Red apples, nectarines, white peaches, menthol, macadamia nut, clove, and notes of a closet filled with winter wool are on the nose of this bourbon-matured single malt. The palate is creamy and light, with orange tart, peach cobbler, semi-sweet chocolate, and cantaloupe. That fruit flavor carries over to a medium-length finish. Well-made, if at times simple, with strong and pure spirit character. Best Values

Reviewed by: Ted Simmons (Winter 2021)

Finished in French oak. Dried herbs, grape candies, saddle leather, blueberry muffin, and new wood on the nose, with chocolate, marshmallow, and toasted caramel emerging over time. Wood drives the palate further alongside vanilla wafer, cooked dark fruits, and spiced dark chocolate. There is more sweetness on the finish as well as solid spice characteristics. Best Values

Reviewed by: Ted Simmons (Winter 2021)

Fruity and sweet on the nose in the form of Twizzlers, dried cherries, bubble gum, and green apple candies. There are also aromas of sandalwood and vanilla cream. A creamy palate showcases juicy watermelon, cinnamon sugar, figs, breakfast cereal with dried strawberries, and chocolate fudge. Dried oak, baked apple, and a dessert-like richness on the finish. The profile here is sweet and specific but demonstrates an effective candied fruit quality.

Reviewed by: Ted Simmons (Winter 2021)

Finished with sherry cask staves. Mixed berries, fruit tart, lemon oil, blueberry pie, and orange slices highlight a fruit-forward nose that is also breakfast-like with maple syrup and buttered pancakes. More fruit on the palate in the form of honeydew, green banana, and cherry pie with a touch of milk chocolate and cinnamon. There’s more spice on the finish, with some floral flavors and a balanced sweetness. Best Values

Reviewed by: Ted Simmons (Winter 2021)

This brings an unassuming nose of sweet pastry, golden honey, baking spices, dried apple, honeysuckle, creamed coconut, seasoned oak, and a faint hint of baked lemon. With a lightness and nimbleness that belies its age, it delivers flavors of lemon, barley sugar, mixed peel, and clove which build until it hits its peak, before winding down with baked lemon, toffee, oak, and espresso foam to finish. (241 bottles)

Reviewed by: Jonny McCormick (Winter 2021)

Cherry cough drops, flower stems, salted chocolate, lavender, and violet on the nose. The palate is dark and chocolaty, with subtle smoke and charred wood as well as coffee ice cream, burnt espresso beans, and cherry cordials. On the finish, more chocolate in addition to some dark berries and dried earth. The smoke is subtle with vanilla, and macadamia nuts to balance it out. A strong chocolaty center anchors this well.

Reviewed by: Ted Simmons (Winter 2021)

Distinct aromas of gooseberry on the nose, supported by barley freshness, light vanilla, sour cherry, and faint nutmeg notes. The taste is akin to walking through an orange grove. Light-bodied, smooth, and oily in structure with sweet citrus flavors, tangy strips of peel, fruit Jell-O, honey, subtle oak, and light spices before the gooseberry acidity returns adding further complexity, with spiced orange and cedarwood on the lengthy finish.

Reviewed by: Jonny McCormick (Winter 2021)

The distillery’s second U.S. bottling spotlights peat, though this is Kyushu, not Islay. A pure and clinical nosing experience, with honey, cantaloupe, peach, and green apple, a delightful puff of peat smoke, and scents of barley, creamed coconut, raffia baskets, and peppercorn. Better with water, it’s creamy and well-balanced, with apple, bitter orange, lime, and peppery smoke, ending with sweet citrus, malt, and cocoa powder. (2,100 bottles)

Reviewed by: Jonny McCormick (Winter 2021)

This delicate creature, finished in cognac-seasoned casks, has approachable fruitiness with aromas of pear, kumquat, grapefruit peel, biter orange, and soft fresh apricots with vanilla buttercream. Bright lemon sherbet flavors meet vanilla and shortbread, as spices ricochet off the gums, first pepper, then ginger. It reverts to orange, creamy vanilla, and lemon frangipane, then yields to a dry finish of spiced toffee and malt.

