MGP Ingredients to Scale Back Whisky Production

mgp ingredients

US producer MGP Ingredients plans to scale back its whiskey production and focus on its branded spirits business next year after sales plunged by double digits in the third quarter (Q3). In its financial results for Q3 2024, MGP confirmed its earlier forecast of a 24% decline in consolidated sales compared to last year. CEO […]

The post MGP Ingredients to Scale Back Whisky Production first appeared on Whisky Critic – Whisky Reviews & Articles – Style. Attitude. Whisky..

mgp ingredients

US producer MGP Ingredients plans to scale back its whiskey production and focus on its branded spirits business next year after sales plunged by double digits in the third quarter (Q3).

In its financial results for Q3 2024, MGP confirmed its earlier forecast of a 24% decline in consolidated sales compared to last year. CEO David Bratcher said the company plans to decrease production and shift its focus to branded spirits.

“In response to the softening American whiskey category trends and elevated industry-wide barrel inventories, in 2025 we plan to further lower our net aging whiskey put away, scale down our whiskey production, and optimize our cost structure to mitigate lower production volumes,” Bratcher said.

MGP Ingredients to Scale Back Whisky Production

mgp ingredients

Within the branded spirits division, premium-plus sales increased by 1% as the company focused on American whiskey and Tequila. During Q3, the brand spirits division posted a 6% decline to US$62.6 million.

According to Bratcher, current market conditions will have an even greater impact on the brand’s ‘Distilling Solutions’ segment, which declined by 36% to US$71.9m during Q3, but is optimistic for 2025.

“We believe that these actions will strengthen the long-term competitive positioning of our brown goods business. Over the longer term, we remain confident in our Distilling Solutions business as our whiskey inventories remain an important part of the still-expanding American whiskey category.”

Since MGP Ingredients has long been able to contract, distill, or sell barrels to upstart labels, it has acquired several brands, such as Luxco in 2021.

“We are pleased with our progress towards becoming a premier branded spirits company,” Bratcher said. “Though further inventory tightening is a headwind in the near term, we expect our continued investments behind our brand’s portfolio to deliver attractive organic growth. In addition, we expect our Ingredient Solutions segment to have a stronger 2025 despite current transitory headwinds.”

In May 2023, MGP acquired Penelope Bourbon. These acquisitions, recent sales reports, and corresponding changes indicate what’s to come from one of the country’s largest spirits producers.

The post MGP Ingredients to Scale Back Whisky Production first appeared on Whisky Critic - Whisky Reviews & Articles - Style. Attitude. Whisky..

What Trump’s Victory Means for Whisky Lovers

Donald Trump’s historic victory Tuesday night has his critics crying in their drams. Those drams are likely to become more expensive in a second Trump… Read More

Donald Trump’s historic victory Tuesday night has his critics crying in their drams. Those drams are likely to become more expensive in a second Trump Administration, depending on where they’re distilled.

Trump has never made a secret of his love of tariffs to protect domestic industries, and floated the idea of a 10% tariff on all imported goods during his campaign – the so-called “national sales tax” the Harris campaign tried to hang on him. Unlike the targeted tariff affecting single malt Scotch whiskies that was in place from 2018 through 2021 and currently is suspended while the U.S., Great Britain, and the European Union try to resolve their differences over aircraft subsidies, a new “Trump tariff” is likely to cover all Scotch whiskies.

Whiskies from Ireland, India, Taiwan, and other countries would also be affected, though it is not clear whether Canadian whiskies would be taxed because of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada free trade act negotiated during the first Trump Administration.

For Scotch Whisky interests, the U.S. remains historically the most important export market, and the single malt tariff is blamed for costing whisky makers an estimated £600 million in lost sales. The tariff was largely passed on to consumers in the form of higher prices at the retail level.

“Anything which gets in the way of tariff-free trade is a big concern to us,” Scotch Whisky Association CEO Mark Kent told WhiskyCast ahead of the election. “We are in close touch with our partners in the US, with other associations, to make the case for continuing tariff-free trade and looking to have that seamless trade.”

Should Trump carry out his threat to impose tariffs, it would likely spark a trade war with retaliatory tariffs being imposed against U.S. exports. The European Union has already targeted Bourbon and other American whiskies for retaliatory tariffs once before after the first Trump Administration imposed tariffs on imported steel and aluminum in 2018 to protect the domestic steel industry. That tariff is scheduled to resume at a 50% level next March absent an agreement on steel and aluminum trade.

