Review | Maker's Mark Cellar Aged

The wheated American whisky brand of Maker's Mark has debuted the inaugural bottling of its Cellar Aged expression. The whisky is planned to be an annual small batched release going forward. For this expression Rob Samuels, 8th generation whisky maker and grandson of the brand's founder, has taken regular Maker's Mark (which is aged for just over six years on average) and then placed the casks in a purpose built limestone cellar for an further extended maturation period. 

Review / Whistlepig Piggyback 6 years old

This new bottling is the youngest expression from the Vermont-based brand of Whistlepig. As with the rest of the range Whistlepig Piggyback 6 years old is made from 100% rye. It joins the 10, 12 and 15 year old expressions. The new whisky has been conceived following consultation with bartenders and is designed for use in mixing and cocktails. It was created by Dave Pickerell, the late Master Distiller at Whistlepig who sadly died just before its launch. Piggyback is bottled at six years of age and has been aged in American oak barrels. It was launched in America last month and saw its UK launch on Independence Day (July 4). Whistlepig Piggyback 6 years old is bottled at 48.28% ABV (96.56 Proof) and will retail for £45 per bottle.

Review / Kentucky Owl 'The Wiseman'

The Wiseman is a premium American bourbon from the brand of Kentucky Owl. The expression has just been released in the UK for the first time, following its launch in America last Autumn. The whiskey has been created by John Rhea, the Master Blender of Kentucky Owl. Rhea is a 40-year veteran of the bourbon industry with just over four decades of service at the Four Roses distillery. The Wiseman is a blend of four Kentucky-sourced bourbons - two four year olds (one with a high wheat content and one with high rye), a 5.5 year old and an 8.5 year old. The Wiseman forms part of a larger range in the USA. This range is scheduled to be introduced to the UK market in due course. Plans for the Kentucky Owl distillery in Bardstown, Kentucky are also being drawn up.

Review / Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye 92 Proof

This whisky is a new arrival to the UK market and is produced in the American state of Virginia. The Roundstone Rye is their flagship range and features this 92 Proof alongside the 80 Proof and Cask Proof bottlings (this is released twice a year). The three whiskies are made in a pre-Prohibition rye style and from 100% rye grain, which is sourced locally where possible. All parts of the distillation process - mashing, fermentation, distillation and maturation - take place at the distillery. The spirit is matured in charred American white oak barrels for a minimum of two years, with only one single cask in every ten being selected for this 92 Proof release.

Review - Balcones Texas Pot Still Bourbon

This whisky is the latest permanent addition to the core whisky range of the Texan distillery of Balcones. The launch of Texas Pot Still Bourbon is the first permanent bourbon from the distillery, which has seen numerous small batch bourbons released in the past. The Texas Pot Still Bourbon is made using a mash bill of roasted blue corn, malted barley, Texas rye and Texas wheat, although the percentages of each are not revealed. This spirit, made through Balcones' bespoke copper pot stills made by Forsyth's in Scotland, has then been matured in charred new American oak barrels for 24 months.

Review - Westland Garryana 2018 Edition 3/1

This whiskey is the third in a series of an annual special release from the American distillery of Westland. This series uses casks made from Quercus Garryana, a regional species of oak that grows in the Pacific NorthWest coastal states of America. The series are believed to be the first whiskeys matured using this type of oak for nearly a century.

This third edition has used Westland's classic style spirit (made using their 5-Malt combination of different barleys) and a small percentage of their peated malt spirit. As well as using the Garryana oak casks this whiskey also uses pockets of spirit matured in virgin oak, first-fill ex-bourbon, first-fill ex-Port and refill ex-Westland whiskey casks. These are then marreid together to create the final whiskey.

Distillery Visit - Balcones

The Balcones distillery was ahead of its time and helped to kick off the craft distilling boom in the United States. They have also helped to put American single malt and Texan whisky on the map. Now the distillery is celebrating its 10th anniversary and Matt was invited over for a special tour.

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It seems difficult to imagine the spirits scene without any small artisanal distillers. However, this current landscape is very different to that of a decade ago when we first began writing Whisky For Everyone. The American whiskey sector was dominated by a limited number of major players and in our UK market there seemed little choice.

Review - Balcones Texas Rye 100 Proof

The Texas Rye 100 Proof is the first ever rye whisky to be released by the Texan distillery of Balcones. It was launched to celebrate their 10th anniversary year. The 100 Proof is bottled at 15 months of age and will be a permanent product in the core range. The spirit used has been made using 100% rye grains, all of which are grown in Texas - this is unusual as the legal minimum is 51% rye - and has been double distilled through copper pot stills.  As the name suggests, it is bottled at 100 Proof (50% ABV). This core bottling was joined by the limited Cask Strength Straight Rye, which contained some of the first rye spirit distilled in 2015 and was bottled at 62.5% ABV. This has now sold out.

Distillery Visit - Westland

The Westland distillery is located in the SoDo district of Seattle in the west coast American state of Washington. It was established by Matt Hoffman in 2010, who wanted to set up a craft distillery near to his home town of Tacoma following a period of studying brewing and distilling at Herriott Watt University in Edinburgh. Westland has recently been taken over by drinks company Remy Cointreau.

Washington has a vibrant craft brewing and distilling community. Washington and neighbouring Oregon are two of the major barley and hop growing areas in the world, which has driven this growth and vibrancy. The state also has a temperate climate and this is perfect for whiskey maturation.