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 […]
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 […]
The Whiskey Wars
Maybe you’ve heard about the Whiskey Rebellion of 1794, but the Whiskey Wars? October, and conversations with people about pre-Prohibition whiskeys, got me thinking about the Whiskey Wars. They began […]
Bourbon County History
Did you know that Bourbon County was originally part of Virginia? Bourbon County, Kentucky may not be the namesake for our favorite American liquor…So if not Bourbon County, KY, where […]
Laird’s Apple Jack- America’s First Licensed Distillery
It’s autumn now and that makes me think of applejack… Laird’s applejack is not whiskey, but it was the first licensed distillery in the United States. I’m particularly proud of […]
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 […]
Why is Buffalo Trace Not Part of “the Bourbon Trail”?
Did you know that Buffalo Trace is not part of the Kentucky bourbon trail? It all came to an end in 2009. The Kentucky Distillers Association has been around since […]
Jefferson’s Whiskey?
Thomas Jefferson may have a whiskey named after him, but maybe not for the reasons you think… When the Jefferson’s brand of whiskey was launched in 1997, the brand said […]