“It would be awful,” said Distilled Spirits Council CEO Chris Swonger. “American whiskey exports were impacted by 30% when the 25% tariff was imposed for three or four years, so that cannot happen, and we’re going to work very closely with our European spirits industry partners to play a positive role both with the EU government and the incoming Trump Administration,” he said in an interview Wednesday. Swonger says Trump likes to use tariffs as a negotiating tool, with his objectives to reduce the U.S. trade deficit and boost domestic manufacturing.

Raj Sabharwal of Glass Revolution Imports points out that Trump incorrectly believes that exporting countries pay the tariffs, when it is actually the U.S. importer who pays the taxes. He expressed concern over the potential for tariffs at a time when the industry is already facing lagging sales.

“The industry is already feeling the economic impact which is affecting premium and super premium items.  These items have witnessed rising prices, already putting them out of reach of average consumers. If the tariff is around 10% we may be able to work with our suppliers to help. However, a 25%+ tariff will have tremendous impact,” Sabharwal said in an email. He worked around the single malt tariff by focusing on world whiskies from non-affected countries and importing blended malts from Scotland not subject to the tariff.

The Chinese have a saying “may you live in interesting times.” In short…buckle up. It’s about to get interesting.

Mike And Matt Taste Widow Jane The Vaults Bourbon 2024

I have liked the Widow Jane products ever since Lisa Roper Wicker became their Master Distiller and Blender. Lisa has since left the distillery and Heaven Hill has purchased the distillery, but Lisa’s influence is still there. They are putting… Conti…

I have liked the Widow Jane products ever since Lisa Roper Wicker became their Master Distiller and Blender. Lisa has since left the distillery and Heaven Hill has purchased the distillery, but Lisa’s influence is still there. They are putting... Continue Reading →

The Macallan Unveils New Limited Edition Single Malt

The Macallan

As part of the celebrations for the Macallan bicentennial, a limited edition single malt has been launched. The new spirit is dubbed A Night on Earth in Jerez de la Frontera. The Scotch whisky marks the brand’s third release under the A Night on Earth Series and concludes the brand’s 200th anniversary celebrations. The Macallan […]

The post The Macallan Unveils New Limited Edition Single Malt first appeared on Whisky Critic – Whisky Reviews & Articles – Style. Attitude. Whisky..

The Macallan

As part of the celebrations for the Macallan bicentennial, a limited edition single malt has been launched. The new spirit is dubbed A Night on Earth in Jerez de la Frontera.

The Scotch whisky marks the brand’s third release under the A Night on Earth Series and concludes the brand’s 200th anniversary celebrations. The Macallan anniversary included activations, partnerships, and special releases.

This single malt is inspired by southern Spanish traditions that encourage celebration of the past and reflection on the future. A Night on Earth in Jerez de la Frontera is matured in European and American oak casks seasoned with Sherry.

The Macallan Unveils New Limited Edition Single Malt

The Macallan

There are notes of honey, grapes, and pastry on the palate. These flavors were inspired by the Spanish custom of eating 12 grapes prior to the new year. Plus, it also uses the Jerez pastry pestilocas, a fried dough with sugar and anise.

Steven Bremner, whisky maker, commented: “Jerez plays a crucial role in The Macallan’s past, but also present and future. As a whisky maker, having been able to tell part of that story through a whisky has been wonderfully rewarding.

“A combination of European and American Sherry-seasoned casks has enabled us to capture the flavors, traditions, and María’s memories of New Year in Jerez de la Frontera, the home of Sherry wine.”

The outer design depicts crimson skies, vibrant sunsets, and Sherry wine vineyards, along with roses that grow in the vineyards, which act as a natural warning system.

Customers will be greeted with displays of ‘azulejos’ – traditional Jerez wall tiles – depicting icons representing celebrations and meaningful moments for The Macallan and Jerez.

Throughout the inner packaging, grapes from the Jerez vineyards are pictured. Available from 5 November, A Night on Earth in Jerez de la Frontera is bottled at 43% alcohol by volume.

There are a number of retailers who sell it, including Macallan, Berry Bros. & Rudd, The Whisky Exchange, The Whisky Shop, and Master of Malt, depending on availability and location.

The post The Macallan Unveils New Limited Edition Single Malt first appeared on Whisky Critic - Whisky Reviews & Articles - Style. Attitude. Whisky..

Tequila takedowns, cask finishes, and BTAC pricing…oh my!

This week, Buffalo Trace announced the release of its Buffalo Trace Antique Collection. Of the five bottles in the group, none exceed $149.99. You read that right. MSRP is $149.99.

