Innholdsfortegnelse for Spring 2019 i Whisky Advocate

With its bright red glow and booming bitterness there’s no mistaking Campari, and it can be off-putting at first. “Being Italian, I really like the bitter taste,” says Angelo Sparvoli, bartender at The American Bar at The Savoy in London. “In fact, we say ‘bitter is better.’” Campari's bitter quality delivers balance and complex flavors to a cocktail. “It’s very zesty, with pronounced orange on the nose and notes of citrus and vanilla.” Whisky has the necessary backbone to hold up to the bitterness of Campari, which in turn provides a counterpoint to a whisky’s sweeter side. “Campari is the sort of product that might be hard to enjoy neat, but when mixed it transforms the entire cocktail,” suggests Sparvoli. “It gives the right spicy and citrus notes and adds…

Tea is hot stuff! It is literally the most popular beverage in the world, after water of course. Fans of a good ‘cuppa’ seek out the complexity and nuance in the flavor of their teas, much like whisky lovers savor a good dram. Similar to whisky, tea is produced in many countries across many different continents. Also similar to whisky, tea ranges from cheap blends, suitable for cookie dunking, to rare and limited styles of single origin. Tea is made from the leaves and buds of Camellia sinensis, which are processed through what is often referred to as fermentation, although it’s actually oxidation and other chemical reactions. It’s here that many of the complex polyphenol compounds essential to the color, aroma, and flavor of tea are created. Broadly speaking, green…

Rum cask-finished whiskies are relatively unusual compared to those whiskies that spend their final days in casks that held port, sherry, or wine, but the pleasure they deliver is like sipping golden sunshine. Sweet tropical fruit notes bathe the whisky in lush flavors. At this time of year, the sugarcane harvest in the Caribbean is in full swing. Cane is the raw ingredient for rum, mostly produced from molasses, a byproduct of sugar manufacture. Like whisky, rum is a clear spirit when it enters the barrel: the color is generated from the spirit’s interaction with the wood over time, and depending on the type of still used and the barrel maturation, it spans light, easy-drinkers to dark, full-bodied sipping rums. Ironically, many of the barrels used to age rum will…

Belvedere Single Estate Vodka series: Smogory Forest and Lake Bartężek 40%, $53 Each of these unfiltered vodkas utilizes Dankowski rye sourced from an individual Polish farm. Smogory Forest is briny yet sweet, redolent of salted caramel, while Lake Bartężek is more mellow, slightly toasty, with just a hint of cracked pepper on the finish. Castle & Key Restoration Release Gin 53%, $23 This London dry gin uses the same mashbill (63% rye, 17% yellow corn, 20% malted barley) that was used for their aging rye whiskey. Botanicals include chamomile and rosemary; the release is sweet and creamy, with peppery notes on the finish. Chopin Single Rye Vodka 40%, $32/375 ml Single is one of the least processed vodkas around. This Polish spirit uses local golden Dankowski rye distilled just a single time, thus…

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The tailpipe rattled and regurgitated a dirty cloud of diesel fumes as the truck set off on its journey south with its cargo of whiskey. The driver tapped his steering wheel along to the music as he trundled through the outskirts of Belfast. These days he no longer listened to the radio news and political talk shows behind the wheel. He had switched off as the airwaves became filled with endless arguments about Brexit, which had come to be dominated by one major intractable problem. The Irish Border question, or the UK Border in Ireland question, depending on your point of view on these things: that wiggly stretch of 310 miles that formed the only land border between the UK and the European Union on the post-Brexit map of Europe.…

ALGONQUIN The Algonquin cocktail made its national debut in 1937 in an Esquire story by cocktail scribe Murdock Pemberton, one of the founders of the famous Round Table at the Algonquin Hotel. A simple drink—rye, dry vermouth, and pineapple juice—it proved popular. Thad Vogler has modernized it, swapping out the pineapple juice for a mix of lime juice and pineapple gum syrup. Vogler describes his remix as “a more intense, concentrated version” of the classic. 1 ½ oz. rye whiskey½ oz. fresh lime juice½ oz. dry vermouth½ oz. pineapple gum syrup (available from smallhandfoods.com) Add ingredients to a cocktail shaker with ice, shake, and strain into a chilled stemmed glass. BROOKLYN Alex Day, a partner at Death & Co. in New York and Denver, and co-author of the recently published…

