A New Program Aims to Fix American Whiskey’s Diversity Problem(July 1) – “American whiskey is unlike any other industry,” says Fawn Weaver. “If you buy Levi’s or Nike, it’s not about history, it’s about a cool product. But American whiskey, the entire business is based on heritage. You have to hook them with heritage. Complete Story
A New Bourbon Whiskey Named After a Golf Course Is One of the Best Things I Drank Last Month(June 30) – Sweetens Cove is a new spirits label and its first product is a 13-year-old bourbon blended by Marianne Eaves, a former taster at Brown-Forman (the company that owns Old Forester, Jack Daniel’s, Woodford Reserve and others). Complete Story
Coffee Inspired Whiskey Line Up Debuted By Barista Spirits(June 24) – Denver, Colorado-based Deviation Distilling has been in play only since 2019, primarily focused on its flagship series of gins. It recently drifted into whiskeys, however, launching a new line up of coffee whiskeys known as Barista Spirits. Complete Story
American whiskey distillers are down $340 million thanks to Trump’s trade wars(June 22) – US whiskey distillers have lost out on nearly $340 million in sales to the European Union over the past two years because of a tit-for-tat trade spat between Washington and Brussels. Exports to the European Union of bourbon, Tennessee whiskey and rye whiskey have declined by a third since a 25% tariff went into effect in June 2018. Complete Story
Brown-Forman Sells 3 Whiskey Brands to Sazerac(June 17) – Brown-Forman had announced that it is selling its Canadian Mist, Collingwood and Early Times whiskeys, furthering its push to concentrate just on its top brands. Privately-held Sazerac Company will be purchasing the three brands. Complete Story
Cedar Ridge Out Of Iowa Debuts A New American Single Malt(June 16) – The Cedar Ridge distillery is something of a pioneer when it comes to the American craft whiskey scene, having been established by Jeff and Laurie Quint in 2005. Located in Iowa, bourbon made from local corn has long been their signature whiskey, though they also have other offerings such as a malt whiskey and a celebrity tied expression known as Slipknot N0. 9 Iowa Whiskey. Complete Story
First distillery on Kentucky Bourbon Trail reopens to tourists with new safety measures(June 10) – BOYLE COUNTY, Kentucky — “The focus is back on getting people in here and enjoying themselves,” said tour guide Xavier Tomlin. Wilderness Trail was the first to reopen for tours on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail, but not without some safety measures. Complete Story
The Story Behind Gordon Ramsay Helping Make Whiskey With Sheep Poop For Nat Geo’s Uncharted(June 8) Gordon Ramsay’s Uncharted has returned to National Geographic for a second season. Season 2 premiere of Uncharted saw him helping to make whiskey with a very unique source of fuel: sheep poop. Complete Story
Peyton Manning, Drew Holcomb and others launch top-shelf Tennessee bourbon whiskey(June 2) – Sweetens Cove Tennessee Bourbon Whiskey is meant to be an authentic spirit that stands on its own, a “love letter” to Tennessee in a market largely dominated by Kentucky products, primary investor Mark Rivers told The Tennessean. Complete Story
Catoctin Creek’s Newest Rye Whiskey Mimics An Infinity Bottle(June 1) – The new Catoctin Creek Infinity Barrel #InThisTogether Rye Whisky, according to those behind it, is a blended expression consisting of leftover whiskies in barrel that were previously part of its barrel selection program. Complete Story
Grant View Distillery to rebrand, change name to honor Rockford’s history(May 18) – A well-known Rockford distillery will now go by a new name. The Grant View Distillery is rebranding and changing its name to Barnstormer Distillery. The name is after the 1920’s Barnstorming Pilots, and to honor Rockford’s history in aviation. Complete Story
Skunk Brothers Spirits ‘excited’ to begin welcoming tourists back(May 17) – KOIN 6 News spoke with the owner of Skunk Brothers Spirits about their plans. Co-owner Dan “Skunk” Donoho said they have been making hand sanitizer and working on their online sales while the distillery has been closed. Complete Story
New 18-Year-Old Colonel E. H. Taylor Jr. Bourbon Whiskey Costs Only $70, But For How Long?(May 7) – Paying homage to the former owner, Colonel E. H. Taylor Jr., Buffalo Trace has announced a new 18-year-old bourbon created from a marriage of three mashbills. The release will drop in June and features two rye bourbon mashbills, and one wheated bourbon mashbill. Complete Story
WhistlePig and other Distilleries Are Turning Stale Beer Into Coronavirus Whiskey(April 29) – In New England, at least, brewers now have an option, thanks to Jeff Kozak, WhistlePig’s chief executive officer. “We are tentatively calling the project the ‘Great Beer Rescue,’” Complete Story
