Despite reviewing plenty of affordable bourbons, there is still a few popular brands I’ve never tried before. And I thought the new year was a perfect time to try out a Four Roses product with Four Roses Small Batch Bourbon. The history of the Four Roses brand begins around 1888, when the name was trademarked by whiskey producer Paul Jones Jr. The whiskey’s production continued in Louisville, Kentucky until its purchase by the Seagram company in 1943. The Four Roses brand was then discontinued in the US in the 1950’s, but its sale continued in Europe and Asia. It was made available in the United States again in 2002 when Kirin Brewery […]
With spirit prices aways on the rise, I’ve been keeping an eye out for more affordable bottles. And, Cutty Sark Blended Scotch has been top of my list after my grandfather mentioned it as a popular whisky from back in his college days, when he would bartend to make some extra money. Cutty Sark, named after the fastest ship in the early 1900’s, was first created in 1923 by legendary spirit and wine merchants Francis Berry and Hugh Rudd (from Berry Bros. & Rudd) and Scottish Artist James McBey. Their ultimate goal was to create a lighter style of blended whiskey to ultimately sell internationally. It took a while to establish the brand in […]
I think this is the first time I’ve seen a label that makes me think of public transportation. But this simple and striking design successfully drew me in and made me excited to try Do the Rye Thing from Hudson Whisky NY.
Whiskey hadn’t been distilled in New York since prohibition until Ralph Erenzo decided to establish a distillery in 2003. A gristmill sitting on 36 acres of land in the Hudson River Valley became what is now Tuthilltown Spirits Distillery. To lean into their New York pride, Hudson sources their grains from local farms. Hudson are now fully owned by the Scottish company, William Grant & Sons. BOTTLE SPECS ❖ Spirit: […]
Although flavored spirits have become much more popular in recent years, I somehow haven’t experienced too many for myself. But Frisky Whiskey was nice enough to provide us with a bottle of their flagship flavored whiskey for review, and I’m really excited to see how it compares to more traditional whiskies. Frisky Whiskey is a flavored whiskey that doesn’t attempt to mask the natural flavor of whiskey. Instead, two common whiskey notes, caramel and vanilla, are emphasized by adding pure caramel and natural vanilla to premium whiskey distilled in North Charleston, South Carolina at Wolf Distilleries. Frisky Whiskey CEO Nicole Young, one […]
There are few things more iconic in bourbon than the bright red wax bottle top of Maker’s Mark Bourbon. It always catches my eye on store shelves, but I’d never tasted it until now. Maker’s Mark was first put into production in 1953 by Bill Samuel, Sr. He and multiple generations of his family have continued to run the distillery on the same grounds in Loretto, Kentucky called Star Hill Farm. While Bill Samuels ran the distillery operations, his wife, Margie, had just as big an impact on Maker’s Mark. She named it, designed the logo and and came up with the iconic waxed dipped bottle top. BOTTLE SPECS ❖ Spirit: Kentucky Straight Bourbon […]