There’s never really a bad time to have a bourbon. But the days leading up to the Kentucky Derby—on Saturday, May 2—seem like a particularly goodtime to sample a few of the Bluegrass State’s finest whiskeys. And just as horse racing is more interesting when a handicapper provides inside knowledge, bourbon sampling benefits from having a solid tipsheet.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) -- Kentucky authorities appear close to revealing details about a possible theft ring accused of siphoning bourbon from at least two whiskey makers. Franklin County Commonwealth's Attorney Larry Cleveland says his office plans to present the case to a grand jury in Frankfort, Kentucky, on Tuesday. The prosecutor said Friday that he expects multiple indictments connected to the whodunit mystery in...

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Whether the clients are novice whiskey makers or simply trying to save a buck, Kentucky Artisan Distillery provides a full service operation -- from cooking to packaging. Since opening in 2013, the Kentucky Artisan Distillery has been riding the wave of bourbon popularity. The facility is now hosting so many whiskey makers it's already looking at expansion. "We bought some acreage there [down the...

More than four decades separate the last time American whiskey experienced the kind of sales success it had in 2013. According to figures from the International Wine and Spirit Research (IWSR), American whiskey sales increased by 6.8% in volume in that year. Its revival has been attributed in part to the renaissance of classic cocktails, aided further by the craft distilling movement and a stronger focus on quality and...

Created in collaboration with fashion designer Billy Reid and mixologist Pamela Wiznitzer, the new iteration is the 10 edition of Woodford Reserve’s Mint Julep Cup and will be exclusively available at the Kentucky Derby. The cups were crafted at Louisville-based jeweller From the Vault and will be accompanied by a limited edition fabric designed by Reid. “I was inspired by a book I had found many years ago while...

Bourbon lovers are in for a treat when the participate in the Makers Mark® After Dark Tour. Louisville, KY - Rising and falling temperatures are a key component of making bourbon, so there's no better time to visit a distillery than during the changing of the seasons. Plan your goodbye to spring and make the most of the long summer days ahead by scheduling an exclusive experience at Makers Mark® for you and your fellow...

1. FIRST ORDER OF BUSINESS: KNOW THE GAME. I once went to a Wes Anderson-themed party and the host had never seen The Royal Tenenbaums. Don't be that host. Impress your guests with fun facts about the historical race. Did YOU know that only three horses raced in the 1892 Kentucky Derby? 2. STEP TWO: DRINKS. Mint Julep, mint julep, mint julep. The Kentucky Derby is the best excuse to sip on mint juleps, and this Derby...

Feeling thirsty? It's looking as if Florida drinkers may have something to celebrate when a measure moving through the Legislature loosens purchase restrictions at craft breweries. But it's not just about beer. If the legislation passes, it will also help a growing number of Florida micro-distilleries, a new class of independent liquormakers popping up from St. Petersburg to Dunedin and beyond.

The Beam Suntory-owned distillery is currently undergoing extensive construction work to increase its capacity, following a much publicised stock shortage. While Maker’s announced in 2014 its intentions to install a third still and 24 additional fermentation tanks to double its annual production capacity to three million cases, the distillery has now also revealed potential plans for a maturation cave.

Ever asked a bartender for a bourbon, only to have a bottle of Jack Daniels land in front of you? Most of us have. The misinformation goes beyondthat whiskey faux pas though. I once found myself in a heated argument about the rules of bourbon that I thought might come to fisticuffs. Granted, this bartender worked at the TGI Friday’s at the Dallas airport, but still. The conversation went something like this:

T.J. Miller has just popped the stopper on a five-gallon oak barrel containing one of his many recent whiskey-aging trials. He sticks in a "thief" and extracts just enough amber liquid for two tasting glasses. Despite the air in this repurposed shipping container already being thick with "angel's share" aromas emanating from the several dozen other barrels of varying sizes, this spirit's nose demands attention. Miller and his...

It's a case that has made international headlines -- and next week, new information in the Pappy Van Winkle bourbon heist is set to be released. Nearly 200 bottles of the rare bourbon was stolen in October 2013, and Franklin County Sheriff Pat Melton recently told WLEX-TV in Lexington that the theft case is bigger than anyone anticipated.

