Drink the Bottles

  In east central Alabama lies an unassuming distillery that has been slowly and steadily making a name for itself for the past decade.  They're producing whiskeys, rums, vodka, gins and other liquers that you won't find anywhere else in the country.  Today we are taking a look at John's Alabama Single Malt Whiskey , the namesake spirit from John Emerald Distilling Company. This small batch craft distillery honors one of their forefathers, John Emerald Sharp, by offering a 100% malted barley single malt whiskey.  This whiskey speaks volumes of the locale, boasting that it was the first legal whiskey to be produced in Alabama in 100 years.  The malted barley is smoked with local peach and pecan woods, further identifying the uniqueness of this brand while adding to the overall enjoyability of this spirit. Copper color with light hues of chocolate bar, this single malt whiskey has as subdued nose initially that is slightly reminiscent of a single malt Scotch with ...

  We know every single day that we are blessed to taste spirits and wines from all over the world.  We have really grown to appreciate craft distilleries and the unique products they are producing while making their footprint in a behemoth market.  When we partnered with Acre Distilling out of Fort Worth, Texas, we knew they would wow us with some unique Texas whiskeys and they really delivered.  This is a limited edition expression, the Acre Distilling Texas Smoked Single Malt Whisky . The distillery will be celebrating their 10 year anniversary later this year and they have become not only a tourist destination, but a staple within the community.  They have embraced the neighborhood, offering an exquisite place to have a drink with friends and also offering different tasting experiences.  Vinepair  has dubbed Acre Distilling Company as "One of the Ten Best Craft Distillery Tasting Rooms in America."  Do you need any more reason to visit? We were...

  High West Distillery was founded in 2006 by David Perkins, and his wife Jane and began distilling in 2007.  You've undoubtedly seen these eye-catching bottles at most alcohol retailers, but did you know that High West started all of those years ago with just a small 250 gallon still?  Fast forward to 2024 and you now have a world class, internationally-known brand that is producing fantastic spirits! Today we're sharing our thoughts with you on two of High West's whiskey offerings - the Cask Strength Bourbon-Rye blend and the American Single Malt Whiskey, dubbed High Country.  Both were tasted neat in Glencairn glasses. The High West Cask Strength Bourbon-Rye Blend is a combination of straight bourbon and straight rye whiskeys that carry an age statement of six to ten years.  As if the age statement wasn't impressive enough, add on a proof of 117.4, a beautiful label and a mahogany color that catches the eye and you have something special here.  Stone fr...

If you don't have the three of four minutes to read our entire review of this whiskey, we will cut to the chase.   This is quite possibly the best single malt whiskey we have tasted in 2024.  Now, if you want to know why then keep reading.  The  Westward Single Malt Whiskey  is what they call their original whiskey.  It is 100% malted barley from the Pacific Northwest and aged in heavy and light charred oak barrels.  The great northwest is known for exceptional barley crops and that is evident in what we are tasting today.   Medium to dark copper in color, this single malt whiskey carries distintive aromas and flavors that represent the waters of the Pacific Northwest, which is the foundation for what Westward produces.  Aromas include a basket of fresh picked peaches, orange bitters, maple candy, roasted nuts, lemon-lime soda and tree bark.  There is a lot going on here!  In the mouth is a mesmerizing and colorful palate ...

Two cousins who worked over a decade in the music and film industry found that they had discerning palates for whiskey and wanted to fill what they thought was a void in the beverage industry.  The inaugural and flagship blended whiskey from  Lodestar Whiskey  has a cool, laid back California vibe with mellow flavors and appealing owners.  They are relatively new to the space so they aren't distilling their products (who has a cool $25 million to do that?) but they are stepping outside of the box to blend warm and welcoming flavors with a combination of straight high rye bourbon and American single malt whiskey. While blending isn't new and it definitely is  an art form, what Anna and Wendelin are doing is charting their own course and getting people to notice.  We certainly did!  Medium chestnut color with graham cracker crust, orange and lemon peel and chewy caramel candy on the nose.  Those aromas led the tasting notes as well, but we also pick...