How the Whiskey Making Craft Came to America
Few know the controversial history that surrounds American whiskey pioneers. Forced to migrate from their homeland, this new breed of European settler brought with them the secrets to making whiskey.
Whiskey Making Essential ingredients
Distillers are using science and traditional methods to take advantage of the infinite range of tastes, tones, colors, aromas, but it still begins with the combination of grains used in the mash.
The Birth of American Whiskey
A Brief History of American Whiskey The birth of the American whiskey can be traced back to 1791, when the wildly unpopular tax on whiskey was imposed to pay down debts from the war for independence with Great Britain. The Excise Whiskey Tax applied to all distilled spirits, but with consumption of whiskey on the rise in […]
Ancient Alchemy: The Secret History of Distilled Spirits
The secret processes of distillation and other alchemic processes were not taught in universities, but were instead transmitted in secrecy from teacher to apprentice and student.
How a 19th Century Whiskey Pioneer Became Japan’s First Cultural Ambassador to New York City
In the late 19th Century, Dr. Jōkichi Takamine tried to teach the American liquor industry how to use koji to make whiskey more efficiently. But things did not go as planned––when rivals from the powerful Maltsters Union were accused, but never convicted of burning his Peoria, Illinois distillery to the ground in 1890. Destined for success […]
Our Most Popular Pours at Whiskeyfest NYC 2022
Rare and popular whiskey makers from around the world descended on the Marriott Marquis in New York City’s Times Square for Whiskeyfest 2022! Wine and Spirits Journal was there to taste and lend a helping hand with the most popular pours for New York City. With hundreds of distilled spirits available at Whiskeyfest, the most difficult […]
A Brief History of Barrels and Aging
The history of barrels and aging begins with the discovery by Dutch merchants that distilled wine (brandywine) from Cognac took on an exceptional new flavor as it aged in barrels on route to its destination. The longer the voyage, the better it tasted, and the higher the asking price at port. Naturally, those clever Scotts […]
Irish Style Whiskey
IRISH WHISKEY Irish whiskey has a smoother finish, in contrast to the smoky, earthy overtones common to Scotch whisky, due in part to peating. Irish whiskey was one of the earliest known distilled spirits in Europe, arising around the 12th century. It is believed that Irish monks brought the technique of distilling perfume back to […]
Canadian Style Whiskey
CANADIAN WHISKEY During the Prohibition Era, seventy-five percent of all the alcohol smuggled into the United States was smuggled from Canada, where it was still legal. The Canadians were making the best quality whiskey, at the time when an American bootleggers were selling just about anything they could get their hands on to turn a […]
Bourbon Style Whiskey
BOURBON WHISKEY The name “Bourbon” derives from the French Bourbon dynasty, although the precise inspiration is uncertain; contenders include Bourbon County in Kentucky and Bourbon Street in New Orleans, both of which are named after the dynasty. The name “Bourbon” was not applied until the 1850s, and the Kentucky etymology was not advanced until the […]