Orange Blossom

Wanderback Batch 3

Many an American single malt (and those the world over) take a variety of cues from scotch. Wanderback is tapping into a different tradition, one found in both Ireland and in the Bourbon world here in the United States, somewhere between a distillery and an independent bottler. This is where a brand works with a distillery to create the whisky, which is then handed over to the brand for anything else like maturation and blending. This isn’t because the company wants to shortcut the normal process, moreso that they want to explore all the prospects American whiskies currently produce already offer and take them in new directions. The first four batches, The Evergreen Collection, were distilled just a few hours to their north at Westland Distillery. The Wanderback Batch 3 has been aged in high toast, low char new American oak and finished in French oak port casks.

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

Highland Park has been making whisky for over 200 centuries. One of the reasons for this longevity, besides producing good spirit, is that it’s not afraid to take risks and reinvent itself. The latest rebranding happened in 2017, when some standard bottlings were pulled (the 15 year, alas) and the current slate was given new bottle designs and new names, all without changing the liquid contained in those new bottles. The Highland Park 18 has been a standard offering for many years but now comes with the additional moniker Viking Pride (much like the 12 year is now Viking Honour). While we can’t fault the distillery for tapping into their legitimate geographical heritage, we’re just happy the scotch itself remains unchanged.

By Adam | February 20, 2021 | Island | No Comments |

Glenrothes was founded in 1879 through the work of James Stuart, a local Rothes businessman who began the construction of the distillery, and the Reverend William Sharp, who secured the remaining funds after Stuart was forced to step aside for financial reasons. Though a series of fires, explosions and world events hampered production at times, the distillery has been making whisky for over 140 years for a variety of owners. Much of the Glenrothes stock is aged in ex-sherry casks and some ex-bourbon casks, but like many distilleries, they like to experiment. The Glenrothes Peated Cask Reserve was part of a now discontinued series from 2016 that saw whisky from their 1992 stock finished for a few months in (unnamed) ex-Islay casks. Apparently this was inspired by an association from the 19th century the distillery had with the Islay Distillery Company.

By Adam | January 20, 2021 | Speyside | No Comments |