Diageo still doesn’t have a name for its new Shelby County distillery, but the liquor giant somewhat revealed its American whiskey strategies at a public gathering at the Shelbyville Country Club on juni 10.

Diageo officials said they’re investigating the possibilities of moving its Stitzel-Weller stills from Shively to the new location. These stills have not been used since the early 1990s, but produced some of the greatest bourbon ever made. Meanwhile, Diageo has tapped Vendome to build a 60-foot-tall column still, and Fluor Engineering to construct single story warehouses, which will be 27 feet tall and 55,000 square feet,...

Läs mer http://whiskyadvocate.com/whisky/2014/06/10/more-about-diageos-kentucky-distillery-plans/

Why did the world suddenly start to care about the whiskey shortages?

On maj 8, Buffalo Trace sent a media-wide press release that detailed looming bourbon shortages. From there, serious journalists covered these tragic circumstances and whiskey shortage stories became a trendy subject on slow news days. So, if you’ve been wondering where all these stories came from, now you know.

With that said, the shortage is real, to some extent. The industry is feeling heavy demand with no end in sight.

But the world’s largest bourbon maker, Jim Beam, has been relatively quiet in these doom-and-gloom whiskey stories. There’s...

Läs mer http://whiskyadvocate.com/whisky/2014/06/06/whiskey-shortages-not-at-beam-suntory/

William Faulkner is supposed to have said that civilization begins with distillation, but Adam Rogers isn’t having it. “I’d push even farther,” he writes in his new book Proof , “beyond just distilled spirits to wine, beer, sake…all of it. Booze is civilization in a glass.” Rogers argues that understanding humanity’s relationship with alcohol is about understanding, well, everything, really: chemistry, biology, cultural norms, even the origins of civilization. Readers of Wired magazine, where he is articles editor, will recognize the tone: approachable, witty, and a bit obsessive.

Proof expands upon Rogers’ 2011 article “ The Angel’s Share ” about...

Läs mer http://whiskyadvocate.com/whisky/2014/06/04/a-journalist-and-a-bartender-walk-into-a-publishers-office/

We were invited to attend this year’s inaugural Kentucky Bourbon Affair, a set of events put together by the Kentucky Distillers Association (the KDA) and its members. As KDA president Eric Gregory explained it to me back a few months ago, it was something they’d tossed around as an idea, and they put it up to the individual distiller-members. The challenge: come up with an event that would give the guests a fun, inside look at some aspect of the bourbon business, of the making, the people, the places. The twist was that while everyone wanted to know what the...

Läs mer http://whiskyadvocate.com/whisky/2014/06/02/the-kentucky-bourbon-affair-a-first-years-experience/

We just got the following information, confirming rumors and inside information we’ve been following for almost a year. Diageo is planning a new distillery in Shelby County; the location will be somewhere on a line drawn roughly between downtown Louisville and Frankfort, north of I-64. Here’s what Diageo released to us about 15 minutes ago.

Diageo Announces Intention to Invest an Estimated $115 Million to Build Distillery in Shelby County, Kentucky

Investment signals commitment to high-growth North American Whiskey category

SHELBY COUNTY, Ky., maj 29, 2014 – Diageo today announced its intention to invest an estimated $115 million over three...

Läs mer http://whiskyadvocate.com/whisky/2014/05/29/diageo-building-a-new-distillery-in-kentucky/

There is an undulating, skinny ribbon of asphalt running along the north shore of Loch Sunart. It’s barely wide enough for one vehicle, let alone two, but it stretches all the way out t o the most westerly point in mainland Great Britain. In this stunning locale, distilling is set to commence at the brand new Ardnamurchan Distillery in Glenbeg, Lochaber. The independent bottlers Adelphi Distilling Ltd will finally see their dream realized and join the rank of those who can proudly call themselves distillers. This is no farm distillery by any stretch of the imagination. Underneath the twin pagodas,...

Läs mer http://whiskyadvocate.com/whisky/2014/05/23/first-glimpse-ardnamurchan/

The first Speyside Whisky Festival was staged in 1998, and from its low-key beginnings the event has blossomed into a five-day springtime extravaganza, celebrating all aspects of distilling in Scotland’s most productive whisky-making region. This year, visitors from 31 different countries participated in a remarkable total of some 370 events, as the Festival raised the curtain on Scotland’s designated ‘Whisky Month.’

Come in, walk around.