New Riff Distilling Drops A New Smoky American Whiskey Duo(April 27) – New Riff Distilling, located in the northern part of Kentucky, likes to focus its whiskeys being made in what is described as “the traditional, time-honored sour mash Kentucky regimen, which utilizes a portion of grain ‘backset’ from a previous distillation in the mash of the new batch.” Complete Story
Slipknot’s No. 9 Iowa Whiskey Reserve was chosen as the “best celebrity-related whiskey” by Forbes Magazine(April 16) – The band’s No. 9 Iowa Whiskey Reserve was chosen as the “best celebrity-related whiskey” by Forbes, particularly noted in taster Fred Minnick’s “Best American Whiskey: A Taste Off.” If you missed your shot at grabbing a bottle in 2019, you have another chance! The liquor goes on sale for the first time this year on April 17. Complete Story
How Bob Dylan Is Rocking American Whiskey(April 9) – In 2018, American folk-rock singer and composer Bob Dylan joined the ranks of celebrity liquor brands when he launched Heaven’s Door. While hardly the first celebrity to do so, he does have the distinction of being one of only two Noble Prize winners to be personally associated with a beverage brand. Complete Story
Kentucky Bourbon Company Looking For “World’s Top Whiskey Taster”(April 9) – Calling all whiskey and bourbon enthusiasts – both fans and pros – the contest offers connoisseurs a chance to win $20,000, plus a scholarship to Moonshine University’s executive bourbon steward program, and a contract position as a distillery ambassador to some of the world’s most preeminent whiskey festivals in 2021. Complete Story
Veteran buys $20K bottle of bourbon for $40K to help the restaurant stay open(April 8) – The Perrys have a prized liquor collection that they opted to put up for sale, an effort to keep current staff employed and perhaps bring back some furloughed staff. A bottle of Pappy Van Winkle Kentucky Bourbon is the gem of the collection, aged 25 years. A post on an online site included a sizeable price tag. Complete Story
A Stay-at-Home Whiskey Project: The Infinity Bottle(April 3) – Enthusiasts around the world post their personal blends of various whiskeys to social media under the hashtag “infinitybottle.” Complete Story
Coronavirus Pandemic: Popular Bluegrass Lounge Sells Rarest Bourbon To Pay Employees(March 29) – Many Colorado companies are looking into government-issued loans to make it through the economic downturn from COVID-19, but one restaurant in Arvada is doing whatever it can to meet payroll. The Bluegrass Lounge has come up with several different ways to keep making money including unloading its prized collection of rare whiskeys. Complete Story
A twist of fate: Unexpected bourbon discovery rekindles family legacy(March 28) – The family certainly had had its share of disaster. Henry Edgar Pogue in 1876 bought the Maysville, Kentucky, distillery where he worked and re-established it as Old Pogue Distillery, only to be killed on site in 1890, when a tail on his suit coat – distillers dressed formally back then – got inextricably caught in machinery. Complete Story
The 10 Best Whiskeys for Your Bar Cart: Bourbon, Rye, Scotch and More(March 27) – At its heart, a properly stocked bar cart is an all-in-one tool for entertaining. And although our ability to collectively entertain and have people over to our homes has become much more difficult in the era of coronavirus/COVID-19, you can still get the most out of your bar cart by keeping it well stocked for when we finally reach the light at the end of this tunnel. Complete Story
San Diego distilleries are making hand sanitizer to respond to COVID-19(March 26) – Distilleries across the country are pouring out some love by making hand sanitizer in order to respond to the shortage during the coronavirus pandemic. The hand sanitizer being made at San Diego distilleries is being given to help non-profits, healthcare workers, and shoppers who can’t find it on retail shelves or online. Complete Story
Redbreast Irish Whiskey Releases Oldest Expression Yet(March 23) – Redbreast Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey has introduced Redbreast 27 Year Old, the oldest permanent expression in the Redbreast series. Redbreast 27 Year Old includes a portion of whiskey that was matured in ruby port barrels from Portugal’s Douro Valley. Altogether this new expression joins Redbreast 12, 15, 21 Year Old and Lustau. Complete Story
Jack Rose Is Selling Off One of the World’s Largest Whiskey Collections(March 19) – Jack Rose in Adams Morgan built a reputation as destination for whiskey aficionados and rare spirits specialists, touting its massive bottle collection as one the largest in the western hemisphere. Now, with an escalating health and economic crisis, all 2,700-plus bottles are up for sale starting Friday, March 20. Complete Story
