Castle & Cairn

Founded in 2018 by Mike Paladini and Danny Polise, Penelope Bourbon was created to honor the birth of Mike's first child of the same name. Since then, Penelope has sourced NDP components from MGP, Bardstown Bourbon Company, and Speyside Cooperate, though it is operated by MGP since it's acquisition of the brand in 2023 under it's Luxco subsidiary. The brand focuses on new and unique whiskies, often playing with atypical mash bills, blends, or barrel finishing processes and this bottle is no different.  Penelope Architect  is a relatively young bourbon with a high rye mash bill that is aged for four weeks after the addition of French oak staves produced by Tonnellerie Radoux , a storied cooper with more than 70 years of history - now part of François Frères Cooperage Group. Radoux has a proprietary technology called Oakscan® which is used as part of their quality control process to use near-infrared spectrometry to measure the concentration of various chemicals within each ...

The 2025 release of Costco's Kirkland 15-year Highland Scotch hit shelves in late January and is a recurring installment on an annual cadence. The first pallet to hit my local store sold out almost immediately. Thankfully, we got two more shipments at one pallet each that hung around a bit longer and I was able to snag a bottle. Like in previous years, this Highland Scotch is finished in sherry casks. Alexander Murray & Co. is the bottler with MISA imports out of Texas bringing it to the States for consumption (Costco's standard sourcing pattern for Scotch). The bottle has a nice heft to it and there is an ensconced Alexander Murray Lion adding some nice texture to the front of the bottle. Steve Lipp, CEO of Alexander Murray, calls it "Perfect for after dinner drinking." All-in-all, this shows an attempt to elevate the product and presentation from the ubiquitous blends and non-age stated iterations you'll sometimes find under the Kirkland label.  Neither Alex...

Greatly expanded by the craft whiskey movement and bourbon boom, finished whiskey has grown tremendously in popularity, meriting attention from heritage distillers and whiskey connoisseurs. What is Finished Whiskey? While almost all whiskey must be aged in oak, finished whiskey refers to the process of taking that aged whiskey and giving it subsequent aging(s) in other barrel(s) or with wooden rod additives. You may hear the first aging referred to as "primary" aging which is typically the longest part of the aging process with the additional aging or "secondary maturation" being a much smaller part of the timeline.  Finishing Timelines of Common Whiskeys The following common finished whiskeys and their aging timeline show how much the duration of secondary maturation can vary: Maker's Mark 46 - Finished with 10 seared French oak staves for around 6 to 8 weeks A ngel's Envy Kentucky Straight Bourbon - Finished for 3 to 6 month s in port wine barrels Dewar...

Maker's Mark 46, first released in 2010, is the second longest tenured expression from Suntory's wheat powerhouse, differentiated from that original 1958 product by proof and the addition of a French Oak finishing period. The name comes from the Independent Stave Company 's "Stave Profile 46". The exact specifications of that product are not publicly available, but we know that the company sources oak from the Vosges and Centre regions, known for  their straight, fine-grained wood. Thanks to the forest management provided by the French state, the trees in these regions tend to be taller, straighter and older on average. They do source some timber from other specific forests, such as Fontainebleau, Bertranges, Tronçais, Chantilly and Berce, but it is likely that a significant demand order comes from the main two regions if the brand is still sourcing from Independent Stave. In theory, the addition of these staves for finishing should produce a thicker and more nuan...

Suntory has been on a bit of a roll recently with it's Jim Beam family of products. Black Label got a proof bump and its seven year age statement back while they seem to have enough extra juice lying around to put out this limited edition toasted bourbon as well. Jim Beam winter reserve is a sipping quality concept designed to emphasize lovely toasted oak flavors such as vanilla, cinnamon spice, and cloves. It is not a flavored whiskey! Instead it is double aged in toasted barrels following its initial stint in charred oak.  Toasting involves heating the wood at a lower temperature for a longer period without reaching the char point. This process preserves more of the wood's natural flavor compounds, like vanillin and brings out more nuanced flavors from the wood, including spices, nuts, and maybe even a slight smokiness. This is our first low cost, mass market release from Jim Beam since the Repeal Batch in 2018 which gives us a good indication that Beam stocks must be catchi...

Founded by University of Georgia graduates Jim Chasteen and Charlie Thompson, American Spirit Whiskey Distillery ("ASW") is a craft producer out of Atlanta, GA with the plant registry DSP-GA-20014. As Southern Pot-Still Pioneers, they are one of the few producers to distill in the ancient Scottish Tradition of small, grain-in batches (where grain solids are left in for the remainder of the distillation process) though they also partner with Midwest Grain Products to source distillate for further aging, finishing and blending before bottling as is the case here. This bottle is from the June 2023 batch which is a blend of two principal spirits. ASW's master distiller, Justin Maglitz, is accomplished old-time string music fiddler and he often experiments with various factors between batches. As such, the "Fiddler" brand name fits perfectly. No two batches are truly the same, but all of the ones I've had so far have been to my liking. This bottle shares the same...

One of my Dad's favorites, the Lasanta 12 Year Old is a single malt Scotch whisky produced by Glenmorangie, a Highland distillery in Scotland.  The word "Lasanta" translates from Gaelic to "warmth and passion," as evoked by the bright red packaging. Glenmorangie's flagship is constantly in the top five single malts by popularity and this cask finished option seeks to add to that renown. I am a huge fan of sherry cask finishing for all styles and hold a favorable opinion of Glenmorangie's standard offerings, so I am quite excited to dig into this bottle!  📚 Background: Glenmorangie's the Lasanta 12 begins its life in the distiller's signature tall stills, some of the tallest in Scotland. The marketing alleges that the height helps to create a more delicate and elegant spirit. The whisky is then matured in ex-bourbon casks for ten years just like the flagship. For the final two years of maturation, the whisky is transferred to Oloroso sherry casks...