Scotland John Stirling distills Arbikie Highland Rye with a 52% rye mashbill, and labels it as a single grain scotch. “We have conformed to all the legal definitions of a single grain Scotch whisky [as set out in the Scotch Whisky Regulations],” states Stirling. “Here is a single rye, once quite a staple in Scotland, and all we’ve done is bring that back to life.” Does it meet the approval of the Scotch Whisky Association (SWA)? “I’ve no idea,” says Stirling with a broad grin, as Arbikie is not a member. “The SWA is funded by some people who don’t have rye out; who knows where they’ll go? To be honest, the SWA is not a legal body; they’re a private body funded by the big distillers.” India “We have…

It started in 2010 with two sets of ten seeds, acquired from the National Seed Repository in Idaho and grown safely indoors under lab lights at Cornell University. The seeds sprouted and grew into rye. The rye produced seeds—more than ten, but not enough to plant outdoors. One of the rye strains—Prolific, ironically—proved unsuitable, but the other—Horton—flourished. The seeds were replanted, another year passed, and finally there was enough rye to plant outdoors, on a tiny four-square-foot plot on a large, mostly organic farm in the Finger Lakes owned by Rick Pedersen. This rye, too, was harvested and replanted. It takes a million seeds to plant an acre of rye, and it can take an acre of rye, give or take, to make a barrel of whiskey—not counting what’s set…

Cask-strength single malts score well with tasters and consistently punch their way to the Whisky Advocate Top 20. Each of these whiskies is cask strength or has minimal adjustment for consistency (typically less than 1% ABV). 95 Ardbeg Corryvreckan 57.1%, $90 Dark fruit and spices, combined with powerful savory and saline peat flavors, evince why this is a classic of the genre. 94* Glenmorangie Astar (2017 Release) 52.5%, $100 A rare cask-strength Glenmorangie; the bouquet of flowers and sweet intensity are matched by voluptuous oak. 94* Lagavulin 12 year old (2017 Diageo Special Releases) 56.5%, $130 A vibrant and zesty expression of the distillery’s fruity, maritime character, proofed to emphasize its sweet peat and brine. 93** Laphroaig 10 year old Cask Strength (Batch 010) 58%, $70 Chewy and intense, with medicinal peat, brine, and…

SPEYSIDE SINGLE MALTS 90 BenRiach Sherry Wood 12 year old, 46%, $64 The latest BenRiach core-range release was matured in sherry casks, then finished in Pedro Ximenez and oloroso sherry casks. The nose offers rich red wine, plums, figs, and vanilla. Tropical fruits, honey, vanilla, and soft sherry notes feature on the palate. The finish is medium in length and showcases aniseed, wood spice, and fat Christmas cake sherry notes. Delicious!—GS 88 Macallan Triple Cask 12 year old, 40%, $65 Triple Cask replaced Macallan’s Fine Oak range in 2018, and was matured in a combination of European and American sherry-seasoned oak and American oak bourbon barrels. The entry level 12 year old offers a relatively light, zesty nose, with citrus fruit, vanilla, and ginger, while the palate yields more citrus…

This year marks the 20th anniversary of Walsh Whiskey, a company founded by Bernard and Rosemary Walsh, known principally for The Irishman (launched 2007) and Writers’ Tears (launched 2009) whiskeys. The Irishman aims to evoke the spirit of old pot still whiskeys, using 100% pot still liquid in a 70:30 ratio of single malt to single pot still, whereas Writers’ Tears is a boutique brand that uses a higher proportion of single pot still whiskey in a 60:40 ratio, with both brands releasing an annual cask strength expression. 92 Writers’ Tears Cask Strength 2018, 53%, $145 A stunning effort, with honey, sunflower seeds, zested orange, toasted flapjacks, nectarine, kiwi, and lime, with the citrus opening up with water. Superb to see a delicious, drinkable caskstrength whiskey showing off its flavors…

