As we welcome the warm tones of fall foliage and dropping temperatures, it’s only natural to want to cozy up in our wool sweaters and let the crisp air kiss our cheeks. Resist the urge to reach for pumpkin-spiked everything. Six bartenders share their favorite fall cocktails to toast the season. Refreshingly, none of them include pumpkin. The Old Armchair “This spirit-driven cocktail is a slow sipper that’s perfect for an...

As we prepare to welcome fall, there’s a new third edition of “The Apple Cookbook” by Olwen Woodier. The book features both sweet and savory dishes, including an apple, sausage and cheese strata, a potato salad with apples and onions, and all kinds of baked goods. This boozy cake was adapted by Woodier from a New York State Apple Association recipe. If bourbon is not your thing, you can substitute apple cider or juice.

Every fall, bourbon lovers make a pilgrimage to Kentucky for two things: the Kentucky Bourbon Festival, which runs through Sunday in Bardstown, and the fall bourbon releases. Kentucky is ground zero for new bourbon — it'll be released here if it's anywhere, typically — so collectors come hoping to stock up. Bourbon sleuths scout the new labels approved by the federal government months in advance for inklings of what might be...

The Kentucky Bourbon Hall of Fame on Wednesday inducted four new members, and honored Heaven Hill Master Distiller Emeritus Parker Beam with the first lifetime achievement award, now named for him. "This is one of our largest and most diverse classes in years, yet all are distinguished by their remarkable achievements in promoting, protecting and elevating our legendary craft," said Eric Gregory, president of the Kentucky...

Bourbon can be a contentious issue for drinkers. There are all kinds of “rules” when it comes to enjoying a glass: Have you learned The Kentucky Chew? But few of these rules are actually helpful. Instead of trying to figure out the sometimes intimidating world of bourbon on your own, there are simple rules to heed at all times....

UK supplier Hi-Spirits is embarking on major on-trade support programme for its Buffalo Trace bourbon. Consumer masterclasses and foot matching sessions will be held in 10 locations around the UK between now and Christmas and the brand's Buffalo Bourbon Empire pop-up bar is appearing during London Cocktail Week. There are trade-only sessions with free advance sign-up in Brighton on September 21, during London Cocktail Week on...

HAMILTON — A century-old bottle of Bond and Lillard bourbon made a full circle through the Hamilton business community. The pre-Prohibition liquor was presented Wednesday to Wil Howard at the new location of The Party Store in Hamilton — the Gnagy building at the intersection of Bellefontaine Road and Wayne Street. The historic building at 3990 E. Bellefontaine Road sat empty for nearly 40 years, and was recently remodeled by...

Old Forester has been crafted using the time-honored methods established by George Garvin Brown, the founder of Louisville-based Brown-Forman and Old Forester, which they call “America’s First Bottled Bourbon.“ To commemorate Brown’s September 2nd birthday, Old Forester annually releases thisn expression. Old Forester tells BourbonBlog.com that 2015 marks the 14th limited edition release of the coveted 12-year-old product but...

There are still some folks that think Bourbon whiskey has to be made in Kentucky, or else “It just ain’t Bourbon.” Hard not to agree when you’re understandably proud of the Kentucky heritage, right? Occasionally, even with the laws and standards of identity of Bourbon from the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) in hand, it is difficult to explain to some Kentuckians and others that Bourbon from the Alcohol and...

On Saturday the Woodinville Whiskey Company released the first bourbon made with all Washington products. The line of people excited to buy it started on Thursday and got pretty long. "There was a feeling of relief, we have invested so much, everything, 401k, life savings, and then some and to learn it was going to turn out the way we planned was very exciting," said Orlin Sorensen of Wood. "I think it says something about...

All September long The Twisted Tail is celebrating Bourbon Heritage Month with themed events and drink specials. Coming up Thursday, Sept. 17, they'll be breaking out all the best bottles for the 2nd Annual Whiskey Bonanza. This tasting event gives ticket holders an all-access pass to more than 60 different samples of whiskey. Of course, cocktails will be involved, too. Not only will guests get to try The Twisted Tail’s barrel...

