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Read all about it. The here and now of bourbon. Featuring articles covering the lifestyle surrounding bourbon and happenings of the industry. Have a bourbon story to suggest? Contact Us

Famous master distiller reviving old bourbon brand, plans new distillery December 18, 2018 by Janet Patton

Jim Rutledge, the famed former master distiller who revived Four Roses Bourbon, is back from retirement. Earlier this month, Rutledge released a revival bottling of the Cream of Kentucky Bourbon, an old Schenley Company brand produced at several distilleries, including the James Pepper distillery in Lexington. The new version apparently was selected by Rutledge and is an 11 1/2-year-old, 102-proof Kentucky straight bourbon...

Diageo to build new Kentucky distillery for Bulleit bourbon brand December 17, 2018 by Phil Hall

Diageo is signaling a full-speed-ahead plunge into the bourbon and American whiskey market with the creation of a $130 million distillery in Kentucky. The Associated Press is reporting the facility will be built at a 144-acre site in Lebanon, a town that is about 65 miles southeast of Louisville. The facility, which will be Diageo’s third in Kentucky, is scheduled for a 2021 opening and will produce up to 10 million proof...

Reviving the Historic Chicken Cock Whiskey Brand December 16, 2018

While some entrepreneurs are trying to cash in on the Bourbon boom by starting new whiskey brands, others are looking to history for heritage brands that built a history but faded away over the years. That’s the approach Manti Antilla of Grain and Barrel Spirits took, and it led him to Chicken Cock, a brand with a unique name and a century’s worth of history to build on. He’s now working with Kentucky’s Bardstown Bourbon...

Maple Bourbon Old Fashioned: Warming Winter Spirits December 15, 2018 by CJ Arlotta

Transitioning from fall to winter is a favorite time for many, and the right cocktail, something sweet and smoky, can ease imbibers into the colder months by wrapping drinkers in virtual blankets. Among classics offering that effect is the old fashioned. But at Grandpa’s Shed, a bar in Stony Brook where antiques, farm tools and framed photographs of grandfathers adorn the walls, mixologists improved on this staple. “We were...

Bourbon keeps booming with two new planned distilleries December 14, 2018 by David Mattingly

A corporate giant and a bourbon icon are both upping their games as the bourbon boom continues with no end in sight. Already the biggest producer of distilled spirits in the world, Diageo announced Thursday that it needs more bourbon. A $130 million distillery will be built in Marion County to increase output of products, including Bulleit. The operation will bring 30 new jobs. “The U.S. bourbon category has experienced a...

Booker's® Bourbon Celebrates Three Decades With The Release Of Booker's® 30th Anniversary Bourbon December 13, 2018

Booker's® Bourbon, one of the few super-premium bourbons available uncut and unfiltered1, is proud to announce its final and most special release of the year – Booker's® 30th Anniversary Bourbon – celebrating the legacy of late Beam Master Distiller Booker Noe and the founding of his namesake brand three decades ago. Widely credited with the creation of the small batch movement, Booker's 30th Anniversary Bourbon celebrates...

13 of the Best Bottom Shelf, Cheap Bourbons, Blind-Tasted and Ranked December 12, 2018 by Jim Vorel

When we launched the first of these bottom-shelf liquor blind tastings by sampling 10 gins for $15 or less, there was one major point I felt we needed to get across. It’s this: There’s no shortage of lists online that purport to tell you about the best “cheap booze.” But most of those lists do a lousy job of it. Whether it’s drastically misunderstanding the conception of what is actually “cheap” to the average consumer...

How To Make Bourbon Cherry Bombs for your Christmas Party December 12, 2018 by Colleen Matthews

‘Tis the season to be holly, jolly, and everything in between! Whether you’re looking for a fun way to spice up your holiday party or want to make family Christmas a little extra cheery, these bourbon-soaked cherries are sure to be a hit!

