A blend of Highlands scotch, Canadian whisky, and high-rye whiskey from Seattle’s Oola Distillery, with an additional year of aging in cabernet sauvignon barrels. The wine influence is apparent, with plum, cherry, and raspberry on the nose. French vanilla, dusty oak, white chocolate, and stone fruit dominate a creamy and mellow palate. Poached pears, honey, and cornbread flavors bring a little too much sweetness and lack depth.

Reviewed by: Adam Polonski (Fall 2017)

Hugely floral and perfumed on the nose, with rose petals, violet candies, and dried orange peel. This is the Gewürztraminer of American single malts—sweet lychee, laced with sachet aromas that explode as if opening Grandma’s dresser drawer. The palate is more tropical; dried pineapple, canned peach syrup, and spice. This could be polarizing, but it’s utterly captivating and worth a try.

Reviewed by: Jeffery Lindenmuth (Fall 2017)

Nearly a quarter of a century since Cambus Distillery closed, select casks are still being bottled by the independents. Grapefruit peel, fruit teas, lemon zest, mixed spice, cardamom, and wild garlic make for an intriguing nose. A sweet taste of sugared almonds, lemon bonbons, strands of candied peel, bananas, and vanilla, before the spices stomp all over the sweetness. Hot, dry, spicy finish with just a lick of butterscotch.

Reviewed by: Jonny McCormick (Fall 2017)

Ebony colored whisky with dark aromas of dense fruitcake, fresh fig, Medjool dates, sultana, and Christmas spices of nutmeg, clove, and cinnamon, though a struck-match note lurks within. The treacle-thick palate has Coca-Cola, clove, aniseed, eucalyptus, sultanas, leather, blackcurrant, black cherry, dried fig, and raisin. The currant-bun finish is tannic and woody; tastebuds flinch and recoil. This is a grizzled old-timer best left to adventurous souls.

Reviewed by: Jonny McCormick (Fall 2017)

Prunes, barbecue seasonings, and hoisin sauce, sweetened by rich caramel; soak up the heady aromatics. Gloopy texture on the palate explodes into life with burnt orange, dried mango, and banoffee pie, spiraling down to black licorice, burnt oak, and Brazil nut. The name acknowledges Kiichiro Iwai’s role in ushering in whisky making for Hombo Shuzo in the 1960s, drawing on the notes diligently recorded by Masataka Taketsuru in Scotland.

Reviewed by: Jonny McCormick (Fall 2017)

Grassy, grainy, and floral on the nose, with hints of citrus, grape soda, and apples. The palate is creamy, fruity, sweet, and light, with creamed corn, milk chocolate, and grassy and floral notes. There’s a hint of spice and a milk chocolate finish. An interesting flavor profile, but the blend of bourbon and Irish single malt whiskey never quite comes together as a cohesive whole.

Reviewed by: Susannah Skiver Barton (Fall 2017)

This 5 year old corn whisky is blended with mature rye and single malt, creating a soft and creamy dram with flickers of grain dust and smatterings of spice. Pleasantly hot with sweet spices and fruit market aromas. Very pleasant esters, hints of acetone and pepper, it fades into corn syrup and traces of cinnamon. More woodiness would raise the score. (Distillery-only bottling or by mail order in Ontario) Canada’s Sesquicentennial Celebratory Release. C$45

Reviewed by: Davin de Kergommeaux (Fall 2017)

Sweet vanilla, dried berries, and a soft display of woodsmoke introduce this whiskey. While notably improved from earlier bottlings, the sherry is still rendered a bit dull, like chocolate-covered cherries, as smoky cocoa nibs and the chewy malt meet on the palate, offering a honeyed finish with hints of baking chocolate.

Reviewed by: Jeffery Lindenmuth (Fall 2017)

It will soon be 120 years since this workhorse of a distillery came into being. Golden Grahams, sanded oak, whole lemon, floral blooms, and cumin seeds on the nose, but the whole confection is rather restrained. The palate is sweet, but could be too sweet for some; Scottish tablet, caramel, ripe banana, granulated sugar, and ginger loaf. Some late heat accompanies the sugary finish. Remember to brush your teeth before bed.

Reviewed by: Jonny McCormick (Fall 2017)

As young a Caledonian as you’ll find; I found the nose rather underdeveloped. Crystallized lemon slices, green banana, solvents, dry grasses, and a sniff of nail polish remover. In the mouth, lemon flavors, saccharine sweet honey, and banana dipped in melted chocolate, while the alcohol nips at the tongue. A good trajectory redeems its character, leaving deep throbbing spice notes in the finish, with bitter citrus at the fringes.

Reviewed by: Jonny McCormick (Fall 2017)

A blend of Highlands scotch, Canadian whisky, and house-made high-rye whiskey. Aromas of stewed red fruit, pomegranate, and mint hold promise, but the whiskey is quiet, with subtle peach, unripe raspberry, apricots, and white flowers. White chocolate, cornbread, and biscotti flavors add a good deal of sweetness. The finish is pleasant and rounded. An interesting experiment, but it’s hard to discern what each component brings to the table.

Reviewed by: Adam Polonski (Fall 2017)

Herbal, licorice, and cinnamon notes are initially quite alluring, but stifled by a slightly sour note peering through. Still, this is identifiably bourbon, with sweet corn drive, leathery oak, and cocoa coming together nicely before a warming finish of spice candies.

Reviewed by: Jeffery Lindenmuth (Fall 2017)

More typical grain whisky territory here, with a nose of cornflakes, fresh cream, cut grass, filaments of orange peel, and a curiously dull pepper note. Spice, sweetness, and citrus fight for dominance. Spice wins with a K.O. on sweetness and lays the citrus out cold on the canvas. Creamy chocolate notes tarnished with hot pepper on the finish, though coffee-pot flavors emerge with a dash of water.

Reviewed by: Jonny McCormick (Fall 2017)

This is pipeline whisky made to be used in a Highball. That said, Lord Calvert is a solid blend to begin with and this beefed-up version makes all the right noises for cocktails or mixing with ginger ale. Sweet caramels, hot peppers, and hints of dry grain are bolstered by ripe dark fruits and spicy rye. This is simple, well-made whisky that shines best when mixed.

Reviewed by: Davin de Kergommeaux (Fall 2017)

Sweet and simple candied nose. Palate is thin, bright, and lemony, like a fluffy mouthful of sweet marshmallows, with hints of banana, circus peanuts candy, and gingery spice. Not especially complex, but pleasant enough.

Reviewed by: Jeffery Lindenmuth (Fall 2017)

Pleasantly aromatic of oranges and dusty oak, turning more oily, chewy, and nutty on the palate, with honeycomb intensity. However, the tannins are quite aggressive, suggesting green walnut hulls and wooden popsicle stick.

Reviewed by: Jeffery Lindenmuth (Fall 2017)

Fresh and distinctly grain driven, like slurping warm breakfast cereal, but that malt purity also comes at the expense of complexity and development, with lots of grassy meadow, cut hay notes, that lead to a palate of husky grain and honeyed malt, before a finish sweet, young grass notes.

Reviewed by: Jeffery Lindenmuth (Fall 2017)

Initially, it’s earth and fruit. This develops into sawdust, more earth, and bananas. From here, it’s green pepper, banana nut bread, and warm corn tortillas over a soft mouthfeel with little complexity. This will work in a pinch and it’s great in ginger ale, Coca-Cola, or lighter cocktails, but it’s probably best over ice.

Reviewed by: Fred Minnick (Fall 2017)