By Richard Thomas World Whisky Day, that annual celebration for whiskey-lovers everywhere and of whiskeys made everywhere, is around the corner: the day itself if this Saturday, on May 21. If an enthusiast needs an occasion to venture into unfamiliar territory, this is it, because this is the day to embrace unknown bottles from faraway lands. What follows is a ...
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Top 10 Bourbons For Under $35
By Richard Thomas My first round-up of bargain bourbons was in 2016, and how things have changed since then. That was before the Trump trade war rocked commodity markets and started the supply chain disruption; before pandemia sparked a run on the liquor store and disrupted world logistics even more; long before shortages and recovery sparked inflation; and way before ...
Read More »A Bourbon Traveler’s Race Season Guide
By Richard Thomas Peak tourism is fast arriving in Louisville. This Saturday, April 23, brings Thunder Over Louisville 2022, the annual airshow over the city that ushers in the height of race season in the Derby City. Well over half a million people regularly come to town for the show and fireworks, and that is only the beginning. Kentucky Oaks, ...
Read More »Looking In On Vendome Copper & Brassworks
By Richard Thomas The bourbon boom was well underway when Deputy Editor Kurt Maitland and I paid a visit to Vendome Copper & Brassworks in mid-2014, but it continued to accelerate year on year in the almost eight years since then. Blanton’s was still reliably on store shelves and the so-called bourbon shortage was on everyone’s lips (the Bizarro World ...
Read More »What Is Craft Whiskey 2.0?
By Richard Thomas A few years ago, I coined the phrase “Craft Whiskey 2.0” to describe new and evolved features that defined small whiskey-makers relative to what they were in 2005 or 2010*. However, I never codified everything I meant by that anywhere, not even in my book American Whiskey, preferring to focus on the specific issue at hand. It’s ...
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