This is sweeter than Mars Kisoyama, with a spicier finish making it a great choice for Highballs and mixing. The nose has ground spices with occasional more aromatic flourishes and hints of whole ginger root and garlic bulb. Some herbal notes in the initial sip, but the mouthfeel is delicate and carries pleasant flavors of caramel, toffee, fresh melon, baked apple, and a gentle spiciness. (BevMo-exclusive; 6,000 bottles).

Reviewed by: Jonny McCormick (Spring 2021)

A blend of house-made single malt and sourced pot-distilled light whiskey. Sweet campfire smoke wends its way through grain, nut, and toast aromas, with hints of peppermint, vanilla, and milk chocolate. Smoke and sweetness interplay on the palate with vanilla nougat and smoked almonds. The abrupt finish comes off a bit hot, but is mouthwatering all the same. It’s enchanting, and a creative expression of smoke, at times evoking a smoky Toblerone bar.

Reviewed by: Ted Simmons (Spring 2021)

Lemon drizzle cake, hazelnut, dried coconut strips, iced sweet rolls filled with jam and whipped cream, and a jab of ripe gooseberry are all on the nose of this blend of grain and single malt whiskeys. It’s sweet and light-bodied, yet smooth and creamy, with lemon bonbons, vanilla, butterscotch, and hints of cooked fruits, with a spicy finish that retains a fruity juiciness. A great reference point for bourbon cask-matured Irish whiskey.

Reviewed by: Jonny McCormick (Spring 2021)

Fragrant spice, cherry, and gummy bears on the nose, though it’s quite subdued. A light mouthfeel of caramel, pepper, and cherry candies develops a more complex array of spices, getting a late lift of fruity sweetness as the spices die out. Passes muster as a Japanese whisky, but it’s quite basic for a straight sipper (BevMo-exclusive; 10,000 bottles).

Reviewed by: Jonny McCormick (Spring 2021)

An unusual cask finish for bourbon; the rosé imparts floral and fruity notes on the nose with dried orange peel, fragrant oak, cotton candy, bubble gum, and Jolly Rancher. The palate is surprisingly zippy with citrus, cinnamon, and oak but loses full harmony among its disparate flavors. On the finish, there’s more cinnamon, along with chicory and oak. The overall journey is a bit uneven. (2,400 bottles)

Reviewed by: Ted Simmons (Spring 2021)

Part of Stauning’s Research Series, this clear unaged spirit is made from a mashbill of 70% malted rye and 30% malted barley. Fragrant aromatic spices with ground ginger, fine pepper, woodsmoke, and lavender soap—as an olfactory experience, it has its limitations. Fruity and light with early smokiness, it has bold fruit flavors, spice, and clementine, fading to orchard fruits. Substitute in your mezcal cocktails and run wild.

Reviewed by: Jonny McCormick (Spring 2021)

Bimber makes light, fruity whiskies from floor-malted English barley. This cask has aromas of millionaire’s shortbread, rowanberry, pomegranate, a slightly bitter singed-spice note, blackened oak, and roasted chestnuts. Vanilla meets a formidable wall of alcohol on the palate, with spicy peppercorn and chile flakes. Despite various dilutions, it was hard to find a sweet spot, but sweet pastries, peach, sherry wood, and nut eventually emerge. (293 bottles)

Reviewed by: Jonny McCormick (Spring 2021)

A blend of corn, wheat, and rye whiskeys, there is a grassy and herbal note on the nose with licorice, dill, caraway seed, and eucalyptus, as well as a piney lemon quality with cacao nibs and sea salt. The palate is silky and light with a spiced herbaceousness, chocolate chips, mint, and pine resin emerging with water. The finish is more of the same, with mint chocolate, bittersweet oak, and a lingering heat. Earthy and green at times, it recalls a pine forest with its sustained herbal and lemon quality. The lower proof and a light-bodied palate keeps it from scaling any higher.

Reviewed by: Ted Simmons (Spring 2021)

From the inventive minds at Barrell comes this whiskey, a blend of three Tennessee bourbons each finished separately in Jamaican rum, pear brandy, and Sicilian amaro casks. The nose is highly fruity and herbal, almost gin-like with notes of mint, grass, lemon and lime, pineapple slices, and wild strawberries. The palate is candied with Smarties, Runts, and mango. The finish is more of the same with lemon-lime candies. The unorthodox cask treatment creates some unexpected flavors, with the high proof amplifying the peculiarity.

Reviewed by: Ted Simmons (Spring 2021)