Innholdsfortegnelse for September 2018 i American Whiskey Magazine

“It’s amazing to me that this festival will be in its 27th year and its here in a small town, but has truly worldwide reach,” said Kentucky Bourbon Festival (KBF) executive director Jill Hawkins during an interview at the festival offices in Bardstown. That worldwide reach includes visitors to the festival and events from all over the United States, Canada, Europe, Japan, South America, and Australia. For its first couple of decades, the KBF felt more like a country fair with some Bourbon thrown in for good measure than a world destination. But in the last few years, the festival has been evolving to appeal to ever more sophisticated whiskey enthusiasts. Festival favorites, such as The World Championship Barrel Relay and Flights of Bourbon have been updated. Sessions exploring sensory…

“I grew up in Louisville and spent time in New Orleans, DC, Colorado, the West Coast and I could usually find Beam and Wild Turkey. Maker’s was emerging nationally and there was a trickling of Van Winkle and Willett,” recalls Trey Zoeller, founder and whiskey maker of Jefferson’s Reserve Bourbons. He enjoyed the mainstream brands that were available in the late 80s and the early 90s, but he felt that ‘anything of a higher nature’ was missing from the market. After all, his dad, Bourbon historian Chet Zoeller, had treated his son to several fine sips of older Bourbons when the younger Zoeller came back to Louisville to visit his parents for holidays. It was during these visits that he would drive past ‘warehouses chock full of great old whiskey’…

Believe it or not, there was a time when Bourbon was not celebrated in Louisville. It was just part of the background, taken for granted as something that had always been there and that would always be there. Bourbon was neglected in its own backyard for decades, while it was being celebrated in the farthest reaches of the Earth – the Mint Juleps at Churchill Downs were made with Early Times instead of Bourbon and there was only a handful of bars with a passable Bourbon selection. Then in 2005 Bourbons Bistro opened on Frankfort Avenue in Louisville, Kentucky, paving the way for the Urban Bourbon Trail and other facets of Louisville’s Bourbon Renaissance. “I was sitting around with a good buddy of mine who is no longer with us,…

This magazine held two very different events in two vitally important cities for the future of American Whiskey. The launch parties to celebrate the inaugural magazine were held in Louisville, Kentucky and the nation’s capital Washington DC. Both events were attended by the great and good of the whiskey industry, writers and politicians, and gave the owner and editor the opportunity to lay out our stall and intentions for this magazine. Publisher, Damian Riley-Smith explained the mission statement at the events. He said that American Whiskey Magazine would be writing about the people and places that make great whiskey. He added: “Our journalists will take you to the heart of the distilling world and bring you the human stories and great landscapes. Each edition will also feature in depth tasting…

Where better to enjoy the finest drams than in the City that Never Sleeps? A place that is relentless in its quest for life, liberty, the pursuit of happiness… not to mention the quest for amazing bar experiences. New York is famous for its nightlife and has some of the most renowned bars in the world. It offers everything you could possibly imagine, and more. In recent years New York has really raised the bar for whisky, whiskey, bar and mixology experiences throughout the city. Some of the most experimental and exciting bartenders live here, work here and play here so you are in very good hands with a bar to cater whatever your needs may be, whether you’re looking for a wonderful cocktail, a fabulous whiskey list, the biggest…

If you were to take a survey of Old Fashioned drinkers, chances are you would discover that everyone has a slightly different opinion about how the classic whiskey cocktail should be made. Of even more debate is the matter of where the cocktail came from in the first place. One legend has it the Old Fashioned was first made at Louisville, Kentucky’s Pendennis club when a patron asked the bartender to ‘make a cocktail in the Old Fashioned way.’ Today the Old Fashioned is Louisville’s official cocktail and it seems as though there are as many different ways to make it as there are barrels of whiskey aging in Kentucky. The Old Fashioned’s origins are shrouded in mystery. “I never make claim to making the best, but there’s nobody living…

I’m not a vegetarian, haven’t even tried to be. I thought gravy was a beverage growing up in Kentucky. I most certainly do not apologize for any of this, so no epiphany that I love a good meat tray. Fancy it up a bit and we call a meat tray a charcuterie (shahr-kyu-tuh-ree) simply meaning smoked, cured, or cooked meat. You see this offering most explicitly on restaurant and bar menus galore and there is a reason, it is the perfect starter to any meal and is the meal in some cases, or a succulent late-night binge. Those earthy, savory and sometimes spicy flavor notes of the ‘meat parade’ can only be perfected and frankly illuminated by some of my favorite Bourbons. You would think bold and spicy would be…

Returning to the same building it once called home, Old Forester Distilling Co. has opened to the public at 119 W. Main Street in Louisville, Kentucky. The $45 million, 70,000 square foot distillery will guide guests through the brand’s rich history and Bourbon making process of Old Forester, a brand sealed in history as America’s first bottled Bourbon. “During the last 148 years, Old Forester has had its share of memorable moments and enduring accomplishments. This marks yet another chapter to a story that has survived Prohibition, world wars and the changing palates and tastes of consumers across the globe,” said Campbell Brown, Old Forester president and fifth generation Brown family member. “We are delighted to now welcome friends old and new into our new, old home.” The distillery is…

Hearing the surprising word over NPR radio news that Bob Dylan, Nobel Laureate, singer-songwriter, poet, painter and iron sculptor has joined the celebrity whiskey business, revived fond memories of early journalistic adventures while working as a TV newsman in the Hudson Valley. Fabulous times during the 1960s, Woodstock included. Nope, I wasn’t a hippie, never toyed with LSD, nor an inclination to experiment with mind enhancing drugs. I’ve never even smoked tobacco. However, that did not stop me associating with the colorful characters that did. I even started a motorcycle club; the AMA sanctioned Columbia County Riders, not Hells Angels sporting colors! Simply likeminded enthusiasts, we rode Brit bikes and enjoyed touring as far as Quebec when not exploring nearby Catskills. As club president, I even sent Dylan an invitation…

Parent-offspring distilling teams are starting to become more common in craft distilleries and they can sometimes make for some interesting dynamics. In Kentucky, Joyce and Autumn Nethery are the mother-daughter team at Jeptha Creed Distillery, while 750 miles away in Minnesota Ralf and Christian Loeffelholz are the father-son team at Dampfwerk Distillery. THE NETHERY FAMILY AT JEPTHA CREED After decades of farming and Joyce Nethery’s successful career as a chemical engineer and teacher, starting a family distilling business just seemed to make sense. “I’ve always had a passion for chemistry and the distillation process,” say Jeptha Creed distiller and owner Joyce Nethery. “I graduated with a Master’s degree in chemical engineering from University of Louisville Speed Scientific School. I spent 15 years working as a process engineer in industrial scale…

A decade ago the Whisky Couple paid an extensive visit to Maker’s Mark and duly reported in various publications across the globe. Having noticed the expansion plans of the iconic Bourbon distillery. This is their story, exclusively written for American Whiskey Magazine. You know that you are welcome when the tour guide who showed you around 10 years ago is walking towards you with open arms on arrival. Dave Pudlo now has a more prominent role, but is still happy to show us around and beckons us to come inside the visitor center where we run into Bill Samuels Jr., the flamboyant brand ambassador and son of Maker’s Mark’s founder. Officially he is retired, but once in a while he is called upon to do a special tasting. In this…