Tequila takedowns, cask finishes, and BTAC pricing...oh my!

Fawn Weaver’s tequila takedowns prove questionable

It’s not often we get a mashup of whiskey and tequila to talk about, but Fawn Weaver, founder of Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey has delivered just that. In two of three Instagram videos she called Tequila Takedown Part 1 and Takedown part 2, Weaver expressed her dismay over learning that tequilas she’s loved for years contain additives—flavoring, coloring and aromatics—that Mexico’s regulatory body doesn’t require distillers report unless they exceed 1 percent of the liquid by volume.

After criticizing tequila makers who use additives, Mexico’s regulators who OK them and Americans who purchase them instead of bourbon, she heaped praise on Uncle Nearest bourbon for its purity. But wait, there’s more.

Part 1 was weird, especially when, at the end, she said, “I see dead people,” clanked a bottle of Uncle Nearest on the wooden stopper of Don Julio 1942 and then began dancing. (WTH?)

Part 2 was strange when she voiced her disappointment about shopping at a store where she couldn’t find any additive-free tequilas except one—Patron El Cielo, a cristalino. (If you don’t know what that is, trust me, cristalinos are worthless, high-priced spirits, marketing gimmicks of the worst order.) In a few flag-waving moments, she mentioned America and American products to point out that Americans should buy only American. (Editor's note: It appears that Tequila Takedown Part 2 has since been deleted from Weaver's Instagram account.)

All of this served to make Part 3 even weirder. She said “Big Tequila” has worked to convince consumers that tequila is “more pure, more clean than our native product, bourbon”—a claim which she didn’t substantiate and which I find no fact. In this video, she’s flanked stage right by several bottles of Uncle Nearest whiskies and stage left by high-quality, additive-free tequila bottles. After calling the tequilas pure and lovely, she said, “And that’s what this is all about. Those of you who know me, you’ve already figured that out. … you knew this Part 3 was coming, telling me who your favorite additive-free tequilas are.”

I don’t buy it. Weaver is backpedaling. If she wanted to elevate great tequila, why did she call her series Tequila Takedown? Heck, at least start off Part 3 calling it Tequila Uplift. Watch Parts 1 and 2 and compare her words to Part 3. You’ll figure it out.

She went from being upset that no one told her about additives to becoming flummoxed that she couldn’t find anything on the web to guide her to the good stuff. (www.tequilamatchmaker.com is an excellent source for this). She never said anything in the first two Takedowns that even hinted that she was going to praise additive-free tequilas in the third Takedown. When tequila-knowledgeable critics pounced after Takedowns 1 and 2, Weaver got wise.

And to ensure you know where I stand, additive-free tequilas are the best by far.

Loving current cask finishes

Just when I wanted to proclaim this year that I’m finished with cask finishing, some great bottles came my way to make me think, “Finally, something that really benefitted from and was noticeably changed by another cask.”

The guys at Pursuit United have figured out double oak better than many. Using net-encased oak “staves” (Jenga-looking rectangles, really) inserted into the cask via the bunghole, they get much greater control over the oak impact on the whiskey. Taste it regularly, and when it’s ready, yank out the “sausage link staves” and let the spirit continue aging in its first cask.

It suits my palate for sure, and apparently others’ as well. They kept running out of bottles when selling at the Kentucky Bourbon Festival. Great problem to have.

Sherry casks, you ask? Sometimes. I've preferred PX’s golden raisin note over oloroso’s nutty note until Angel’s Envy master distiller, Owen Martin, turned that notion on its head. His solution is long aging (17 months in the case of a single barrel oloroso second cask I helped pick) and casks chosen carefully by a trusted and good supplier. I really dreaded the idea of picking an oloroso cask, but I was blown away by the results he poured us.

I was in Austin, Texas, recently to attend an event centered on Bearface, a Canadian whisky. This whisky starts in ex-bourbon casks, moves to red wine casks, aged in shipping containers in British Columbia, and then finished in virgin, toasted Hungarian casks. I’ll detail that process in a later story, but just know the whisky is good, truly unique and wholly affordable. If you’re looking for a low-proof sipper with character, I recommend it.

But this year, perhaps my favorite surprise was Barrell Bourbon’s Ice Wine Cask finish. I try to spit out most of what I’m tasting for reviews, but none of that happened when reviewing this. I try to review at least two and ideally three whiskies in the course of an afternoon, but this one stole the show, was swallowed happily and my sipping glass was refilled at least twice. The other two reviews were pushed to the next day. 

