This is the first history of Bourbon that I read while working as an archivist for United Distillers. I still use the book for reference on early distilling in America. Henry G. Crowgey wrote this book as a condensed version… Continue Reading →
I received some samples of 15 Stars Bourbon this summer. I have not reviewed them earlier because of the backlog of whiskeys to taste. They are very good products and Matt and I finally tasted them the other day. These… Continue Reading →
About ten years ago, I posted something on Facebook about my ideal liquor store. Justins’ House of Bourbon meets most of the criteria I set for my perfect liquor store. There is an excellent selection of American whiskeys. They carry… Continue Readin…
Chet Zoeller, with his son Trey, founded the Jefferson’s Reserve brand. I have known Chet for over a decade and I helped him find information on many of the distilleries in the book. He is always looking for more information… Continue Reading →
I have always liked the whiskeys that Alan Bishop is making at the Spirits of French Lick Distillery. I was happy when he sent this bottle of rye whiskey to me the other day for review. I like his products… Continue Reading →
Last March I was invited to participate in a behind-the-scenes look at how Maker’s Mark picks their wood project series of whiskeys. Jane Bowie invited me and several other whiskey writers to her lab at the distillery. I have written… Continue Readin…
I am often asked “What books I should I but when building a library on American whiskey”. I have put together this list of books that are a foundation of a good reference library. They cover history, but also the… Continue Reading →
Every year, Michter’s releases their legacy brands of Shenk’s Sour Mash and Bomberger’s Bourbon brands. This year, the Shenk’s Sour Mash was aged in specially toasted French oak barrels whose staves had been air dried for 24 months from the… Continue…
When you look at Sanborn Insurance Maps from the pre-Prohibition era, you often see a distillery warehouses labeled as “Patent Warehouse”. These are warehouses with barrel racks. In 1879, Frederick Stitzel patented the system of barrel racks we see in….
Matt and I had a hard time picking this month’s Whiskey of the Month. I had received three samples of the Rare Character whiskeys – all of them are rye whiskeys. This was our favorite of the three and we… Continue Reading →
