Black Cherry

Minglewood Winter Rye

Minglewood Winter Rye

Mark and Andrew Morrison began distilling in 2016 in a building that used to house the Minglewood Coal and Ice Company, a company that lasted nearly a century providing ice and coal to Wayne County until its closure in the 1950s. Located in Wayne Country, Ohio, the distillery has been seeking to make a name in the region, banking on word-of-mouth to fuel their growth instead of overextending and sacrificing quality. Their portfolio has white spirits like vodka and gin but they have a much larger variety of whiskies, ranging from bottled-in-bond bourbon and rye to a few flavored whiskies. The Minglewood Winter Rye is distilled from local winter rye, the plant being especially useful by lasting through the winters so it would grow rapidly after the snows left for early spring foraging.

Green Spot Chateau Léoville Barton

Green Spot Chateau Léoville Barton

Wine Merchants and whiskey bonders Mitchell & Son have a long history in the spirits industry. Primarily known in the whiskey world for introducing the Spot line in 1920. Produced by Irish Distillers at Midleton Distillery, it is one of the few remaining single pot still bonded Irish whiskies. After most of the Spot line fell out of production for many years, the entire line has seen a reintroduction over the past decade. Included in this resurgence has seen finishes with specific wineries for multiple Spots, either for limited release or a broader market offering. The Green Spot Chateau Léoville Barton was aged for 5-7 years and then finished in ex-Burgundy barriques for approximately 18 months. The vineyards are located near Saint-Julien, on the left bank of Garonne estuary in southwestern France.

Kilchoman “Machir Bay”

Kilchoman “Machir Bay”

Kilchoman (pronounced Kilhoman)  is one of the newest and smallest distilleries in Scotland, opening its doors in 2005. It currently produces a 3 and 5 year single malt, though they plan to release 8 year (2014), 10 year (2016) and 12 year (2018) bottlings. By what we taste from the junior varsity so far, age should make a good thing even better for Kilchoman’s future issues. The offerings are bottled yearly, quantified by flavor profile and maturation.  Future releases of the Machir Bay (and others) will be re-released in more mature versions.