Innholdsfortegnelse for July 2024 i American Whiskey Magazine

Many whiskey distilleries throughout the United States make a point of sourcing their grains from local farmers, which has multiple benefits. It helps keep shipping costs lower. It financially supports area farmers. Perhaps most importantly, heirloom or hybrid grains particular to a location can give a bourbon, rye, or malt whiskey a distinctive geographical signature. For example, Balcones Distilling of Waco, Texas uses heirloom blue corn grown in central Texas near the distillery. The bourbons and ryes from J Henry & Sons of Dane, Wisconsin are all made using heirloom corn and rye grown on the family’s farm in south-central Wisconsin. And in a departure from more traditional ingredients, Six & Twenty Distillery in Greensville, South Carolina uses its state’s signature grain, Carolina golden rice, in its 5-Grain Bourbon. Since…

The reason I began studying bourbon and cigar pairings is because, without fail, every time I asked a cigar bar bartender or a cigar lounge tobacconist, I would always get the same response: if you are smoking a full-bodied cigar, pair it with a full-bodied bourbon, and if you are smoking a light-bodied cigar, pair it with a light-bodied bourbon. I eventually figured out where this advice originated. Typically when a patron asks a tobacconist for a cigar recommendation, the tobacconist will ask them what kind of beverage they like. For people who drink espresso or black coffee, they will recommend a full-bodied cigar. For people who like fruity drinks or sugary sodas, they will recommend a lighter-bodied cigar. Without thinking about how these flavors would interact, they began recommending…

Austin Schumacher and Chase Leftwich’s whiskey tale starts like many others. They were avid homebrewers, deeply engaged in the craft beer community. As their interest progressed, they started realizing that they were staring at an opportunity. “We were just talking to some of the craft brewers around North Texas about where they source their ingredients, and lo and behold, they all said there was no local grain purveyors, like at all. It didn’t exist,” says Austin. Most of the malt used by Texas brewers was sourced from distant locations such as Canada or Europe, a fact that stood in stark contrast to Texas’ rich agricultural capabilities. “We just kept wondering why there were no local malts at all. It was unbelievable, considering the agricultural power Texas wields. And when we…

Brother’s Bond, the bourbon brand cofounded by stars of the hit television series The Vampire Diaries, Ian Somerhalder and Paul Wesley, has been a huge success since its foundation. While their initial (albeit huge) following has contributed to the early success of the company, it’s the quality of the bourbon and the passion shown by its two creators which has led to its ever-growing presence in the whiskey industry. In fact, Brother’s Bond is now one of the most-followed whiskey brands in the world on Instagram, with more than 1.9 million followers. The on-screen brothers’ off-screen bond has also resonated with whiskey lovers across the world who might otherwise have been unfamiliar with the duo’s star-making work. Back in issue 17 of American Whiskey Magazine, around the time of Brother’s…

In 2010, Ken Lewis owned the Party Source, one of the largest liquor stores in the United States. It was located in Northern Kentucky, not even a mile from Cincinnati. He’d been in the business more than four decades at that point, and as the spirits buyer for the store, he started to notice a marked uptick in bourbon sales. As an entrepreneurial person, he came up with the then-crazy idea to start the New Riff Distillery, and take his decades of experience in the spirits business in the direction of production. “It was clear that with the boom going on in Lexington and Louisville, here’s Greater Cincinnati, two and a half times the metro area of Louisville, and not one single distillery,” Lewis recalls. “There’s opportunity there. I didn’t…

Two decades ago, the only American rye whiskeys on the market were Kentucky-style (also known as accountant’s ryes, because of the minimal rye content and high corn content), and a 95/5 rye, made by a former Seagram’s plant known today as Midwest Grain Products, which was primarily used as a blending agent for Canadian whiskey. Jimmy Russell began to joke 10 years ago that demand for Wild Turkey’s rye whiskey had grown so much that the distillery had to double its production — from one day a year to two. The rise of cocktail culture brought rye whiskey back to the forefront, and visionaries such as Redemption Rye co-founder Dave Schmier began purchasing that 95/5 MGP rye whiskey and selling it as a standalone product. WhistlePig Rye, first sourced and…

Peggy Noe Stevens is a master taster, whiskey reviewer, and competition judge. She is known for her super palate in the industry, as well as her founding innovations connecting whiskey and food pairing styles and methods. This month we feature the following brands and the inspiration for creating unique profiles and food pairings. The following is a guideline to discovering the ultimate food pairings for your guests. Featured products that received the highest flavor tasting profile ratings: Maker’s Mark Cellar Aged Bourbon 2023 115.7 proof Let’s hear from Beth Buckner, the innovation manager at Maker’s Mark, who is responsible for the brilliant concept creation of Cellar Aged: “Maker’s Mark Cellar Aged defines an older whiskey that’s distinctly Maker’s. One rooted in burning recipes, challenging convention, and building on a taste…

The 2024 Whisky Live season in Australia is in full swing, with premier tasting shows coming to major cities across the country. Following events in Melbourne and Canberra in May and Brisbane in June, the calendar will take in Adelaide and Sydney before concluding in Perth in August. Ticket holders will be able to explore a vast array of high-quality whiskeys from countries including Scotland, Ireland, Japan, and of course Australia. There will be short classes presented by distillers and ambassadors that offer the chance to sample whiskeys not available at the main event, as well as classes that offer an introduction to whiskey for those who are new to the category. Included in the ticket price are a whiskey glass to use at the show, a printed tasting guide…

Allen Katz opened New York Distilling Company in Brooklyn with co-founders Tom and Bill Potter in 2013, forging the modern face of New York City’s distilling scene. Initially launching with two American-style gins, Katz would go on to create award-winning rye whiskey with a historic connection. “We were fortunate when we started the business and developed some key relationships with local farmers, specifically with Rick Pedersen. Rick and his family are organic vegetable growers in the Finger Lakes region of upstate New York. We needed someone to grow grain for us. It was paramount for us to be distillers and to distill our products. There is some joy in not just making the whiskey but also the process of discovering grains and growing grains, mashing, fermenting, blending, and aging whiskey.…

Iom Bullock was an African American bartender who was born in Louisville, Kentucky in 1872. He worked at the Pendennis Club in Louisville for a time before moving on to work at a country club in St Louis and then as a porter on the railroad, but his claim to fame is that he wrote one of the first bartending manuals in history, The Ideal Bartender. Today, Evan Williams tour guide George Harrison reenacts the Ideal Bartender Experience several times a week for visitors at the Evan Williams Bourbon Experience on Main Street, blocks away from where Bullock worked when he wrote his book. “There’s not really a lot of written history about him, which we discovered when we started putting the show together back in 2020,” says Harrison. “By…

What’s next? When presenting this question to a celebrity or brand leader, it’s often met with a vague one-liner to keep fans in eager anticipation. And for any curious whiskey lover, when this question is put to an industry professional, it could mean you’re one hint closer to experiencing a sip of something new, and maybe something exciting is on the horizon. Thankfully, we’re merely weeks away from finally receiving an answer to that question in the world of Kentucky distilleries, with the unveiling of the Whiskey House of Kentucky. Founded by CEO David Mandell, COO and president John Hargrove, and CSO Daniel Linde, the team behind the successful Bardstown Bourbon Company, Whiskey House (opening July 1 2024) is designed from the ground up to focus solely on flexible, custom…