By Kurt Maitland In New York, The Brandy Library has a reputation as the spirits connoisseur’s bar. That makes French-born Flavien Desoblin the owner of a major service institution in a town where upscale tastings and product launches are a fixture of the serious drinker’s circuit. As The Brandy Library is one of Kurt Maitland’s favorite bars, he made a ...

The Man Who Makes William Grant and Sons Tick By Richard Thomas When it comes to the big, established players in scotch whisky, arguably the one with the most cachet is William Grant and Sons. The company is not just the third largest in the industry, but also still an independent, family-owned enterprise after almost 130 years. In terms of ...

By Richard Thomas Originally from Kansas, Katie Buchanan relocated to New York to study at the Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music, and is now pursuing her trade there as a modern blues singer-songwriter. But in addition to her devotion to Fender guitars and her music, Katie is also a self-described whiskey fanatic. With a new single, “Go,” coming out ...

By Kurt Maitland When talking about the modern mixology movement, few men qualify as a “founding father” style figure more than Dale DeGroff. Also known as “King Cocktail,” DeGroff started laying the groundwork for the modern trend in the 1980s. His standing is cemented not only by being the author or co-author of three cocktail books, his own line of ...

Chatting With The Founder of Asheville Distilling Company By Richard Thomas Asheville, North Carolina is fast becoming the new “it” town in America, and part of its draw is its location. Situated just across the state line from Smokey Mountain National Park, Asheville is surrounded with outdoor beauty and activities, a feature that has drawn plenty of people with a ...