Blame high BTAC prices on retailers

This week, Buffalo Trace announced the release of its Buffalo Trace Antique Collection. Of the five bottles in the group, none is higher than $149.99. You read that right. MSRP is $149.99.

To the multitudes who blame distillers for soaring prices, you’re mistaken. Put this one squarely on retailers who know the market will bear much more. If read reviews closely, most list MSRPs. That's the only clue you need to know who's price gouging.

Nuff said about that.

Singing Along with Prohibition: Part Two


Foreword:  In the previous post, “Singing Along with Prohibition:  Part One,” the emphasis was on songs and sheet music that pre-dated National Prohibition, with the song writers asking or predicting what life would be like in a completely “dry” America.  This post examines the music and lyrics generated by the actual imposition of what came to be known as “The Great Experiment.”


The topic is ushered in by a 1919 song by Andrew Sterling and Harry Von Tilzer that  on the July passage of the Volstead Act that implemented the 18th Amendment to the Constitution that had many Americans thinking that alcohol sales had been immediately banned.  The legislation, however, simply set the date for the following January first, 1920.  In this song the gent is moaning “Whoa January, oh January, I hate to see you come around, July was mighty tough but we could get enough…” Von Tilzer was a prolific songwriter who wrote “Shine on Silvery Moon” and “Wait Til the Sun Shines, Nellie.”


When January and National Prohibition did occur, the liquor firms going out of business did brisk sales of their barrels, jugs and bottles of liquor.  Long lines of people stood outside the stores to buy as much as their budgets would let them.  The wealthy established liquor cellars in their homes in which they stock wines and whiskeys.  Author H. L. Mencken created his behind a locked medal door with dire imprecations against anyone trying to enter.  When he died in 1956, long after Repeal, he still had a liquor stash.  


American songwriters were not long in noting these events. Grant Clarke and Milton Ager in 1920 teamed up to give America “Its a Smart Little Feller Who Stocked up his Cellar That’s Getting the Beautiful Girls.”  The lyrics suggested a new era in wooing and winning a “girlie full of charm:”



Oh, they won’t call you honey, because you’ve got money,

It isn’t for money they sigh,

You could once grab a queen with your big limousine

But now times are changing, you know what I mean,

Oh, they won’t know you’re livin’ if all you can give’em

Is just pretty diamonds and pearls;

It’s the smart little feller who stocked up his cellar,

That’s getting the beautiful girls.


Clark and Ager were not the only songwriters to see possibilities in the burgeoning liquor caches of America.  A trio of writers gave the country the song, “Everybody Wants a Key to My Cellar,”  with the sheet music featuring six hands grabbing toward the key.  In the opening verse the owner confesses to having changed things around in his cellar, stockpiled liquor, tried to keep it a secret but told his wife.  She blabbed:



Now ev’rbody wants a key to my cellar, my cellar, my cellar,

People who before wouldn’t give me a tumble,

Even perfect strangers beginning to grumble,

‘Cause I won’t let them have a key to my cellar,

They’ll never get in just let them try.

They can have my money,

They can have my car,

They can have my wife

If they want to go that far,

But they can’t have the key that opens my cellar,

If the whole darn world goes dry.


The “I write the songs,” crew also picked up on another phenomenon of the Dry Era — the sudden popularity of doctors.   During America’s dry age, the federal alcohol ban carved out an exemption for medicinal use, and doctors nationwide suddenly discovered they could bolster their incomes by writing liquor prescriptions. They typically charged $3.00 for such and prescribed it for a wide range of supposed ills.  Pharmacies filled those prescriptions and were one of the few places whiskey could be bought legally.  They raked in the dollars. Through the 1920s, fueled by whiskey prescriptions, the number of Walgreen stores soared from 20 to nearly 400.




On this sheet music, entitled “Oh Doctor,” a gent is whispering his needs to a doctor who is in the process of writing a prescription for whiskey.  Meanwhile behind him a line of well dressed men are calling for similar assistance.  According to the song, the petitioner is pleading, “Write the prescription and please make it say, ‘Take with your meals,’ I eat ten times a day.”  The authors, Billy Joyce and Rubey Cowan, were New York songwriters who also worked as publishers.


