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 ...

Kentucky Bourbon is expanding its status as a premier signature industry, now pouring $9 billion into the Bluegrass economy every year and generating more than 22,500 jobs with $1.23 billion in payroll, Gov. Andy Beshear and legislative leaders announced today. Distilling also contributes more than $285 million in local and state tax revenue and is in the middle of a ...

The Problem Isn’t The Secondary Market Anymore. It’s The Retailers. By Richard Thomas Whenever the subject of the spiraling cost for limited edition whiskeys has come up during the last decade, someone always curses “the secondary market.” Lately, it has even become the villain for why brands like Blanton’s are no longer available on store shelves. So what, exactly, is ...

By Richard Thomas Before covid-19 slapped whiskey club meetings, distillery tours, certification courses and brand-hosting tastings closed, bourbon education was there for anyone who wanted it. Throw in the many books that have been written on the subject, and there is no reason why any enthusiast shouldn’t have a firm and accurate grasp of at least the basics of what ...

New Riff Distilling announces the release of an unprecedented bourbon and rye duo in early May, part of an ongoing exploration of the deep truths and deeper mysteries of the sour mash method. Like all New Riff whiskeys, the Backsetter whiskeys are crafted with the traditional, time-honored sour mash Kentucky regimen, which utilizes a portion of grain “backset” from a ...