Kentucky bourbon distilleries announce no more tours as COVID-19 precaution(March 15) – Some of America’s most popular whiskeys announced on Thursday they are closing their distilleries to the public in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak. Brown-Forman, based in Louisville, announced it will be suspending tours at its Woodford Reserve Distillery outside Frankfort and Old Forester Distillery in downtown Louisville beginning March 15. Complete Story
North Portland’s Shine Distillery Is Giving Away House-Made, 80-Percent-Alcohol Hand ‘Cleaner’(March 12) – Shine Distillery, a restaurant and spirit producer, has begun taking its high-proof initial product and turning it into something like a hand sanitizer, KPTV reports. Normally, that methyl alcohol-heavy product would be thrown away, but the restaurant has been using it as a cleaner for drains and windows; however, as COVID-19 worries grew within the restaurant’s customer base, owner Jon Poteet thought the product could work in a new way. Complete Story
Couple to open Waterford Stillhouse distillery in Waterford, Wisconsin(March 9) – The Begotkas recently decided to expand their community efforts to the business side of things and are opening a distillery, the Waterford Stillhouse, this year. “One thing we’ve consistently seen is that this vibrant community, with its amazing people, doesn’t have a downtown that reflects that,” Brandon said. Complete Story
Whiskey women lead the way at Cedarburg’s Handen Distillery(March 8) – “For a business steeped in tradition and history, whiskey has forgotten its better half. Women have always been a part of whiskey history; they’ve just never received credit,” wrote the famous chronicler of whiskey Fred Minnick in his book “Whiskey Women: The Untold Story of How Women Saved Bourbon, Scotch and Irish Whiskey.” Complete Story
Indiana Grown adds Distillery Trail to list of maps and guides(March 2) – The Distillery Trail features 18 distilleries and their craft spirits, such as whiskey, vodka and gin. Participants will discover members like Old 55 Distillery, which is Indiana’s only sweet corn distillery, and Hotel Tango, a veteran-owned distillery whose name pays tribute to the owner’s military service. Complete Story
West Fork Whiskey Co. introduces canned cocktails(February 29) – So by now we all know that canned cocktails are a Thing with a capital T. Enter West Fork Whiskey Co. and its new Cold Hamer line, which contributes to the relatively small bourbon-based sector of the canned cocktail industry. Complete Story
Chamblee’s Distillery of Modern Art will mix craft whiskey with a modern gallery(February 29) – Slated to open in Chamblee this summer, the Distillery of Modern Art is a 15,000-square-foot space intended for spirit enthusiasts—and spirit enthusiasts who are also enthusiastic about modern art. Complete Story
Irish Whiskey Distilleries Saw Over 1 Million Visitors Last Year(February 26) – There is no doubt about it – global growth in whisk(e)y tourism is not just relegated to the likes of Scotland and Kentucky, the latter of which we reported earlier this week saw over 2 million whiskey lovers in 2019. Complete Story
Kansas City’s Tom’s Town Distilling Co. Teams Up With Lagunitas Brewing Co. For New Whiskey(February 22) – A Kansas City distillery and a California brewery have teamed up to celebrate their hometown teams’ trips to the Super Bowl in February. Machine No. 7: Gridiron Whiskey is the seventh spirit in The Machine, a series of one-off spirits from Tom’s Town Distilling Co. ranging from a garden party gin to a gingersnap whiskey. Complete Story
Tarpon Springs Distillery is now open, hosting tours, tastings and more(February 18) – Since opening last month, the new Tarpon Springs Distillery has gone full steam ahead at 605 N. Pinellas Ave. by hosting tours, tastings and live music events. Its spirits include Papou’s Ouzo, Gramling Woods High Rye Moonshine, and Anclote Very Small Batch Gin—and next weekend, the distillery is hosting North Carolina songwriter Nikki Talley as part of the Gramling Woods Moonshine Concert series. Complete Story
The World’s Best Bourbon Comes from Ironroot Republic Distillery in Texas, According to More than 40 Experts(February 17) – Announced at World Whiskies Awards in New York last night, Ironroot Republic’s Harbinger bourbon whiskey earned the title “World’s Best Bourbon.” The Northeast Texas distillery’s whiskey is made using heirloom corn varieties from local farms and is available in limited markets outside its home state for around $50. Complete Story
Chiefs fan finally opens 50-year-old bottle of whiskey from Super Bowl IV(February 12) – Nothing tastes better than patience… except, maybe, whiskey. Thanks to the Chiefs’ Super Bowl victory, a man in Kansas City finally got to crack open a bottle of whiskey he’d been saving. This wasn’t just any bottle, however. The bottle was a 50-year-old limited edition from a local brewery, which had bottled it to celebrate the Chiefs’ victory in Super Bowl IV in 1970. Complete Story
