Innholdsfortegnelse for March 2021 i American Whiskey Magazine

It has been yet another stellar year for the American whiskey industry, despite all the trials it has faced, across the full spectrum from craft to conglomerate. Now we get to enjoy the top of this year's class in the World Whiskies Awards. We are thrilled to announce the winner results, including the Best winners from the US, covering the vast spectrum of categories being explored by distillers across the country. Breckenridge PX Sherry Cask Finish 90 PROOF | 45% ABV Caramel, vanilla, and toffee fill the nose. Caramel continues on the palate, with oak and mint leaning toward menthol. Very rich nose, caramel, sherry, fruit, almonds, vanilla and char influence. Virginia-Highland Whisky Port Cask Finished 92 PROOF | 46% ABV Honey, red apple, malt, and light spice throughout, with…

Vanilla or caramel. Cherries or peaches. Cinnamon or nutmeg. Almonds or pecans. These may sound like choices for a recipe, and in a way they are. These flavors and many, many more are commonly detected in Bourbon. Distillers carefully craft their spirits with certain flavor profiles in mind. So, a Bourbon tasting can offer just the right mix of mystery with tantalizing hints of the familiar. We all know how an apple tastes, but do we expect to encounter that flavor in a glass of whiskey? Everyone comes to the table with food memories and the flavors encountered in Bourbon are those you taste in your fruit bin, your breadbox, your spice cabinet, and your secret cache of candy. Whether you and your guests are new to Bourbon or seasoned…

I remember it well. It was March 4, 2020, and I was sitting in a bar in downtown Seattle. It was the beginning of Seattle Cocktail Week, and I had just given a presentation on the leadership of the Uncle Nearest brand for Women’s History Month. As I was sipping a cocktail, while listening to another presentation, my phone dinged, which always gets my attention. Turns out it was a text message from another brand ambassador in town telling me that the entire rest of the week had been cancelled. The Seattle Cocktail Week is a big deal, how could it be cancelled? I was not that surprised, but I also think that’s the exact moment when it hit me over the head that the virus, that had already emptied…

WHICH FORK DO I USE WITH MY BOURBON? Setting the Table for Tastings, Food Pairings, Dinners, and Cocktail Parties Written by Peggy Noe Stevens, Susan Reigler, with a foreword from Fred Minnick Educating yourself in the wonderful world of whiskey just got a glow up. Which Fork Do I Use with My Bourbon? is the ultimate guide to gaining an understand of what it takes to host a Bourbon tasting (and with that I of course mean an outstanding party too) to remember. From the renowned Bourbon and entertainment experts, Peggy Noe Stevens and Susan Reigler, here I have no doubt that you will find the perfect companion to your Bourbon tasting journey. After spending many a lockdown hour losing myself in this book, not only did it provide some…

With restrictions still making it challenging to hold live events, some of our Whisky Live organisers have begun to look at alternative options and Whisky Live London is leading the way with its new offering for the UK: Whisky Live At Home. This new experience saw ‘Full Dram Experience’ ticket holders receiving 29 x 30ml samples; copies of Whisky Magazine, Gin Magazine, American Whiskey Magazine, and Whisky Magazine’s Scotch Whisky annual review; a Glencairn copita tasting glass; a can larkfire, wild water for whiskey; and a pack of Stockan’s oatcakes to cleanse the palate between drams. All of this was conveniently delivered to ticket holders’ doors in time for the festive season. Not content to only provide the drams, the team also launched season one of Whisky Live TV, a…

It’s bold statement time: I am truly in awe of American single malt producers. There, I said it… the world is still spinning so it would appear I can continue down this path. For many, particularly those outside of America, the idea that there is whiskey coming out of the US that isn’t Bourbon is quite a foreign concept. For those of us looking from the inside out it is still something that causes a fair amount of head-scratching, but more importantly than that, a lot of excitement. One of the many reasons I have been so excited to find out more about Seattle-based Westland Distillery is because it has solely focused on the production of American single malt. The 10-year-old distillery is not only sparking more interest in the…

Cigar bars and lounges have been under attack for a couple of decades now. In many places indoor smoking has been banned outright, while in others smoking and the consumption of alcohol cannot happen on the same premises. Public health concerns about smoking have rightly been addressed by many of the smoking bans, but unfortunately little effort has been made to carve out space for those folks who work and relax in an environment where tobacco use is expected to take place. The pandemic has exacerbated this situation in a number of different ways, not the least of which is that so many small businesses just can’t survive without customers. But in places like New York City, where existing cigar clubs and lounges were grandfathered into the smoking ban, once…

In early 2020, Californian distillers were in a construction boom resulting from a new type of license. Signed into state law in 2015, the type 74 license allows, among other things, direct consumer sales from tasting rooms and for distilleries to open full-service restaurants with cocktail bars. A new Gold Rush ensued. Start-ups got funds. Established distillers dreamed bigger. Construction was delayed only by the amount of time to plan, receive permits and build. Projects, large and small commenced. It was going to be a breakout year! Then Covid-19 hit. Restaurants closed. Construction halted. Skeletons of half-built distillery/pubs sat unfinished. A nationwide survey published by the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States and American Distilling Institute estimated that distillery sales were down by 41 per cent and that 31…

OLD HICKORY WHISKEY BAR Pensacola, FL Old Hickory Whiskey Bar puts a whiskey stake in the ground in tropical cocktail territory, the tourist-driven and military base-dotted Florida Panhandle. “Our signature cocktail, The Old Hickory, is the only cocktail to remain on our menu the last seven years through our quarterly seasonal menu changes,” says proprietor Katie Garrett. “It’s been voted Pensacola’s best cocktail several times and was created by Jeffery Knott, our first bar manager, before we opened. He now bartends at the Bar at Willett at the Willett Distillery. Old Hickory selects Buffalo Trace barrels throughout the year to specifically use in this cocktail. When our own barrel isn’t available, we use their flagship.” THE OLD HICKORY 5 dashes Angostura bitters0.5 oz Dolin sweet vermouth0.5 oz Dolin dry vermouth2…

Prior to 2020, Kentucky’s distilleries welcomed more than two million visitors annually. Chances are very good that if you are a Bourbon devotee, you have been dreaming of a whiskey trip to the Bluegrass State once they are ready to open their doors again. Indeed, several have used their time closed to expand visitor facilities. The best times to visit Kentucky are spring and fall, though you should avoid the week or so before the running of the Kentucky Derby on the first Saturday in May (prices for hotels skyrocket). Unless you are planning to attend one of the numerous Bourbon festivals held in September, push your fall trip into October. The number of Bourbon-related attractions is now so large that unless you can commit to a month, it is…

He was cranky with my natural early rise in the morning (around 5:30am), but my husband knew that this day was different for me, so just turned over and said, “Have fun”. It was my day to plan and execute the long-awaited Bourbon dinner party that I have missed so terribly during the Covid-19 haze of minimal, scarcity and limited. Those three words are not in my vocabulary when entertaining friends and family. Instead, the abundance for which I entertain stretches the guest experience from the very moment they pull into the driveway and then the Bourbon starts flowing from glass-to-glass. I prepared the guest list carefully, but most certainly indulged over the 10-person maximum given constantly during the shutdown. Knowing so, I explore the whereabouts of my tables and…