Reviews

"Would now, it were old Orleans whiskey, or old Ohio, or unspeakable old Monongahela!" - Herman Melville, Moby Dick Between the early 1800s and Prohibition, Pennsylvania and Maryland were the epicenters of rye whiskey production. Through careful preservation, the dream of a modern rye renaissance has never been closer to a reality. In December of 2025, in celebration of Repeal Day, members of the Vintage Whiskey Society descended on Western Pennsylvania to answer a haunting

If you've been reading my website for any amount of time, you know I'm a fan of the Shenk's release from Michter's. While it has evolved and changed from year to year, it remains a consistently great addition to my whiskey study shelves, layering in a core identity that is completely necessary in today's complex whiskey market. At its core, it is a whiskey driven less by power and more by intent. It's the middle ground in the Michter's portfolio, not marketed towards general

Nestled in the rolling hills of western Pennsylvania is a quiet, family-owned operation producing premier grain-to-glass whiskey. Recently, the Amongst the Whiskey writers had the opportunity to visit Liberty Pole in Washington, Pennsylvania, and met with the family behind this once hobby-turned-distillery. Jim Hough, his wife Ellen, and their two sons Rob and Kevin are the heart of the operation. The warm greetings provided at their distillery felt like being welcomed into t

Hatozaki small-batch whisky is one of the flagship products of the Kaikyō Distillery in Japan. It's notably not a Japanese whisky, given it seems to contain a Scotch malt whisky component, which is really interesting. When I look at a blend like this, I often consider it an opportunity for human skill to shine. In an era of maximizing distillery efficiency in order to extend profits, I find myself admiring those who are doing things in the low and slow methods of old. The bra

A thorough review of the 2025 edition of Bomberger's Chinquapin oak aged Kentucky straight bourbon whiskey from Michter's Distillery.

“Although no one can go back and make a brand new start, anyone can start from now and make a brand new ending.” - Carl Bard Through the years, I have admittedly grown weary of toasted barrel finishes. Far too often, the process of adding a new barrel late to the equation typically de-ages already mature stock. Even if processed in a way that is favorable to producing sweet tones, this nonsensical approach to whiskey maturation has drawn my ire in more than a few reviews .