Innholdsfortegnelse for June 2021 i American Whiskey Magazine

Every now and then I’ll go through a period of time where inspiration appears to have deserted me, so much so that I begin to wonder if this is simply who I am as a person now. Writer’s block sets in, speaking to literally anyone on the phone seems a bit too much like hard work, cooking gets very beige, and my whiskey choice becomes very monotonous. We can all take some comfort in knowing that everyone has been there; on one level or another we all have some experience of inspiration-lacking periods of time. While allowing my thoughts to dive into this topic a little more I couldn’t help but wonder about what it is that pulls us out of this unproductive reverie. For me it is twofold; often…

Recently I decided to conduct an unscientific social media experiment by joining three whiskey and Bourbon Facebook groups. I’m not going to mention the names out of respect to the members. My reasons in joining the groups were threefold. The first fold was to put my finger on the pulse of the average whiskey imbiber. The previous sentence might sound a bit snobbish but hear me out. My inner circle of whiskey friends rarely ventures away from their palate’s reservation. That is fine – but it doesn’t help me grow and keep an open mind. Fold two is to flex my personal knowledge base, thinking I would answer a few questions and dispel any rumors about whiskey with hard facts and links to stories written by industry professionals. The sage…

Bitters are the spice cabinet for your cocktail experiments. They are made by infusing some sort of liquid, usually grain alcohol, with a variety of flavoring agents including herbs, spices, and citrus. For the last several decades Angostura has ruled the landscape, but thanks to the craft spirits and subsequent craft cocktail boom now you can get bitters ranging from Scrappy’s celery bitters to El Guapo bitters Low Country Boil Bourbon Barrel Foods makes Woodford Reserve Spiced Cherry bitters, which are fabulous in a Manhattan. Try orange bitters in an Old Fashioned, or chocolate bitters in a Mint Julep. There are endless possibilities, and one of the greatest gifts I’ve received was carte blanche to throw whatever unknown bitters I reached for into an Old Fashioned during a virtual cocktail…

Welcome to the AmericanWhiskey Magazine tasting pages. We guide you through a plethora of whiskeys so you are equipped to make your next purchase, whether something new or an old favorite. Whiskeys are tasted blind, with only proof and style information given to the experts. In this edition, Peggy Noe Stevens and Susan Reigler give their palates a workout. Peggy Noe Stevens Peggy Noe Stevens became the world's first female master Bourbon taster and can trace her lineage back to some of the great Bourbon making families in Kentucky. In 2011, she created the Bourbon Women Association. Susan Reigler Susan Reigler is the author of several Bourbon books, including Kentucky Bourbon Country: The Essential Travel Guide, and is a former restaurant critic and beverage columnist for the Louisville Courier-Journal. She…

With restrictions still making it challenging to hold live events, some of our Whisky Live organisers have begun to look at alternative options and the UK show, Whisky Live London, will run once again in 2021 as Whisky Live At Home. Following the resounding success of the 2020 ‘at home’ show, the UK team have been delighted by ticket holders’ excellent engagement with the online content, which was composed of more than 15 hours of video interviews, and the outpouring of positive feedback on social media. The team will continue to work with our partners around the world and explore whether it may be possible to deliver a similar experience outside of the UK. Furthermore, with restrictions easing in some countries and a path to post-pandemic life beginning to become…

Kellie Shevlin is the founder and creator of the Craft Beverage Expo & Distribution Conference (CBE). She was hoping to create an event where craft beverage producers could network and connect on the challenges faced by them in producing and showcasing their beverage to the world. It is inevitable that events such as the CBE support the growing sector that is craft whiskey, and in turn, allow whiskey lovers to see the best of American craft. The event was intended to provide a place to share solutions across commodities in areas such as branding, packaging and direct-to-consumer. Prior to CBE, events such as this were delineated by product or region. This was the first event where craft producers could network across different product categories and get answers to the questions…

Scott Harris was a successful computer engineer, working for the US Navy, when he gave it all up for a chance to start a distillery with his chemical engineer wife, Becky Harris. Together, the couple founded Catoctin Creek Distilling Company in 2009, and have been distilling Virginia rye whisky using traditional pot-stilled methods ever since. Their small distillery has grown to distribute today in 27 states in the US, and internationally in seven countries, including the United Kingdom and Mexico. WHISKEY #1 Glen Moray 18 Years Old The first Scotch distillery we ever visited was Glen Moray Distillery in Elgin, Scotland. It was a magical experience, and we were treated like royalty as we toured through the distillery, our guide very patiently answering all of my questions – at the…

There’s a feeling in the world of whiskey that everything has already been done and they have already arrived at the perfect way of doing things. In reality, the liquid we think of as whiskey has really only existed for a couple of hundred years of human history, and it took well over a thousand years to arrive at this point. It’s possible that the whiskey of the future has not even been invented yet, and what we relish today may be seen as antiquated in 100 years. Distilleries like Buffalo Trace are at the forefront of this realization, conducting and measuring experiments that are carefully documented all because they realize that there is always some room for improvement Even within the seemingly narrow confines of American Standards of Identity,…

I’m trapped. Entrenched behind my kitchen bar making individual Old Fashioneds and whiskey sours. Catering to my deserving friends who inadvertently have grown to crave some of my hand-made cocktails. Bravo for me that I have become somewhat adept at plate spinning cocktail-making, but truth be told I like to actually join my guests in group conversation. This is where the ‘batch’ cocktail saves the day for any home entertainer. When you create your signature cocktail by the batch, guests can partake and refill to their hearts’ content. Batch cocktails have been the bartender’s trick for quite some time and rightly so. I even remember the famous infusion creations that sat in large glass decanters on top of the bar soaking in whatever fruit or spice combo was chosen for…