Wyoming Whiskey Announces Launch of Barrel Strength Bourbon December 11, 2018

Wyoming Whiskey is slowly releasing its second-ever batch of Barrel Strength Bourbon on beginning in Wyoming on December 17. Only 50 bottles of this very rare bourbon will be made available in select markets. As bourbon enthusiasts may recall, the last release of Wyoming Whiskey Barrel Strength sold out before it even hit shelves in November of 2015 and was named one of the top ten whiskies in the World by Whisky Advocate...

How to Make a Bourbon-Glazed Ham December 10, 2018 by Emily Price

For Christmas every year my family typically has ham instead of turkey. I grew up thinking that was just what everyone did, but as I’ve gotten older it seems like more and more people consider Christmas a turkey (or goose) holiday as well. Ham at Christmas is a great idea, if you ask me. It changes things up a bit from Thanksgiving, and just like that turkey, it makes for some pretty delicious sandwich leftovers in the days...

Gift-giving Ideas for Your Favorite Spirits Aficionado December 10, 2018 by Greg Morago

For high-end liquor aficionados, the holidays are all about breaking out the most celebratory bottles of hooch. It’s the time of year we give (and get) top-shelf stuff: fine cognacs, well-aged whiskeys, limited-edition and collectible bottles. So, let’s savor the moment and pour two fingers of the best your liquor cabinet or bar cart has to offer. Here are some new and memorable spirits — available at Total Wine, Spec’s and...

Basil Hayden’s debuts oldest Bourbon to date December 6, 2018 by Nicola Carruthers

Basil Hayden’s 10 Year Old Bourbon will hit shelves this month, in time for the festive period. The expression features the brand’s signature high-rye Bourbon recipe, which has been aged longer in American oak barrels to “offer an additional layer of complexity”. The longer ageing is said to give the Bourbon “heightened oak aromas along with hints of char and vanilla”. The Bourbon is bottled at an “approachable” 80 proof...

Buffalo Trace Aims To Explore All Things Oak In New Bourbon Series December 6, 2018 by Nino Marchetti

The Buffalo Trace distillery in Kentucky is a whiskey making powerhouse from which a range of bourbons emerge, including such top shelf favorites as those from the E.H. Taylor, Jr. line. Those who work there, however, feel there’s room for more, and to this end have launched a new series called Old Charter Oak that will explore “how barrels made from trees that grew in different countries, climates, and soil … affect the...

Buffalo Trace’s New Experimental Bourbon Brand Was 15 Years in the Making December 5, 2018

Harlen Wheatley runs one of the most decorated distilleries in America. He’s Buffalo Trace Distillery’s Master Distiller and one of the key players behind the revival and eventual dominance of the Buffalo Trace we know today. He also says people, including himself, really “don’t know shit about whiskey.” But that’s not really true. Wheatley does know about whiskey. He just thinks little has changed in the last few centuries...

HOW BOURBON IS MADE December 4, 2018

<p>How Different Grains Affect How Your Bourbon Tastes: </p>

Rhetoric 25-Year-Old Bourbon Whiskey is On Its Way December 3, 2018 Sam Slaughter

Have a whiskey lover in your life? Or perhaps you the whiskey lover? Well, you might want to use some persuasive speaking and writing to get your loved ones to search out a bottle of this whiskey during the coming holiday season. Annually for the past five years, the Orphan Barrel Whiskey Distilling Company has released a super-aged bourbon released under the name Rhetoric. Starting with Rhetoric 20, the distillery has held...

14 Things You Should Know About Maker’s Mark Bourbon Whiskey November 30, 2018 by Emily Bell

You might think you already know a lot about Maker’s Mark. There’s two reasons for this: The brand is extremely good at marketing, and its bourbon is intentionally unfussy and easy to like. Turns out there’s a lot more to know about Maker’s, though. The brand helped create and define bourbon culture and style, and, in one instance, even set the pricing. Here are 14 things about Maker’s Mark you need to know. T. William...

