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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

How Groundbreaking Distiller Nicole Austin Is Reinventing Tennessee Whiskey May 4, 2020 by Jen Laskey

Let’s cut right to the chase. By all accounts, Nicole Austin is one of the biggest badasses in American distilling today. She’s broken new ground at every career turn — from her early days bucking industry trends at Kings County Distillery, to her adventures co-founding two craft distilling trade organizations, to winning accolades for her first release as general manager and distiller at Cascade Hollow.

Woodford Reserve Honors The Kentucky Derby with "My Old Kentucky Home Video" May 4, 2020 by Brad Japhe

The first weekend of May was supposed to mark the 146th running of the Kentucky Derby. The ongoing coronavirus pandemic had other plans, of course. But that didn’t stop Woodford Reserve from honoring the American tradition. The official bourbon of the ‘Run For The Roses’ debuted a poignant minute-long spot on its social media channels commemorating only the second postponement of the event (the last time was in 1945 during WWII).

Learn About Bourbon At Home (For Free) Via Upcoming Virtual Bourbon Event May 1, 2020 by Nino Marchetti

With the coronavirus continuing to keep many people at home and a large portion of the bourbon industry shut for direct person to person interaction (i.e. distilleries, bars), a group of bourbon media personalities have decided to pool their knowledge in an upcoming virtual bourbon event. Free to the public to watch...

Bourbon, Scotch Whisky, And Rum Makers Unite For Rare Releases May 1, 2020 by George Koutsakis

There's always been a sense of collaboration in the spirits world. Bourbon makers empty casks and send them over to Japan and Scotland where producers use them to age their own whisky. Gin producers utilise casks for barrel aged expressions and run makers do the same...

A New Experimental Whiskey From The Folks Who Make Pappy Van Winkle May 1, 2020 by Brad Japhe

Buffalo Trace Distillery in Frankfort, Kentucky is responsible for some of the most sought after whiskies on the planet. Connoisseurs covet the annual Antique Collection releases, which typically include a range of exceptional liquids from George T. Stagg, Eagle Rare, and Thomas H. Handy...

The Ultimate Guide to Bourbon, from Barrel to Bottle April 30, 2020 by Kara Newman

While there are many types of whiskey, there’s only one Bourbon. America’s native corn-based whiskey holds as one of the most popular spirits in the world, prized both for mixing into cocktails and sipping neat. Some bottlings, like the sought-after Pappy Van Winkle lineup, have become collector’s items. And though Bourbon is deeply rooted in tradition, producers experiment with nearly every aspect ...

The Beautiful Patterns Left Behind When Whiskey Dries April 30, 2020 by Chris Gorski

It started with a sabbatical and a case of whiskey. Time away from the usual research and teaching responsibilities -- and a bit of inspiration. University of Louisville mechanical engineer Stuart J. Williams wanted to learn more about how particles and fluids interact, which is called colloid science. And just before he was set to spend some time working with an expert in the field named Orlin Velev ...

You Can Now Own Part of the Barrel that Aged an Ultra-Rare 25 Year Old Rip Van Winkle Bourbon April 30, 2020 by Richard Carleton Hacker

Back in 2017 Julian Van Winkle III, grandson of Julian “Pappy” Van Winkle, Sr., in conjunction with Buffalo Trace Distillery, released his family’s oldest bourbon ever, a 25 Year Old Rip Van Winkle—surpassing even the highly revered Pappy 23 in age and scarcity. Distilled in 1989, and put into 11 American oak barrels, the whiskey had lost quite a bit to the angel’s share of evaporation ...

Build a Bourbon Vocabulary April 30, 2020 by Tom Wilmes

Buffalo Trace tour guide Freddie Johnson pours a splash of clear whiskey fresh off the still, known as white dog, into the cupped hands of a small group visiting the Frankfort, Kentucky distillery from Osaka, Japan. “Smell. Taste,” he says. He instructs the group to shake their hands, clap, and rub them together briskly to smell the essence of the spirit. “Clap and rub again,” he says. “Smell.” ...

