Black bottle, cocked-fist logo. Sourced whiskey, infused with “green tea, hibiscus, eucalyptus, fennel, gingko and more.” Smells schnapps-ish, bright floral and woodsy notes, with a medicinal twang. Quite sweet, but not sticky; the herbs keep it perky. The whiskey is tamped down by the sweet and infusion; the finish gets even more medicinal. I’d like less sweet, and more whiskey. Not sure who the market is for this, but it makes a tasty add to tea.

Reviewed by: Lew Bryson (Fall 2014)

Finishing in octave-sized PX casks has resulted in the creation of an oddity: the world’s first Ardbeg cordial. There’s smoke, pigskin leather, and a sudden rootiness, mixed with damp woodland, stewing Victoria plums, and a weirdly lactic note. This continues on the tongue, giving an effect like smoked cream cheese dotted with raisins. Hmm…£120/500 ml

Reviewed by: Dave Broom (Fall 2014)

The lush, weighty mouthfeel of this affordable mixing whisky surprises, as does the gently complex parade of ripe red cherries and plums, Weetabix cereal, dry green hay, pencil shavings, and blistering ginger root. There’s a lot of whisky here, though it’s light and subtle. What burns in the mouth is slippery smooth in the throat, ending in classic Canadian bitter grapefruit pith. Tasting suggestion: add ginger ale. A pleasing citron residue lingers in the empty glass.

Reviewed by: Davin de Kergommeaux (Fall 2014)

A sweet, aromatic nose, with fresh cream, flaked almonds, macaroons, pomegranate juice, and a veneer of vanilla from this refill barrel. The palate starts warm and sweet, then revs up to full power; light butterscotch, cotton candy, clementine, Toledo marzipan, and corn kernels, with a hint of fresh green salad leaves. The short finish picks over corn, cake mix, and cream soda. Power, but not enough finesse from the wood here. £64

Reviewed by: Jonny McCormick (Fall 2014)

The entry level official Girvan is named after their ‘MPS’ distillation apparatus that distills at various pressures and under vacuum to vaporize and distill at lower temperatures. This is very light, with fresh whole pineapples, orange fondant creams, delicate vanilla, and risen dough. It’s fiendishly sweet (have a dental hygienist on standby), like a deep layer of butter frosting, sticky cotton candy, honey, overripe bananas, and spearmint. The expeditious finish tenders cookie mix, digestive biscuits, and a grind of pepper. £45

Reviewed by: Jonny McCormick (Fall 2014)

Hailing from the Speyside distillery, this has a deep orange color and an aroma of damp hay and a slightly vegetal note alongside caramel and peanut brittle. A perception of bitterness beside dried peels. The palate is thick with stewing fruits, tinned prune, and burnt sugar, with a background note of wet draff. Water lifts things a little, but it's all rather sick and flabby. £150

Reviewed by: Dave Broom (Fall 2014)

Lots of green notes in the nose of this mason jar variety of moonshine, including green apple, green bean, and wheat grass. Strong brewer’s yeast and cornmeal round things out in a highly aromatic nose. For the proof, the entry is remarkably soft and sweet, tasting like buttered cornbread. Fire and spice aren’t far behind, with black pepper, white pepper, and charred Cracker Jack. Long, dry, and slightly hot finish with a hint of popcorn and green bean.

Reviewed by: Geoffrey Kleinman (Fall 2014)

Even though it has more alcohol than Southern Shine’s straight ‘moonshine,’ the nose is fairly evasive, with subtle cinnamon apple. The entry is much sweeter than expected, with caramel, cinnamon, and apple, but manages to be well-balanced by the base spirit, which adds pepper spice and enhances the cinnamon. The apple notes flirt with artificiality but end up reading as dried apple. The finish is long and maintains the cinnamon-apple spice well, but is a tad hot.

Reviewed by: Geoffrey Kleinman (Fall 2014)

Light onionskin color; the nose is scented with red fruits, cranberry sauce, hawthorn jelly, and red apple. With water there’s some bletted medlars mixed with lemon. Sadly, the palate is soapy to start with, before the super-ripe red fruits come through. Water makes things fresher, but overall it lacks personality.

