose is an utter sherry blast, fruitier than Oloroso, but drier than PX. There are some stewed berries in mulled wine, followed by honey, Andes candies, and paper pulp in up front. Hints of vanilla and mustiness stay behind.	This nose is mustier and earthier than the 10's. It's a mix of semi-sweet chocolate, nocino, simple brandy, shoe polish and molasses. WINNER	This is the grapiest nose of the four, with does of PX and balsamic vinegar. Brazil nuts and milk chocolate fill the middle, while mint and Luxardo syrup remain in the back.	Gunpowder and soy sauce make up most of the nose. Other notes include cornbread topped with blueberry jam, brine, and urea. This is one dirty bird.
The mellow, minty palate also dishes out Irish soda bread, almonds, black raisins, and a hint of dunnage.	Equal parts salt, sweet, and tannin fill the palate with notes like walnuts, raw almonds, raspberries, and old wood.	After the 12yo, this palate is less bitter and tannic than I expected. Jelly rings and nocino give it a mellow nutty/fruity sweetness. Lots of salted roasted almonds rest atop a quiet savory note. WINNER	The palate is savory in a lightly sulfuric but not unpleasant fashion. Very salty hard cheese meets balsamic vinegar, dried cherries, and a hint of urea.
The finish is sweeter than the palate, but also quite salty, with raw almonds and tannins in the background.	It finishes bitterer and earthier than the palate, while the raspberries turn tangy and tart.	Less tannic than the 10 and 12! Longer finish too, mostly of tart berries and toasty oak spices. WINNER	Luckily, the finish's sulfur character isn't the kind that turns the tongue furry. It's mostly gunpowder, aged hard cheese, and stones.
Comments: Much like its siblings, there's not a lot of whisky here, with the cask doing all the talking, quite loudly, in fact, for a 10 year old. Still, it's better than many low-ABV sherried scotches at its age.	Comments: Love that nose! Though it does setup expectations that the palate cannot match. The earth and raw nuts push it past the 10yo, despite the tannins.	Comments: This had the lightest color of the three. Judging by that, and the palate, I'm guessing there are some refill casks in the mix. It's the pour that I finished first, and I was left wanting more. It's the champ of the group.	Comments: Some online reviews opine that the koji mold delivers the whisky's savoriness. Not in my book, or my face. This is straight up sulfur. But it does not wreck the whisky. It just makes it dirtier than the other four. The 16yo's subtler touches and complexity win out.
Rating: 81	Rating: 83	Rating: 85	Rating: 83

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It's easier for my brain and stomach to process four low-ABV whiskies than three high-ABV whiskies, so I was able to focus better with this quartet. I still can't tell you whether this is aged shōchū or not because the spirit was so extractive, pulling everything from its casks. It often reads like 42%abv sherry from heavily-charred casks. While there's certainly a market for that style in the whisky world (including Japan), that's not exactly my style. The 16 year old was the gentlest of the four, and also the closest to finding balance. I hope Hikari/Hakata tries its hand at more refill cask whisky because I'd love to try that some day.

Three five-year-old Komagatake single casks for La Maison du Whisky

I am just now seeing the Text label near Niigata.
LOL, I’m leaving it there.

A stomach virus kept me off the sauce for a week, but that's behind me now. 😅

During last year's vacation, I learned that La Maison du Whisky has cornered the Parisian whisky retail market. To avoid all FOMO, you should visit all three of LMDW's excellent brick-and-mortar shops in the city, as each store has a slightly different inventory.

Because France doesn't have the same wacky liquor laws as the US, La Maison also acts as an importer, especially of Japanese whiskies. Back in 2022, LMDW brought in three single first-fill ex-bourbon casks of Komagatake (Shinshu Distillery) single malt, each of which was matured at one of the three Mars locations: Shinshu (mountains), Tsunuki (coast), and Yakushima (tropical island). Today I'm going to try them side-by-side to see how, or if, the aging process is influenced by the warehouse locales.

Komagatake Kyōdai

Komagatake 5-year-old 2016 cask 3705, Shinshu-aged 61%abv	Komagatake 5-year-old 2016 cask 5183, Tsunuki-aged 60%abv	Komagatake 5-year-old 2016 cask 2063, Yakushima-aged 61%abv
The nose starts off with apples, malt, vanilla, and paint thinner, with caramel, white peaches, and white dessert wine arriving later. Once diluted to 50%abv, the whisky shifts toward mint, anise, sugar cookies, and cherry candy in the nose.	Ah, some real fruit in this nose! Mango juice, orange peel, and orange blossoms up front. Cinnamon, glue, and chlorophyl settle into the background. The nose gets leaner once the whisky is diluted to 50%abv. It's all barley, yeast, peat, burlap, cinnamon, and clove.	Another pretty nose, with sugar cookies, orange peels, rosewater and lemon candies appearing in the first 20-30 minutes. Vanilla bean, almond extract, and toasted oak emerge later on. At 50%abv, the whisky's nose offers up apricots, apples, confectioner's sugar, and a hint of brine.
The hot and sweet palate offers cherry-flavored children's medicine, honey and clementines in the foreground, barley and cocoa in the middle, ash in the distance. The palate is so very, very sweet at the 50%abv mark, mostly lemon candy, simple syrup, and milk chocolate.	Surprising peaty notes hit the palate first, followed by limes, tart apples, tart cherries, and bitter citrus pith. At 50%abv, there's less peat and sugar, but lots of tart and bitter citrus.	Mild smoke and bitterness moderate the palate's sweetness. Cloves, almond extract, and lemons stick around the longest. It's moderately sweet with salty smoke, lemon blossoms, and clementines at 50%abv.
The finish is VERY sweet, like dessert wine, lemon candy, simple syrup, and milk chocolate. At 50%abv, the finish is tangier and more acidic. A few marshmallows appear after the final sips.	No peat in the finish, so the sweetness runs wild, especially in notes of sweet apples and lemon candy. After the whisky is diluted to 50%abv, the sweetness calms down. Oranges, limes, and menthol linger a bit.	The finish is smoky and rosy, with a hint of cherry bubblegum. It gets saltier with time. A Yoichi-like delicate smoke mixes with sweet citrus in the diluted finish.
Comments: This cask reads the youngest out of the three, perhaps due to its warehouse's cooler temperatures. The whisky is a bit too sweet for my palate, but it's quite decent overall. This would have been a much more interesting whisky at 10-12 its age.	Comments: The peaty notes give this whisky more complexity than the Shinshu while occasionally toning down some of the sweetness. And, as always, I'm fan of all the fruit notes. Other than perhaps the citrus and sugar, very little ties this cask to the Shinshu one.	Comments: This Yakushima cask was the winner throughout the whole tasting, especially since its finish stuck the landing after every sip. Salt + light smoke + citrus = Yes. I hope they'll leave some of these Yakushima casks to snooze until they're 10 years old, because could be outstanding.
Rating: 80	Rating: 84	Rating: 86

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After being disappointed by a pair of disappointing Komagatake malts, I was happily reminded that Mars produces some very good whiskies. As noted above, I believe that all three of these casks would have benefited from more maturation time, but at least two of them are quite nice at 5 years. Considering the salt and peat levels on the second (better) two, can one really be sure all three casks held the same spirit? (I'm just seeing now, per Serge's notes, that these did not hold the same spirit. This trio makes less sense now.) A bit burned out by these baby Mars whiskies, I will switch to a different small whisky brand (not Chichibu, sorry) for this month's final Japanese booze reviews.