I have found that many of the new distillers in America have come to distilling from breweries and beer production. It’s a logical step, as “beer” must be brewed before […]
What Defines What Barrel is Used?
What defines the type of barrel that whiskey is aged or finished in? Different styles of barrel aged liquors use different style oak casks. Sherry, for instance is aged in […]
Angel’s Share Effect
How does the angel’s share affect my whiskey? A lot of different things affect the flavors in whiskey, not least of which is the addition of water or loss of […]
The Science of Nosing
Why does my bourbon smell like vanilla? There’s no added flavorings or additives, right? Correct. Bourbon can not have anything added to it like colorings or flavor additives. The vanilla […]
Cigars and Whisky -A Perfect Pair
Cigars and whiskey go so well together… They have a lot more in common then how well they pair together… Whiskey production goes through many stages of development. Malting, milling, […]
Scottish Oak barrels for Scotch?
Did you know that there are only a couple scotches that have actually been aged in Scottish Oak? Seems like a pretty obvious thing to age your whiskies in locally […]
John Glaser of Compass Box
We all know what happens when you insert Scots-Irish folks into American whiskey production. Great American whiskey, of course. But what would happen if you insert an American into Scotch […]
Is Cask Strength the Best Way To Buy Whiskey?
Is cask strength whiskey the best whiskey? Seems like a question most people you’d ask would answer “Yes!” to right away. There’s quite a bit to consider here, however. The […]
Leakhunters
Did you know that there are people whose job it is to stop barrels from leaking? Barrels are miracles of design. I’ve seen their invention compared in importance to the […]
Bourbon is Not Scotch…
Bourbon is not Scotch. Silly and obvious, I know, but after reading an article where a man was blasting bourbon distilleries for removing age statements, I feel it must be […]