Festivities commenced at the ‘Touch of Tartan’ opening dinner at Glen Grant distillery in Rothes, where, according to his billing, Charlie MacLean offered a touch of “Hollywood glamour,” as guest of honor, thanks to his...

Läs mer http://whiskyadvocate.com/whisky/2014/05/22/spirit-of-speyside-festival-review-2014/

Davin de Kergommeaux is a tireless chronicler of Canadian whisky, and one of his best attributes is that he very much wants to share the good news. Here he takes Whisky Advocate writers Dave Broom and David Wondrich along on a tour of some big Canadian distilleries: Crown Royal (Gimli and Valleyfield) and Canadian Mist.

I meet Dave Broom at the baggage carousel at Winnipeg airport. Dave’s flown in from England for a first-hand look at Canadian whisky, beginning at Crown Royal’s distillery in Gimli, Manitoba, 55 miles north of here on the shores of Lake Winnipeg.

It maj well...

Läs mer http://whiskyadvocate.com/whisky/2014/05/16/a-whirlwind-canadian-whisky-tour/

Here’s a sneak preview of our Summer 2014 issue’s Buying Guide. A total of 117 whiskies were reviewed for this issue. We welcomed two new members to our review team: Jonny McCormick (blended scotch, blended malts, grain, Irish, and world whisky) and Geoffrey Kleinman (flavored whiskies and U.S.-exclusive imports).

#10 -  Crown Royal XO, 40%, $45

A rich luxurious whisky finished in cognac casks, as was the crisper, brighter Cask No. 16 that it replaces. This is the cedary, leathery, tobacco-ish sipping whisky of the private club. Simple toffee and the cherry essence of Beaujolais nouveau evolve into ripe red...

Läs mer http://whiskyadvocate.com/whisky/2014/05/13/top-10-whiskies-reviewed-in-the-summer-2014-issue-buying-guide/

Another in our occasional series of Tweet-style interviews. As always, it’s 140 characters or less (we don’t count the spaces) in the answers from the Glenfarclas brand ambassador. George Grant is the sixth generation of the owning family to work at Glenfarclas.

Here we go: what’s the view from your office window?

Glenfarclas No.1 Duty Free Warehouse door, in our beautiful red.

Sounds cheerful! What’s happening at Glenfarclas this spring?

At this rate, we will be doing a rain dance. Winter never happened at Glenfarclas.

Soggy for the visitors, then. But good for the distillation. You’re in a family business....

Läs mer http://whiskyadvocate.com/whisky/2014/05/09/george-grant-of-glenfarclas-in-140-or-less/

If you want to know what makes a whiskey a bourbon, you can look it up . Scotch? Look it up . Canadian? Look that up .

What about Icelandic whisky? Well, if you’re Egill and Hali Thorkelsson, two brothers from Iceland, you have to make it up . Being the first producer of whisky in Iceland gives them the crare opportunity to define a whole new category of national whisky. Founded in 2009, the Eimverk Distillery has set out to do just that.

Being first offers many advantages, but it also brings with it some specific challenges. Iceland has...

Läs mer http://whiskyadvocate.com/whisky/2014/05/06/from-the-land-of-fire-and-ice/

In 2011, I was shadowing Wild Turkey’s Jimmy Russell at the Kentucky Derby Festival. Is there anybody more interesting to shadow? Adoring fans walked up to the legend, one after another, and he signed all their bottles, caps, posters and an occasional T-shirt.

Claire and Wade Pascoe from Melbourne, Australia had planned their honeymoon around this moment, to meet Russell and share a whiskey. I asked them why in all the places in the world, they chose the Kentucky Bourbon Festival for their honeymoon. “It’s a dream come true,” Claire said, hugging Jimmy. Some people love the Rolling Stones; the...

Läs mer http://whiskyadvocate.com/whisky/2014/05/02/tv-and-image-and-visitor-centers-oh-my/

Another in our occasional series of Tweet-style interviews. As always, it’s 140 characters or less (we don’t count the spaces) in the answers from the director of distilling, whisky creation, and whisky stocks at the Glenmorangie Co., Bill Lumsden. He’s understandably quite busy, but took time out to answer some nosy questions.

What’s the view from your office/lab window?

I am lucky to have a splendid view of the Balmoral Hotel and in the background…Edinburgh Castle! Oh and the lovely St. James Centre! [The Centre is a 1970s concrete monstrosity shopping mall.]

Sublime to ridiculous! What was your route into...

