By Richard Thomas Rating: B- As the story goes, Lovell Brothers is the product of a reformed Georgia moonshiner. Founder Carlos Lovell, now well in his 80s, reportedly started in the family ‘shining business at the age of 16. In 2012, Mr. Lovell started Ivy Mountain Distillery, and they have two products out: an aged and an unaged corn whiskey. ...

By Richard Thomas Rating: C KIN White Whiskey bills itself as “turning outlaws into legends and rulebreakers in icons,” and from that one might expect a big, ballsy unaged whiksey, despite the standard 80 proof bottling. In fact, it’s singular characteristic is just how smooth it is, quite in contrast to the brand’s edgy-but-chic marketing. The Whiskey A pour of ...

By Richard Thomas Rating: B+ Few distillery openings in modern times have been as anticipated as that of Teeling Whiskey Company, roughly a year ago in Dublin, Ireland. That anticipation was both a mark of the success of Teeling’s marketing as a sourced whiskey brand in the years prior, and as the landmark opening of the first new whiskey distillery ...

Kentucky’s Small Distillers Emerge Onto Center Stage By Richard Thomas Even during bourbon’s nadir in the ’70s and ’80s, the Commonwealth of Kentucky remained one of the world’s most important whiskey regions, as it was the seat of so many of the world’s biggest distilleries. As whiskey rebounded and the craft distilling movement took America by storm, it was small ...

The American Craft Spirits Association (ACSA) today announces the appointment of Paul Hletko, founder of FEW Spirits in Evanston, IL, as the President of the Board of Directors. He succeeds Thomas Mooney, who served as the organization’s inaugural President since 2014. Together, Hletko, who has served as a key member of ACSA’s Board of Directors since the organization’s founding in ...