Lexington, Kentucky was established in 1782 and named for Lexington, Massachusetts. Distilling was probably happening there, just as it was in most Kentucky settlements of the time, but there are no known to me distillers of that time. Farmer distillers... Continue Reading →
Is wheat whiskey poised to overtake corn whiskey in popularity?
The other day, Rosemary and I took the Maker’s Mark Star Hill Farm wheat whiskey tour. This is the first non-Bourbon whiskey that Maker’s Mark has made. It is a blend of two different mash bills. The first is 70% soft red winter wheat and 30% malted barley and the second is 100% malted soft red winter wheat. It is aged for seven to eight years and bottled at barrel strength.
The sweet mash process is a very old process. It differs from the sour mash process in that they don’t use any set-back in making the mash. There is a recipe for making sweet mash whiskey in the Kentucky Historical... Continue Reading →
The growth in the Bourbon industry has led to a growth in the American Whiskey category as a whole. It started with Rye Whiskey. I remember around 2010, Jimmy Russell was telling people that Rye Whiskey has tripled production at... Continue Reading →
Bottled-in-Bond was created to set straight whiskey apart from rectified whiskey. It set a minimum standard of quality that requires the whiskey had to be 1) Made at one distillery, 2) Made in the same season, 3) Aged at least... Continue Reading →
In the past couple of years, the way American whiskey is being sold has seen some changes. There are more people getting into the business and as they do, they look for ways to make their business unique and appealing... Continue Reading →
I did not taste as many rye whiskeys in 2021 as I did Bourbons, but there were a few that did impress me for their quality. I am going to list these whiskeys in alphabetical order by brand, not by... Continue Reading →
