Browsing Posts in: North American Whisk(e)y

A reputation is a terrible thing. You post one thing on the internet, more people than expected read it, and from that day on you are ‘that guy who likes Jack Daniel’s Honey‘. So, when…

Associate distiller Eddie Russell led a tasting of his Wild Turkey range at our Vinopolis shop earlier this month. As well as taking us through his excellent range of whiskeys, Eddie talked about how his father…

A slight change for June’s Spirit of the Month. Previous months have seen gin and vodka take centre stage, but this time round, we’ve gone for an American whiskey from Michter’s. Michter’s US*1 Unblended American…

Now, stick with me – this is going to sound a bit weird: I like Jack Daniel’s Honey. That’s not the sort of admission you’d expect a whisky geek to make, but after extensive sampling…

Telecoms-project-manager-turned-distiller Phil Brandon founded Rock Town in 2010, the first legal distillery in Arkansas. While he’s based in downtown Little Rock, he spends a lot of time on the road, travelling around the USA and…

On Kentucky Derby day, there is only one drink you should be seen with: a Mint Julep. This year’s event takes place on Saturday 2 May, and at Churchill Downs racecourse in Louisville, where the…

Ever wondered why distillers can’t agree on one basic thing: how to spell the liquid they make? Take a look at your drinks cupboard now, and it’s likely there’ll be at least one bottle with…

Arkansas isn’t the first state one thinks of for whisky production: half of its counties are ‘dry’, which prohibits the sale of alcohol; it’s illegal to drink in a public place or private car (even…

While there are numerous books about whisky, there are surprisingly few about how to make it, and even fewer about how the whisky industry itself looks at whisky as a thing to be sold. There…

American whiskey is booming. From the rye explosion (an explosion in popularity, rather than an actual detonation) a few years back to the huge number of craft distilleries appearing all over the USA, American whiskey…

This time last year I was busy sorting out classes for the 2013 Whisky Show, and in my search for interesting ideas, a slightly fuzzy-haired, glazed-eyed version of Tim Forbes (formerly of this parish) told…

Despite the specific nature of the word ‘Scotch’, the Scotch whisky industry is one with international tendrils. In order to be called Scotch whisky, the distilled spirit has to mature in oak casks for at…

It’s almost Christmas and for us in the drinks retail business it’s almost time to have a sit down and a rest. For me, aka the Arbiter Of Advent, it’s coming on time to hang…

We’ve been quietly cooking something up for the last few months and today we can reveal our work to the world – The Whisky Exchange Fine Spirits and Whisky Advent Calendar. It’s a fairly simple…

Another year, another burst of whisky-related discussion and outrage on the internets – Jim Murray’s Whisky Bible 2014 is out. Over 4500 whiskies, along with Jim’s tasting notes and scores, packed into one pocket sized…

Phew! The Whisky Show is finally over for another year.  This was our biggest and best Show yet, with dozens of exhibitors serving over 500 different spirits (not all of them were whisky…) in an…

Once again, TWE were in full effect at last weekend’s Whisky Live in London, which was held in its now-traditional location of Armoury House, home of the British Army’s oldest regiment, the Honourable Artillery Company…

The more attentive amongst you may have noticed that one thing we’ve not yet done much trumpeting about is our yearly whisky show. Well, let the trumpeting begin – we’re back at Vinopolis on October…