Woodford Reserve Releases a Bottled-in-Bond Bourbon as the Second Expression in Their 2018 Distillery Series November 29, 2018 By Caroline Paulus

For the first time ever, Woodford Reserve has released a Bottled-in-Bond Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey in their Distillery Series. “Given the historic nature of our distillery—and its National Historic Landmark status—it is only appropriate that one of the oldest distilleries in the country releases an expression in the oldest federal designation for bourbon,” said Master Distiller Chris Morris. The Bottled-in-Bond Act...

Maker’s Mark 101 Bourbon Debuts As A Travel Retail Exclusive November 28, 2018 By Nino Marchetti

There was a time apparently when you went to the fabled Maker’s Mark distillery in Loretto, Kentucky, and if you were special enough, the founders would share with you a unique, slightly higher proof version of their signature bourbon. Now this expression is being released as a travel retail offering and it is known as Maker’s Mark 101. Maker’s Mark 101, according to those behind it, is the same wheated Maker’s Mark bourbon...

Buffalo Trace Single Barrel is the bourbon of choice for the holiday season November 27, 2018 by John Ratajczak

During the stressful holiday season, one thing I think we can all be thankful for is bourbon. Buffalo Trace’s affordable and smooth Single Barrel release has long been my go-to holiday spirit, and here’s three reasons why: 1) It’s affordable. At around $30, Buffalo Trace Single Barrel won’t break the bank but still provides a smoothness and approachable flavor that tastes expensive. It’s excellent for sharing at get-...

The pursuit of Pappy Van Winkle: Is the crave-worthy bourbon worth it? November 26, 2018 by Dana McMahan

Here in Louisville we like to sigh at how absurd Pappy Van Winkle mania has gotten. We all have our “I remember when...” stories — as in when you could still buy it like any other bourbon without having to enter a raffle to get your hands on a bottle. I bought a flight a few years ago before prices got entirely out of hand, and have since had the good fortune to enjoy a pour now and then at special events. And like many...

Distillery celebrates small business support that helps it thrive November 24, 2018 By Mike Fussell

Support for independent, craft distillers is one of the driving forces the Kentucky Distillers Association notes is behind the bourbon boom. Kentucky Artisan Distillery, in Crestwood, is among those celebrating that, along with its customers and their impact on the community this Small Business Saturday. Much like craft bourbon, the manual, non-automated process of making it at KAD is a mash up. On one hand, distillers...

Nelson’s Green Brier Offers Special Belle Meade Bourbon Releases November 23, 2018 by Chris Chamberlain

If you’re thinking of shopping locally for the holidays and have a whiskey lover on your list, Nelson’s Green Brier Distillery has some really special options for you. They’ll probably go quickly, so you might want to add a visit to their distillery at 1414 Clinton St. to your Black Friday shopping itinerary. The first special release is a small allocation of their 12-year-aged Belle Meade Bourbon Single Barrel bottled at...

Everything You Need to Know About Goose Island's Bourbon County Stout November 22, 2018 By Dustin Nelson

As the saying goes, death, taxes, companies leaking your private data, and imperial stouts in the fall are the only inevitable things in life. The latter of those often arrives in the form of an expensive single-bottle release stored on a shelf most people avoid in the liquor store. It's a style every new brewery wants to release in hopes of making its mark. But the granddaddy of them all is Goose Island's Bourbon County...

Whiskey Review Round Up: Orphan Barrel Rhetoric 23 and 24 Yr Bourbons November 21, 2018 By Courtney Kristjana

What whiskey lover doesn’t enjoy a tall tale to get into the spirit of things? Marketing is everything when it comes to the world of whiskey, so promoting something as “lost” or “forgotten,” while not always necessarily factual, does definitely peak the interests of potential customers. Diageo, which sits on a plethora of whiskey housed in the historic Stitzel-Weller aging warehouses in Kentucky, would seem to be one that...

Goose Island's Bourbon County Stout to be released Black Friday in Philly November 20, 2018 By Sinead Cummings

Black Friday is a big day for shoppers looking to score a deal, but it's also significant for beer lovers. Pioneer of bourbon barrel-aged beer, Chicago's Goose Island, releases its famous Bourbon County Stout the day after Thanksgiving. In Chicago, thousands are expected to stand outside Binny's Beverage Depot to get their hands on the eight different variants available this year. Seven of the Bourbon County Stout variants...