IRISH RYE WHISKEY 89 Kilbeggan Small Batch Rye, 43%, $35 Pot still rye whiskey containing 30% rye with malted and unmalted barley, and the only Kilbeggan distilled entirely on-site. This has a nose of Japanese rice crackers, fennel seeds, cracker bread, cinnamon, and nutmeg. A light structure of creamy pear, ginger loaf, clotted cream toffee, and vanilla before a peppery blast leads into the toasty rye flavors, with a finish of glittering spice and malty bread notes.—JM IRISH SINGLE MALT 93 Teeling Vintage Reserve 29 year old Single Malt PX Finish, 46%, $2,500 Lean green fruits and dry spices, with fresh Comice pear, honeydew melon, lychee, toasted sesame, cardamom, banoffee pie, creamy vanilla, and delicate, perfumed florals. The PX has framed this beautifully with flavors of sultana, shortbread, apple, pear,…

AUSTRALIAN 88 Starward Nova, 41%, $55 Braided apple puff pastry, sultana, custard, a hint of blueberry, and jam slathered over warm scones, backed by hot chocolate and Christmas spices. The taste experience is surprising, as just when it draws you in with green apples and banana custard, it goes off on a tangent with mouth-drawing sour green plums, peppercorn, and candied wild strawberries, and concludes with a ground ginger and peppery finish.—JM 86 Hellyers Road Original, 40%, $70 Creamy lemon truffles, cereal notes, vanilla sponge, dry oak, with peppered steak seasoning. Creamy, sweet, buttery, soft honeydew melon, peach notes, and orange zest, with a soft late spiciness, though the impression is much more tame than the nose suggests. Buttery, mouth-coating finish with gentle spices on the core whisky from this…

Bushmills x Black Bush Edition by Lowden Guitars Irish master luthier George Lowden has come a long way since making his first guitar at the age of 10 from bent nails and fishing line. For this masterful acoustic creation, Lowden sourced materials from Old Bushmills Distillery. Exquisite tone woods—African Blackwood and Alpine Spruce—are inlaid with oloroso sherry casks and copper from Bushmills’ stills, which also appears on the fretboard. $11,000; lowdenguitars.com Whiskey Barrel Stave Chandelier by Umanoff Salvaged industrial materials like block and tackle and steel rotors feature prominently in the work of Virginia-based lighting designer Wendy Umanoff. Equally fitting in a vintage farmhouse or a modern loft, this minimal linear chandelier doesn’t so much transform as celebrate its single whiskey barrel stave, highlighting the natural curve of the cask.…

Many whiskies already incorporate floral notes like rose, heather, or lavender, and floral-scented ingredients or colorful seasonal garnishes are a great complement, bringing renewed life to your whisky cocktail regimen. More than a just pretty face, edible pansies deliver a wisp of wintergreen, while borage tastes of cucumber, and nasturtiums are peppery and radish-like. Both beautiful and flavorful, floral whisky drinks have a way of growing on you. Best in Show Created by Angel Teta, bar manager at Ataula, Portland “Manzanilla means chamomile [in Spanish], so it’s natural to bring those two ingredients together,” Teta says. “The tannins in the tea bring out those notes in the sherry as well in this light, easy-drinking cocktail.” 1¾ oz. Angel’s Envy bourbon (or any high-rye bourbon)¾ oz. La Cigarerra Manzanilla sherry (or…

