Innholdsfortegnelse for September 2024 i American Whiskey Magazine

In Kentucky, it is not unusual to find experts on bourbon. There are even historians and archaeologists who specialize in the distilled spirits industry within the Commonwealth of Kentucky. The preeminent bourbon historian in Kentucky is Michael Veach, author of Kentucky Bourbon Whiskey: An American Heritage, who is also a Kentucky Bourbon Hall of Famer. He owns his own consulting business and stays busy doing historical research for brands, speaking at whiskey festivals, and writing books, though he is semi-retired these days. “I like to say I was the luckiest graduate to ever come out of the University of Louisville’s history department,” Veach says. “I was working on my master’s degree at U of L and Nick Morgan called the university and was looking for someone to help put together…

I here are a lot of parallels between whiskeys and cigars. Both require fermentation: grains are fermented before being distilled when making whiskey, and tobacco leaves are fermented before being rolled into cigars. Both require blending: whiskeys that are not single barrels have to be carefully blended to achieve a specific target flavor range, while cigar leaves have to be carefully blended to create a favorable flavor profile. Both also require aging: whiskey has to go into a barrel for a minimum of two years to be considered straight whiskey, whereas cigars have to be aged until they reach a uniform and suitable level of humidity throughout in order to facilitate good, even burning and a favorable smoking experience. The difference in the blending between whiskey and cigars is that…

In 2020, Wild Turkey, like many distilleries across the world, closed its doors to visitors. The visitor experience, often called the “Cathedral of Bourbon,” was soon slated for a drastic remodel. The newly redesigned Jimmy Russell Wild Turkey Experience recently reopened to visitors, and previous guests may notice some significant changes. Before, the emphasis was on gift shops and tours, but now, the emphasis is on hospitality and telling the brand’s story. The stave hallway is about the only thing that previous guests will recognize. Toward the front of the visitor center where there was once a gift shop guests will now find intimate tasting rooms and club-style seating meant for comfort. Jimmy Russell’s barstool is still in the main lobby of the visitor center, and there’s still a chance…

Every whiskey region is decorated with distinct, signature characteristics. Even outside a whiskey’s terroir — the complex interaction of climate, soil, geology and their impact on the spirit’s flavor profile — there’s often a cultural element unique to the area influencing a whiskey’s identity. Kentuckians, especially locals of the state’s inner Bluegrass region, acknowledge two integral facets of their state’s heritage: bourbon and thoroughbred horses. Kentucky’s alluring, rich history in horse racing and distilling captivated and compelled Guinness McFadden, president and co-founder of Blackwood Distilling Co, to embark on an unexpected and rewarding journey into both fields. McFadden grew up on a small family farm in Potter Valley, California, in the 1980s, where his father grew grapes and herbs, and raised cattle. McFadden spent much of his youth working on…

About 40 miles east of the famed high security vaults of Fort Knox is another repository that whiskey enthusiasts will find much more compelling than the national reserves of gold bullion. A door at the end of a narrow hallway opens into a windowless room lined on all sides with floor to ceiling shelves of whiskey. It is not whiskey one encounters in retail stores or even distillery shops. More than 400 bottles and decanters dating from as early as the 1890s include Prohibition era pints bottled and sold as medicinal whiskeys, as well as limited expressions from current distilleries, such as Old Forester Birthday Bourbons and the Buffalo Trace Antique Collection. This is the Whiskey Library at Bardstown Bourbon Company (BBC), a distillery which itself is less than a…

Whisky Live Paris is preparing to put on its biggest show yet in 2024, the year it marks its 20th anniversary. First launched at the Palais Brongniart in 2004 by La Maison du Whisky, Whisky Live Paris has developed and grown over the past two decades into a seminal annual event for industry professionals and whiskey consumers alike. The show moved to its current venue, la Grande Halle de la Villette, in 2019. Whisky Live Paris 2024 is set to host 300 distilleries and brands from more than 40 countries. There will be plenty to explore, with an estimated 2,000 bottlings available to sample. Among the whiskey exhibitors will be 60 brands from Scotland and more than 20 from America, showing off their latest releases. The show will also make…

Nestled away in a historic building in Old Town Alexandria, Virginia is Virtue Feed & Grain, a restaurant with one of the most well-stocked and popular whiskey bars in the Washington, DC area. The area has ties to the historic whiskey trade — their offices just across the courtyard once served as a storage facility for local goods headed to market, including George Washington’s rye whiskey. Today, people visit for the food and stay for the cocktails and staggering whiskey collection. “The actual building is a part of the Alexandria Old Town history in that it was the inception of the Roberts family, a family that moved to this community and established a farm which had on it the grist mill, and they had the fresh water rights to Alexandria,…

