Packaging – Dram Devotees

What Was the Gwynnbrook Distillery and Why Was It Important?

I’ve been wanting to write about Gwynnbrook for a long while. Unfortunately, Gwynnbrook isn’t a distillery name most whiskey enthusiasts are familiar with, but a distillery doesn’t have to be […]

An Argument To Rethink Something We Believe To Be True

Posted on: January 13, 2025January 15, 2025American whiskey , Article link , Bourbon , Distilleries , Hidden Still Sprits , History , Packaging , Pre-Prohibition , Prohibition , Reference , Uncategorized , Whiskey Facts , Whiskey laws and regulations , whiskey politics , Whiskey Trust

“There were 6 distilleries licensed to manufacture medicinal whiskey during Prohibition.” If we’ve read it once, we’ve read it a thousand times. However, this statement is not true for a […]

Mount Vernon Rye Whiskeys- An Historic Tasting (1902-1947)

Posted on: November 27, 2024November 27, 2024Bottled in Bond , History , Maryland Rye , Packaging , Pre-Prohibition , Prohibition , Reference , Rye , whiskey bottles

On November 23, 2024, at George Washington’s Mount Vernon Distillery in Alexandria, Virginia, an incredible lineup of historic bottlings of rye whiskeys were sampled. The focus was on antique expressions […]

An Examination of Barrel Entry Proof

Posted on: January 19, 2023October 20, 2024Aging Techniques , American whiskey , Barrel entry proof , Bourbon , Distillation , Distilleries , Packaging , Pre-Prohibition , Production , Prohibition , rectifiers , Reference , Uncategorized

As I continue to dig into the origins of aged American whiskeys and into how far back their production goes, I continue to discover very interesting practices and find hints […]

The British Connection to America’s “Bottled in Bond” Whiskeys

Posted on: September 3, 2022September 22, 2022American whiskey , Bottled in Bond , Canadian Whisky , History , International Whiskies , Irish Whiskey , Packaging , Pre-Prohibition , Reference , Rye , Scotch , Taxes , Uncategorized , Whiskey laws and regulations

What connects “bottled in bond”, a term we tend to associate with American whiskeys, to English investments? Let me explain… I am so VERY curious about the history of American […]

Why So Defensive About Sourced Whiskey?

Posted on: December 12, 2015December 12, 2015American whiskey , Article link , Blends , Bourbon , craft whiskey , Distillation , Distilleries , Non Distiller Producers , Packaging , Production , Reference , Rye , Whiskey Facts

I was asked at the Dram Devotee’s Whistle Pig tasting on Thursday, “Why do you sound so defensive when you are speaking about sourced whiskey?” It must be true that […]

Hip Flasks

Posted on: November 30, 2015April 21, 2023American whiskey , History , Packaging , Prohibition , Reference , Whiskey Facts

I bought myself a porcelain hip flask, and it got me thinking about the history of these ingenious devices. The flask is the descendant of the canteen and the pilgrim […]

Corks- Why Are They Still Used?

Posted on: September 22, 2015November 7, 2015Packaging , Whiskey Facts

Why is cork still used to seal whiskey bottles? Seems like a bad idea in the modern times we live in. Collectors know that one should only store whiskey bottles […]

Is Cask Strength the Best Way To Buy Whiskey?

Posted on: September 7, 2015November 8, 2015American whiskey , Barrels , Distillation , Distilleries , History , Packaging , Production , Reference , Scotch , Whiskey Facts , Whiskey Science

Is cask strength whiskey the best whiskey? Seems like a question most people you’d ask would answer “Yes!” to right away. There’s quite a bit to consider here, however. The […]

Larceny is the new Old Fitzgerald?

Posted on: August 27, 2015January 22, 2023American whiskey , Barrels , Bourbon , Famous Whiskey Drinkers , History , Packaging , Taxes , warehouses , Whiskey laws and regulations

The Larceny brand of bourbon by Heaven Hill is a nod to the legend of John Fitzgerald… Max Shapiro’s daughter, Kate Shapiro Latts, is the business savvy designer of the […]