Menthol

Cedar Ridge The QuintEssential

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 |

Clynelish Reserve: Game of Thrones Edition

Founded in 1819, Clynelish has been operating nearly uninterrupted for over two hundred years, even when it was known for a time as Brora distillery. Though it produced single malts early on, almost all the distillery’s output has been a primary highland component to some of current owner Diageo’s Johnnie Walker series. Maybe because new single malts are rarely seen from this distillery, the Clynelish Reserve was seen as a standout when Diageo released a Game of Thrones set in early 2019 to celebrate the hit show’s final season. There is no age statement or anything to stand it apart like cask finishing.

By Adam | July 5, 2021 | Highland | No Comments |

Puni is a distillery founded in 2010 in South Tyrol by the Italian alps and is named after a local river. Their two pot stills were crafted in Rothes, Scotland and the curious architecture of the distillery makes the building appear much like a giant cheese grater. Puni is guided a great deal by the whisky-making tradition out of Scotland without seeking to copy and is Italy’s first single malt whisky. The Puni Nova is one of their first two offerings (along with Puni Alba) and is matured in first fill American and European ex-bourbon casks for three years and finished for a month in virgin oak casks.

By Adam | December 5, 2020 | Foreign | No Comments |

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