Cereal

Copperworks Peated

Copperworks Distilling has eschewed the normal distillery commercial standard by having a limited product offering but achieving uniformity between batches. Rather, the distillery has leaned purposefully into crafting each release as a limited, distinct expression that allows them to explore the subtle nuances that differences of grains, yeasts and cask aging can provide, while still holding onto some house styles. The Copperworks Peated is their 34th release, and is made from eight casks of whiskey that were aged for a little over four years, with Washington barley smoked using Washington peat, a first for the distillery. Copperworks has since signaled it will distill peated whiskies on an annual basis.

By Adam | April 20, 2022 | Foreign | No Comments |

Cedar Ridge Winery and Distilltery was founded in 2005 by Jeff Quint and family. They released their first bourbon in 2010 and have gradually expanded to include rum, gin and fruit brandy. Yet their main focus remains whiskey, as is evidenced from their almost dozen different offerings. The distillery’s first American single malt was released in 2020, the QuintEssential. Besides being a smart play on the family name, this single malt makes use of the other aspects of the business and involves a complex aging and finishing process involving 20 different types of casks, a solera system, and a mixture of peated and unpeated malt from Canada. While looking to Scotland for inspiration, Cedar Ridge also embraces the exploratory nature of craft distilling in America and future releases of the QuintEssential promise to continue pushing boundaries.

By Adam | November 30, 2021 | Foreign | No Comments |

The Laphroaig distillery was founded in 1815 by Donald and Alexander Johnston and has a richly storied history on Islay. Though the distillery has changed ownership after passing out of the Johnston family’s hands in the mid-1950s, production has continued unabated. The current portfolio is large and made up of several age-statement offerings, some cycling in and out of availability, along with a few non-age statement whiskies. Few scotches are more common in liquor stores, restaurants and bars (and home bars), even those not specializing in whiskies, than the Laphroaig 10 Year. Because of its wide availability, it is often the first Islay or first scotch in general that some people experience. Another iconic feature of the brand is the Friends of Laphroaig, a brand loyalty program established in 1994 that purports to give the purchaser of every bottle of the brand a lifetime lease of a square foot of Islay, though the program was revamped in 2020. A popular feature of visiting the distillery is being shown one’s personal square foot while enjoying a dram.

By Adam | April 20, 2021 | Islay | No Comments |