Michter's To Release Its 10 Year Bourbon April 29, 2020

Michter's has a long legacy of offering traditional American whiskeys of uncompromising quality. With each of its limited production offerings aged to its peak maturity, Michter's highly acclaimed portfolio includes bourbon, rye, sour mash whiskey, and American whiskey. Jim Murray's Whisky Bible 2020 Edition named Michter's 20 Year Bourbon "Best Bourbon, 16 to 20 Years."...

The 17 Best Bourbons To Sip During The Virtual ‘Kentucky Derby: Triple Crown Showdown’ April 29, 2020 by Karla Alindahao

The 146th Kentucky Derby may be postponed until September 5—the first time the Run for the Roses has been delayed since 1945. But that certainly doesn’t mean the bourbon has to stop flowing in May. After all, without the “most exciting two minutes in sports” you now have 120 more seconds to enjoy a good whiskey...

The 18 Best Bourbon Whiskeys You Can Buy in 2020 April 29, 2020 by Chris Wright

Bourbon has never been more popular than it is right now. This definitive guide of the best bourbons of 2020 explores everything you need to know about America’s favorite brown spirit, including important terminology and, of course, a list of the best bottles you can buy at your local liquor store...

Musician-Based Bourbon Company Helps Musicians April 28, 2020 by Jeanette Hurt

Instead of finishing a screenplay and getting a liquor company to sponsor a trailer, Neil Giraldo founded a spirits company that gives back to musicians. Lately, his company's been giving back more. Four years ago, this noted rock musician had been working on a screenplay, and a friend suggested that they get a bourbon or spirits company to sponsor the trailer to get the film into production...

These Are The 10 Best-Selling Bourbons, According To Drizly—And No. 1 Is Shocking April 27, 2020 by Fred Minnick

I’ve been covering American whiskey for more than a decade, and one of the most absolutely frustrating aspects of this beat is the lack of reliable data. Most sources of sales are self-reported, meaning the accuracy is only as reliable as the truth behind brands and retailers. Do they really report accurately?...

For those of you who like your bourbon on the high-rye side of the spectrum April 26 by Lisa Futterman

I’ve always sought out the dark spicy notes of rye when drinking whiskey. I prefer its dry toastiness to the more cloying dominant notes of corn found in most bourbons. Rye’s powerful flavor, traditional in the whiskeys made in Maryland and Pennsylvania, gets added to bourbon in Kentucky to punch up the taste...

Anonymous Veteran Pays $40,000 For A Bottle Of Bourbon To Help A Struggling Restaurant Group April 23, 2020 by Helen Storms

Suzanne and Roger Perry, who own Datz Restaurant Group in Tampa, Florida, have struggled to pay their employees in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic. Luckily, an anonymous veteran stepped up to offer them a helping hand financially by purchasing a valuable bottle of bourbon, according to CNN...

6 Bourbons You Should Buy Before They Become Way More Expensive April 21, 2020 by Chris Wright

Dusties — old bottles of whiskey that haven’t been in production for years but still taste delicious — are cool as hell. Look into them yourself and you’ll quickly see why. Old whiskey lasts forever in an unopened bottle, and lots of the old stuff before the Bourbon Boom really was delicious...

The Best Whiskey Glasses For Your Home Bar April 20, 2020 by Kelly Sullivan

If you've already stocked up on our guide to the best whiskey to buy now, then you're no-doubt considering the right glassware to serve it in. The right dram deserves the right chalice to enjoy it in, particularly if you've invested in a rare whisky, and so we've rounded up the best whiskey glasses for your home bar...

The World's Most Wanted Bourbons April 18, 2020 by Don Kavanagh

Despite all the evils abroad in the drinks industry at the moment, it has never been a better time to be a distiller – especially if you are distilling Bourbon. And even more so if you are making Bourbon at the Buffalo Trace distillery, the home of a dazzling array of in-demand whiskeys...