92 Hyde No. 4 1922 6 year old President’s Cask Rum Finish Single Malt 46%, $55 Soft toffee, apricot, orange zest, aromatic spices, banana custard, and butterscotch sweetness. 90 Angel’s Envy Finished Rye 50%, $90 An 18-month finish in Caribbean rum casks drapes this rye whiskey with maple syrup sweetness, citrus, cotton candy, and tropical fruits. 90 Pike Creek Rum Finish 10 year old 42%, $30 This sweet, rum-finished Canadian whisky is packed with scintillating spices and dark, succulent fruit. 90 West Cork Rum Cask Finish 12 year old 43%, $66 A 6-month finishing in West Indian rum casks provides honeycomb, golden syrup, fresh bread, sweet melon, orange oils, and a slight nuttiness. 89 Balvenie Caribbean Cask 14 year old 43%, $75 Rich honey, nougat, orange, papaya, oak, and dry spices on this follow-up of…

The catalyst that drives a whisky imbiber to become an eager collector is often possession of the first bottle in a series. The quest to pursue the entire series can be the start of a rollercoaster ride of emotion, from frustration and heartache to relief and joy. The limited-edition trilogies like Arran’s Smugglers’ and Bruichladdich Rare Cask series, among others, appear attainable for a new collector, however, even if you own the first release, picking up the remainder of the series is never guaranteed. Unforeseen popularity can make securing subsequent releases a greater challenge, as the allocation to your local store can shrink, prices can rise unexpectedly, and you might not catch a break in the lottery. If you are compiling a vintage series, then being adept at tracking down…

I was stone sober when the news arrived from the hospital that my father had died. In fact, when the phone rang I was on my way to the kitchen to prepare pre-dinner Martinis for my wife Maggie and myself. Although we were very much aware of my dad’s precarious state of health, having spent time with him for several hours that very day, we had been given no reason to expect the worst. After a highly stressful week, it seemed time for a strong cocktail or two. The phone call thus arrived as an understandable shock, knocking us into a loop of tears and hugs and sorrowful conversations with family. Sometime later, the first of many waves of sadness abated and eyes dried, I returned my attention to the…

The cocktail revival of the past two decades saw classics like the Manhattan return to our mixing glasses, an icy mix of bourbon, bitters, and sweet vermouth. However, as inspired bartenders sought the wisdom of the ancients by cracking open century-old cocktail guides, like medievalists digging through Greek manuscripts, they uncovered forgotten secrets. The 1887 edition of Jerry Thomas’s Bar-Tender’s Guide specified rye whiskey for the drink (other guides were vague, specifying only “whiskey”). “My sense is that rye was probably the more prominent whiskey used in the early days in the Manhattan, simply because it was the more firmly established spirit in the part of the country where much of the Manhattan development and writing was taking place,” says Philip Greene, author of The Manhattan: The Story of the…

ROUGE CARRE Recognized for his ten-year stint at Arnaud’s French 75, Chris Hannah is now head bartender at another debuting New Orleans bar, Jewel of the South. Hannah’s deep dives into cocktail history contributed to the revival of lost classics, like the Brandy Crusta and Creole Cocktail. In his Rouge Carre, the rye’s flavors are deepened by combining two robust fortified wines, including Cocchi vermouth amaro, which plumb deep notes with artemisia and Barolo chinato wines. The ginger liqueur adds a note of crisp brightness and light amid the persistent twilight. 1 ½ oz. rye whiskey½ oz. Dubonnet Rouge aperitif wine½ oz. Cocchi Dopo Teatro vermouth amaro½ oz. ginger liqueurOrange twist for garnish Stir with ice in mixing glass. Strain into coupe. Garnish with orange twist. THE FINAL WARD The…

93 Millstone Rye 100 50%, $99 A perfect balance of honey and fruit, sparkling and distinctive spice, and a dash of ginger snaps. Rye to die for. Netherlands 92 Amrut Rye Single Malt 50%, $190 Bursting with spices, thick toffee, chocolate, licorice, burnt sugar, and tropical fruits with a gum-numbing aniseed finish. India 92 Arbikie Highland Rye 46%, $300 Marmalade, toffee, rye bread, and toasted malt biscuits before clove spices break through, with dark toffee, treacle, chocolate, and pepper. Scotland 89 Kilbeggan Small Batch Rye 43%, $35 Creamy pear, gingerbread, clotted cream, toffee, and vanilla with a peppery blast and toasty rye flavors. Ireland 87 William Wolf Rye 46%, $35 Mandarin orange and tropical-fruit sweetness fade to peppery spices. Netherlands…

