I like a fruit forward whiskey. I have found that rye whiskey is often the most fruit forward whiskey, even more so than Bourbon whiskey. When I say “Fruit Forward,” I want a whiskey that comes naturally by its fruit... Continue Reading →
Back in January 2016, I wrote a blog I titled "A Few Thoughts On Rye Whiskey." I followed it up with a blog titled "Some More Thoughts On Rye Whiskey" in March 2017 because things had changed some since I... Continue Reading →
Kentucky has always had a tradition of making Rye Whiskey. In the 19th century, brands such as Old Crow, W.L. Weller, and other prominent brands of Bourbon each had a Rye Whiskey made under the same brand. Rye Whiskey played... Continue Reading →
The State of Maryland has a long history of distilling. In fact, many early Kentucky distillers started distilling in Maryland. The most prominent family that came from Maryland were the Medley family, who came from Medley Bend on the Potomac... Continue Reading →
Kentucky distillers saved the American Rye whiskey category from oblivion. During the 1970s as the Pennsylvania and Maryland distilleries were closing and everyone considered Canadian whisky as “rye whiskey”, Kentucky distilleries picked up many of the brands that were made... Continue Reading →
About six years ago, John Pogue told me that MGP selling barrels of rye to rectifiers was the best and worst thing that has happened to rye whiskey in decades – the best thing because there was an explosive growth... Continue Reading →
When I started as North American Archivist for United Distillers in 1992, there were very few distilleries outside of the State of Kentucky. Now there are several hundred distilleries not located in Kentucky and many of them are making excellent... Continue Reading →
I was looking at a document from the first decade of the 20th century the other day that was a study of barrel aging and saw the reference to “Bourbon Style Corn Whiskey”. I thought to myself that Bourbon really... Continue Reading →