How to Make the Perfect Mint Julep—Even When It’s Not the Kentucky Derby April 16, 2020 by Jason O'Bryan

Mint juleps don’t give a damn about the rules. That much is clear to just about everybody. As a cocktail, it violates almost every drinking norm we have, so easily spanning apparent contradictions that it seems to make the impossible possible...

BUFFALO TRACE LAUNCHES 'WORLD'S FIRST KOSHER WHISKEY' April 15, 2020 by Maxim Staff

Buffalo Trace has come up with a boozy new way to celebrate the end of Passover. The Kentucky distillery is releasing what it believes to be "the first authentic Kosher Whiskey," which the brand says it developed under the guidance of the Chicago Rabbinical Council (cRc). The new whiskey is available in three styles...

5 New Bottles of Whiskey You Have to Try in 2020 April 13, 2020 by Will Price

A treasure trove of interesting and lesser-known whiskeys was unveiled and lost in the hubbub of the decade’s closing. From a bourbon brand’s first-ever rye to an indie whiskey landing on more shelves, here are five of the most intriguing bottles of brown to hunt down in the new year...

These Distilleries Aren’t Just Making Booze—They Could Be Saving Your Life April 13, 2020 by Paul Feinstein

When it started to don on the American public that COVID-19 was going to be a serious problem, people flocked to stores, Amazon, and anywhere else they could to buy out the national supply of hand sanitizer. Price gougers like this guy looked to make a profit off of the situation, which helped spur an even larger crisis with shortages for frontline workers including doctors...

The World’s Best Bourbons—According To The 2020 San Francisco World Spirits Competition April 10, 2020 by Brad Japhe

Every year since 2000, a panel of 40 esteemed tastemakers convenes in San Francisco for the city’s annual World Spirits Competition. Although this ‘gathering’ was a little less convivial than in previous iterations—the show still went on as planned in the middle of March...

Kentucky Bourbon Company Looking For “World’s Top Whiskey Taster” April 9, 2020 by Jeanette Hurt

So, you think you can pick out the vanilla, tobacco and oak notes of a fine bourbon? And you have an engaging personality, are active on social media and think you have the makings of a bourbon ambassador? Well, then, there’s this cool contest you might want to enter...

Jim Beam finds way to provide hand sanitizer April 8, 2020 by Thomas Barr

In today’s times, maybe the more important milestone is that the company has begun manufacturing hand sanitizer at its nearby Global Innovation Center. To help those in the front line of the COVID-19 pandemic, Jim Beam is producing hand sanitizer, which is being donated to first responders, medical personnel and other critical service providers in Kentucky...

Buffalo Trace’s Eagle Rare 17 Year Old honored at 2020 San Francisco World Spirits Competition April 8, 2020

Buffalo Trace Distillery defended its title of World’s Most Award Winning Distillery at the 2020 San Francisco World Spirits Competition. The Distillery’s spirits took home 18 medals, and its Eagle Rare 17 Year Old Kentucky Straight Bourbon was named Best Small Batch Bourbon 11 Years and Older...

Buffalo Trace Gets Woodsy With Latest Old Charter Oak Bourbon April 7, 2020 by Maxim Staff

Buffalo Trace distillery has debuted a new oak-inspired bourbon with the release of its Old Charter Oak Chinkapin Oak. This particular species of oak is native to the midwest, where chinkapin oak trees are often found in public parks and large private estates alike.

In Interview, David Byrne Talks Distilleries and Bourbon April 6, 2020 by Tobias Carroll

At this point, what hasn’t David Byrne done? He’s a beloved musician who recently added “acclaimed Broadway show” to his list of credits. He’s written enthusiastically-received books, directed a movie, created public art and designed bike racks...

This Bourbon Is Only Available For People Who Donate To COVID-19 Relief April 2, 2020 by Emily Price

While a number of distilleries around the country are helping with COVID-19 relief efforts by creating hand sanitizer, one Texas distillery is looking to help with something a little different: bourbon...