The world of whisky is ever changing, and occasionally our Buying Guide must adapt along with it. Beginning with this issue, we have eliminated a separate category for craft whiskey. All American whiskeys will now appear under their specific style, whether that is bourbon, rye, or miscellaneous. The reasons for this change are many. First, craft whiskey lacks a universally accepted definition and lines have become increasingly blurred. We are presented with whiskeys that blend together sourced and house-made distillates, small producers that have grown to great scale, and others that are owned in part or whole by larger producers. Reviewing craft whiskeys alongside other American whiskeys is in no way a dismissal of the exciting craft distilling movement, but rather an acknowledgment of its maturing status. As these whiskeys…

The Buying Guide provides ratings of whiskies from around the world with an emphasis on new releases available for purchase in the U.S. Complete tasting notes are provided for all whiskies scoring 84 points or more (on the Whisky Advocate 100-point scale). Lower scoring whiskies are included at the discretion of the editors, and some may appear exclusively on whiskyadvocate.com. RATINGS AND PRICES Ratings are to provide a relative comparison of quality with reference to both directly competing products and whiskies in general. Price is not a consideration when arriving at ratings. Prices shown reflect the suggested retail price. When none is available, we establish a representative retail price. Actual retail prices may vary. Whiskies sold in the U.S. have prices marked in dollars; any whisky priced in other currency…

Last year, Duncan Taylor celebrated their 80th anniversary, a timespan that has seen the company transition from a whisky brokerage firm to a highly regarded independent bottler with a portfolio of single malt scotch, blended malt and blended scotch, and single grain scotch whiskies, as well as rum. Their Dimensions range focuses on rare, single cask expressions and appeals to aficionados and collectors, while the Octave range showcases the flavor of younger whiskies that have developed more mature characteristics through aging in smaller casks. 91 Duncan Taylor Dimensions (distilled at Cambus) 1991 26 year old, 50.5%, $215 Waxy lemon, light honey, lychee, physalis, fresh hay, and the slightly tart aroma of ripening pear. On the palate, the pear is honeyed and ripe, awash with a lovely citrus sweetness, before a…

90 Dillon’s Three Oaks, 43%, $50 Hail the new distillers who have so broadened the profile of rye whisky. All rye grain, some matured in new American and Canadian oak and some in bourbon barrels, yields a complex palate woven into sweet citrus reminiscent of Grand Marnier. Fresh linen with the waxiness of a wet oil painting, tart gooseberries, creamy vanilla caramels, nutty cereals, and peppery spices. Finishes sweet with ripe fruit, white pepper, and halva.—DdeK 90 J.P. Wiser’s Triple Barrel Rye, 45%, $20 See Best Values, page 97 88 Bearface Triple Oak 7 year old, 42.5%, $40 Lots of complexity follows the Canadian triad of caramel, pepper, and cleansing pith. Master blender Andres Faustinelli sourced 7 year old whisky in Okanagan red wine barrels then finished it in virgin,…

90 Fukano Vault Reserve #2, 40.4%, $90 A delightful fruity specimen, with lime, Asian pear, grapefruit, tangerine, mango, melon, taffy, and a hint of white pepper. More tropical fruit notes to enjoy on the tongue: papaya, dried melon strips, passion fruit, melon, and fruit syrups all floating along on a slick of gooey caramel. Continuity of the fruit-bomb theme continues into a finish of fleshy stone fruits infused with a sprinkle of gentle spices. (3,850 bottles)—JM 88 Fukano Vault Reserve #1, 40.5%, $90 Herbal with roasted sage leaves, coriander seed, savory meat juices, and a twinge of tarragon, though there are fruity qualities like fresh peach and clementine. Creamy orange fondant, clove, peach, and nectarine sweetness, honey, and caramel with a gentle spicy edge makes for a quite charming whisky.…

