Battle of the Blanton’s: Buyer Beware!

Imagine being told, “Son we’re not hiring any hands today,” at your job interview and then 35 years later honoring the same man that turned you down by naming the world’s first single barrel bourbon after him. That man was Albert B. Blanton and the young man he told to take a hike in 1949 was Elmer T. Lee. In 1984, Lee launched the now-legendary Blanton’s Single Barrel Bourbon by...

Book Review of ‘Bourbon: The Rise, Fall, and Rebirth of an American Whiskey’ by Fred Minnick

Fred Minnick truly needs no introduction, but he deserves one anyway. He is a bestselling whiskey author, a judge for the San Francisco World Spirits Competition and World Whiskies Awards, a bourbon ambassador for the Kentucky Derby Museum, a contributor to Whisky Advocate, a photographer, and a guy willing to talk bourbon with literally anyone on Twitter. Without question his face belongs...

Book Review of ‘Dead Distillers’ by Colin Spoelman and David Haskell of King’s County Distillery

Dead Distillers, Colin Spoelman and David Haskell’s follow up to 2013’s The Guide to Urban Moonshining, is a truly unique walk through the history of whiskey- in many cases a walk through actual cemeteries! Spoelman, a Kentucky native and hobby moonshiner, founded New York’s King’s County Distillery. The first NYC distillery opened since Prohibition, King’s County produces all of...

Red, White and Grey: Bourbon’s Secondary Market and American Capitalism

Jim Beam recently released its 13-year Booker’s limited rye with a suggested retail price of $300. To many long-term whiskey enthusiasts, this flashpoint was tantamount to a declaration of war. Who do they think they are? How dare they? Whiskey’s grey market (or secondary market) has been attacked so viciously you would think we were talking about drug cartels. Buffalo Trace even recently...

2016 Whiskyfest Chicago Recap

The 17th annual WhiskyFest made its second stop in Chicago on May 18th. WhiskyFest has exploded in popularity in recent years, and this event is no longer the laid-back casual affair that long-time attendees remember. In addition, ticket prices have climbed dramatically, and time is limited, so you want to be sure you have a game plan going in. For those of you considering attending one of the...