Remember when Ardbeg Distillery sent a vial of unmatured malt whisky into space? Well the space Scotch has returned! And it has allegedly been changed by its time in microgravity. The BBC reports that taste tests have detected "major differences" between Earth-bound whisky and the vial that flew in the International Space Station for some three years, where it matured along with the same charred oak that was aging with whisky...

Gov. Steve Beshear and the state legislature have declared September as Bourbon Heritage Month in the commonwealth. It was the first time the Kentucky Senate and House of Representatives, meeting in special session, made the declaration. This is the sixth consecutive year Beshear has set aside September for celebrating Kentucky as the birthplace of bourbon.

Winning first-place ribs at the Best in the West Nugget Rib Cook-off comes with more than just a shiny trophy and a $7,500 check. Ask Bill Wall, owner of Bone Daddy’s BBQ, who took home both first place ribs and the people’s choice award on Monday.

Lebanon, Ky.-based Limestone Branch Distillery is launching a new bourbon, Yellowstone Limited Edition, in October. The company is making only about 6,000 bottles of the 12-year old bourbon. “I hand-selected the barrels of the 12-year bourbon to add just the right notes and create a truly distinct, well-rounded flavor profile,” Steve Beam, president and distiller of Limestone Branch Distillery, said in a news release.

You’d better start planning for a trip to your local liquor store soon. Really soon — Garrison Brothers Cowboy Bourbon™ is heading back to retail shelves this week after selling out in 2013, and you can bet that just like last time, it won’t be around long.

Like a scene from a Southern gothic novel sprung to life, the Old Taylor Distillery—complete with a kudzu-covered turreted limestone castle, overgrown gardens, and a crumbling Roman-style springhouse—languished in beautiful disrepair for nearly forty years. Then in May 2014, Kentucky natives Will Arvin and Wes Murry bought the sprawling property in Woodford County and set about reviving this piece of bourbon history...

The new release, of which just 6,000 bottles will be produced, is a marriage of a 7-year-old rye, a 7-year-old wheat expression and a 12-year-old rye. Each individual variant was chosen by Steve Beam, president and distiller of Limestone Branch Distillery, which he opened with his brother Paul in 2011. The brothers are seventh-generation distillers and have a history of distilling on both sides of their family. S. Beam said...

Did you know today marks the beginning of Bourbon Heritage Month in Kentucky? It is something we can all particularly enjoy, but to the folks of the Bluegrass State this celebration has especially significant meaning as this American whiskey style is one of the economic and social heartbeats in their land.

We sure do like our booze in Las Vegas. Oh, heck. We don't just like it, we celebrate it at every possible opportunity. The latest of those would be National Bourbon Heritage Month, which is September. And here are a dozen places to celebrate, with special cocktails (and some dishes), many of which are available only this month. Delmonico Steakhouse, The Venetian: Special bourbon-infused dishes are mushroom-crusted filet...

If you like coffee and bourbon separately, you owe it to yourself to try coffee-infused bourbon. And guess what? Making it is as easy as mixing bourbon and whole espresso beans and waiting patiently for six hours.

Just in time for National Bourbon Heritage Month in September, Garden & Gun magazine has released a list of the "Best Bourbon Bars in the South"— and two of the six entries are in Kentucky. Haymarket Whiskey Bar at 331 E Market St. is hailed as a "Louisville dive, housed in a nineteenth-century building on old Whiskey Row" that has "more than 150 bourbons ... along with live music, vintage pinball games and a beer vending...

Sometimes the best ideas really do come while enjoying a glass of bourbon. A few years ago, Lexington film score composer AJ Hochhalter was at the Justice Film Festival in Philadelphia, discussing his latest documentary over a glass of Kentucky's finest. He found himself talking about the bourbon as much as his film. That's when the idea hit: why not make a documentary about bourbon? He and his partners, Corey Maple, who is...

At a beverage-industry conference in Phoenix in May, presenters were advised to avoid a buzzy but divisive term. “An edict went out to speakers saying, ‘Don’t mention the C word,’ ” said Nomura analyst Ian Shackleton, who spoke at the gathering. And that C word?: “craft.”

It was a big celebration at the International Space Station on Monday as they successfully received space supplies last Monday including a very special liquid of selection of five types of whiskeys. Unfortunately, the astronauts won’t be gulping and toasting with the booze because the whiskey is intended for a new research that could possibly help drinkers on the planet.

