What is a cooper? Seems there are many children with the name Cooper, but not a whole lot of actual coopers out there. Traditionally, a cooper was the man that […]
Lets Hear It For The Maltsters!
One of the most amazing steps in making whiskey is the one of the first steps and is often overlooked in its importance. The first step is farming the grain, […]
Why So Defensive About Sourced Whiskey?
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
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 […]
Be Adventurous, Whiskey Drinkers! Try a Cocktail.
I was reminded today of the cocktail culture’s influence on whiskey sales in the United States. I know that most well-seasoned whiskey drinkers will insist on either only a few […]
Why Is Kentucky Home To So Many Distilleries?
We all know that there are lots of distilleries in Kentucky. Why Kentucky? There are many reasons for Kentucky maintaining its hold on whiskey production in the United States during […]
Jim Murray’s World Whisky of the Year for 2016 goes to…
So the news is out that Crown Royal’s Northern Harvest Rye was named the 2016 World Whisky of the Year by renowned whiskey writer Jim Murray. This news will most […]
What defines whisk(e)y?
So what determines what whisk(e)y is anyway? Government laws and regulations do. They have changed over the years, but as whiskey becomes a larger contributor to government budgets (through taxes) […]
Herman Melville’s Rye Whiskey Reference
Today is the day that Herman Melville’s Moby Dick was published by New York’s Harper and Brothers in 1851. There is a reference in the book that connects whiskey to […]
What is the Difference Between a Flavored Whiskey and a Liqueur?
I was just speaking to a bartender that wanted to know the difference between flavored whiskey and liqueur. Hopefully, by now, most of us are aware that Southern Comfort (made […]