Innholdsfortegnelse for January 2023 i American Whiskey Magazine

The illusive ‘perfect time’ is phrase that I hear thrown around in conversation more and more often. It can be applied to pretty much anything, from relationships, to children, to house moves, to whiskey barrels… see what I did there? Oh, she’s smooth. If there’s anything that the past three years as an editor, and of life, has taught me it is that there is no such thing. Yes, there are windows of time that will be more likely to provide you with the desired outcome, but there are also extenuating circumstances that mean you have to learn to adapt. This realisation initially terrified me, because quite frankly I’m a control freak and I like to live within the comfort of clearly set boundaries. Of course, life is known to…

Time is a sensitive issue when it comes to whiskey. Ask anyone who responsibly produces and enjoys whiskey. Crack that barrel open too soon and you will regret every sip and sniff. Like the continually crashing waves on a beachfront, time has changed the landscape of the whiskey business for the better and the worse. The better – the industry that produces and sells whiskey and its adjacent trades have changed dramatically. I say that as a statement of fact. On the marketing and public relations side of the industry, time has affected how to sell a whiskey brand to the general public. Classic whiskey ads were about suit-clad business stereotypes using alcohol to woo women or close the next big deal. Now, a majority of the PR firms that…

As it reaches a decade of distilling Bourbon in Franklin County, Kentucky, Three Boys Farm Distillery will once again be known by the company’s original name: Whiskey Thief Distilling Co. In a decision made to coincide with the distillery’s 10th anniversary, the company completed a top-to-bottom rebrand that would ensure that it can better align itself with both its product offerings and experience. At the heart of this rebranding is a return to the original distillery name and original brand of the Bourbon which is distilled on site. This moment marks both a nod to the past that got the distillery here, and a look to the future. “We’re getting back to our roots” said Whiskey Thief owner Walter Zausch. “We may be rebranding, but our signature distillery experience remains…

In 2012, Ashby and Timo Marshall (pictured left) opened Spirit Works Distillery right in the heart of California’s wine country, Sonoma County. Just a few years prior they had been conducting environmental research on a ship and were trying to decide what to do once they disembarked. Their initial thought was to start farming sloe berries to support the production of sloe gin, something Timo’s family in the United Kingdom had been making for generations. But they ultimately decided to open a distillery in Sebastapol, California after being “bitten by the craft spirits bug”. They have now been in business for 10 years and are celebrating with some special whiskey releases and new cocktail-focused products. At first the Marshalls focused on craft gins and vodkas, including the nation’s first sloe…

Over the past decade, distilleries have really stepped up their game when it comes to what visitors can experience on a distillery campus. Visitor experiences used to be limited to a tour and a tasting, but now there are museums, expansive gift shops, and even restaurants at many distilleries. At The James B. Beam Distillery in Clermont, Kentucky, The Kitchen Table is open Wednesday through Saturday from 11am–5pm and opens Sunday at noon to quench visitors’ thirst and fill their bellies. Go back 10 years, and finding a bite to eat between distilleries often meant hitting a drive thru or taking a chance on a chain restaurant; on the back roads of Kentucky there are often few choices. Distilleries such as Jim Beam decided that providing guests with a world-class…

To match the reflective mood of this issue, it seemed about time to send our editor, Phoebe Calver, to the American Whiskey island. Since gaining her degree in English and Journalism in 2015, Phoebe has cut her journalistic teeth in the world of spirits. Alongside becoming editor of this very publication in 2019, she is also the deputy editor of sister global publication, Whisky Magazine. It is in the latter that Phoebe is a taster, sampling whiskies from all over the world and building a bank of spirit knowledge. In 2022 she gained her WSET Level 2 Spirits qualification and looks forward to diving into Level 3 next year. Without further ado which whiskeys will she take? WHISKEY #1 The Balvenie Doublewood 25 Years Old You’ll have to forgive me…

It’s that time of the year where you start to think about the prospect of being at home on the couch, in the warm, with a pumpkin-spiced candle flickering next to you. Only one thing is missing and Whisky Live is here to come to the rescue. The team behind the Whisky Live events in the US, Bevridge, is ready with its Whisky Live At Home tasting packs. If you’re a big fan of the Whisky Live events, then this will undoubtedly be up your street. If, like many, you’ve taken an interest in the recent steps forward in the regulation of American single malt, then the inaugural tasting option could be just for you. The American single malt box celebrates tradition and pursues innovation, with whiskeys celebrating different approaches…

New Riff Distilling has continued its exploration of malted grains with the release of two limited-edition fall whiskeys. The Maltster T50 Crystal Malt Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey and Aroostook Malted Rye Whiskey are both bottled-in-bond expressions available this year. “We are always searching for the next new riff,” said co-founder Jay Erisman. “Sometimes those come from drawing on past experience for inspiration, and sometimes inspiration just falls out of the sky – and this fall, it’s both. These two releases are a celebration of the ancient tradition of malted grains that are united by their six years in the warehouse and by their shared embrace of the glory of malt.” The New Riff Maltster T50 Crystal Malt Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey builds on past Maltster releases. Head distiller Brian Sprance…

Would you expect to find a soy sauce microbrewery in the heart of Bourbon country? To Bourbon Barrel Foods founder and owner Matt Jamie, Louisville, Kentucky was the obvious location to start a soy sauce microbrewery. Kentucky’s claim to Bourbon, perhaps America’s most famous native spirit, is undeniable. And although soy sauce’s roots are in China, the Japanese have taken ownership after perfecting the brewing process over the last few thousand years. Matt took his first trip to Japan in 2015, nearly 10 years into brewing soy sauce in Louisville. “I didn’t go to Japan to teach myself this process. I researched it on my own and worked with what I had – which wasn’t a lot!” he says. “That is actually appreciated and respected in Japanese culture. They loved…

When you first start out in your whiskey journey, you painstakingly learn things like mash bills, barrel entry proofs, char levels on barrels, water sources, and the like. You learn how these things affect the final product. Once you have the basics down, your world starts to shatter. In Kentucky, barrels go up in proof as they age, unlike Scotland where they go down, unless it’s on the bottom floor of a brick or concrete rickhouse. Rapid aging doesn’t work unless it’s in certain heat-cycled warehouses. Lower barrel-entry proof creates a better product unless it ages for a long time. Wait, what? I was at Four Roses doing a barrel pick last year and noticed they had fashioned hoods for the “money end” of the barrels to obscure which warehouse…

Kentucky-based distiller Old Forester has announced that Louisville local Melissa Rift has been named its new brand ambassador and master taster. Rift will play an integral role in continuing the revitalization of the Old Forester brand. “Melissa brings a dynamic personality, a devotion to the Bourbon industry and an enthusiasm for the rich heritage of our 152-year-old brand,” explained Mark Bacon, senior vice president and managing director of super-premium American whiskey at Brown-Forman. “We’re thrilled to welcome her to the Brown-Forman family and are excited for her insights to amplify this new chapter in Old Forester’s legacy.” This announcement is not only a milestone in her career, but also a dream come true for Rift, who gained a holistic understanding of the growing Bourbon industry from her beginnings as a…

Welcome to the American Whiskey 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.…