Dowd's Tasting Notes

The Scotland version The Lost Distillery , an independent boutique Scotch whisky company,  has a name that is both intriguing and a touc...

There was a time when tequilas fell pretty much into several well-defined categories. But, about 15 or so years ago, helped along  by an i...

As a writer and judge of spirits and wines for several decades, it is not unusual to receive  products for review that are being marketed ...

First things first. The new Jim Beam Double Oak does not taste twice as oaky as the Jim Beam white label many of us know and love. Yes,...

You can't argue with the authenticity of Usquaebach as a product of Scotland. In addition to labeling it as being distilled, aged, ble...

If I were looking for a wine to put training wheels on, it would be Luna Nuda's Pinot Grigio. That is not a knock on the Northern Ital...

There are no wrong Thanksgiving wines." That's the headline on an offering from esteemed wine writer Eric Asimov in this week...

The ongoing expansion of distilleries across the country has become a catalyst for some imaginative products. From aging in different typ...

"Dowd's Tasting Notes" will temporarily be on hiatus to allow me sufficient time in 2015 to work on a variety of research an...

• The Saperavi grape is a dark red, acidic, teinturier-type variety native to the former Soviet republic of Georgia, where since 1886 it...

• The Watkins Glen winery and restaurant Castel Grisch has a penchant for Swiss- and German-style foods and German-style wines, made in ...

• Dr. Bill Lumsden, the energetic and engaging head of distilling and whiskey creation at the Glenmorangie distillery, is known for his ex...

• The history of Macedonian wine has been erratic over the decades. In ancient Macedonia, this region north of Greece was a major supplier...

• A sudden boomlet in the hard cider and flavored whiskies product niches has come together in a new Brown-Forman seasonal release. The ...

• This limited edition bourbon release from Louisville Distilling Company was sold last year in Kentucky and in Nashville, YN, on a test b...

• The industry push to crank out more and more flavored whiskies -- aimed primarily at the female and young adult market niches --  is em...

• The House of Marnier LaPostolle released this limited-time Cognac this month, the second in an annual series of Signature Collection blend...

• Knob Creek is among bourbon royalty, running up more sales than any other in the super premium category. Now, it is about to release a n...

• The popularity of the market niche for unaged whiskey among American craft distillers shows no signs of slowing. In fact just the opposi...

• I've always wondered why rapper Chris Bridges uses the stage name "Ludacris." Sure, it's a play on his first name, but t...

• The presidential caucus being held today in Iowa is the starter for the run-up to the November presidential election. Heaven Hill Distille...

 • The saga of Shackleton's whisky -- the discovery in early 2007 of a cache of spirits left behind by an early 20th Century expedition...

• Put a good Scotch whisky in a mixture of 70%-30% Olorosso Sherry and American White Oak casks, and you come up with this winner. I haven...

Photo by Bill Dowd • Lan is a leading 40-year-old Spanish winemaker involved exclusively in the creation of Crianza red wines. It was na...

• For its sixth annual release in its Master's Collection, Woodford Reserve has created a change of pace with a pair of 375ml bottles of...

Here's a thought for an easy holiday gift. Pick up copies of my new book, "Barrels & Drams: The History of Whisk(e)y In Jiggers...

• Here's a first for this blog. Because I do not care for the taste of coffee in any form -- liquid, ice cream, flavoring, etc. -- I pr...

• Old Pulteney is Scotland's northernmost distillery, but it's not out of sight. Jim Murray has anointed its 21-year-old expression ...

• Troy & Sons has something unusual going for it. Troy. As in Troy Ball, a female distiller in a world heavily dominated by men. When I ...

Photo by Bill Dowd • T he rebuilt distillery at George Washington's home in Mount Vernon, VA, had its grand opening in 2007. Since th...

My new book, "Barrels & Drams: The History of Whisk(e)y In Jiggers and Shots," will officially be released on September 6. T...

Photo by Bill Dowd • Bill Lumsden, director of whisky creation for such labels as Glenmorangie and Ardbeg, likes to play around with wood...

Photo by Bill Dowd • New York State's micro-distilling movement is gaining momentum. Harvest Spirits, the distillery at the sprawling...

• Peter Ekelund was behind the creation of a potato vodka in the Cape Bjäre  region of southern Sweden. He had been instrumental in the lau...

• In a surge of innovation that hasn't been seen around Lynchburg, TN, in a long time, the Jack Daniel Distillery has put out its secon...

• A group of U.S. investors led by Johnny Schuler, founding member and president of the National Tasters Guild of Peru, is introducing Pisco...

•  As anyone who knows Dr. Bill Lumsden can attest, Glenmorangie's head of whisky creation never rests . That's because he's alw...

Bill Dowd photo • John L. Sullivan was one of the first Irish American names I learned as a kid. The last bare-knuckle world heavyweigh...

• Michael Collins, the whiskey made by the only independent distiller in Ireland, is re-booting its image and a New York importer is helpin...

• A few years ago, I had the opportunity to try my hand at blending Canadian whisky under the tutelage of Master Distiller Harold Fergus...

Photo by Bill Dowd • In the 1950s, Early Times was the No. 1-selling bourbon. In 1983, it switched to a Kentucky Whisky (spelled in the S...