Reviewed by: Dave Broom (Fall 2014)

A predominantly young blended malt heads up the first of the Reference Series, designed as an educational tool to help attune your palate. It’s a light, floral array, with waxed lemons, oatcakes, and peppermint. Mouthfeel is thin with little structure, heavy on the barley, with hints of boiled fruit candies. Sipped neat, it’s drying, with doughy notes and dried apple. Water fails to enliven the experience, other than showing late lemon and icing sugar. Memorize it, and move up. £37

Reviewed by: Jonny McCormick (Fall 2014)

Boldly, this is naturally colored (barely colored) 3 year old grain whisky presented in a tall, clear bottle. The predominant aroma of corn husks is mixed with a sentimental schoolroom whiff of white glue peeled from the fingertips. There’s wheat cracker, bread, cooked ham, dripping foliage, and chopped parsley. A clean, refreshing mouthfeel with pleasant marshmallow sweetness is nixed by flavors of corn, sliced bread, and vanilla, but they are hastily extinguished. A finishing spicy glimmer shuts down quickly too.

Reviewed by: Jonny McCormick (Fall 2014)

Robert McNish conceived his recipe for a lighter style of Highland whisky in Glasgow in 1863 (though the brand added an ‘a’ to his surname for easier pronunciation). Whole orange, ground hazelnut, and ground ginger on the nose, though it keeps pretty tight-lipped. Light and sweet in the mouth, with mandarin and more pronounced ginger mid-palate before a medium-length finish of bubblegum and gooseberry. It just seems a little uninspiring given the special occasion.

Reviewed by: Jonny McCormick (Fall 2014)

Although this moonshine may look down-home in a mason jar, it was produced using the highly technical TerrePure process, designed to remove most congeners. The result is a corn neutral spirit that doesn’t smell or taste much like corn. Instead, it’s soft vanilla, toasted marshmallow, and a dash of salt. A little heat and white pepper round things out for a long, peppery-dry finish. It’s pretty good for a vodka, but is it really moonshine or white whiskey? Probably not.

Reviewed by: Geoffrey Kleinman (Fall 2014)

From TerrePure; there’s that reassuring note on the label that the whiskey is “Aged at least six months.” Nose is somewhat flat, compressed; diner mints, old cinnamon sticks, cattle feed. Tastes thin, sweet, hot, and not very complex. There’s a flash of something more just before the swallow: corn, hot mint. But it vanishes in a bland, quick finish. Uninspiring, if surprisingly smooth for 6 month old whiskey.

Reviewed by: Lew Bryson (Fall 2014)

Light amber color; no age statement, not labeled as “straight whiskey.” Nose of spiced hard candies, wet oak, mint. Very hot mouth, thin body, muddled flavors of candy and wood. Quite young, with a hot, unpleasant finish. The unaged Lovell Bros. is both more enjoyable and more interesting.

Reviewed by: Lew Bryson (Fall 2014)

Faint spice aroma becomes more apparent after sitting for 20 minutes; initial pour smelled much like the Reserve Cherry (see below). Christmas cookie spices. Thick and sweet, spice is more evident. Not bad, but pretty thick and not much bourbon flavor for 45%.

Reviewed by: Lew Bryson (Fall 2014)

One of the Barton whiskies acquired by Sazerac in 2009, Canadian Supreme is a dry, dusty mixer that blossoms in ginger ale. Neat, the nose opens slowly to dried fruit, while the palate is grassy, almost mashy, with butterscotch pudding and a peppery glow. Though not at all tannic, still it becomes a bit pulling in the middle before giving way to prunes, raspberries, and maraschino cherries. The finish is surprisingly long and hot.

Reviewed by: Davin de Kergommeaux (Fall 2014)

Based on the Hayes Parker bourbon. Faint cherry aroma; not sure I’d pick it out without the label’s help. Quite sweet, but still; the cherry character is not so much subtle or faint, as just not there. There is some sweet cherry candy character at the very end. Disappointing.

Reviewed by: Lew Bryson (Fall 2014)