Collectors Alert: Rare 36-Year-Old Bourbon Release November 19, 2018 by Larry Olmsted

The Last Drop Distillers is a company that specializes in locating exceptional and unique aged spirits and wines and making them available to aficionados and collectors around the world. Today the company announced the release of the oldest bourbon it has ever offered, the 1982 from Kentucky’s Buffalo Trace Distillery. As the company is quick to point out, when this elixir was created, Michael Jackson’s Thriller was the...

Chevy Chase Inn Gives Out Pappy Van Winkle Bourbon At Cost November 18, 2018

People in Lexington got a chance to try the famous Pappy Van Winkle bourbon at the Chevy Chase Inn on Sunday. The bar sold pours of the highly sought after bourbon to the first 75 people in line at cost. Bottles of Pappy Van Winkle can be found online selling for thousands of dollars depending on the age. “We feel that bourbon this special should be enjoyed, not looked at. The prices being charged for Pappy Van Winkle has...

Kick off Thanksgiving with bourbon and cider drink, Served Up Hot Or Cold November 16, 2018 By Leah Eskin

Thanksgiving is all about tradition, and in my household we stick to the script. The menu is set — oyster bisque to pumpkin pie. Each recipe is printed, hole-punched and binder-bound. We amend holey binder, rarely. Last year, however, we discovered a gap in the text. Right after the preparatory recipes — the stock, the cornbread, the candied pecans, the creme fraiche, the cheese sticks, the herb butter — and right before...

Bob Dylan adds 10-year-old to Heaven’s Door range November 15, 2018 by Nicola Carruthers

In April this year, Dylan launched the Heaven’s Door range in collaboration with Angel’s Envy Bourbon founder Marc Bushala. Heaven’s Door 10 Year Tennessee Straight Bourbon is matured using charcoal columns made from Tennessee sugar maple trees – a method known as the ‘Lincoln County Process’. The whiskey is described as having an aroma of “fresh baked bread and nougat” on the nose. The palate has “semi-sweet flavours of...

Ohio Bourbon bottle lottery is scheduled November 14, 2018 By Marc Bona

Bourbon lovers, that time is here: The 2018 Ohio Bottle Lottery. Eligible Ohioans can enter the lottery for 10 bottles in the Ohio Pappy Van Winkle collection and the Buffalo Trace Antique Collection. In 2017, various vintages of Pappy were allotted to the state. The Antique Collection bottles are new this year. The 2018 bottle lottery will begin 12:01 a.m. Monday, Dec. 10, and run through 11:59 p.m. Friday, Dec. 21. Only...

Holiday Gift Guide 2018: The Most Money-Minded Bourbons November 13, 2018 by Fred Minnick

Holiday gift guides for bourbon are often disingenuous, offering up allocated brands that you simply cannot find or afford. Publishing William LaRue Weller or Four Roses Limited Edition as the main options is simply cruel to the poor sap trying to find a bottle for a loved one. Here’s how the average exchange goes in the liquor store: Buyer: Do you have a bottle of Pappy Van Winkle? Liquor store: Laughs. Buyer: It’s for my...

The 9 Best Bottles of Whiskey to Gift This Year November 13, 2018

Despite its popularity this time of year — or perhaps because of it — whiskey actually runs the risk of being a thoughtless gift. Does your buddy’s liquor cabinet really need another bottle of Johnnie Black? Put a little thought behind the bottle, though, and you’ll impress even the most critical of whiskey drinkers. Let our picks be your guide. Michter’s makes great bourbon and excellent rye. This whiskey is neither. It’s...

The Best Gifts for Whiskey Lovers November 12, 2018 by Lauren Hubbard

So you want to get the whiskey lover in your life something special, but you can't bring yourself to buy yet another bottle? While whiskey fans certainly love gifts that they can drink (and you'll find a few crowd-pleasing suggestions for them here) there are plenty of other ways to celebrate their favorite spirit. We've rounded up a few of our favorites below to make your gifting that much easier this season...

