American Whiskey Magazine May 2022

I’d say I’ve spent the majority of my adult life repeatedly asking the question, “what do I want?”, only for the array of options to be completely removed in March of 2020 when all control was relinquished from our lives. Safe to say that it sent me into quite the spiral at the time. Like many people across the world, I would imagine, I questioned the meaning of it all – I’m still yet to come to a firm answer to that pretty sizable question. Truth be told, if current events are anything to go by, it’s easy to think that nothing means anything at all. However, moving us all swiftly away from an existential crisis, clarity can be found a little closer to home; and as my long-suffering colleagues…

US-based e-commerce platform Beveridge has created a tasting pack to showcase its partnership with Whisky Live. The brand has built its reputation for curating luxury spirit tasting kits for at-home use and events, while also screening weekly video panel discussions with big names from the spirits industry. It was announced in 2021 that Beveridge would be the US and Canada partner for Whisky Live. Beveridge’s inaugural tasting pack, American Single Malts by Whisky Live, features samples from some of the most respected single malt producers in the US. Distilleries featured include Westland, Balcones, Virginia Distillery Company, Boulder Spirits, Santa Fe Spirits, and Westward. As American single malts edge closer to recognition as an official spirit category in the US, Beveridge chose this moment to better acquaint drinkers with the spirit style. Future kits are…

For decades, one type of corn was the basis of all Kentucky Bourbon: Yellow Dent #2. Some other types of corn had been used historically, but as the industry became industrialized and consolidated and as monocrop commodity agriculture became the norm, this corn type represented stability and abundance. As monocrop agriculture grew, concerns about biodiversity began bubbling to the surface. The farm-to-table movement, which started in the 1960s and 1970s, really began taking off in the early 2000s amid concerns about climate change and biodiversity. At the same time, Bourbon started coming back into popularity after decades of declining sales. Laws changed, paving the way for craft distilleries, and a world of new possibilities opened up for distillers across America. As newer distillers looked for ways to make their mark on the broader…

The verdict is in for the Judgment of Westland, in which nearly 2,000 consumers tasted four malt whiskies blindly and rated them based on preference. Whiskies were selected from different countries by Scotch industry professional Dave Broom based on similar characteristics. All whiskies scored similarly, with consumers showing slight preference for the American and Australian single malts. Results can be viewed at thejudgementofwestland.com. We recently caught up with Steve Hawley, Westland VP of global brand marketing, to learn more. Maggie Kimberl (MK): How did you come up with the idea of running the Judgment of Westland? Steve Hawley (SH): It’s inspired by the Judgment of Paris. A lot of it came out of the fact that people wanted to brand us from the get-go as a craft distillery and put us in…

As if the changing of the seasons into spring wasn’t enough to look forward to at this time of year, the unveiling of the yearly Kentucky Derby bottlings and their artwork is quite the spectacle. In order to honor ‘The Greatest Two Minutes in Sports’, sponsoring distilleries Woodford Reserve (presenting sponsor) and Evan Williams (official sponsor) have released their commemorative releases. This year’s bottle from Woodford Reserve features the artwork of Kentucky native Jaime Corum, an equine artist known for her horse portraits. Corum’s painting, titled ‘Dreams in Bloom’, features three thoroughbreds racing neck-and-neck, surrounded by a spray of vivid spring flowers, including the iconic red roses of Derby. “The attention to detail in Jaime’s artwork is remarkable – and so realistic,” Woodford Reserve master distiller Chris Morris said. “This year’s bottle celebrating…

It’s a vital part of human nature to be intrigued by relationships, in all their forms. Be it family, friend, romantic, colleague, or local barista, they all form a vital part of who we are and the journey our lives take. But could a whiskey also form part of an integral relationship? In short, yes, yes it can – but that would be a very short article, so let’s delve into this idea a little more. While playing two ever so slightly dead brothers on the set of the American supernatural television series Vampire Diaries, Paul Wesley and Ian Somerhalder, co-founders of Brother’s Bond Bourbon, bonded over America’s native spirit during their eight years of filming. Somerhalder jokes, “Paul is my longest relationship of 12 years… these vampire boys bonded on screen…