“Contains five times more rye than A. Smith Bowman’s standard bourbon recipe,” aged 7 years and 9 months. A lean bourbon nose: sweet grain, leather, pepper, oak. Zing in the mouth! Quite spicy, with a smooth, oily feel, notes of dried apple and split fruit-tree branches, and a driving but welcome heat that lines straight through to the long, dry finish. Bold, interesting, and worthy of repeating! Limited release; mainly in Virginia.

Reviewed by: Lew Bryson (Winter 2015)

Poised and complex, with typically lifted fruitiness: strawberry ice cream, pineapple, peach, balanced by delicate oak, bamboo shoot-like delicacy, then lemon. The palate is more rounded than that very forward nose, with toffee notes adding some weight. A touch of smoke comes along in the mid-palate, before fruits and caramelized coffee biscuits. Water allows the flavors to flood the palate. Exemplary blending skills and classically Hibiki.

Reviewed by: Dave Broom (Winter 2015)

Hot barrel wood, like opening a rickhouse in July; light allspice, vanilla, and fiery alcohol. Drinkable without water, surprisingly. Hot syrup, corn sugar caramel, tannic oak, and a bit of stickiness. An interesting look at Jack Daniel’s: unblended, undiluted, untamed. It’s still Jack—sweet, insistent—but it’s taller, bigger. I could say I’d like even more heft, more complexity…but would that be asking Jack to be something it simply is not?

Reviewed by: Lew Bryson (Winter 2015)

This is an amazing link back to Glasgow in the 1970s. Fresh peach, cherry blossom, red Tunes, baked apple, hay bales, acetone, orange peel, and old pepper grinders. A silky texture with red apple, orange oils, and a luxuriantly refined taste leads to apple peelings, caramel, and ginger. Such quality! The finish slips away quietly: melon, peach, fudge, and a final twist of pepper. Bliss! Great to see Douglas Laing bringing out more XOP single grains of such standing. (150 bottles)

Reviewed by: Jonny McCormick (Winter 2015)

Dad’s Hat rye has evolved, like many craft whiskeys, but they’re still bottling at 6 to 9 months (another label is planned for a straight version). That’s working well. The nose is rip-roaring rye: crushed grain, grass, sweet spice, bitter herbal notes, with all the complexity of the grain. Delivers honestly on the tongue, too, plus a light barrel character, proceeding to an integrated finish. Excellent young rye, there’s no mistaking the mother grain.

Reviewed by: Lew Bryson (Winter 2015)

Innovation is key at Windsor’s Corby Distillers. Though best known for its Wiser’s range, Corby also makes this juicy new four-grain beauty. Big and firm on the palate, G&W glides into a buttery corn-whisky slather flooded with delicate rye flowers, nutty dusty barley, and soft, sweet wheat notes. Want the list? Crisp clean oak, citrus pith, stewed fruits, meadow flowers, and brisk pepper with mildly pulling tannins. (Canada only) C$45

Reviewed by: Davin de Kergommeaux (Winter 2015)

Blends 7 and 12 year old bourbons, and a 7 year wheater, in a beautifully packaged tribute to the old brand. Typical nose—cinnamon Red Hots, milled corn, oaky zest—in balanced harmony. Beautiful stuff on the tongue: warm but not hot, expansive corn sweetness that lightens the cinnamon’s intensity, some clove, some oaky dryness. The warm finish only ends after a long embrace. Pricey for 7 year old bourbon, though; is this the future? Sourced whiskey.

Reviewed by: Lew Bryson (Winter 2015)

Usually the sleeper of the Collection. Toffee mixed with cinnamon, mocha, añejo rum, golden raisin, dried citrus, and tobacco, with firm leather and oak on the finish. Last year’s release was more balanced and a great expression of the brand, but I’m afraid this release is a little heavy on the oak; particularly on the finish. Buffalo Trace Antique Collection 2015 Release.

