We know the holidays are coming…er, are here , and we’re sorry this is a bit late for Hanukkah, but we wanted to get you some advice on whisky books. Here’s the first set, from Fred Minnick; more to come.

When my literary agent and I were shopping Whiskey Women , the most common rejection we received was, “Whiskey is a niche audience and doesn’t interest the masses.” That’s why many whiskey writers have been forced to self publish and American whiskey enthusiasts have had to rely on dated texts—mainstream American publishers never took whiskey books seriously.

My, oh, my,...

Läs mer http://whiskyadvocate.com/whisky/2013/11/27/whisky-books-for-the-holidays-part-1/

We’re all Tweeting, expressing ourselves in 140 characters or less. This occasional series asks whisky luminaries to express themselves in the format, but all in one place. Here’s Jason Craig, Global Brand Controller for Cutty Sark . (We gave him the spaces in his answers for free, so they maj go a bit over 140…)

What’s the view from your office window?

The River Tay on one side and a large tree covered hill on the other side; the sun is low and the colors are gorgeous.

Not bad; better than a car park, unless you’re fibbing. You take guitar lessons....

Läs mer http://whiskyadvocate.com/whisky/2013/11/25/jason-craig-in-140-or-less/

Photos by Fred Minnick

Buffalo Trace is well-known as an innovator. They’ve won awards for it, they’ve seen plenty of ink (and pixels) for it, and they even sell the results of this innovation as their Experimental Collection; selected barrels from a reported 1,500+ variations aging in various warehouses. Distillery president Mark Brown has likened the multi-decade experimental project to a car company’s Formula 1 racing program: technical innovation to improve the general process and product.

But up until now, the experiments have focused on recipe (different grains and proportions), barrel (type of oak, size, seasoning, entry proof, and the...

Läs mer http://whiskyadvocate.com/whisky/2013/11/22/buffalo-traces-experimental-funhouse-warehouse-x/

My article, “LDI: The Mystery Distillery,” was published in the Winter 2011 issue of Whisky Advocate . It was a hard story to write because no one involved with the former Seagram-owned plant in Lawrenceburg, Indiana, would talk about it. Not a word, on the record or off.

A few facts about the place were known, but by 2011 it wasn’t even possible to determine exactly who owned it. Available public records simply showed the owner as Lawrenceburg Distillers Indiana, LLC.

Between when the story was written and when it went to press, LDI was sold. In the nick of...

Läs mer http://whiskyadvocate.com/whisky/2013/11/20/more-from-inside-mgp/

Here it is: a sneak preview of Whisky Advocate ‘s winter 2013 issue’s Buying Guide. Revealed here are the top 10 rated whiskies. We begin the list with #10 and conclude with the #1 highest-rated whisky of the issue.

#10: Forty Creek Heart of Gold, 43%, C$70

Each fall, whisky lovers in Canada and Texas anticipate John Hall’s new limited edition whisky. This year’s sits squarely in the golden heart of classic Canadian rye. Tingling gingery pepper is bathed in ultra-creamy butterscotch, woody maple syrup, black tea, and barley sugar. Prune juice and ripe dark fruits dissolve into dried apricots and...

Läs mer http://whiskyadvocate.com/whisky/2013/11/12/whisky-advocates-winter-issue-top-10-buying-guide-reviews/

Whiskey prices keep climbing, and none of us are happy about it. It’s a simple matter of economics: supply vs. demand. The entire world has discovered the joy of whiskey and there isn’t enough to go around.

But if we can set aside the price issue for a moment and look at the quality of the product on the market, it’s quite apparent to me that 2013 will go down as a great year for premium and super-premium bourbon, and other American whiskeys, like rye and Tennessee. Let’s take a look at what’s been released this year.

The premium whiskeys...

Läs mer http://whiskyadvocate.com/whisky/2013/11/07/2013-the-year-of-great-premium-bourbon/

It’s been a good year for Canada’s Okanagan Spirits. To begin with, a break on the standard retail mark-up in the provincially-owned liquor stores for distillers using locally-grown ingredients – which this fruit belt operation does exclusively – was rather unexpectedly announced in the early spring by the government of the company’s home province of British Columbia.  Then came word from the World Spirits Competition in Klagenfurt, Austria, where Okanagan Spirits was awarded not only World Class Distillery certification, but also the titles of Distillery of the Year 2013 and Spirit of the Year 2013, the latter for their Blackcurrant...

Läs mer http://whiskyadvocate.com/whisky/2013/11/05/the-laird-of-fintry-has-landed/