Category: bourbon
-
(Almost) All the Cocktails & Spirits Books Published in 2015, For Reading or Gifting
My annual list of most all of the cocktails and spirits books that have been released. This year we see tons of whiskey books again, and a whole segment of bar-specific cocktail books and a new category of narrative cocktail history.
-
How Much Pappy Van Winkle is Left After 23 Years in a Barrel?
The most sought-after bourbon in the world, Pappy Van Winkle 23-year-old, begins life as 53 gallons of new-make whiskey at 114 proof. What's left in the barrel after 23 years is a mere 14 gallons of bourbon at around 135-140 proof. What makes it into the bottle is even less. So I decided to run…
-
Buffalo Trace: A Second Visit to the Distillery
On my last visit to the Buffalo Trace distillery in Kentucky, I took a very cool tour of the property that you can read about at that link. On a visit this past February as part of the Bourbon Classic event in Louisville, I had another tour that was completely different and I learned all…
-
Jim Beam’s Newish Distillery Tour
I've been to the Beam distillery three times now. I wrote about my first visit in 2008 here, with an additional post about the bottling line. Then I stopped by for another brief visit in 2012 where I got a preview of some of the outdoor displays as part of the new visitors' center. In early…
-
Four Roses Bourbon Distillery: A Second Visit
In 2008 I first learned about Four Roses Bourbon and its history. Then in 2010 I had the chance to visit the distillery and wrote it up here. In early 2013 on a trip to the Bourbon Classic event in Louisville I had a chance to visit a second time. These are some notes from…
-
Distillery Visit: Town Branch Distillery in Lexington, Kentucky
In early 2013 I visited the Town Branch Distillery in Lexington, Kentucky. At the time it was the newest addition to the Kentucky Bourbon Trail. My visit was part of the Bourbon Classic, a great event that is taking place in 2014 on Jan 31 and Feb 1. The distillery goes by a lot of…
-
Top Bourbon Historical Myths on Details Daily Blog
My latest story is up on Details.com. I took a look at Michael Veach's amazing book Kentucky Bourbon Whiskey: An American Heritage and wrote about a few of the many bourbon myths he busted. These include who invented bourbon, why it's called that, what they used to put into it to make it taste older,…
-
Buffalo Trace Distillery Visit
This spring I visited 8 American whiskey distilleries, including Buffalo Trace. Buffalo Trace is owned by the Sazerac company. They make Buffalo Trace, Blanton's, Elmer T. Lee, Eagle Rare, Van Winkle, and other whiskey brands, plus the make/own/import other spirits including Rain vodka, Puebla Viejo tequila, and Glenfarclass scotch. Unlike most of the other American…
-
Heaven Hill Distillery Visit
This spring I visited 8 American whiskey distilleries, including Heaven Hill. Heaven Hill makes whisky brands Evan Williams (the second largest bourbon after Jim Beam), Elijah Craig, Bernheim Wheat Whiskey, Old Fitzgerald, Rittenhouse Rye, and Georgia Moon Corn Whiskey, plus they make and/or own Burnett's vodka, Hypnotiq, Lunazul tequila, and many other brands. They are…
-
Maker’s Mark Distillery Visit 2012
This spring I visited the Maker's Mark distillery, along with seven other American whiskey distilleries in Kentucky and Tennessee. I had previously been to Maker's Mark and wrote about my visit here. As you'll read, I learned a lot of different stuff on this trip. Maker's Mark uses a mashbill of 70% corn, 16% soft…