Is This $60 Underdog The World’s Best Bourbon Whiskey? April 1, 2020 by Forbes

The results of the World Whiskies Awards 2020 were released last week, and some interesting expressions topped each category. Japan's Hakushu 25-Year-Old was named the World's Best Single Malt, Dewar's took home the award for the World's Best Blended Whisky, and Tamdhu won the award for World's Best Single Cask Single Malt...

These Are the Best American Whiskeys, Bourbons and Ryes of the Year, According to Experts March 31, 2020 by TYLER CHIN

The San Francisco World Spirits Competition was held in early March, where more than 40 judges blind-tasted nearly 3,000 spirits over the course of four days. The judges chose a variety of bottles of brown from all over the world for various whiskey awards, and the SFWSC recently made the full results available. Here are a few of the judges’ favorite American whiskeys...

Revealed: the truth at the bottom of a bourbon shot March 27, 2020 by Barry Keily

The mark of a particular bourbon, it turns out, is not its taste, nor its price-point, nor even the clever design on its label. No. Scientists have now demonstrated that what truly distinguishes a drop of Bulleit from a drop of Knob Creek, or a snifter of Jimmy B from a slurp of Wild T is the mark it leaves on the coaster...

Whiskey makers are bending the rules for barrel-aging, signaling a new wave for bourbon March 29, 2020 by JOHN KELL

Whiskey making has a well-trodden transatlantic cycle. Americans age their bourbon in charred new oak barrels to extract flavor. They then ship those barrels across the ocean, where they enjoy a second life by being used to mature Irish whiskey and Scotch...

8 virtual distillery tours to entertain you during coronavirus lockdown March 27, 2020 by ROBYN BLACK

Already sick of your own four walls? Why not take a virtual busman’s holiday and visit some of the world’s most famous distilleries from your living room? If you’ve got time on your hands at the moment you could see it as an opportunity to get behind the doors of various distilleries around the world and find out what makes them special via a virtual tour...

Sazerac Starts Producing Hand Sanitizer On an Industrial Scale March 27, 2020 by Kyle Swartz

The Sazerac Company, the largest producer of distilled spirits in North America, has joined the ranks of distilling companies now mass-producing hand sanitizer. The company says it has started making hand sanitizer for some of the world’s largest organizations in the healthcare, government, military, retail, distribution, airline, pharmacy and banking industries...

The Best Really Expensive Bottles Of Bourbon Worth Splurging On Right Now March 27, 2020 by ZACH JOHNSTON

With nearly two weeks of self-isolation, quarantine, and now almost full-on lockdowns behind many of us, cabin fever is probably setting in. Hell, even if our president gets his way and opens up shop again by Easter, that’s still two long weeks to go. With so much time on our hands, it’s understandable that we all might go a little stir crazy...

Newest Blood Oath Bourbon Is Influenced By Cognac Barrels March 24, 2020 by Nino Marchetti

The Blood Oath bourbon series from Lux Row Distillers out of Kentucky, as we’ve explored over the years, gives Lux Row head distiller John Rempe the chance to do some experimentation with aged bourbon blending and cask finishing. For this time around he’s combined three selected bourbons, including one that was rested in ex-cognac casks...

Barrell Craft Spirits Batch 021 Named "Best Bourbon" at the 2020 San Francisco World Spirits Competition March 24, 2020

Barrell Craft Spirits (BCS) is delighted to announce that its Barrell Bourbon Batch 021 received Double Gold and was named Best Bourbon and Best Small Batch Bourbon – both overall and within the 6-10 year category – at the 2020 San Francisco World Spirits Competition (SFWSC)...

