Drew Beard
It’s not just whiskey overcrowding liquor store shelves these days. You’ve probably noticed the same thing happening on the tequila aisle. The rapid-fire launch of new agave-based spirits has been head-spinning, especially of late. Luckily, there are subscription services available like Taster’s Club to help with the inevitable decision paralysis. They’ve got most of the spirit…
In 2022, we covered the launch of Dos Hombres, a then exclusively mezcal brand backed by actors Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul. At the time, we tipped our hat to the Breaking Bad stars for the super cool way they chose to focus on mezcal instead of the more ubiquitous and celebrity-saturated tequila category. But…
Basil Hayden is out with a new edition. Well, sort of. Their latest, Golden Rye, is replacing the whiskey formerly known as Malted Rye introduced in 2024. It’s part of a new portfolio strategy that narrows the core lineup to two whiskeys, this newest rye release and the original Basil Hayden Bourbon. A more experimental…
Virginia whiskey lovers, you know the drill. A. Smith Bowman is out with another Abraham Bowman Special Release. The lottery closed May 11 (womp womp), but there’s still a chance some bottles will go unclaimed at the end of the month. In the past, a few bottles have even circulated through the Virginia ABC and…
Bardstown Bourbon Co.’s Distillery Reserve Series knocked it out of the park last year with a trio of exceptional whiskeys as delicious as they were distinctive. The inaugural release, Cathedral French Oak, made our Top 20 Whiskeys of 2025 list, but they were honestly all in the running. And they’re not resting on their laurels…
Somewhere in the last few years, the carajillo became an iconic after-dinner drink that, in some parts of the world, began to eclipse the espresso martini in popularity. The official recipe for the carajillo is simple — espresso and Licor 43 liqueur, shaken vigorously — though plenty of versions made with additional spirits exist. Licor…
Dona Victoria is a line of tequila from Ocean Azul, which is by all accounts an independent spirits bottler that leans hard into the bottle part. Check out their website, and you’ll find alcohol inside bottles shaped like a pair of handguns, complete with fancy display box, or even a birthday cake (both vanilla and…
Kilkerran, like many other Campbeltown whiskies, owes its existence to the late Hedley Wright. The fifth-generation scion of the whisky-making Mitchell family resurrected the single malt’s parent distillery, Glengyle, in 2004 after nearly 80 years of absence. Of the many dead Campbeltown distilleries to bring back to life, why Glengyle? It probably helped that the…
The return of Michter’s ultra luxe Celebration Sour Mash, only the fifth release to date, somewhat overshadowed the announcement that the fan favorite 10-year-old single barrel was also on its way, destined for the top shelves at your local watering hole and the fancy display cabinets of those liquor stores lucky enough to get an…
Barrell Bourbon is back once again with another addition to its ever-growing Limited Edition lineup. On the heels of the second Red Label Series release, we’re getting an entirely new offering, Cigar Blend. It may be new to the Barrell portfolio, but “cigar blend” bourbons aren’t exactly cutting edge. A bourbon designed specifically to pair…