ISLAY SINGLE MALT 90 Bunnahabhain Stiùireadair, 46.3%, £40 A no age statement Bunnahabhain destined to replace the existing 12 year old, matured in first and second-fill sherry casks. Raisins, fruit spice, furniture polish, and roasted nuts on the nose, along with an edge of brine. Rich and full-bodied in the mouth, with malt, sweet sherry, and cotton candy, plus cloves and a sprinkling of sea salt. The finish offers red berries, lively spice, and dark chocolate.—GS SPEYSIDE SINGLE MALT 89 Glen Moray Fired Oak 10 year old, 40%, £40 To create Fired Oak, Glen Moray spirit has been matured in bourbon casks for almost a decade, before a 10 month finish in heavily charred virgin American oak casks. Canned pineapple, honey, and vanilla on the nose, with a hint of…

Before rye whiskey was a drink worth savoring, the grain itself may have complicated matters during the colonial witch hunts of the 1600s. That’s because rye, a popular grain at the time due to its hardiness, was susceptible to the fungus ergot, which can cause paranoia, hallucinations, and muscle spasms if consumed—telltale symptoms associated with the dark arts. With the fondness for complex, interesting whiskeys made from rye continuing to climb (over 16% in 2017) rye is casting its spell on America once again. By Any Other Name These are among dozens of types of rye cereal grain grown in the U.S. Rye grass is a completely different plant. Merced Aroostook ND Dylan RYMIN Spooner Wheeler Hazlet Brasetto Hancock Tough Stuff Rye can grow to a height of 5 feet…

Bobby’s Schiedam 38%, $35 This new-style genever has a slight malt content of 4%. Juniper, ginger, and cubeb pepper all come through, but sweet lemongrass dominates. Bols Barrel Aged 42%, $45 This expression revives an 1820 recipe. Malt wine (made from rye, corn, and wheat) makes up half the spirit. Aged in French Limousin oak, it tastes of sweet spice, fruit, and bread dough. de Borgen Old-Style 40%, $50 Meant to honor traditions of the 17th and 18th centuries, its malt wine content is 21% and the juniper is not shy. Contains sweet notes such as caramel popcorn. Notaris Bartender’s Choice Rome 47%, $43 This 100% malt wine genever is a complex blend of aged spirit, with fruity hard candy and rye spice notes. Old Duff Real Dutch Genever Single Malt 45%, $50 A 100%…

Dress your drink with edible flowers Look for edible flowers at your local farmers’ market, plant your own, or have fresh-picked buds shipped overnight. Prices and availability may vary. Szechuan Buttons ($13/50) Also called electric daisies or buzz buttons, these golden buds have an electric quality on the tongue. Mixologists value them for the ways they can alter and heighten cocktail flavors. Angel Teta, bar manager at Ataula, Portland, suggests using them on a Sour variation. gourmetsweetbotanicals.com Elderflowers ($12.50/50) Popularized by St-Germain elderflower liqueur, elderflowers have a floral sweet note with a hint of vanilla that plays well in bourbon-based punches, says Teta. marxfoods.com Cornflowers ($6.75/25) Also known as bachelor buttons, they come in a variety of colors. “They taste like cucumber or fresh raw green veggies, so they work…

Bourbon doesn’t usually taste like the corn it’s made with, and vodka rarely tastes of potatoes, grapes, or whatever the distiller chooses. Then there’s rye, a grain that likes to stand and shout. We’ve rounded up a few examples where rye has spilled over into other spirits, so rye fanatics can experience their favorite grain—even beyond whiskey. St. George Spirits’ master distiller Lance Winters notes that relatively flavorless grain neutral spirit (GNS) forms the foundation for most vodkas and gins. “A GNS base is like a blank canvas that allows botanicals to show their true colors, unadulterated. With rye as [our] base, it’s like we’re painting botanicals on black velvets,” he says. St. George’s Dry Rye gin is malty and robust, so Winters doubles down on the amount of juniper…