Florida Georgia Line + Jason Aldean Team Up for Wolf Moon Bourbon(February 11) – Jason Aldean and Florida Georgia Line have come together for a new collaboration, but this time, it has nothing to do with music. The country megastars have combined forces on a line line of alcohol, Wolf Moon Bourbon. Complete Story
Sean and Tia Edwards are Building the First Black-owned Bourbon Distillery in Kentucky(February 10) – Power couple Sean and Tia Edwards are set to launch the first bourbon distillery in Kentucky. Their company, Fresh Bourbon Distilling Co., has announced that they plan to build a $5.4 million distillery in downtown Lexington. Complete Story
A Whiskey Distillery Opens at Battery Atlanta Near Braves Truist Park This Spring(February 7) – Atlanta whiskey producer ASW Distillery opens a third location this spring at Battery Atlanta in Cobb County, the home of Braves baseball. The new 3,500-square-foot operation, located at the corner of Legends Place and Battery Avenue, includes a tasting room and still house production facility. ASW also begins distilling a new vodka and gin from its Battery location. Complete Story
End of Days Distillery Aims For Spirited Success in Wilmington, NC(February 6) – Distill: To extract the essence of something. Or, as Shane Faulkner, founder of End of Days Distillery (EOD), puts it: “To produce a high-quality, ultra-premium product here in Wilmington.” Complete Story
African American owned bourbon distillery to create 25 jobs in Lexington(February 4) – African American owned Fresh Bourbon Distilling Company announced Wednesday its plans to construct a new distillery and create about 25 jobs in Lexington. “Bourbon is a mainstay of Kentucky’s economy, and I am thrilled to see this step toward greater inclusivity in this iconic industry,” Gov. Beshear said. Complete Story
Doire Distilling launches Distiller for a Day program in Derry(January 28) – Doire Distilling owners Andy Day and Alana Wentworth are inviting customers to have a direct hand in distilling a bottle of liquor for a day, and then to enjoy the fruits of their labor with seven cases of custom-labeled bottles. It’s called Distiller for a Day, and as far as Day knows, nobody else is doing anything quite like it in New Hampshire. Complete Story
Meet the first female head distiller since Prohibition(January 27) – Did you know Memphis is home to the first female head distiller in Tennessee since Prohibition? Alex Castle earned that title when she became head distiller for Old Dominick Distillery in 2015. As of Jan. 1, her role as a leading lady in the Tennessee whiskey industry has expanded. Complete Story
A Distiller’s Guide to Making Whiskey(January 23) Did you know that Jack Daniels learned how to make whiskey from a Lutheran minister when he was only 6 years old? Young Jack probably had no idea how valuable that knowledge would be. Over 150 years later, the family who runs the Jack Daniels Corporation is worth a cool $12.3 billion. Complete Story
Conor McGregor slugged whiskey at his post-fight press conference(January 21) – Conor McGregor slugged whiskey at his post-fight press conference after putting his critics on blast for saying he only had one skill. McGregor took a slug from a cup in front of him multiple times, and said: “My belly is warm, what I can I say. “Don’t get my wrong … that’s one of the things I love about whiskey, you have to respect the liquid, or it will come and get ya.” Complete Story
Distiller MGP Ingredients Stock Plunged 24% on Disappointing Whiskey Sales(January 20) – The color drained from MGP Ingredients stock on Friday morning, after the Kansas-based distiller warned that unsold whiskey left it with a sales shortfall. The shares (ticker: MGPI) were down 24% by midmorning, to $40. Complete Story
Omaha hosts first whiskey festival(January 19) – Omaha is hosting its first whiskey festival at the Embassy Suites on February 8th. Over 600 tickets have already sold to the event which will house, whiskey lovers, blenders, distillers, and experts from around the world. Complete Story
Watershed Distillery to release locally made single-barrel bourbon(January 14) – A Columbus distillery is celebrating its anniversary with a special release. Watershed Distillery will mark 10 years since the business’ founding by releasing a single-barrel bourbon. Complete Story
Lake House Distilling officially opens doors in Waynesboro, Pennsylvania(January 13) – On Sunday, Lake House Distilling Co. served spirits to the public for the first time, marking the start of a new destination in Waynesboro. Located at 218 W. Fifth St., Lake House sells its own whiskey, moonshine and brandy along with other liquors and Pennsylvania-made beers and wines. Complete Story
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