For an opening offering today we have two recent pieces detailing the history of bourbon: The first from SKU’s Recent Eats outlining the five modern eras of American Whiskey (sans clowning this time), and the second from Joshua Feldman over at The Coopered Tot with a long and interesting piece of history regarding the Cabin Still line.

Good news for mead maniacs among us: according to a new survey by the American Mead Makers Association (AMMA), mead sales and consumption has increased 130% from 2012 to 2013, which exceeds the rate of growth of beer, wine, and distilled spirits. The number of meaderies has also increased from 60 in 2011 to 194 in 2014, which accounts for 2.5% of all American wineries. No word on who the first mead celebrity spokesperson will be, but if history proves us correct it will most likely be Sammy Hagar. [AMMA]

BusinessWeek tells the David/Goliath tale of a small Irish Whiskey company that has taken on not one, but two spirits conglomerates in defense of its brand, Wild Geese. [Business Week]

If you’re up for it in Vegas and have about $500 to spare, Wolfgang Puck’s dining establishment Cut is offering a flight featuring three whiskies from the ’70s: a Macallan 1976, a Dalmore 1974, and a Jura 1976. [Eater]

Scotland’s whisky industry came away with a huge legal win today. Scotch has been registered as a certified trademark in Australia, which should help to prevent counterfeit brands from flooding the market. The Scotch Whisky Association has already identified about 40 counterfeit brands, and feel this may just be the beginning of their findings. [Scotsman]

Finally today, in what has to be one of the more detailed presentations we’ve seen in a bit, Whisky Science digs deep and poses the question of whether or not water quality has a direct effect on the fermentation and eventual final taste of whisky. Get ready to go to school, class is definitely in session. [Whisky Science]

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