Läs mer http://whiskyadvocate.com/whisky/2014/04/25/bill-lumsden-of-glenmorangie-and-ardbeg-in-140-or-less/

Collaboration beers are common in craft brewing. Brewers come and play in each other’s house, and make something they majbe both wanted to try but haven’t, or add some house specialty from one brewery to the house specialty of another. You don’t see a lot of it in spirits, though. Whether it’s the long lead time, or the hefty tax load, or just…well, that they’ve never done it before, it’s a rare spirit that sees more than one maker.

Four Midwest distillers have stepped up to get the ball rolling. Corsair Distillery in Nashville, Few Spirits in Evanston, Illinois, Journeyman...

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Jimmy Russell: 60 years at Wild Turkey

I was in Kentucky on Tuesday for the grand opening of the new Wild Turkey visitor center. At least, that was the big billing for the day to the press, and Kentucky Governor Beshear was there for the event, as was the head of Campari North America, Jean Jacques Dubau. It was cocktails and toasts all around as we stood in the glass-wrapped structure, high on the bluff over the Kentucky River; the view was tremendous, the whiskey exceptional, and the engagingly open rickhouse-like interior of the center, all raw, unpainted wood and...

Läs mer http://whiskyadvocate.com/whisky/2014/04/18/happy-anniversary-jimmy-russell/

By Fred Minnick

Covering bourbon is a lot like covering sports. In my brief time as a sports reporter, I dealt with rumors and dishonest coaches who specialized in saying nothing. Well, bourbon fans love a good rumor, and distillers can be skillful spin doctors, hiding in supposed confidentiality clauses, and overselling history vs. what’s in the bottle. But as a writer, I can’t deal in rumors. I have to take the distillers at their word until they’re proven wrong.

With that said, the Internet, especially social media, loves a good bourbon rumor. I’ve examined some of the prevalent rumors...

Läs mer http://whiskyadvocate.com/whisky/2014/04/18/burning-down-the-rumor-mill/

Stick with me; this is going to be about whiskey, but first we need to make a detour. I’ve done some writing about vodka and FMBs — what’s an FMB? It’s like an RTD. RTD? Well, it’s an alcopop. You know: like Smirnoff Ice. An FMB is a “flavored malt beverage,” which is basically beer with all the beer flavor stripped out and replaced with a variety of fruit flavors. (“RTD” means “ready to drink,” which seems redundant to me, but then, I’m not a marketer.) Anyway, the vodka category is dominated by the talk and advertising of flavors (though...

Läs mer http://whiskyadvocate.com/whisky/2014/04/12/the-rush-of-flavor/

As Tennessee legislators are in the middle of a used barrel fight, Kentucky lawmakers are taking concrete steps to improve the commonwealth’s cherished bourbon whiskey industry.

On mars 31, Kentucky passed House Bill 445, which allowed distillers a corporate income tax credit for the ad valorem barrel taxes paid on aging whiskey. According to the Kentucky Distillers Association, distilleries pay $13 million a year in barrel taxes.

Although ad valorem taxes—“according to value,” usually a tax on real estate or property—on Kentucky distilled spirits have existed off and on since 1906, the current system has been in place since 1990,...

Läs mer http://whiskyadvocate.com/whisky/2014/04/04/bourbon-tax-credit-passed/

I’ve been a fan of New York’s Finger Lakes region for years. The unique views afforded by these long lakes and the bluffs above their shores, the startling white deer in the woods of the Seneca Army Depot, the wineries that cling to the frost-free microclimate of the lakeside hills…it’s a great place to spend an afternoon, a weekend, a whole vacation.

Recently it’s become an area for whiskey distilling as well. As New York loosened regulations on distilling, including the creation of a “farm distillery” license, the agricultural bounty of the area and the hordes of tourists that travel...

Läs mer http://whiskyadvocate.com/whisky/2014/03/28/finger-lakes-whiskey-ramble/

For more than 150 years, Le Claire, Iowa had been known primarily for one reason. The picturesque Mississippi River town was the birthplace of Buffalo Bill Cody, and there’s a street named after him…a road, actually: Cody Road. More recently, Le Claire, located just north of Davenport, has become more widely known as the home base for the History Channel’s popular American Pickers series. In just the last couple of years though, another business has become a must-visit destination in this charming small town: Mississippi River Distilling (MRD).

Perched above the river at the eastern edge of town, MRD has...

Läs mer http://whiskyadvocate.com/whisky/2014/03/21/staying-local-in-eastern-iowa/