Reviewed by: Jonny McCormick (Winter 2021)

Highly nutty on the nose, with almond croissant, pistachio macaroons, and peanut brittle, alongside dried raspberries, cherry, and varnished mahogany. There’s more red fruit and sweet nutty flavors on the palate; strawberry hard candies, root beer spice, confectioners’ sugar, and, with water, notes of lemon cookies and a pleasant bitterness. Maple syrup, caraway, and rye spice on a finish that is a bit lacking in length. Water helps open this up.

Reviewed by: Ted Simmons (Winter 2021)

This pinot noir cask finish honors master distiller Hans Baumberger III’s great grandfather, Jakob, who founded the distillery in 1857. The nose exudes black honey, strawberry conserve, walnut, black cherry, raisin, black currant, and burnt cake. Light bodied, with strawberry, plum, black pepper, damson, and chocolate cookie sweetness, the oak tannins and spiciness build through to the finish.

Reviewed by: Jonny McCormick (Winter 2021)

Like a smokin’ toffee apple, there’s a linear penetration of smoke piercing the rich scents of black cherry, toffee cake, peppercorn, clove, peppermint, and menthol. The refill bourbon hogshead has provided a silky mouthfeel of stewed apple, plum, toffee, and aromatic spices, crowned by a sledgehammer of cloves, falling back with damson skin, plain chocolate, and smoke to finish. (270 bottles)

Reviewed by: Jonny McCormick (Winter 2021)

Drawn from their smokiest casks, the nose brings cigar smoke, struck match, spiced cracker bread, and coastal notes, though it’s spirity and youthful. Light bodied with chocolate and orange at first; there’s a bold thrust of spices, smoke, and clove, followed by chocolate cake and a hint of salt. Powerful spices stay to the fore throughout, turning earthy with a touch of leather before a smoky finish.

Reviewed by: Jonny McCormick (Winter 2021)

Crisp green apple, vanilla frosting, wood spices, whole lime, and pineapple offcuts, with some darker sherry sweetness nosed from the bottom of the glass. The first sip is sweet, with dried apricot, lighter sherry notes, coconut, and mouth-drawing peppery spices. The final phase shows deeper notes of candied peel, vanilla, and raisin, with a creamier mouthfeel (1,794 bottles).

Reviewed by: Jonny McCormick (Winter 2021)

This double-distilled rye from a 90% rye mashbill was distilled in a traditional German column still, with a second distillation in a copper pot still, then finished in Malaga and German Pinot Noir casks. It has a nose of spices, dill, dry leaves, dark toffee, and cinnamon bark. It’s tasty, but other than a hint of red apple, there’s less flavor evolution than after the initial burst of caramel, rye spices, black pepper, clove, dry oak, cinnamon, and leather notes. (3,600 bottles)

Reviewed by: Jonny McCormick (Winter 2021)

Funky on the nose, with notes of hay, overripe fruit, burlap sack, dark chocolate, cereal grains, and tapioca pudding. It’s got a barnyard essence to it. Creamy on the palate, with more chocolate, warm berry pie, and pepper spice. Water brightens things up, enhancing the spice and nutty pecan notes. Cocoa powder on a spiky finish. Inventive in its use of heirloom grains and distillation methods, with solid balance and texture.

Reviewed by: Ted Simmons (Winter 2021)

Nice aromas of spiced fruit on the nose; waxy red apples and cinnamon, melon dusted in brown sugar, as well as new leather and seasoned oak. More fruit emerges on the palate, with ripe mango, lemon peel, and black cherry, with lingering peppery spice. Water underscores the wood with tree bark and cinnamon stick. On the finish, bitter chocolate and roasted walnuts. A nice union of spirit and barrel character.

Reviewed by: Ted Simmons (Winter 2021)

A blend of whiskies finished in wine and beer casks that were aged on a rolling rickhouse that drove 6,000 miles. That irregular cask combination is apparent on a jam-packed nose that is super fragrant with grape jelly, lemon Pledge, sunflower seeds, and raw honey. A silky and oily palate has more of that balanced earthy sweetness to it. The finish is a bit bitter with good length though the flavors remain somewhat strange. There’s a lot going on here, but the body and balance are present throughout.

Reviewed by: Ted Simmons (Winter 2021)