Reviewed by: John Hansell (Winter 2015)

These Boutique-y blends are delivering terrifically good whiskies time after time, but the small batches sell through quickly now that the word is out. This one has plums, apple, mixed peel, spices, walnut, and sherry notes. The palate is fizzy, with plummy depths, chocolate shavings, ginger biscuits, and dark fruits with a medium-weight mouthfeel. This can go toe-to-toe with the best of ‘em. Once the ginger settles down it leaves a pleasing, mild maltiness. Add water if you must. (370 bottles) £49

Reviewed by: Jonny McCormick (Winter 2015)

Mitchell & Son’s classic whiskey finished for 1 to 2 years in wine casks formerly used by the Barton family in the St-Julien appellation. Spiced apple, redcurrant, blushing pink young raspberries, with a deeper earthiness, like a hedgerow run wild. An autumnal character: apple, rhubarb, ginger, piquant fruits, more vanilla, then a finish of sweetened apple and peppercorns. A definite imprint from the higher-strength pot still. It feels like the wine has shaped, sculpted, and finessed the whisky beautifully. À votre santé!

Reviewed by: Jonny McCormick (Winter 2015)

This is so much more than a pumped-up version of Peat Chimney; this has sweet smoke from singed green wood twigs, light honey, peach, all balanced with TCP-soaked bandages. Nothing harsh or off-putting, it’s just a delight. Sweet honey, orange, generous malt, and caramel, but it’s the smoke coiling its way throughout that makes the greatest impression on the palate and finish. These blended malts tend to move quickly, so grab one while you can. Perfect for winter drinking. (12,000 bottles) £42

Reviewed by: Jonny McCormick (Winter 2015)

Light in body, with creamy notes of vanilla and honey married with orchard fruit. All this is balanced by warming dried spice on the finish. Very enjoyable. Buffalo Trace Experimental Collection French Oak Barrel Aged Bourbon 2015 Release. Price is per 375 ml.

Reviewed by: John Hansell (Winter 2015)

A zeitgeist Johnnie Walker fine-tuned for the American palate, this blend has a moreish nose of cinnamon, cocoa, and the toasted coconut of macaroons, mingled with strands of smoke, dried walnut, nutmeg, and an array of spicy rye anchored by a concentrated line of vanilla. Lots of American oak at play here. It’s elegant, dry, and smooth with vanilla, cinnamon, coconut, and flashes of spice. It’s fabulous sipped straight up but keep walking to the finish. Value Pick.

Reviewed by: Jonny McCormick (Winter 2015)

Matured in refill European oak sherry butts, this year’s Special Release has more weight than many previous expressions and a fascinating smokiness that comes across like a just-lit fire: fire lighter, burning paper, fire grate, and wood smoke. The more active oak adds walnut skin notes and rich dried fruits before the smoke returns. All very sophisticated with enough sweetness to balance. Excellent, but, ouch, that price!

Reviewed by: Dave Broom (Winter 2015)

Aged in first-fill American oak, this shows a real brightness, crisp fruit, and some smoke—it’s not really unpeated—and wet grass, before moving into pear and tarragon. The palate is intense, with a hay note, then an almost fino sherry-like note before sashimi emerges. Reduced, there’s more of a soft flow, though there’s still a touch of green olive minerality. A steal at this price. Snap it up.

Reviewed by: Dave Broom (Winter 2015)

Unusually named—it refers to the price paid for the distillery—here is Glenfarclas in slightly lighter guise than usual. Fresh and clean at the start, with hints of sweet nut and soft cooked fruits; subtly sherried elements then begin to come through. The palate is balanced, with supple tannins and a dark depth to the mid-palate. Those sweet fruits in the nose continue all the way through. Refined and rather lovely. £85

Reviewed by: Dave Broom (Winter 2015)

Ages range from 4 to 16 year old whiskeys; seven types of cask, 100% malt (mashed at Sierra Nevada Brewing). Solid, hefty malt nose with fruit dressing and a fleeting hint of baking spices. A much weightier, more serious whiskey this year; the malt is meaty, savory, with an edge from the wine oak, and even a hint of brine toward the end. I miss last year’s balance and relaxed nature, though; there’s an air of trying too hard here. (3,000 bottles)

Reviewed by: Lew Bryson (Winter 2015)

“Tennessee bourbon” at 8 years, 3 months, and barrel proof. This and Batch 006 are the same whiskey, the same age, from different warehouse floors. Smooth sweet nose of oak and hot corn. Quite spicy on the tongue, hard-dancing oak vaults high in the mouth over a strong, sweet body. Solid oaky finish. Honest and foursquare as a Tennessee farmer; no surprises, but no disappointments either. Sourced whiskey.

Reviewed by: Lew Bryson (Winter 2015)