Lest you think the state of Kentucky is takes bourbon theft lightly, state officials say they’re not content with going after the one person already arrested after five barrels of Wild Turkey bourbon were pilfered from a warehouse, and that more booze may have been pilfered than previously believed.

I wrote this up for another purpose but it seemed like a good thing to share here as well. I've posted all of this before, but perhaps not all in one place. At any rate, Bulleit continues to grow and remains a stand out product for Diageo, even with the success of Orphan Barrel and the recent American re-launch of I. W. Harper. This is the Bulleit Bourbon story, as succinct as I can make it. Bulleit was started by Tom...

Franklin County Sheriff Pat Melton said Friday that a news conference will be held Tuesday afternoon to discuss developments in the theft of bourbon barrels made at the Wild Turkey distillery in Anderson County. Sheriff's office personnel last month arrested Gilbert Thomas Curtsinger, the 45-year-old Frankfort resident and Buffalo Trace Distillery worker now charged with receiving the stolen barrels. Curtsinger's attorney...

With the Kentucky Derby just a little more than three weeks away, let's make sure we have this straight. Brown-Forman's Woodford Reserve is the Official Bourbon of the Kentucky Derby. Meanwhile, Brown-Forman's Old Forester Mint Julep is the Official Drink of the Kentucky Derby. For the last 20-some years, the Official Drink of the Kentucky Derby has been Brown-Forman's Early Times Mint Julep. According to the Official Kentucky...

Examining both sides of the bourbon shortage debate. The hot debate in the world of bourbon right now is whether or not there is a "bourbon shortage" threatening to cut off supply from thirsty, whiskey-loving consumers across the United States. Is it time to stockpile that favorite brand before it’s too late—if it’s not already too late—or is the bourbon shortage just another case of media-inspired frenzy?

The Maker’s Mark commemorative bottle signing is a much anticipated event each spring at Lexington’s Keeneland Race Track. Friday at 8:30 a.m., go by and have your bottle signed at the Keeneland Entertainment Center at the track. Bottles are currently on sale at retail outlets throughout Kentucky. It is the patron’s responsibility to obtain the 2015 bottle for the autograph signing. No bottles are available at Keeneland.

As we inch closer to the Kentucky Derby — let’s celebrate the mint julep this month. The drink most often consumed while celebrating the Kentucky Derby is being celebrated during the month of April.

(St. Louis) – St. Louis-based Luxco announced the launch of its limited release, ultra- premium bourbon series, Blood Oath. This brand-new craft bourbon whiskey series is unique to the market as it will highlight a different variant, or Pact, each year. The inaugural Pact, named Blood Oath Pact No.

Food Truck Friday returns to the Herald-Leader, 100 Midland Avenue, on Friday. Members of the Bluegrass Food Trucks Association will donate a portion of the proceeds from sales to United Way of the Bluegrass.

(Reuters) - Hint Water founder and CEO Kara Goldin is on a quest to rid the beverage industry of sugary, unhealthy drinks. Based in San Francisco's Bay Area, Goldin is just as passionate about seeing the cities she visits on her job to promote her company's fruit-infused water, from beyond a conference room window.

McDonald’s Restaurants of Kentuckiana has added a little local flavor to their menu, for a limited time. A Spirit of Kentucky Burger is now available at 99 Kentuckiana restaurants until May 30, WAVE-TV reports. The quarter-pound 100 percent pure beef burger has thick-cut Applewood smoked bacon, tomato, lettuce, onions, white cheddar and a bourbon-flavored sauce.

Matt Bruhn, global brand director of Smirnoff, has also told The Spirits Business that the global vodka category is “losing the game of publicity” against other categories, and must evolve to ensure consistent future growth around the world. Citing Millennials as the largest buying group in the US, Bruhn claimed the category must stay abreast of shifting consumer trends to appeal to their “dramatically changing” tastes. “We...

ATLANTA: Sales of bourbon in the US are growing eight times as fast as that of Scotch whisky, with leading global players such as Diageo and Suntory switching their focus in this market. Figures from the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States, reported in the Wall Street Journal, indicate that bourbon sales volumes have leapt 33.5% since 2010 while those of Scotch have risen only 4.2%. A third classification, Tennessee...