Whiskey Producers Are Making Hand Sanitizer. Here's How They Organized. March 24, 2020 by Maggie Kimberl

<p>The world needs hand sanitizer — far more than the existing hand sanitizer industry can produce. So the American whiskey industry, along with other alcohol industries like craft breweries, have begun stepping up. They’re hitting pause on making beverages, and have begun making the alcohol-based sanitizers that save lives...</p>

12 Great Bottles of Bourbon, Rye, and Scotch to Buy Online Right Now March 23, 2020 by Nicholas McClelland

Want to buy some bottles of whiskey to help you during the coronavirus crisis? We get it. While social distancing makes it a bit difficult to head to your local liquor store, ordering whiskey online is still possible...

15 bourbons that should be on your radar, according to 3 bourbon experts March 22, 2020 by Gillian Brassil &amp;amp; Laura Casado

When it comes to today’s most innovative whiskey distilleries, US bourbon producers are leading the pack. From its origins in Kentucky, bourbon production has expanded to other states, where the drink can range in flavor profiles from honeysuckle and mint to toffee and warm oak...

The 5 Best Sites for Fast Whiskey, Wine and Beer Delivery March 22, 2020 by WILL PRICE

Just because you’re stuck at home doesn’t mean you have to deprive yourself of regular vices. With the rise of booze delivery services, those services’ ability to serve more parts of the U.S. has grown. Plus, many of your local liquor stores could use the help. Here are five companies that can get whiskey, wine, beer and whatever other booze you want delivered, same-day...

Inside the Dying World of Facebook’s Whiskey Black Markets, the Best Place to Buy (and Sell) Rare Bourbon March 20, 2020 by CHRIS WRIGHT

There exists, on Facebook, a black market for expensive and rare whiskeys. It’s been around a while, but I learned about it a few months back, when I started hunting Pappy Van Winkle, one of the rarest bottles of bourbon out there, and someone told me about a group where bottles were bought and sold like hotcakes. I didn’t join the group until later, but now I wish I had right away. It would have helped find Pappy Van Winkle...

You Don’t Know Squat About Buffalo Trace’s Weirdest Bourbon, and This Whiskey Site Proves It March 17, 2020 by Will Price

Buffalo Trace Distillery’s Blanton’s Bourbon made news recently, announcing its Gold Edition, historically an international market exclusive, is coming to the US this summer. But Gold Edition is only the tip of the Blanton’s iceberg; for the rest, go to Warehouse H, a new website developed by a rabid Blanton’s collector...

The Best Irish Whiskeys, According to Bourbon Producers March 17, 2020 by KIRK MILLER

If you’re an American who only finds themselves drinking Irish whiskey on March 17th, you’re missing out. Don’t take our word for it — take the word of America’s whiskey and bourbon producers...

New Collectible 18 Year Old Colonel E.H. Taylor Bourbon On The Way? March 13, 2020 by Nino Marchetti

The Colonel E.H. Taylor bourbon line, produced by Buffalo Trace, has among the bottlings that have come from it over the years some extremely collectible limited edition releases that typically sell out rather fast at retail and can command high dollars on the secondary market...

First Booker’s Bourbon 2020 Batch Drops In At 126.4 Proof March 9, 2020 by Nino Marchetti

The annual high octane Booker’s Bourbon Batch Collection is an annual, multi-bottle exercise by Beam Suntory in higher proof American whiskey. These expressions regularly clock in in the 120 and 130 proof ranges, and for 2020 the first bottling out the gate does not disappoint in this regard...

One of the Country’s Best Bottles of Bourbon Hits Shelves Across the Country March 8, 2020 by JACK SEEMER

Good news from the world of whiskey: Four Roses Distillery will increase the distribution of its critically acclaimed bourbon Small Batch Select, reports Beverage Dynamics.

13 Things You Need to Know About Blanton’s Single Barrel Bourbon March 6, 2020 by EMILY BELL

Product provenance is one of the most important things in food and drink right now. Much to its credit, Blanton’s Single Barrel Bourbon arrived on the scene well before we all became obsessed with place sourcing. In fact, Blanton’s effectively put “single barrel” on the map, insisting on hyper-craft bourbon at a time — in 1984 — when our drinks repertoire included lots of blue stuff and too much White Zinfandel...

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