Before bourbon, rye was America’s whiskey of choice. The early history of rye whiskey was centered around the northeastern United States where rye grain growing conditions were best. Two of the more notable styles of rye were known as Maryland Rye and Monongahela Rye from Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania rye mash bills traditionally consisted of all rye...

Maverick Distilling has graced these pages three times prior to today, with its Private Reserve Bourbon and Barrel Proof offerings classic examples of the Texas whiskeymaking style. Now we’re back with another spin on the bourbon formula: a bottled-in-bond offering of the Private Reserve expression. Private Reserve has a mashbill of 72% Texas-grown...

Bodegas Áster is a sub-brand of La Rioja Alta, focusing on offerings born in the Ribera del Duero region. These include the more traditionally styled Finca El Otero 2019 and the brand new contemporary El Espino 2020. An entry-level Crianza bottling is thrown in for good measure to round out the trio. All three wines are made from 100% Tinta del País....

Diageo’s Orphan Barrel Project rolls right along with a return to familiar grounds: namely, three bourbon-making regions of the United States. Specifically, the whiskey in this bottle starts as a mash of 68% corn, 28% rye, and 4% malted barley. Distilled in Indiana, it aged 18 years in Kentucky, and was ultimately bottled by Cascade Hollow Distilling...

The weather is getting warmer and it’s almost time to head to the pool. That means it’s time to pour some rosé! To be honest though, rosés can and should be enjoyed throughout the year. Once upon a time, rosés were overly sweet and disappointingly one-dimensional, but those days are long gone. Today, rosés are often quite dry, offer subtle complexity,...

Time to round out our Keeper’s Heart coverage with the final two offerings in their core portfolio. Last year, we had the chance to chat about the young Irish and American whiskey mashup brand with industry icon David Perkins, who serves as Liquid Collaborator and Advisor. Perkins had high praise in our interview for a limited edition age-stated single...