Easter egg hunts were fine and good when you were a kid and sugar was the only rush you needed. But it’s time to set the marshmallows aside. It’s time to get drunk the Easter way. It’s time for Happy Hour, Gizmodo’s weekend booze column. A cocktail shaker full of innovation, science and alcohol. Origins

The bourbon barrel-aging craze goes far beyond the realm of libations, providing an alcoholic edge to coffee, condiments, and even high-end jeans. You’d have to live in a cave to not realize bourbon barrel-aging is hot right now. A myriad of breweries are now throwing their beers in used barrels, knowing that with a little aging time their rich stouts and malty barleywines will pick up the vanilla, wood, and bourbon-y flavors...

Tom Bulleit's great-great-grandfather created his family bourbon recipe in the 1850s — but it took two of the original Mad Men advertising executives to craft its iconic look nearly 150 years later. In 1997, Bulleit was looking to expand his Lexington-based business to an international audience. At the time, Seagram, the world's largest distiller, was looking to acquire a bourbon for its international roster. Bulleit set up a...

Do the Kentucky Derby Museum at a discount on Saturday April 11 as the museum continues it’s year-long celebration of its 30th anniversary with a special “It’s a Party” day. Admission prices will be lowered to $2.50 — equal to what it cost to get in when the doors originally opened in 1985 — on this day only, and guests will have the opportunity to commemorate the occasion with a series of unique experiences.

(WHAS 11)--It's customary to give the commander in chief some keepsakes from your area. He will get at least two during this visit including a custom made Louisville Slugger Bat. It reads "with appreciation from the citizens of Louisville to America's greatest slugger." It features the Presidential Seal and is signed by Mayor Greg Fischer.

Anyone who needs further proof that the spirits category of adult beverages keeps growing should take a look at the just-completed San Francisco World Spirits Competition. The 15th annual event received a record 1,580 entries, up 7% from the year before, from 41 states and 66 countries covering 90 classifications. Many categories experienced a marked increase this year, notably gin which had nearly triple the usual entries...

Last week's announcement that the world's best whisky comes from Taiwan may have caught drinkers by surprise, but the former president of Maker's Mark says it's a good thing. Bill Samuels Jr., who ran Maker's Mark for thirty five years after his father passed him the torch, spoke to FoxNews.com about the rise of distilleries in Asia and bourbon popularity around the world.

Bourbon distillers are kicking their Scottish rivals in the kilt. Global exports of Scotch whisky fell 7% last year, as American drinkers continued to switch in droves to bourbon and other American whiskeys. It was the steepest drop-off in Scotch exports since 1998 and only the third annual decline in 30 years. Scotch sales to the U.S., the liquor’s biggest export market, fell 9%, according to British government statistics...

The range, which is led by Evan Williams Honey, will feature the new flavour in select states across the US from May in a bid to capitalise on the growing demand for flavoured whiskey products. Fresh peach is blended with Evan Williams Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey, and bottled at 35% abv, with the resulting flavour described as “sweet peach with hints of honey and caramel”.

CONOVER, N.C. – Hey, North Carolina – bourbon’s back. The first bourbon to be distilled, bottled and sold in The Old North State since Prohibition ended in 1933 is about to roll into an ABC store near you. It’s a concoction of grains, chemical reactions and love that Zack Cranford, of Foothills Distillery, calls 1712. He named it after the year Carolina split into two colonies. But we’re not exactly sure when it’ll be on the...

The couple who opened the latest Eastside hot spot, Bottle and Bull, seem to be channeling the boozing temples of Capitol Hill. For starters, there are gin drinks topped with a “tamarind foam.” Behind the bar, you’ll find cult Pappy bourbon and bottles — Chartreuse, Fernet, Genepy — that a hipster or cocktail geek would warmly recognize. Craft cocktailing has arrived in Kirkland. The young owners, Chad Waldher, 35, and Jessi...

Whether it's Scotch, rye or bourbon, whiskey is having quite the moment. Many people enjoy whiskey for its complexity, and that variety is due to its chemistry. Compound Interest has released an infographic detailing the rich chemistry behind your favorite spirit, breaking down how phenolic compounds, whiskey lactones, esters and aldehydes combine to create the perfect whiskey. As Compound Interest explains, making whiskey is...

