American Whiskey Magazine July 2022

I’ve been thinking a lot about intentions recently. It’s a word that conjures up all manner of thoughts for different people, be it best intentions, setting intentions, or even Cruel Intentions (for those with a love of late 90s/early 2000s movie culture). Birthdays always get me in a thoughtful mood, and as I rather swiftly moved towards turning 28 in late April this year (shout out to my fellow Taureans, stubbornly getting though each day), I’ve been setting some intentions for the next 12 months. Just as an FYI, I’m terrible at sticking to them, so expect this to be the first and last time I discuss this topic. I’m a bit too much of a ‘go with the flow’ person, but not in a relaxed way, more in a ‘the…

After a couple of years of change in the world, Whisky Live events are settling back into their routine. On 21 and 22 May this year, we saw the return of Whisky Live London, drawing crowds from far and wide to celebrate the wonders of whisky. Alongside the in-person events resuming the world over, US-based e-commerce platform Beveridge has created a tasting pack to showcase its partnership with Whisky Live. Back in 2021, Whisky Live announced the news that Beveridge would be its partner for the US and Canada. 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. Some of the distilleries featured in the pack include: Westland, Balcones, Virginia Distillery Company, Boulder Spirits, Santa Fe Spirits, and…

Whiskey festivals seem to be back in full swing. I’ve just returned from New Orleans, where I have been teaching classes at the New Orleans Bourbon Festival. This year was the fourth festival, after two cancellations, and it was great to be back. I taught a class about the regional and philosophical variations in American single malt whiskey, which drew a crowd of about 40 people – pretty great for a Bourbon festival where most people have never heard of American single malt whiskey. I also led a panel discussion with Widow Jane president and head distiller Lisa Wicker, Uncle Nearest master blender Victoria Eady Butler, Wild Turkey brand ambassador JoAnn Street, and freelance distiller Marianne Eaves, who was the first woman to become master distiller in Kentucky since Prohibition.…

Whiskey should bring people together, and bring out the best in guests and hosts. Before the lockdown, my partner and I hosted cocktail parties with a rotating guest list. There were a handful of nights I would host solo, inviting my nerdy friends (by nerd, I mean a long-time fan of one of the following: whiskey, comic books, or cigars). Hosting a whiskey night – or any type of party – has taught me several lessons that I would like to share. Whiskey doesn’t ask why you’re not drinking: we have friends that don’t drink but enjoy the company of others who do. It’s about respecting a guest’s reasons and privacy. If they do become curious about whiskey (or any other spirit), be there for them with grace and a one-ounce pour.…

It has been nine decades since distilled spirits supplier Heaven Hill first operated a distillery in Bardstown, and now the company is deepening its roots in its home community again. Heaven Hill Distillery has unveiled its plans for a new $135 million distillery, set to open by 2024 in Bardstown. The state-of-the-art distillery will augment Heaven Hill’s distilling capacity in order to meet the increased global whiskey demand, while also making its return to distilling in Bardstown since the 1996 fire. After the fire, in which Heaven Hill lost its onsite distillery, seven rickhouses, and almost 100,000 barrels of whiskey, the company’s distilling moved to the historic Bernheim Distillery in Louisville. Meanwhile, bottling, aging of whiskey and other functions continued in the Bardstown area. “The people of Bardstown have helped us create…

As part of the distillery’s exploration of malted rye, New Riff recently unveiled its experimentation with sherry finishing. The limited-edition Sherry Finished Malted Rye Whiskey is bottled at barrel strength and without chill filtration, and has been secondarily aged in oloroso and Pedro Ximénez sherry casks. The latest foray into the distillery’s malted rye whiskey exploration was made available in May this year. “Last year we released our Malted Rye Whiskey, and experiencing its remarkably elegant, sophisticated character gave us another idea,” said co-founder Jay Erisman. “We think of it as a malt whiskey first and a rye whiskey second, which raised the question: what would happen if we treated it like other malt whiskeys and aged it in sherry casks?” New Riff’s first batches of 100 per cent malted rye whiskey were distilled…