When I lead tastings, participants often ask about the ‘right’ way to drink whiskey. To answer, I typically start by drawing the distinction between tasting and drinking. You’re always doing both, of course, but the emphasis changes. Tasting is careful, deliberate, focused. Drinking is free-form, convivial, expansive. It is useful to decide which you are doing before the first drop touches your lips. In terms of technique, whiskey is best tasted either neat or diluted with room-temperature water. If you decide you are tasting more than drinking, stick with those options. Nose before you sip. Consider color and clarity. Contemplate the finish. If you are drinking more than tasting, let yourself go and do whatever you enjoy. Add ice, seltzer, or citrus. Have a cocktail. Think about something else. Talk…

RYE OLD-FASHIONED No longer saddled with the mantle of the quintessential old man’s drink, the Old-Fashioned is one of the key whiskey cocktails every serious drinker should be able to make at home. It’s also a good gauge—serious tipplers judge bars by their Old-Fashioned. In large part, that’s because it’s deceptively simple, yet requires a deep understanding of ingredients and deft execution. If you already enjoy an Old-Fashioned but you’re more accustomed to making it with bourbon, try it with rye and observe how the native spiciness of the whiskey conspires with sweet and bitter for the betterment of the whole. 2 oz. rye whiskey1 sugar cube or 1 tsp. simple syrup2-3 dashes Angostura bitters1 tsp. waterorange twist for garnish Place sugar cube in mixing glass, douse with bitters, then…

Best Values Whiskies with solid scores, modest prices, and wide availability. CANADA 90 J.P. Wiser’s Triple Barrel Rye, 45%, $20 Begins light on the nose with clean grain, then spring flowers and persistent, strong blackberry notes move in. Wonderfully balanced, even as blackberries remain strong across the palate, accented by tart kiwi fruit and rich spices: ginger, cloves, nutmeg. Fruits and spices complement each other as the round, creamy palate fades into a long, hot, peppery finish. Beautiful whisky exclusive to the U.S., and fruitier than the 43.4% Canadian version.—DdeK RYE 88 Old Overholt Bonded Rye, 50%, $25 Initial aromas of toasted nuts, nougat, and pistachio. Water releases cedar and sandalwood along with citrusy grapefruit notes. The palate is both earthy and sweet, with dried flowers, leather, and hazelnut. The…

BOURBON 94 Michter’s 20 year old Straight Bourbon 2018 (Batch 18I1371), 57.1%, $700 Age is readily apparent, not as weariness, but sheer intensity—like a Vise-Grip handshake from an old man. The flavors come in rapid waves, first on the nose with pipe tobacco, dark chocolate, sassafras, cassis, licorice, orange peel, and menthol-like hints of solvent. Then chewy fruit and drying oak harmonize on the palate, the dark berry fruits playing off the refined oak with its cedary spice. The drying finish echoes of rustling autumn leaves and plum skins. Exquisitely balanced and muscular.—JL 93 Booker’s 2018-03 “Kentucky Chew,” 63.35%, $70 Originally touted by Booker Noe, the “Kentucky Chew” is a way of tasting whiskey: swishing it around your mouth, then swallowing and smacking your lips—an urge that’s hard to resist…

To the tables down at Mory’s, to the place where Louie dwells, to the dear old Temple bar we love so well. Well, no. Not in my experience. My beloved campus bar was a semi-failed cocktail lounge on Chicago’s Rush Street. Think frosted-glass partitions between the black Naugahyde booths with scotch mists and bourbon rocks outselling draught beer (ok, draft beer as you children insist on spelling it now) approximately 800 to nothing because there was no draught beer. This was also before small-batch artisanal lo-cally sourced anything. The place was semi-failed because it was a block too far south on Rush, a long block from the Whiskey-a-Go-Go, The Pussycat lounge, assorted strip clubs, and what were then known as clip joints. That intervening block housed the high-rise campus of…