Eight Oaks Farm Distillery takes home gold for rye whiskey(August 18) – Eight Oaks Farm Distillery won a gold medal for its penna rye whiskey at the American Craft Spirits Association’s latest conference. It also won silver medals for pinot bourbon, port rye whiskey and authentic applejack, and a bronze medal for aged applejack. Complete Story
Bottoms Up: 39 FL Distilleries Featured On Craft Spirits Trail(August 10) – Connoisseurs of rum, vodka, whiskey, vodka and other spirits are invited to tour 39 distilleries across Florida during the Florida Craft Spirits Association’s Florida Distillery Trail. “We are thrilled to be announcing our distillery trail, which has come to fruition in only our second year as an association,” said David Cohen, president of the Florida Craft Spirits Association, a membership organization consisting of 44 Florida distilleries. Complete Story
The Entire State of Virginia Has Apparently Stopped Selling Allocated Bourbon Brands(April 20) – As far as I can tell, no consumer in the state of Virginia has legally purchased a bottle of Buffalo Trace Bourbon for the last three weeks, or possibly longer. The same goes for Blanton’s Single Barrel Bourbon, Henry McKenna Single Barrel, W.L. Weller Special Reserve, and dozens of others on the Virginia ABC’s sprawling list of “limited availability products.” Complete Story
Toledo Spirits launches new Bourbon made in Toledo “Lowertown Ninety Nine”(April 18) – You can get your hands on the first bourbon made in Toledo, Ohio. Lowertown Ninety Nine, made by Toledo Spirits Company will be released to everyone Sunday, April 24. If you can’t wait that long, members of their Lords of Lowertown Bourbon Club can get first access at a special release party on Friday, April 22. Complete Story
End of an Era: Historic ‘Barton 1792 Distillery’ to Halt Visitor Center Tours to Focus on Whiskey Production(April 17) – Distillery tourism in the U.S. is big business, especially if that tourism is taking place in Bardstown, Kentucky, the Bourbon Capital of the World. In what most would say is shocking news as distillery tourism continues to boom, Barton 1792 Distillery has announced it will end public tours by the middle of 2022. Complete Story
Ten Cool New Bourbons And Whiskies To Try Now(April 16) – The best things in life take time, chief among them whiskey and bourbon—a product that depends solely on time to properly develop flavor. Fortunately, five to ten years ago a coterie of new distillers started experimenting with whiskey and bourbon and many of those projects are finally coming of age. Complete Story
Milwaukee area distilleries guide(March 14) – Milwaukee has a long – albeit interrupted – history of distilling, dating back to the mid-19th century when city directories show a number of whiskey and gin distillers and merchants. One Milwaukee whiskey man – S.C. Herbst – created the long-beloved Old Fitzgerald brand, which is now owned by Heaven Hill. Complete Story
5 Best Distilleries in New Orleans, LA(March 13) – Here is a list of the top and leading Distilleries in New Orleans. To help you find the best Distilleries located near you in New Orleans, we put together our own list based on a business rating system. Complete Story
Buffalo Trace Distillery unveils largest bottles of O.F.C. Vintage 1982 Bourbon with proceeds donated to charity(March 9) – The 234-year-old Buffalo Trace Distillery is announcing a major milestone with the release of O.F.C. Bourbon Whiskey, distilled in 1982. The ultra-rare whiskey is the Distillery’s only vintage-dated bourbon and will be the first bourbon released in a colossal six-liter sized bottle and sold as a non-fungible token (NFT) on BlockBar.com – the world’s first DTC NFT marketplace for luxury wines and spirits. Complete Story
Nashville Barrel Co.’s Michael Hinds Is Making Lots of Moves(February 24) – When the Scene profiled Michael Hinds back in 2020, he had just begun transitioning his hobby — picking out exceptional barrels of whiskeys to bottle and donate to charitable auctions — into a going concern named Nashville Barrel Co. Quickly, his special releases of rum, rye and bourbon became cult favorites, often selling out entire runs in a single day. Complete Story
Whiskey ditched: Western Montana bars completely out of Jameson Irish Whiskey(February 3) – In a strange quirk of ongoing pandemic-related shortages, there has hardly been a bottle of Jameson Irish Whiskey to be found at any bar in western Montana for nearly two months. That’s according to multiple bar owners and liquor store managers. Even in Butte, with its rich Irish history, the upcoming St. Patrick’s Day celebration will most likely not feature the coveted spirit. Compete Story
A Distillery Was Built And Left To Decay In The Middle Of Kentucky’s Capitol City(February 3) – Once upon a time, in 1887, E.H. Taylor built a new kind of distillery in Kentucky; it was a massive place, complete with its castle! Old Taylor Distillery was the birthplace of bourbon tourism in the Bluegrass — and my, was it something. But time can be a fickle thing, and this once-bustling distillery in Kentucky’s capitol city was ultimately abandoned, left for ruin. But the story of this abandoned distillery in Kentucky doesn’t end there. It’s found new life with bourbon upstart Castle & Key. Complete Story
