American Whiskey Magazine January 2021

One of the things I love most in life is sitting down to write. I’ll get some incense going, find the perfect playlist and work my way through a vat of coffee. Today, however, I’m out of incense, have just entered another lockdown and a team of builders below my flat are drowning out Billy Joel’s essential hits with their rampant drilling… oh no wait, it’s hammering now. Well at least that’s rhythmic. There’s an awful lot going on in the world at the moment, which I’m guessing you’ve noticed, and I can’t help but think that things on a level closer to home are reflecting that. It would be easy to look at the state of affairs, the uncertainty – as I write this we are still unsure of the…

As we continue to focus on the future, Whisky Live organisers are considering alternative methods of delivering engaging whiskey-tasting experiences in new, safe and socially distanced ways. Should an ‘in person’ event not be possible in 2021, new remote options are being developed. Whisky Live London is leading the charge and has been reborn as Whisky Live at Home, taking place in November 2020. Ticketholders and exhibitors have transferred from the postponed March 2020 event to this new ‘at home’ experience, which promises to deliver all of the tasting, entertainment and education of the London event in the comfort of whiskey lovers’ homes. Impressive tasting packs boasting a minimum of 29 samples (30ml) for ‘full day’ ticketholders are just the beginning, as Masterclass and VIP ticketholders receive additional samples and…

The Fountainhead in Chicago, one of the United States’ most venerable whiskey bars, announced it is closing in mid-November, unless something dramatically changes between now and then. Across the world bars and restaurants are some of the hardest-hit businesses by this pandemic. Bars and restaurants generally have thin margins anyway, and any sustained threat to normal business operations is likely to threaten the stability of business. But what many people don’t see is the trickle-up effect this has on the entire economy. Unless a relief package is on the way for bars and restaurants, it could have long-term dire consequences for global economic recovery. We’re already seeing distillery closures. As with most businesses, those distilleries that are smaller, newer, and less established stand to be the first to go. But these…

During the quarantine imbibers have been hearing and reading a lot about Covid-19 and its effects on the whiskey industry. Tweets about distilleries going from century-old family recipes to making hand sanitizer. Facebook posts asking to like stories about million-dollar donations from the big liquor brands. Podcasts with guests who tell the hard stories about laying off staff and shuttering lifelong dreams. It is a situation that has forced new ‘watch words’ into modern lexicons: doom scrolling, pivot, social distance, virtual tastings and karaoke birthday Zoom. For now, my musings aren’t about the number of lives lost or the shock and awe of staggering unemployment figures. This is about one distillery and how it bent, flipped, and pivoted (there’s THAT word again) to adjust to a new whiskey normal. Kings County Distillery is…

If you’ve ever visited a distillery while on vacation and tried to buy a souvenir bottle to have shipped back home, chances are you have encountered the ban on direct-to-consumer (DTC) shipping that still exists in most states. But why, if you can order wine online, would you be prohibited from buying spirits online or even shipping a bottle home to yourself from a distillery? Whenever there’s something you don’t understand about whiskey laws, chances are it’s a holdover from Prohibition. National Prohibition lasted from 1920 to 1933 and decimated the distilled spirits and beverage alcohol businesses in the United States. In order to get support for the 21st Amendment, which would repeal the 18th Amendment, states had to be assured they could set their own laws regarding the production, sale…

There aren’t many things in life that are certain, but one of them is that wiThevery passing day, every minute in fact, we are getting older. Oh yes, as someone who recently found their first grey – thanks for that Covid – I have been reminded that there is absolutely nothing we can do about it. However, unexpected greys aside, I have to say that ageing is one of my favourite things about life. With age comes experience, perspective, understanding and most importantly some damn fine whiskey. This year Kentucky’s own Heaven Hill has reached the milestone of its 85th birthday, an accolade that is not sending the brand towards a warm fire and an early night. No, instead the family-owned distiller is taking a moment to reflect, grow and go…