Kentucky has long been known for two things: bourbon and horses. But few people know just how interrelated the two industries really are. Bourbon and Thoroughbreds grew up together side by side out of necessity, starting when Kentucky was the Western frontier. Corn grew here in abundance but was difficult to get to outside markets, so distilling it made it more portable and also made it last longer in order to get it to market and get it sold, and it was also a value-added product that could fetch more money on the market. And once you got to that outside market, usually after a lengthy and dangerous trip down the river, you had to get back somehow. This necessitated the horse trade, and faster horses often meant better chances…

A recent report conducted by Fairfield Market Research revealed that the global bourbon spirits market is slated for an upswing surge. Analysts predict a rise from approximately $8.2 billion in 2022 to an astonishing $12 billion by 2030. Translation: the bourbon boom will continue to boom! Alongside bourbon’s incredible forecast is the industry’s focus on premium experiences and catering to the everevolving tastes of whiskey fans on the hunt for all things new and exciting. Barrel Global is surfing this epic, growing wave and presenting something unique to wanderlust whiskey lovers. This spring, this bourbon barrel ownership company unveiled its newest offering, coined as the Kentucky Bourbon Retreat, a travel, tasting, and distilling experience centered on “America’s Native Spirit.” The immersive, three-day adventure welcomes consumers and corporate clients to visit…

As the American whiskey industry continues to grow and expand, so does the ingenuity and pioneering spirit expressed in the new distillery footprints, and in new American whiskey releases. Located in Connecticut, accessed down typical New England winding treecovered country roads, is a shining multi-story glassfront building. Parking outside the building features classic cars, hot rods, and choppers on the other side of the glass. This is the home of American Metal Whiskey. American Metal Whiskey is an extension of the award-winning American Metal Customs shop, known for its iconic custom cars and motorcycles. Three of the four founders, Chris Bishop, Brian Stephenson, and celebrity custom builder Josh Allison, gave a tour. The facility was mind-blowing, to say the least. Allison, known for his award-winning custom work and extreme attention…

When you think of Nashville, do thoughts of country music, whiskey, and hot chicken come to mind? You wouldn’t be wrong, but cowboy clichés aside, Music City has experienced a renaissance over the last decade, re-emerging as one of the country’s hottest culinary hotspots with unique cocktail culture. Of course, it helps that music and whiskey — two key factors playing into Nashville’s draw — bring people together from all walks of life. Still, ultimately, it’s the city’s blend of warm Southern hospitality and ingenuity that keeps visitors and locals alike thoroughly enamored. If you’re craving something other than traditional distillery tours, Nashville will be your whiskey wonderland. Read on to learn about the essential Nashville hotspots you must immediately add to your travel bucket list. NASHVILLE BARREL CO Every…

New England may not seem like a whiskey destination at first glance, however history tells us a different story. Massachusetts has a history of whiskey production dating back to before the Revolutionary War. In the 1700s, Boston had more than 25 distilleries, and was the country’s leading rum exporter. Around 1830, whiskey made with American grain became the preferred spirit of Americans, and rum production declined. Although Massachusetts would not build a prolific history of whiskey making on the level of Kentucky and Tennessee, there is much to discover in Massachusetts’ modern distilleries with interesting ties to the past and delicious spirits to imbibe. BOSTON HARBOR DISTILLERY 12R ERICSSON ST, DORCHESTER, MA Boston’s renowned harbor is home to a whiskey haven that should pique the interest of any whiskey enthusiast.…

The Big Friendly is an appropriate name for a city as laid back as Oklahoma City, especially given its roughly 700,000 population. It’s technically part of the Southwest with echoes of Midwest friendliness. Historically, food ran beef-and-barbecue heavy, with little in the way of gourmet or craft cocktail bars. But in the years after chef Russ Johnson opened Ludivine in 2010, a rare, seasonal, farm-to-table restaurant, slowly but surely Oklahoma’s food, cocktail, and bar scenes grew. There are still just a few craft distilleries in the state, but they came along with Oklahoma’s bigger leaps in the last five years, while chefs like those from Grey Sweater or Ma Der Lao (in this guide) have garnered national acclaim. FIVE PLACES TO EAT MA DER LAO James Beard-nominated Ma Der Lao…