In craft distilling circles, brandy is a dark horse with major momentum. According to the Distilled Spirits Council, Americans bought 13.7 million 9-liter cases of brandy in 2017, to the tune of $2.3 billion. We bought less than 10 million cases of gin, and 9.3 million of Scotch. “Brandy has become a quiet giant of […]
As American whiskey sales continue to grow year-over-year, due in part to what industry analysts call the “craft movement,” bottled-in-bond spirits have come back in a big way. Jack Daniel’s released a 100-proof bottled-in-bond expression in August 2018. Heaven Hill Brands, the sixth-largest distilled spirits company in the U.S., has made bonded iterations of Old […]
America is thirsty for craft spirits. There are more than 1,500 craft distilleries in the United States as of August 2017, up 20.8 percent from the year prior, according to the Craft Spirits Data Project, a joint venture from Park Street, American Craft Spirits Association, and IWSR. In late 2017, the Project shared its Annual […]
When British Columbia-based Victoria Distillers launched in 2008, its founders could count their local competition on one hand. At the time, nearly all of Canada’s spirit production was dominated by powerhouses like Canadian Club, Crown Royal, and Seagram’s. “In the beginning, the price structure was prohibitive for small distilleries,” Peter Hunt, a molecular biologist turned […]
“I don’t want another drink.” That’s not a normal thought for me. I’ve written about beer for years. Even weirder, I was thinking that in Salt Lake City, Utah. Known for its religious population and gorgeous scenery, Utah also has the strictest alcohol laws in the United States. Part of me believed the entire state […]
Ketel One Vodka launched a new line, Botanical, in May. Made with non-GMO grains and no sugar or artificial sweeteners, the series features varieties like Cucumber & Mint, Peach & Orange Blossom, and Grapefruit & Rose. The line is not technically classified as a ”flavored vodka” by the TTB, due to its slightly lower ABV, […]
If you find the concept of barrel-aged gin a little perplexing, you’re not alone. Just what is one supposed to do with this amber-colored spirit that has all the botanical flavors of gin, plus whiskey-like notes of wood and vanilla? Treat it like bourbon? Use it in place of traditional gin? Sip it neat? For one, […]
Shine Restaurant & Potion Bar couldn’t exist anywhere other than Boulder, Colorado. Kooky to its core, it’s no coincidence that this Colorado mountain town was the setting of ”Mork & Mindy,” a 1970s sitcom starring Robin Williams as a suspenders-wearing extra-terrestrial. There’s an otherworldly vibe to the place.
Spring has officially sprung, even if temperatures across much of the country remain stubbornly wintry. On the bright side, the new season brings several hotly anticipated bars, perfect for late-night revelry, patio sipping, and so on. From an experimental cocktail laboratory in the Pacific Northwest, to a chic Midwestern hotel bar, to an izakaya next […]