Esquire and Jefferson’s Bourbon Launch The Manhattan: Barrel Finished Cocktail The Original Men’s Magazine and Jefferson’s Collection of Bourbons Collaborate on a New Pre-Batched Cocktail Available at Select Venues and Retail Locations Nationwide

Legendary coach Adolph Rupp stares out from the white Maker's Mark bottle dipped in blue wax. His face is a beacon for University of Kentucky fans wanting one more NCAA title. But while the bottle hit shelves in time for the Cat's trip to the Final Four, this year's team isn't the only one it hopes to inspire.

BARDSTOWN, KY (WAVE) - Even without a single tent in sight at Spalding Hall, a discussion over what this festival ground will look like and how you'll be able to navigate it during the Kentucky Bourbon Festival is already underway. Although barrels line the path to Spalding Hall, all you'll find distilling inside is good old dirt. Give it a few months and Nelson County's most popular batch of entertainment will be ready.

Angel's Envy is not the first bourbon brand to be sold to an international interest. Others include Jim Beam and Maker's Mark, which are owned by Japan-based Beam-Suntory Inc., and Wild Turkey, which is owned by Italy-based Gruppo Campri.

The latest special release from Ranger Creek is a mark of maturity for the San Antonio "brewstillery." The heavy-hitting imperial brown ale (10.9 percent alcohol by volume), first in Ranger Creek's new Texas Bourbon Barrel series in 22-ounce bomber bottles, brings together the beer and whiskey side of the business. Not only is the beer made on site, but it was partially aged in used Ranger Creek Rimfire and .44 Rye barrels....

The new apple expression, a flavour selected to “stay true” to the brand’s Kentucky roots, follows a string of flavoured Bourbons released by the company in recent years in an attempt to appeal to new Millennial imbibers who are unfamiliar with the whiskey market.

MIRAMAR BEACH, Fla., Mar 31, 2015 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- As the Aristocrat Group Corp. ASCC, -2.92% works to diversify its product line and capture a larger share of the multi-billion-dollar U.S. spirits market, the company is investigating new opportunities in the booming global bourbon market. U.S. bourbon distilling is currently in the midst of its largest expansion since the end of Prohibition. Bourbon is the hottest trending...

The Bernheim Brothers and Company distillery was opened in 1872 by German immigrant Isaac Wolfe Bernheim. Using his first two initials, he began producing what would become known as I.W. Harper Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey, which won its first gold medal in 1885. The iconic brand garnered global fame and success for more than a century, and was long one of the better known bourbons. But domestic interest in brown spirits...

Another Monday, another big business deal. Monday morning brought the news that Bacardi Ltd. had purchased all interests in Angel's Envy bourbon and rye whiskey. Shortly after the announcement, I spoke with Wes Henderson, chief innovation officer at Louisville Distilling Co., which owned the brand prior to the sale. He said Bacardi has been an investor in Angel's Envy for several years. "It just made sense to take the next step...

HAMILTON, Bermuda--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Family-owned Bacardi Limited, the largest privately held spirits company in the world, has expanded its portfolio of super-premium spirits with the acquisition of Louisville-based Angel’s Share Brands, its subsidiary, Louisville Distilling Co., and its ANGEL’S ENVY™ brand. This deal marks the Company’s entry into the bourbon category of the North American whiskey sector. “We have a clear...

Diageo Australia has revamped the look, flavour and strength of its Bulleit Bourbon range of RTDs. Marketing manager Andrew Oughton said the refreshed range offered SKUs at three different ABVs and a smoother taste, with the range tied together by the eye-catching orange branding across the packaging.

Like so many other independently-focused businesses, craft distilling is on the rise. But while more craft distilleries are opening regularly — with nearly 650 currently operating across the country and another 200 on the way — getting a new one off the ground is not an easy task, American Distilling Institute founder and president Bill Owens said.

Even though whiskey is thousands of years old, the sheer variety available today is far and away more diverse than it’s ever been, and so are the institutions in which to drink said whiskey. Take a shot of whiskey, and while you’ll definitely notice the inherent flavors — caramel, wood, maybe some smoke, depending on the variety — the prevailing experience will be one of the alcohol burning its way down your throat.