David Tao
After “Ronnie’s Batch” and “The Lumberyard Batch” dropped earlier this year, Booker’s Bourbon is back with 2022’s third expression: Kentucky Tea. As with all contemporary Booker’s releases, this one is named for a person, place, or concept near and dear to the Noe family, eighth generation descendants of Jim Beam and Master Distillers at his…
Bourbon has long defined the American whiskey business, though rye and single malts are fast-growing categories many drinkers are keeping close tabs on. But we may be witnessing the genesis of a newer homegrown spirit: American rice whiskey. With just a handful of producers, it’s a category whiskey drinkers can explore in a single sitting,…
Chattanooga Whiskey recently announced new releases for their Experimental Batch line. Now up to 27 total expressions, these releases include a variety of house-distilled spirits with unique distillates, finishes, infusions, and blends. We’ve previously reviewed their Founder’s 10th Anniversary Blend and Whiskey 91 & Cask 111 expressions, though their experimental line features spirits with much…
I’ve been going to the Kentucky Bourbon Festival since the 1990s. Located each year in downtown Bardstown, Kentucky, the Festival is the largest such event actually held in the Bourbon Capital of the World. And allow me to be the umpteenth Bardstown local (or former local) to say: Things have changed, and that’s a lot…
Long an under the radar producer for much of North America’s sourced rye (at least for U.S. consumers), Beam Suntory-owned Alberta Distillers has been leaning into their house brands under the Alberta Premium banner since 2020. That year marked the first American release of Alberta Premium Cask strength, and in 2022, the brand’s 80 proof…
Last time we checked in with Montelobos, the company’s offerings centered around two hallmark expressions, namely their tobala and espadin. In the past year, the Campari-owned brand has expanded with two more (and quite different) expressions: an ensamble and pechuga. The ensamble blend originates in Puebla and is primarily made using papalote agave and “complemented…
Rob Dietrich is a busy guy. As Master Distiller & Blender of Blackened — the whiskey brand co-founded by rock supergroup Metallica — he’s involved in almost every aspect of the company’s sourcing, blending, marketing, and even distribution. And while Blackened sources their distillate from other sources, its “Black Noise” aging process adds an additional…
Kentucky residents and bourbon mega-fans Kenny Coleman and Ryan Cecil have built a small media empire with Bourbon Pursuit, arguably the most popular bourbon-focused podcast across multiple platforms. Beginning in 2018, they started leveraging that audience for regular releases of single barrel whiskeys. And in 2021, they launched Pursuit United Bourbon, a blended product sourced…
When Barrow’s Intense Ginger Liqueur opened a new Brooklyn distillery in May 2019, founder Josh Morton was adamant about creating a full bar and tasting room experience for visitors: cocktails, spirits served neat, seasonal specials, and even a full bottle shop. But under New York law, virtually all craft distillers in the state with retail…
Over the past six years, a booming American market for agave spirits has produced a rush of both celebrity marketed brands and craft labels backed by multinational conglomerates. That means a number of small producers (including non-distilling producers) have focused on hyper-targeted demographics, often releasing product in just one or two metropolitan areas. Jon Basil…