When I learned of the George Dickel whiskey finished in Tabasco barrels, I immediately wondered what their new distiller, Nicole Austin, thought. The talented Austin loathes gimmicks, and I imagined her kicking a trash can across the distillery. The can rolls to the sound of … Continue readingDickel distiller speaks her mind on Tabasco finish whiskey
Diageo announced its latest Orphan Barrel, the tenth in the collection. The company said Rhetoric 23-year-old originates from whiskey distilled between 1990 and 1993 at the Bernheim when United Distillers owned it. Bourbon Hall of Famer Edwin Foote would have been the distiller then, and … Continue readingNew Orphan Barrel Released
Dear Bourbon Drinker: Lend me your angst, palate and general disgust toward brand marketing. Take this age statement-dropping hate boiling deep within and apply it to rum. Yes, rum. It needs you. For the past decade, I’ve watched you, the bourbon geek, complain about sourced … Continue readingFor Rum’s Sake, An Open Letter to Bourbon Drinkers
Brown-Forman made a bold move partnering with the NBA. Jack Daniel’s and the star-studded basketball league announced today a new multiyear partnership making Jack Daniel’s an official marketing partner of the NBA, the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA), the NBA Development League (D-League), and USA … Continue readingJack Daniel’s Partners with NBA
Several bourbon industry stalwarts were elected into the Kentucky Bourbon Hall of Fame, and one bourbon giant earned the even more rare honor of the Parker Beam Lifetime Achievement award. A joint effort between the Kentucky Distillers’ Association and the Kentucky Bourbon Festival since 2001, … Continue readingKentucky Bourbon Hall of Fame Inductees 2016
When John Lunn left Diageo’s George Dickel Distillery for the relatively unknown Tennessee brand Popcorn Sutton in March, the entire whiskey world was surprised. I personally thought Lunn was this country’s most-underrated distiller, and Diageo was grooming him for something bigger. Lunn managed facilities in … Continue readingThe Rise of Popcorn Sutton