Alfred Barnard had a rather enviable occupation. In 1885 the British distilling historian was writing for Harper’s Weekly Gazette when he decided to research the book he planned to pen by visiting every single distillery that existed at the time in England, Scotland, and Ireland. In his resulting chronicle, titled …
Michter’s Single Barrel Bourbon Whiskey, like many bourbons, is distilled in Kentucky, not a place many of us associate with exotic tropical fruits. But George Bernard Shaw did refer to whiskey as “liquid sunshine”, and with one whiff of the banana and coconut-rich nose of Michter’s previous release of 10 …
With a rich agricultural heritage and bountiful soils ripe for harvesting, Poland has been referred to as a land of milk and honey. There are also 40,000 apiarists (beekeepers) throughout Poland, over a million families of bees, and the country is one of the top honey producers in Europe. In …
It’s crafted in Humboldt from organic sweetly-scented green ingredients grown in Southern Oregon, but you don’t roll it in papers or pack it in a pipe; you pour it over ice and add tonic and a fresh squeeze of lime. Humboldt Distillery‘s owner Abe Stevens holds degrees in both chemistry …
Jefferson‘s owner and Master Distiller Trey Zoeller’s great, great (and so on 7 or 8 times) grandmother was arrested in 1799 for the illegal production and distribution of spirits, so experimental and rebellious juices are surely flowing in his veins. A few years back Trey was on the deck of …
Whiskey distiller Ciaran Mulgrew’s father John Mulgrew was what the Irish call An Fear Ciunin—“the quiet man”. John was a Belfast bartender for over 50 years and despite the assuredly convivial nature of the trade he knew when to keep his mouth shut and just keep the whiskey flowing. Ciaran …
Everything at Aultmore starts with water. The sun glitters through the fog down to the natural gorse below, bright yellow flowers smelling strongly of coconut. With it grows the heather, purple flowers thriving in these highlands, earthy and strong, yet beautiful like the land around them. This mystical place is …
If your whisky exploration takes you to Japan, then Yamazaki should be one of the first you try. That’s because Yamazaki is the birthplace of Japanese whisky. The distillery opened in the early-1920s in an area of Japan between Kyoto and Osaka, and its distillers and blenders haven’t looked back …
If the word “moonshine” calls to mind images of a couple of crimson-necked Appalachians swilling an acetone-scented, methanol-saturated hooch in desperate gulps behind a Tennessee haystack in the dead of night, let us assure you: this is not your Grandpa Jed’s moonshine. Handcrafted from a 100% estate-grown corn mash and …
When tattoo artist Adam Jackson designed the playful logo on the bottles of Suerte Anejo Tequila, he did so elaborating upon the Aztec mythology that inspired the brand’s originators. Suerte means “luck”, and the rabbit on the bottle is certainly emblazoned with a myriad of fortuitous symbols from aces and …
Royal Brackla Distillery holds a name only appropriate for a company of the fabled elite as far as Scottish distilleries go. Obtaining any of Brackla whisky would be a worthy endeavor but word of the release of their 21 Year Old from their rare single malt collection has whisky lovers …
If you’ve ever experienced the inimitable coziness of a peat fire in Northern Scotland then you are already aware of peat’s power to to break the chill in even the most frigid Scottish evening. But in this single malt from AnCnoc (pronounced a-Nock) the peat and barley-rich soils and pure …