Occasionally, when I bring the utmost deeply American amber nectar that we call bourbon to my lips, my mind will wander to thoughts of the originators. Unbeknownst even to themselves, they were symphonists, creating and aligning an orchestra, solely by marrying their corn crops — their livelihood — with Kentucky limestone water and allowing them to coexist, to mingle, to intimately steep within a charred white oak barrel. Two...

In Kentucky, it could be said that bourbon is the lifeblood of the state. And nowhere is that more true than in Bardstown, Kentucky. Every year this small town of 12,000 hosts about 50,000 people for their annual Bourbon Festival. “The Kentucky Bourbon Festival is six days of bourbon, America’s only native spirit, local and regional food and crafts, great entertainment, with a healthy dose of Kentucky hospitality thrown in for...

More than 95 percent of the bourbon produced today is from Kentucky, thusly the spirit and state are inexorably intertwined. However, bourbon can be legally made anywhere in the United States, and that remaining five percent offers an array of exciting options. Exploring the burgeoning diversity of bourbons made outside of Kentucky is worthwhile for any whiskey drinker. The following collection certainly isn't exhaustive, but...

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Spirits company Beam Suntory has won another round in fighting off lawsuits accusing its classic Kentucky bourbon brands of false advertising for claiming the products are handcrafted. In the company's latest victory, a federal judge in California dismissed a suit aimed at whiskey giant Jim Beam. Plaintiff Scott Welk said he was enticed into buying a bottle of Jim Beam's white label bourbon at a premium...

There are no two things on Earth that go together quite as well as Bluegrass Music and Kentucky Bourbon Whiskey. When you add in delicious barbecue and an historic place like Water Tower Park, you have the makings of a perfect weekend in Bourbon Country.

Whether it’s Jack Daniel’s, Jim Beam, or Fireball, everybody is bound to have one kind of whiskey they like more than they admit. In fact, with the demand for whiskey far outpacing its supply in recent years, it’s becoming more and more common to see people enjoying a glass of their favorite brand while out at bars or after a long day at work.

In the U.S., bourbon is in and vodka is out. That's making Pernod Ricard SA, owners of the Absolut vodka label, a laggard in the world's most important liquor market. For now, the shift isn't hurting profits. Pernod, which owns a multitude of brands including Irish whiskey label Jameson and cognac marque Martell, is still expected to post sales and profit growth when it releases its results on Thursday.

If you’re (a) from the South and (b) a woman, odds are you’ve dealt with the following issue. Upon telling someone where you're from, the person responds in their best Southern drawl: “Oh, so you’re a Southern belle.” The thing is, the connotations of prissiness that accompany this term don't exactly work for you. As a girl raised in the South, you're hardly the kind of dry-clean-only dame who clutches her pearls at anything...

1. Buy a whiskey or wine barrel from a local distillery, vineyard, or on eBay. (Standard 53-gallon barrels cost $200 to $300.)

Missouri native Mark Twain famously said, "Too much of anything is bad, but too much good whiskey is barely enough." He surely would have trembled at the dreaded phrase "bourbon shortage." Both the Wall Street Journal and Time have reported on a "bourbon shortage" within the past year — serious reports echoed by numerous clickbait-y versions of the same story. Responding to claims the bourbon shortage is just industry hype...

Did you know that there is currently a bourbon barrel shortage? Probably not, but according to a Wall Street Journal article from this past May, the lumber industry, and subsequently coopers, have struggled to keep up with the demands of the exploding bourbon industry. Between 2010 and 2013, bourbon production increased by 50%.

For all the barrels of craft liquor being produced in America, so much of it tastes the same. Crisp but relatively flavorless gins crowd bar shelves next to atomic whiskeys as pleasant as molten lava and rows of bourbons hitting the same caramel notes. So it is a great source of relief to discover Darek Bell and Andrew Webber, cofounders of Corsair Distillery, sitting in a shacklike structure in Nashville, Tenn. with enough...

I grew up in Memphis with a faint tantalizing aroma emanating from my father’s whiskey glass. He drank Kentucky straight bourbon, not its first cousin, Tennessee whiskey, made according to stricter rules and, Dad thought, too sweet.

