Innholdsfortegnelse for September 2021 i American Whiskey Magazine

It’s incredibly difficult to emit genuine warmth of feeling through a 15-inch computer screen, especially when digital conversation forms the vast majority of our days; but for 50-or-so minutes one April evening this year my thoughts on that were proven wrong. As a writer with a real sense of over-romanticism when it comes to storytelling, I’ve always been keen to take a look at the relationships that paint the full picture behind the brands we see across all industries. Not that I’m biased, but whiskey seems to provide rich tapestries when it comes to relationships, and as I discovered when in conversation with Wild Turkey’s master distiller and creative director, this star-studded team is no different. The aforementioned roles belong to Eddie Russell and Matthew McConaughey respectively and since 2016,…

Los’, ‘bagels’, and ‘whiskey’: three seemingly incongruous words, but when put together they become Los Bagels Whiskey; a collaboration between a bagel bakery and a distillery to reduce food waste, and a happy victim of its own success. Husband and wife, Amy and Steve Bohner, had been operating the Alchemy Distillery in Arcata, California, for a couple years, when Amy read an article about Toast Ale, a beer made from excess bread. If you can make beer from bread, then surely you can make whiskey from bread… right? Amy said, “What if we could do that same concept but make a whiskey?’” She could not resist her enthusiasm. Of course, Steve had some misgivings, but Amy is a force of nature and he knows better than to do anything to…

A rising tide lifts all boats. When I think about the times in my life that I felt the greatest sense of community, it’s always been centered around the idea that if we all work together for the greater good, the greater the good things we do will be; we’re all in this together; where there’s a will, there’s a way. But mostly, a rising tide lifts all boats. There’s a communal element to being Texan, in everything, from barn-raisings to block parties. When the originators of the Texas whiskey industry decided to tackle a project with a destination that could not be predicted, they quickly determined that the path to success would ultimately have to come from the collective. They spoke about what they were seeing in the ways…

A thirst for learning, as well as a thirst for whiskey of course, is one of the things that unites both the team behind American Whiskey Magazine, and the readers who enjoy it. In a new regular feature Susan will be taking a moment to review new, recent, reference, and classic whiskey titles and in turn, helping you to fill up your whiskey reading shelf. THE TERROIR OF WHISKEY: A DISTILLER’S JOURNEY INTO THE FLAVOR OF PLACE by Rob Arnold 2021, Columbia University Press, $27.95 When Kentucky’s Woodford Reserve Distillery began making Bourbon in 1996, it sourced its corn exclusively from a farm in nearby Shelby County and has done so ever since. Rob Arnold, master distiller for Firestone & Robertson Distilling Company, maker of TX Whiskey, in Fort Worth,…

A very unusual project has come together, with 11 craft distillers stepping forward to contribute barrels of American single malt to create a vatted whiskey, from which all the proceeds will fund an internship program to help underrepresented people get a foothold in the distilling industry. So 11 casks of whiskey from 10 different craft distilleries, including FEW Spirits, Balcones Distilling, Santa Fe Spirits, Triple Eight Distillery, Rogue Spirits, Stateline Spirits, Thornton Distilling Co, Headframe Spirits, Bently Heritage Estate Distillery, and Sonoma County Distilling Co., worth an estimated $200,000 if sold under their original brands, were shipped to Headframe Spirits in Butte, MT. A small group met at Headframe in February to vat all of the whiskeys mentioned. Reade Huddleston, of Headframe, sat in with Johnny Jeffery, of Bently Heritage…

Most humidors come with instructions for seasoning, or humidifying them, before use. There are a number of ways to go about this, but it’s also not a one-and-done procedure. It’s meant to be done regularly, just like oil changes in cars or sharpening the blade on a lawnmower. A humidor is an appliance meant to perform a specific function, and as with all appliances there is routine maintenance. Seasoning a humidor involves hydrating the inside of the wooden box. Increasingly there are options for plastic humidors which don’t require much in the way of seasoning, but classic humidors are wood and need to be conditioned to perform optimally. Select a wooden humidor with a heavy, tight-fitting lid. Spend a few days acclimating it to approximately 65-67 per cent humidity by…

If you’ve ever visited a distillery, chances are you’ve seen a cat or two. You may have even heard about cats being an important part of the distillery because of rodent control. But dogs have also long been distillery companions, as far back as the days when Pappy Van Winkle would bring his hunting dogs into the office and use them to retrieve the quail he’d shot from the front porch of his Stitzel-Weller Distillery office, and likely even before that. Dogs are ‘man’s best friend’, and if you had a job where you could bring Fido along, wouldn’t you? For a great many distilleries across the United States, the answer is a resounding yes. Names: Case, Char, and Louie Distillery: Limestone Branch Distillery Favorite treat or toy: Louie loves…

Despite the tumultuous past 16 months faced by the industry, and by the entire world, the Kentucky Bourbon Festival is back and looks set to be putting on an event that will be better than ever. Following on from a year that saw the meteoric rise of virtual whiskey events, which of course was not by choice, the KBF ensured whiskey lovers were still able to enjoy all the festival had to offer in October last year. Although it was carried out through the medium of a screen, this virtual iteration of the event did ensure that Bourbon lovers all over the globe were able to experience the wonders that Bardstown, Kentucky had to offer to them. Fast forward to the summer of 2021 and the Kentucky Bourbon Festival is…

The site of Distillery 291, embraced by the majestic foothills of the Rocky Mountains, is where Michael Myers launched the first Colorado Springs craft distillery in 2011. Myers, who grew up on rural farms in Georgia and Tennessee, went on to become a successful fashion photographer in New York City. He settled with his family in an apartment just blocks away from the World Trade Center, where eventually the events of 9/11, as for so many, would change his life forever. Myers and his wife decided they would leave the city immediately after the event of 9/11, moving closer to her family in Colorado with their young children. Choosing Colorado Springs, Colorado as their new destination, Myers could combine his love for the iconic cowboys of days gone by, with…

When the weather begins to cool, it’s time to adjust our cocktails to suit the cooler weather. Whether you are sitting around the campfire or relaxing after a fall foliage hike, making small adjustments in your standard cocktail recipes can help you to embrace the fall weather. Warm cocktails are an obvious choice for camping and can often be made ahead and stored in a thermos until the campfire is crackling. Tea infusions make a great base for whiskey cocktails, and in fact you can even steep the tea right in the whiskey. Mulling spices are also a great addition to your fall cocktail repertoire. We typically think of mulling spices in wine or apple cider, but you can again use bitters with those flavors or do your own syrups…