The Superbowl of Bourbon: Pappy Van Winkle to be Released November 11, 2018 by Kathryn Rickmeyer

A line of tents will snake the front of ABC Select Liquor Store on Highway 72 this evening, as bourbon enthusiasts fight to get their frigid hands on a bottle of Pappy Winkle tomorrow at 9:00 a.m. Each autumn, Bourbon buffs across the country camp out at liquor stores in hopes of scoring one of the 84,000 bottles released. The spirit is sold at just under 300 liquor stores nationwide, selected by Sazerac Company. This year,...

A Bourbon Cocktail Perfect for a Chilly Day November 10, 2018 by Kara Newman

Will Lee, partner and beverage director at Grey Ghost Detroit, designed this cocktail for cold days. Its name, A Farewell to Arms, comes not so much from Hemingway, as the summertime expression, “sun’s out, guns out.” “It’s time to put the ‘guns’ away, hence the name,” he says. The drink starts with equal measures whiskey and apple brandy, though in a pinch, you can double up on either. Smaller measures of Bénédictine...

A Bourbon Makers Guide To The Best Bars In Louisville November 8, 2018 by Dillon Mafit

There are many reasons to visit Louisville, Kentucky. It is not only home to some of America's most iconic bourbon distilleries, but what Hunter S. Thompson famously described as the “decadent and depraved” Kentucky Derby is hosted at Churchill Downs every May. Boxing fans will want to visit the historic Cave Hill Cemetery, where Muhammad Ali is buried. There’s also that giant baseball bat if you’re an MLB fan. And if your...

A Road Trip Through Kentucky’s Historic Bourbon Country November 7, 2018 By Roger Morris

We have a full-day drive from the East Coast, across Delaware, Maryland, West Virginia and into Kentucky. Two stops for gas and two extra for food and coffee. Destination: Kentucky bourbon country situated around Bardstown, Louisville and Versailles, locally pronounced “Vur-SALES.” Duration: Two days in transit, three on the ground. With me are two veteran drinking buddies. The two of them have recently ridden cross country...

To Recreate A Century-Old Bottle Of Bourbon, Kentucky Distillers Turn To Science November 6, 2018 By Ashlie Stevens

Several years ago, while Marianne Eaves was in the midst of renovating Castle &amp; Key Distillery outside of Versailles, Ky., she came across an antique bottle of Old Taylor bourbon. The distillery grounds had originally belonged to Col. Edmund Haynes Taylor, Jr. (known in the whiskey world simply as E.H.). Taylor was a leader in industrializing bourbon production during the early 20th century. After Taylor died in 1923, the...

New Riff Kentucky Straight Bourbon (B.I.B) Review November 5, 2018 By Jim Vorel

I’ve often written in previous whiskey reviews that the inherent downside of craft distilling on a small scale is that the costs, both in terms of time and materials, make it very difficult for a small, independent distiller to produce “classic” style whiskeys at a competitive price point. Against a behemoth like Beam, or Heaven Hill, of Buffalo Trace, you’re never going to be able to bring a better whiskey to market while...

Famed Whiskey Distiller Dave Pickerell Dies At 56 November 2, 2018 by Ashlie Stevens

In a 2006 interview with WFPL News, famed distiller Dave Pickerell said: “There’s a difference between a distillery and a whiskey factory, and I work in a distillery.” Pickerell died on Thursday, but this simple statement summarized the bulk of his philosophy on distilling. After spending 14 years at Maker’s Mark, he became a mentor and consultant for a new generation of craft bourbon and whiskey distillers. He was known...

Does the World Need a 50-Year-Old Bourbon? November 1, 2018 by Justin Kennedy

Bourbon is a booming business. Since 1999, production has increased more than 250 percent, and the spirit now creates an $8.5 billion industry in the state of Kentucky alone, according to the Kentucky Distillers’ Association. Increased demand around the world has fostered a vibrant bourbon export market which, according to the association, surged 14 percent in 2017 with more than $1 billion in revenue. Dominating this...