Bourbon industry is pouring $9 billion in Kentucky every year(February 3) – Kentucky Bourbon is expanding its status as a premier signature industry, now pouring $9 billion into the state economy every year and generating more than 22,500 jobs with $1.23 billion in payroll, Gov. Andy Beshear and legislative leaders said today. Complete Story
Great Lakes Distillery expands into non-alcoholic beverage market with new company(January 22) -Milwaukee-based Great Lakes Distillery is coming out with a new product line that veers away from its mainstay brand of spirits. The distillery has launched a new company, Boundless Beverages LLC, which develops and produces non-alcoholic spirits under the brand name Sans. Its first product is a botanical spirit known as Junipre, and it’s now available at Great Lakes’ tasting room at 616 W. Virginia St. in Walker’s Point and select liquor stores in the area. Complete Story
Shelter Distilling is relocating headquarters to Montrose, California(January 21) – Shelter Distilling, a distillery, brewery and kitchen currently located in Mammoth Lakes, California, announced plans on Wednesday to build a two-story, 23,000 square-foot facility within the Colorado Outdoors campus. Shelter Distilling co-founders Jason Senior, Matt Hammer and Karl Anderson told the Montrose Daily Press that the company’s headquarters are moving to Montrose. Complete Story
Providence distillery, Industrious Spirit introduces oyster-distilled vodka(January 21) – Industrious Spirit owner, Manya Rubinstein says, “We were enjoying ourselves, having some cocktails, enjoying some oysters, and we started thinking ‘how come nobody’s ever combined these?’” Complete Story
Someone Just Bought a $559,200 Bottle of Japanese Whiskey at an Airport Duty-Free Shop(January 19) – The Unifree Duty Free shop at the Istanbul Airport in Turkey announced they sold a bottle of The Yamazaki 55 Year Old for $559,200. In theory, it’s actually not even a bad deal: A bottle from the same year (but a different bottling) sold at auction in 2020 for $795,000. Maybe the buyer saved all that money on duty? Frankly, I’m not quite sure how that works. Complete Story
The 7 Best Smoky Whiskies for Sipping(January 19) – Rich BBQ, a cozy campfire, a lush mezcal—some things are just better with a kiss of smoke. Ask any scotch lover, and they will no doubt assure you that whiskey very much belongs on that list as well. Typically derived from peat—a compressed form of ancient, decomposed plant matter which is burned in some drying processes for malted barley—this smoky flavor has become a signature of Scottish whisky. Complete Story
Food and Wine Sips Their Way Through Our Favorite Whiskies of 2021(January 14) – It’s time we look back and take stock of what came our way over the past 12 months. In the world of whiskey, at least, there were plenty of highlights. An unveiling of new expressions, across all subcategories of the spirit, was a seemingly weekly occurrence. Poring through the pouring notes, I am reminded of dozens of noteworthy examples with price tags ranging from $20 to over two million. Complete Story
Ole Smoky Distillery partners with The Po’ Ramblin’ Boys(January 11) – The Grammy-nominated bluegrass group, The Po’ Ramblin’ Boys, got their start at the Ole Smoky Distillery in Gatlinburg in 2014. Nearly a decade later on Jan. 11, 2022, they announced their partnership. Complete Story
GlenPharmer Distillery spices up its vodka line with cranberries and ghost peppers(January 10) – GlenPharmer Distillery in Franklin produces a line of artisan spirits using local ingredients and traditional grains and barley. Owners Patrick and Beth Downing founded the distillery three years ago and are pharmacists, owned a pharmacy and have the profession woven into their family history — hence the name. Complete Story
Heaven Hill: How It Became The World’s Largest (Toured) Distillery(January 2) – Heaven Hill, located in Kentucky, is the world’s largest tourable distillery. It is the seventh-largest supplier of alcohol in the United States and thanks to its massive warehouses, the second-largest holder of bourbon whiskey in the world. True to its roots, the distillery primarily produces Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey. Complete Story
Fierce Whiskers Distillery taking different approach to make whiskey(January 1) – Fierce Whiskers Distillery is taking a different approach to how it makes its product and in doing so, it’s hoping to put Austin on the map when people think of whiskey. The distillery was started by two friends, Tim Penney and Tri Vo, who formerly worked in energy and knew each other from growing up in Houston. Complete Story