An old distillery in Kentucky soon will start spirits production again. In May 2014, Peristyle LLC announced plans to restore and reopen the historic Old Taylor Distillery in Woodford County. Work has been taking place at the facility since. Bourbon production is expected begin there in January, Marianne Barnes, master distiller for Peristyle, said in an interview last week. Visitors should be able to tour the distillery...

The good news is Woodford Reserve is adding two new Bourbons with its inaugural Distillery Series. The bad news is there isn't much of it. The conflicted news (depending on how you look at) is you get to—or have to—travel to the source to buy it. Woodford's two newest expressions echo current and past iterations. The Double Double Oaked puts an extra year's finish on its Double Oaked expression (see October 2015 issue of Cigar...

In Kentucky, bourbon is more than just a tasty beverage. It’s also a food group. We make bourbon truffles, bourbon bacon jam, bourbon apple pie, bourbon barrel aged soy sauce, and just about anything you can think of to which you can add a splash of bourbon. Over the years I’ve tried bourbon marshmallows, bourbon barrel aged coffee, bourbon baked beans, and myriad other bourbon-infused recipes, and I’m always surprised at...

Despite being in a seemingly endless state of developmental ebb and flow, one thing remains constant in the District of Columbia: its love for hard alcohol. According to 2014 data on consumption from the Beer Institute, the district ranks behind only New Hampshire and Delaware in terms of how many shots of hard alcohol are consumed per capita per day (a paltry 0.95). It should come as no surprise then that the district is...

Bulleit has seen steady growth since returning to the Diageo portfolio in 2012 and according to IRI-Aztec data is the fastest growing Bourbon brand in Australia's $2 billion Bourbon category. Bulleit 330ml is a reinvigorated expression of Bulleit Bourbon and Cola premix, delivering the smoothness of Bulleit Bourbon, while accentuating its unique sharp and spicy notes mixed with cola.

Were it not for glorious falls and springs, Kentuckians would gripe endlessly about the Commonwealth’s weather. Across the span of all four seasons, summer heat soars past 100 F and winter cold plunges below zero. But while such temperature swings wreak havoc on locals’ moods, they’re ideal for making Kentucky bourbon and curing “country” ham.

The Sazerac-owned group officially opened the warehouse, which allows distillers to experiment with the affect environment has on maturing whiskey, in November 2013. Warehouse X is comprised of four independently operating chambers that allow specific variables – including natural light, temperature, humidity and airflow – to be tested. Containing around US$1 million worth of monitoring and reporting technology, the warehouse...

Two bourbons from the A. Smith Bowman Distillery in Spotsylvania County earned silver medals at 2015 Los Angeles International Wine & Spirits Competition. John J. Bowman Virginia Straight Bourbon Whiskey and Bowman Brothers Straight Bourbon Whiskey were each ranked among 365 spirits that were submitted from a total of 34 countries, and were awarded for demonstrating superior quality and taste.

Beam Suntory, the bourbon maker, has now launched a new augmented reality experience that has been designed to show its customers how its bourbon is made, in a new, interesting, and innovative way. THE COMPANY IS NOW USING THE BLIPPAR APP AS A PART OF ITS “THE BOURBON REVIVAL” RETAIL PROGRAM.

Five 53-gallon barrels of Straight Malt Whisky that were filled prior to severe floods in September 2013 have now been bottled and released for sale at the Spirit Hound distillery and tasting room in Colorado. The flood halted the distiller’s whisky production for about six months, and this has had a knock-on effect for the next release of aged whisky, which will now take place in early 2016.

Wollersheim whiskey is on its way. While there won’t be whiskey just yet, Wollersheim Winery will host an open house Aug. 14 and 15 to showcase its new $4 million, 25,000 square-foot distillery that broke ground a year ago this month. It is Philippe and Julie Coquard’s most significant building project since a fermentation room, a bottling room and case storage space were built in 1994.

When Whitney Vadeboncoeur moved to Louisville about six months ago, the culture she saw surrounding the bourbon industry was like nothing she had ever experienced. Not only did residents follow the national trend of wanting to understand the process behind what they consumed, she said, but bourbon producers seemed willing to bend over backwards to answer their questions — with even master distillers extending their work...