This carmine dram has a soft, mellow nose of raisin, earthy red wine notes, wet slate, prune flesh, stewed rhubarb, caramelized brown sugar, and maple syrup. It’s fruity rather than sweet on the palate, but it seems held back at 40% ABV without a heavier mouthfeel, showing date, red plum, sultana, fudge, red velvet cake, brown sugar, and peppery spice, with a raspberry and spice finish.

Reviewed by: Jonny McCormick (Fall 2020)

Clean, pure, clinical aromas of a boutique, with light lemon fondant, vanilla, and basil leaves. Icing sugar, lemon, almonds, and sweet rose-scented Turkish delight flavors develop into butterscotch, peppercorn, ginger, fudge, and banana, rounded off with ripe fruits, melted butter, dried apple, sherbet, raspberry taffy, and raspberry bubble gum. Named after the exciseman that proposed to J.J. Corry’s daughter, this whiskey has plenty of stories to tell.

Reviewed by: Jonny McCormick (Fall 2020)

The nose yields orange and lime, canned pineapple, and light caramel notes. Elegant, with some substance on the palate, with vanilla and brittle toffee underpinned by vibrant orchard fruits, honey, and milk chocolate. The finish features more milk chocolate, gentle oak, and ginger. Best Value

Reviewed by: Gavin Smith (Fall 2020)

Warm machine oil on the early nose, slightly herbal, with apricots and vanilla emerging in time. Slick on the palate, with light smoke, honey, delicate spices, and eventually, burnt toffee. The finish features licorice, pipe tobacco, and white pepper. Ultimately mouth-drying. £170

Reviewed by: Gavin Smith (Fall 2020)

Like its 15 year old sibling, this was matured in bourbon casks before being finished in first-fill European oak butts. The spicy nose yields toffee, sherry, and poached pears. The palate is supple, spicy, and slightly herbal, with dried fruits, then big caramel, vanilla, and orange notes develop. The finish is quite dry and earthy, with oak and a hint of chile.

Reviewed by: Gavin Smith (Fall 2020)

Strong brine on the early nose, with subtle peat, red berry fruits, and a beach barbecue. On the palate, raspberries smoked over a peat fire, then served with cream, plus a slight meatiness. Citrus fruit, char, white pepper, and cocoa powder in the finish.

Reviewed by: Gavin Smith (Fall 2020)

Highland Park suggests this is its peatiest whisky to date. Smoky roasted malt notes on the nose, with singed wood and a slowly developing floral note. Initially, sweeter than expected on the palate, with vanilla and apricots, then dark peat, licorice, and treacle toffee notes appear. Black tea and black pepper in the finish, along with a hint of pineapple. £60

Reviewed by: Gavin Smith (Fall 2020)

A bright, floral, citrusy rye that is almost grassy, offering a lot of primary grain notes of toasty breakfast cereal, fresh rye bread, and even some caraway. The floral sachet and potpourri notes are distinctively young rye, as are the vivid sizzling spices. Certainly a rye lover’s rye, as clove-studded orange sails into drying minerality and cracked pepper on the finish.

Reviewed by: Jeffery Lindenmuth (Fall 2020)

Floral notes of violets meet heaps of spices: allspice, cloves, and nutmeg. The oak is right in your face, but not overwrought, woven with vanilla and cedar. The flavor shows good maturity, with leather, lanolin, and wax crayons, before more drying oak and spices bring it to a close. Brings some age to the table, but also feels just a bit tired, perhaps owing partly to the low proof.

Reviewed by: Jeffery Lindenmuth (Fall 2020)

This was aged in a combination of bourbon and double-fired American oak barrels. Pears on the initially light nose, then malty, with soft spices, figs, and diluted orange juice. Quite full on the palate, showing more pears, vanilla, caramel, honey, and barley sugar. The finish is peppery, with lemon, dark chocolate, and black tea.

Reviewed by: Gavin Smith (Fall 2020)

Made using cuts that emphasize its peat and malt notes, this starts off with a nose of brine, seaweed, and iodine, but there’s a captivating, tempting tropical fruitiness too. On the palate, that tropical note shows up fleetingly as blueberry and pomegranate, with peat continuing to commandeer the ship into an ashy finish of coffee bean, black pepper, and dark chocolate. (1,200 bottles)

Reviewed by: Susannah Skiver Barton (Fall 2020)

The nose is light, sweet, and mildly chalky, like talcum powder or freshly whipped meringue; it also has pistachio pudding and hints of flavored tobacco. On the palate, embers burn gently beneath apple, almond, and milk chocolate, with a pleasantly silky mouthfeel. The medium-length finish rounds things out with smoked vanilla sugar, dark-roast coffee, and bittersweet oak. This has plenty of personality, but a light touch.

Reviewed by: Susannah Skiver Barton (Fall 2020)

From Washington, D.C.-based distiller Republic Restoratives, this is an Indiana-made bourbon aged 5 years and then finished in armagnac casks for about 8 weeks. The nose offers light notes of dried figs and fragrant herbs, as well as a distinct back note of earthiness. Nutty, oily, and somewhat dry on the palate, with spice and restraining oak tannins leading to a finish that’s also dry but with flavors of vanilla and light nuttiness. (14,000 bottles)

Reviewed by: David Fleming (Fall 2020)

Lemon and lime, grapefruit peel, and vanilla sugar are the most striking characteristics, with base notes of caramel, milk chocolate, and dry spices to round off the nose. Vanilla, fudge, and muted peppery spices on a lightweight structure, but it blossoms in flavor—if not mouthfeel—with citrus peel, creamy milk chocolate, and coffee notes, leaving cocoa, spices, and citrus acidity on the finish. (Travel Retail exclusive)

Reviewed by: Jonny McCormick (Fall 2020)

Balcones has partnered with fellow Texan Spoetzl Brewery in the past, supplying barrels for the Shiner bock and märzen-style beers. This is its first whiskey distilled from Spoetzl beer. Its dark hue hints at an earthy, malty profile, and the nose delivers rich malt, spice, dried fruit, dried leaves, and oak. Rustic on the palate, with caramel and oak char. More malt on the finish, with water bringing out some sweetness. (6,000 bottles)

Reviewed by: David Fleming (Fall 2020)

Satsuma peel, mandarin segments, butter biscuits, dry oak, bookbindings, and hints of baking spices on the nose. Warm orange, sweet vanilla, creamy pudding, sherbet, and a mellow pepperiness on the palate, but as the citrus theme swells, a taste of grapefruit bitterness washes over it, making for a sharp, bitter finish. With its 46% malt content, this has grace, but seems a bit mild for a warrior pirate queen’s tastes.

Reviewed by: Jonny McCormick (Fall 2020)

Toddy-like aromas of ginger and honey, along with vanilla bean, sugared pecans, cinnamon, allspice, apricot, and savory koji. The palate is sweet and fruity, a cup of Mott’s applesauce with drizzled honey and sprinkles of cinnamon. It finishes with more sweet apples, vanilla, and caramel. Water not recommended.

Reviewed by: Susannah Skiver Barton (Fall 2020)

Tlàth is Gaelic for “mellow” or “gentle.” Rich malt, caramel, and milk chocolate on the initial nose, with developing ginger, honey, and red apples. Fresh and approachable on the palate, with more chocolate and ginger, plus aniseed, wood spices, and light pepperiness. The finish is medium in length, with milky coffee, more aniseed, and citrus fruits.

Reviewed by: Gavin Smith (Fall 2020)