12 Best Bourbons To Use In Your Old Fashioned(January 1) – Ordering an old fashioned is a bold statement –– in a way, you’re telling the bartender you’re sophisticated yet want a cocktail that packs a punch. The whiskey, bitters, sugar, traces of orange, and maraschino cherries dance together in a glass. The outcome is sweet yet the bourbon keeps the cocktail honest. Complete Story
Copperworks To Release A Kentucky Tornado Relief American Single Malt Whiskey(December 19) – Making whiskey make a difference, the team at Copperworks Distilling Co. in Washington State turned to whiskey in their inventory maturing in barrels that previously held Kentucky bourbon. They created Copperworks Kentucky Tornado Relief American Single Malt Whiskey, and proceeds from the sale will go to the relief fund for tornado victims. Complete Story
Dallas County’s first whiskey distillery sold to new owners, will move to Wylie(December 15) – Two entrepreneurs from Wylie and Canton have purchased Herman Marshall Whiskey, the first small-batch distillery to operate in Dallas County since Prohibition. President Clint Ecord and chief financial officer Ryan Hamar intend to keep the same recipes for the bourbon and rye, and to keep the name Herman Marshall on the bottles. Complete Story
2D Distillery set to open near Manheim, PA with whiskey, vodka(December 11) – 2D Distillery will open with six of its own products, including rye, multigrain, and corn whiskey as well as vodka. Peach- and cherry-flavored whiskies will be coming soon. The distillery will also sell wine from Saylorsburg-based Blue Ridge Vineyard & Winery and beer from Milford-based Log Tavern Brewing. Complete Story
Ann Arbor Distilling has the perfect gin for every season(December 10) – Working in this Ann Arbor distillery, carefully refining gins, and aging bourbon until it tastes “just right”, is how Robert Cleveland likes to unwind. “The thing I like the most about it is that it’s really hands-on,” explains Cleveland. “It’s very analog, right?…And we’re just doing it by taste, and smell, and look.” Complete Story
3 West Michigan Distilleries to Get You in the ‘Spirit’ This Holiday Season(December 8) – Michigan has no shortage of craft breweries but if your tastebuds are looking to try something new, you absolutely should visit any number of our area craft distilleries. Bonus points for grabbing a bottle to go, especially if you plan on bringing it to the next holiday party. Look out craft beer, here are some of the top distilleries to get holly and jolly this season: Complete Story
Tilray Inc. acquiring Breckenridge Distillery(December 8) – Tilray, Inc. announced that it is acquiring Breckenridge Distillery. The Canadian cannabis giant expects the transaction to be immediately accretive to EBITDA. The company did not disclose the terms of the deal. The sellers of Breckenridge were led by Sababa Partners I LLC, an entity controlled by Sir Martin E. Franklin. Complete Story
Tattersall’s new Wisconsin distillery and restaurant open December 1(November 23) – Tattersall Distilling’s new Wisconsin facility opens to the public on Dec. 1, complete with a restaurant. The northeast Minneapolis-based company has already shifted most production to its new “destination distillery” in River Falls. The restaurant in the 75,000-square-foot space is a first for Tattersall. Complete Story
The New World’s Largest Bottle of Whiskey Could Be Worth Nearly $2 Million(September 16) – On September 8, whisky-focused investment firm Fah Mai Holdings Group and alternative assets company Rosewin Holdings teamed up with the independent bottler Duncan Taylor Scotch Whisky to officially break the Guinness World Record for “Largest Bottle of Scotch” with a 311-liter bottle that stands about 5-feet, 11-inches tall. Complete Story
Inside Jim Beam’s Attempt to Build Its Own Craft Distillery(September 7) – Freddie Noe could be considered bourbon royalty, if there is such a thing, although that’s not something he’d likely bring up in conversation. He’s the grandson of former Jim Beam master distiller Booker Noe and the son of current master distiller Fred Noe, two major figures in the modern history of Kentucky bourbon. Complete Story
The World’s Best Whiskey—According To The 2021 Craft Spirits Awards(September 6) – The top honor of Best of Show is reserved for a single spirit exerting superiority across all categories. This year that honor went to a port-finished rye from Milam & Greene out of Blanco, Texas. Co-founders Marsha Milam and master blender Heather Greene are no strangers to prestigious accolades. Complete Story
Moylan’s Distilling and Great Lakes Distillery take top honors at the U.S. Open(July) – Moylan’s Distilling in Petaluma, California was named the U.S. Open Whiskey’s Grand National Champion after winning two gold medals, a silver and two bronze medals. Their Moylan’s Cask Strength Bourbon was a favorite among the judges. While, Great Lakes Distillery in Milwaukee, Wisconsin was named the 2021 U.S. Open Spirits’ Grand National Champion by winning an amazing four gold medals. Complete Story