Today was the day President McKinley was shot… What does this have to do with whiskey, you ask? William McKinley had a cocktail named after him while he was running […]
Japanese Whiskey
I am a huge fan of Japanese whisky… Two of the most influential figures in the history of Japanese whisky are Shinjiro Torii and Masataka Taketsuru. Torii created the Yamazaki […]
Solera Aging in Whiskey
I wonder if we won’t start seeing more solera aged bottlings of whiskey in the future… Dave Pickerell was the first to use the solera aging technique in whiskey production […]
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 […]
To “E” Or Not To “E”…
The spelling of the word whiskey is somehow an argument… I’ve been asked this question many times, “What is the correct spelling of whiskey?” There is no correct spelling. It […]
Old Fitzgerald- the Survivor.
Everyone wants Pappy Van Winkle, but Old Fitzgerald came first. The Old Fitzgerald brand (originally Jn.E.Fitzgerald bourbon) was created by S.C. Herbst around 1870. In the 1890’s Herbst purchased the […]
Barrel Shortage Effect
The barrel shortage is affecting our American whiskey… There are just about 27 cooperages in America…http://www.acia.net/membership.html The demand for good aged American white oak is such that most staves are […]
Possible Origin for the Word “Whiskey”?
I discovered a new option for where the word “WHISKEY” may have originated… The word “whisk” (Scotch: quhiske)- to move rapidly, to go lightly-is the word given to to light […]
The Taft Decision
Did you know that President Taft is responsible for defining “what is whiskey?” E.H. Taylor with the help of John G. Carlisle, then the Secretary of the Treasury, enabled the […]
The Myth of Elijah Craig
The story of Elijah Craig becoming the “father of bourbon” is a great story. And that’s what it is…a story. It goes like this…Craig opened his distillery in 1789, and […]