Use These Other Barrel-Aged Spirits To Take Your Summer Cocktails In A New Direction By Richard Thomas Summertime calls for cold drinks, and in my book that means its time to make more cocktails. When the circumstances call for something more involved (and perhaps a conversation piece as well) than a Mint Julep, Kentucky Mule …
By Richard Thomas Some ideas die slow, hard deaths, and as recently as last year I found myself reading yet another magazine article warning consumers that their bottle of supposedly craft whiskey really came from the big distillery in Indiana, MGP. Moreover, I continue to hear this notion virtually every time I engage with enthusiasts, …
As more people are discovering the world of spirits, to the point that liquor now outperforms beer, some drinkers are looking for brands to be more forthcoming on their production methods and what exactly it is they are drinking. Enter Four Roses, a brand that most bourbon drinkers are already likely familiar with. Four Roses …
By Richard Thomas The most recent batch, B523/May 2023, of Elijah Craig Barrel Proof brought with it two interconnected changes. Whereas prior labels (see left) have proof, ABV and batch number printed on them, the current version has proof, age statement and batch number instead. That first alteration underscores the second change: the age statement, …
By Kurt Maitland I was able to speak to Frey Ranch Whiskey Farm and Distillery co-founders Colby and Ashley Frey about the amazing farm to glass whiskey they are making at Frey Ranch in Nevada. KM: Please tell us the story of Frey Ranch before their entry into distilling. The Freys: In 1944, Colby’s grandfather …
By Richard Thomas A recent scroll through my Instagram yielded a picture of a bottle of Old Barterhouse bourbon, which had been trotted out by the poster to share at a gathering of fellow enthusiasts. He declared it one of his favorite pours, whenever he can snag a bottle that is. I have a long …
By Richard Thomas When I broke into whiskey journalism, Irish Whiskey was on the cusp of its renaissance. The number of distilleries in Ireland had increased just a few years before from three distilleries to four. Since then, the count has increased ten fold. Nowhere has that distillery building boom been more in evidence than …
By Richard Thomas One of the idealized features of an artisanal movement–whether it be craft beer, craft whiskey or craft gin–is the spirit of independence. That ideal has existed more often in the imaginations of the imbibers than at the company making the booze, but it’s easy to understand how it got there: the little …
By Richard Thomas More than a decade ago, I wondered in print that if Kentucky and Tennessee were America’s first and second whiskey states, who was the craft scene propelling to become number three. It took years for the issue to resolve itself, but by the time the Pandemic was clearing up, it had in …
By Richard Thomas The whiskey release calendar often sees a flurry of activity in the early and middle springtime, following the conclusion of the Holidays. Summers aren’t quite the doldrums the season used to be, but even so it is slower than what come before and what follows, the red hot autumnal period. So, here …
