Four Whiskeys to Try This 4th of July!

There seems to be something to celebrate every day of the year these days, from World Whisky Day to World Knitting Day. Don’t get me wrong, any excuse to celebrate is a good thing, but some days are more meaningful than others. The 4th of July may have different meaning for different people, but it is a significant day of the year and gives me a chance to put my American tastes to the fore. This year for me has been a memorable year for American Whiskey, there has been more American whiskey launched in the UK than ever before and in the USA the proliferation of craft distilleries continues. Here are four bottles that I think are the best value bourbon of all time, the best release this year by a long shot, a classic and a curve ball - all of which you’re going to want to try!

The Best Value Whisky of all Time: Woodford Reserve

This is brilliant value and also brilliant quality. With rich caramel and vanilla flavours, the corn flavours really shine. There is still a touch of spice to keep things interesting and it is so smooth considering it is at 43.2%. This is on special offer frequently in the UK, so look out for it in Ocado and Sainsbury’s where it can be found for only £25 a bottle! Usually it is a little more than that, but I still think it represents great value. The Reserve makes a very good whiskey sour and old fashioned and if you’re looking for something a bit different then the Rye Woodford makes incredible Manhattans too.

Size: UK 700ml // US 750ml
ABV: 43.2%
Find it Here: UK £36.94 // US $36.99

The Best Release This Year: Whistlepig Boss Hog VIII LapuLapu’s Pacific

This has been a long time coming. I first tasted this in November last year at the IWSC awards ceremony in London with a big bunch of Scotch whiskies and it really shone through. It has big bold flavours but at the same time there is finesse and elegance and great complexity. It is 17 years old and has quite a high abv, but the alcohol is so well integrated that the depth of flavour still shows well. Big, rich caramel and baked orchard fruits, caramelised banana and demerara sugar mix with dark chocolate and soft spice. It’s a blockbuster, but well worth it. 

Size: UK 700ml // US 750ml
ABV: 52.4%
Find it Here: UK £675 // US $899.99

The Classic: Elijah Craig

Elijah Craig were the first to char barrels in making their whisky, and it has become a classic over the years. So popular in fact that they have had to discontinue their 12 year old release as the pressure on stocks is so high. They replaced it with this brilliant expression. Made in very small batches is oozes smoothness at a reasonably high abv. With flavours of marmalade, honeycomb, baked apples and a dusting of cinnamon and charred oak on the finish, there is a lot to like here. It’s a great introduction to top end bourbon if you’re exploring American whisky, and not so pricy that it can’t find it’s way into the odd cocktail, and the cocktail would thank you for it.

Size: UK 700ml // US 750ml
ABV: 47%
Find it Here: UK £42.94 // US $33.99

The Curve Ball: Never Say Die

Never Say Die is a relatively new brand on our shelves. It is a Kentucky Straight Bourbon (meaning it has had more than 2 years aging). But what makes this different is it’s matured in the UK. The barrels are shipped from the USA, aged and bottled in the UK. It’s a belter of a whiskey, made up from 75% corn, 21% rye and 4% malted barley, with a very high abv, the flavours of vanilla, citrus and spice with leather and caramel all shine through. It’s as close to an English Bourbon as we’ll see. Made in very small batches, there is still some of barrel number four left, but they only made 226 bottles! I suspect, that future releases will be as good as this one.

Size: 700ml
ABV: 47%
Find it Here: £78.90

Words by Colin Hampden-White

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10 of the Best American Whiskeys to Discover

Words by Aidy Smith

In case you couldn’t tell… I LOVE my whiskey and whisky. My drinks journey began when I was living in California, so I had incredible access to some of the best bourbons, ryes and whatever other form of whiskey you can name coming from across the country. That’s where I fell in love with this glorious drink and the so many different expressions it encompasses. So, today’s aim is quite simple – I want you to discover some of my absolute favourite whiskeys coming out of the United States so you can enjoy them exactly how you like to – whether neat, with ice or as part of a cocktail like an old fashioned. The possibilities are endless.

Woodford Reserve Double Oaked 

Whenever the words ‘double oaked’ appear, I get a little bit excited. Place those words next to ‘Woodford Reserve’ and a whole new level is reached. Woodford has been producing exceptional bourbons for decades and is always one of my go-to choices. When I want something a little more special, I hit up the double-oaked for a reason. Rich, sumptuous and naughty with a soft, sweet and spicy nature all wrapped up in one. Dark fruits combine with a sensuously divine dark caramel chocolate, roasted hazelnuts and marzipan. The journey continues to evolve with baked apples in honey, toasted oak, dry spices and creamy lingering vanilla oak on the finish.  

ABV: 43.2%
Size: 700ml
Price: £48 / $57

Elijah Craig Small Batch 

Reverend Elijah Craig was somewhat of a genius. He was the first drink pioneer to utilize charred oak barrels as a means for ageing his whiskey. The result? Well, given that’s what we know bourbon as today, I’d say it went down pretty damn well. Small Batch makes the list for 2 major reasons. Firstly, it tastes great and secondly, it’s affordable. With its rich, smoky, sweet vanilla spice interlaced alongside nutmeg, fresh mint and sweet plush stone fruits, what’s not to love?

ABV: 47%
Size: 700ml
Price: £40 //$32

Westland Garryana

Say hello to one of the finest examples of American Single Malt Whiskey and by god is it delicious. Sitting snugly in the heart of Seattle, Westland sources it’s barely from two of the best regions for this grain in the world and their water is sourced from the Cascade Mountains. Everything comes from within Washington, no compromise.

