What is corn whiskey? With bourbon booming in America, I wanted to discuss the difference. Bourbon needs to be made from at least 51% corn, but can, of course, have […]
There Were No “Old” American Whiskeys Before 1958…
Picture the whiskey industry after WWII. The few distilleries that remained after prohibition had been successful with pulling themselves out of a whiskey drought by producing massive amounts of young […]
Whiskey Production Finally Rebounds to Pre-Prohibition Numbers…
It may seem like an enormous amount of whiskey is being produced in the United States right now. That may be true, but we’re only just catching up to production […]
Biggest Consumers of American Whiskey…Not Americans.
Did you know that the biggest consumers of American whiskey (per capita) are not Americans? It’s the Australians! It is very close, as they only really beat us in the […]
XXX on Whiskey Jugs Means Something…
Did you know that the XXX on old whiskey jugs actually means something? We’re all familiar with these jugs from cartoons and from American mythology. It was a common marking […]
Proof of Proof? History of Proof vs. ABV
Did you know that “proof” of alcohol content used to be proven with gunpowder? The term proof probably originated in the 16th century. Soldiers had no tools to determine whether […]
Is Distilling Illegal? Yes.
Is distilling legal if you’re just making it for personal consumption? NO. It is very much ILLEGAL. I get these questions a lot. Why would they sell stills smaller than […]
Mash Bills in America
Did you know that mash bills are really only used in American whiskey production? American distilleries refer to the proportions of grains used as their “mash bill”. There are quite […]
History of Rebel Yell in America
Rebel Yell is one of those old throwbacks. A “wheated” Kentucky bourbon. And yes, it was manufactured at Stitzel-Weller Distillery in Louisville beside whiskeys that were bottled by the Van […]
How Do I Love Whiskey? Let Me Count the Ways…
How do I love American Whiskey? Let me count the ways… 1. Bourbon Whiskey. -I almost thought to just leave it at that. -Bourbon was made a distinctly American product […]