Why A Visit To This Bourbon Birthplace Belongs On Your Bucket List October 31, 2018 by Joni Sweet

“Any time you’re in the neighborhood, stop by and visit us at our distillery,” reads the open invitation on the label of every Maker’s Mark bottle. But have you ever thought about what it’d actually be like to make the journey to little Loretto, KY, to see this famous bourbon birthplace? That illustration of a farmhouse distillery atop the invitation paints a quaint image of what you might think Maker’s Mark looked like...

Chicken Cock Whiskey Brings Forth a 10 Year Old Bourbon October 30, 2018 By Nino Marchetti

The historic Chicken Cock whiskey brand, currently owned by a company out of Florida known as Grain &amp; Barrel Spirits, is in the process of becoming its own original spirit through distillation at Bardstown Bourbon Company in Kentucky. While this white whiskey ages in barrel, the label continues to source for its bottlings, with the latest being a ten year old “double barrel” bourbon. The Chicken Cock 10-Year-Old Double...

George’s Bar to open at Old Forester Distillery on Nov. 7 October 29, 2018 By Sara Havens

When the Old Forester Distillery opened its doors on Louisville’s Whiskey Row in June, many people wondered if a cocktail bar would soon follow. After all, with its prime location among the bars and restaurants on Main Street and proximity to the Yum! Center, it was a no-brainer. And when we visited a few months ago for the release of this year’s Old Forester Birthday Bourbon, we couldn’t help but notice a sign on an...

Giant Texas Bourbon Is Worth A Sip October 28, 2018 by Joseph V Micallef Contributor

The boom in American craft distillation has also been echoed among Texas based craft distillers. The U.S. now has over 2,000 licensed craft distillers, roughly 1,500 of which are currently operating. 138 of those distillers are in Texas. Among the newest Texas craft producers is Gulf States Distillers. The Houston based company produces a number of American whiskeys, one of which, Giant Texas Bourbon, recently received a...

Ohio liquor control releases dates for rare bourbon raffles October 25, 2018 by JD Malone

Bourbon lovers have chance for rare bottles in November raffles. Christmas is coming early for lovers of rare bourbons. The Ohio Division of Liquor Control is holding five raffles in November for hard-to-get bottles of America’s favorite brown liquor. All raffles begin at 6 p.m. and names are drawn at 7:30 p.m. for the right to buy one bottle. Here are the details for raffles in central Ohio (similar raffles will be held...

A $1,700 bottle of bourbon? It's for a good cause in Vermont (and actually a bargain) October 24, 2018 by Evan Weiss

The Vermont Department of Liquor Control is selling $25 raffle tickets for the "opportunity to purchase" a $1,700 bottle of 25-year-old Old Rip Van Winkle bourbon (which is part of the famed Pappy Van Winkle family). The proceeds of the raffle will go to Spectrum Youth and Family Services. Why would anyone pay $1,700 for a bottle of Old Rip Van Winkle? The bottle is actually valued far higher than the retail price. Stores...

In Focus: Kentucky Bourbon’s Tourism Boom October 23, 2018

Only a few years ago, a small shuttle bus would pull up in front of Woodford Reserve’s distillery in Versailles, Kentucky, discharging a small number of tourists who were attending conventions in nearby Lexington. Because the distillery was located in a ‘dry’ county, one that had never repealed Prohibition, at the end of their tour the visitors were rewarded with a taste of – nothing. By contrast, last year 142,000 people...

Non-Regulated vs. Regulated Bourbon Terms October 23, 2018 by Fred Minnick

When you pick up an American whiskey bottle, you’ll see some terms that are regulated and offer great insight, while others are just marketing drivel that do not amount to a hill of spent mash. Hopefully, this quick-hitting guide helps you select the perfect bottle in your next shopping experience. Non-Regulated Terms These are common terms without government classification or definitions. While some terms are...

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