While the core range includes three varieties; American Oak and Sherry Wood being two of them, I’ve decided to showcase “Peated”. A far cry from the shores of Islay and Jura, this American example packs a punch of its own. Many peated whiskeys will use 100% peated malt, the result of which brings a rich heavy smoke to the whiskey, but in this beauty non-peated malts are used, locally grown in Washington State in a ratio that actually outweighs the peated Malt. The result is a vibrant nose of smoked orange peel, roasted banana and kindred almonds, with the taste giving you a variety of green herbs, roasted pistachio nuts and a distinct campfire smoke.

ABV: 46%
Size: 700ml
Price: £65 // $79

Michter’s US*1 Kentucky Straight Bourbon

I love a good small batch, especially when it actually is that. Basically, each batch of this stunner is batched in a holding tank sized to fit a maximum of twenty full barrels. Because there’s no room for ‘blending out’ – you’re left with a rich spirit designed to taste exactly how it was intended to.

Created at Michter’s Fort Nelson Distillery, this radiant bourbon expresses notes of toffee apple, burnt caramel, banana bread and dried apricots. It’s rich, it’s spicy, it’s full of ripe fruits and vanilla oak and quite frankly, it belongs in your glass. Try this in your next Old Fashioned… damn! 

ABV: 45.7%
Size: 700ml
Price: £55 // $47

Distillery 291 Single Barrel Rye

This wonder is finished in heavenly Aspen staves after being placed in white American oak barrels for initial ageing. The result? A unique maple glaze which totally elevates the bar of curiosity to the next level. Given its mash bill is made up of 61% malted rye and 39% corn, there’s an assortment of truly unique notes. Small batch, with a big personality. You can expect sweet vanilla oak, coconut, maple syrup, clover, cinnamon, dark meadow fruits and cherry candy. Nom Nom ;)

ABV: 50.8%
Size: 700ml
Price: £87 // $76

Angel’s Envy

Angel’s Envy just recently arrived in the UK, but our friends in the US have been able to sip it for a while now (cue the envy!). The name is taken from ‘angel’s share’ – the notorious evaporation of spirit due to the climate and general atmosphere of where the barrels are stored. It’s catchy, I dig it.

What makes this liquid stand out from many others is the fact it is finished in ex-port casks, giving it a beautifully sticky dark plum vanilla element to it. This isn’t something you often find in Bourbon land, so we’ve been sitting eagerly awaiting its availability and now we have it! I have to say, I’m always suitably impressed by a dram of this stuff, it doesn’t disappoint whether sipping solo or as part of a variety of cocktails. It’s got personality, that’s for sure.  

What should you expect from the flavour then? Dried orange rind, cinnamon sticks and creamy plum vanilla with red berries, dark chocolate and a little kick of baking spices.

ABV: 43.3%
Size: 70cl
Price: £57 // $54

Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel Select

Jack Daniel’s are one of the most famous names in whiskey on a worldwide level and while the standard ‘Jack’ hits the spot at a value level, it’s the Single Barrel range that truly shines in the spotlight for me. Single Barrel is crafted with love and affection and boy oh boy does that show on the taste.  Rich toasty notes of oak, dried apricots and honey glazed fruits sit alongside a cinnamon popcorn, white pepper and Christmas cake spice that escapes from the glass as soon as its poured. I call this my nostalgia whiskey and for the money you pay – it’s sure to create some happy memories.

ABV: 47%
Size: 750ml
Price: £44 // $53

Koval Single Barrel Bourbon

Here’s part of the 5% of American Whiskey made outside of Kentucky, sourced all the way from Minnesota and guess what?! It’s organic too! KOVAL combines all American corn with an ingredient you may not have read about too much, Millet. This gluten-free cereal comes from Asia and Africa and is a staple ingredient for spirits in Nepal, of all places. Here, the two work side by side to create something wonderfully unique and I mean, there really isn’t anything quite like it. The nose gives harmonious notes of mango chutney and vanilla while the palate produces custard, apricots and nectarines (I told you it was very different!). Peppery chocolate comes into play before a lingering clove, tobacco and orange finish. If you want an experience, you just found it.  

ABV: 47%
Size: 750ml
Price: £62 // $50

Sonoma Distilling Co.'s Cherrywood Rye

There are very few Cherrywood Rye whiskeys on the planet, this one being one of the absolute top ones out there. A true benchmark of the quality that can be expected by utilising this wood source for ageing. Sonoma Distilling Co. has never shied away from experimentation and this one really worked wonders. Using a base of 80% Californian rye, 10% Californian wheat and 10% cherrywood smoked barley gives it a distinct and exceptional taste. If you want to venture off the beaten path and discover something new and exciting – here’s your choice. Take a sip to explore stewed meadow fruits, caramelized sugar, ripe blackberry and allspice with ginger, cinnamon, orange rind, toasted nuts and a ton of brown sugar.  

ABV: 47.8%
Size: 750ml
Price: £55 // $45

Maker’s Mark 46

Maker’s Mark has always been one of my favourite quality-for-value whiskies given its price point and I’m continually in awe of how tasty it is. The ’46’ became their first ‘wood finishing’ whiskey, created to really amplify the existing flavours of their original. Fully matured at cask strength, they then utilise 10 seared virgin French oak staves into the barrels to finish them for a further 9 weeks. The result is a bolder, more complex whiskey with lots of vanilla, caramel, red plum and cinnamon. Exceptional taste without breaking the bank!

ABV: 47%
Size: 700ml
Price: £37 // $40