Even the famed American songwriter, Irvin Berlin, took a turn at writing a Prohibition ditty, both music and lyrics.  Remembered far and wide for “White Christmas,” his song, “I’ll See You in C-U-B-A,” falls far short of that classic.  Written in 1920, Irvng B. is going to Cuba “where wine is flowing,” and “dark eyed Stellas light their fellers pan-a-gel-as.”  That apparently is Stella on the cover of the sheet music, looking saucy and sexy.  Berlin ends the verse by asking everyone to join him in C-U-B-A.  In that island country, as might be fathomed from the song, alcoholic beverages flowed freely.  


The cover of the sheet music for “I’m the Ghost of that Good Man John Barleycorn” may be be the most interesting part of that song.  It depicts a ghost-like figure in a mist looking over a broken whiskey barrel and some broken and intact bottles.  The words were by George A. Little and the music by Earl K. Smith.  Another Geo. Little song, “When a Black Man is Blue” was recorded by Duke Ellington’s band and is still available on disc.


Some new words and phrases were coming into the vocabulary of the average American, words like bootlegger, rum-runner, speakeasy, home brew, and moonshine.  Actually moonshine had been around for a while.  Bert Williams, a black man who performed in black face, had a hit song in the Ziegfeld Follies called “The Moon Shines on the Moonshine.”  Williams was by far the best selling recording artist before 1920 and is said to have done much during his career to push back racial barriers.


The cover of the 1923 song, “The Moonshine Shudder,” is austere enough to induceat least a slight chill.  It shows five empty bottles on a window sill silhouetted in the light of a smiling moon.  The cover design is by Jan Farrell, about whom I was able to learn nothing, nor anything about the songwriter, Wade Hamilton. Given the lyrics, perhaps their obscurity is deserved:


                                   Oh, could you ever keep from doing it,

I mean the moonshine shudder,

After gurgling, guzzling, lapping up home brew

First you shiver at your throat,

Then you shimmy at your chest;

You wiggle out of your coat,

And you nearly shed your vest.

But you cannot keep from doing it,

I mean the moonshine shudder,

After gurgling, guzzling, lapping up home brew.


As Prohibition wound on through the 1920s and into the 1930s, the songs continue to come.  Some representatives titles were “Kentucky Bootlegger,” “Bootlegger’s Story,”  “Moonshiner,” “Prohibition is a Failure,”  “The Old Home Brew,” “Whiskey Seller,” “Down to the Stillhouse to Get a Li’l Cider,” and “Drunkard’s Hiccups.”  The last-mentioned song is also known as “Jack of Diamonds,” a euphemism for hard drink.   An excerpt from it seems a suitable way to end this post:


Wherever I go

Jack of diamonds, jack of diamonds

I’ve known you from old

You’ve robbed my poor pockets

Of silver and gold.


Foreword:  In the previous post, “Singing Along with Prohibition:  Part One,” the emphasis was on songs and sheet music that pre-dated National Prohibition, with the song writers asking or predicting what life would be like in a completely “dry” America.  This post examines the music and lyrics generated by the actual imposition of what came to be known as “The Great Experiment.”


The topic is ushered in by a 1919 song by Andrew Sterling and Harry Von Tilzer that  on the July passage of the Volstead Act that implemented the 18th Amendment to the Constitution that had many Americans thinking that alcohol sales had been immediately banned.  The legislation, however, simply set the date for the following January first, 1920.  In this song the gent is moaning “Whoa January, oh January, I hate to see you come around, July was mighty tough but we could get enough…” Von Tilzer was a prolific songwriter who wrote "Shine on Silvery Moon" and "Wait Til the Sun Shines, Nellie."


When January and National Prohibition did occur, the liquor firms going out of business did brisk sales of their barrels, jugs and bottles of liquor.  Long lines of people stood outside the stores to buy as much as their budgets would let them.  The wealthy established liquor cellars in their homes in which they stock wines and whiskeys.  Author H. L. Mencken created his behind a locked medal door with dire imprecations against anyone trying to enter.  When he died in 1956, long after Repeal, he still had a liquor stash.  


American songwriters were not long in noting these events. Grant Clarke and Milton Ager in 1920 teamed up to give America “Its a Smart Little Feller Who Stocked up his Cellar That’s Getting the Beautiful Girls.”  The lyrics suggested a new era in wooing and winning a “girlie full of charm:”



Oh, they won't call you honey, because you've got money,

It isn't for money they sigh,

You could once grab a queen with your big limousine

But now times are changing, you know what I mean,

Oh, they won't know you're livin' if all you can give'em

Is just pretty diamonds and pearls;

It's the smart little feller who stocked up his cellar,

That's getting the beautiful girls.


Clark and Ager were not the only songwriters to see possibilities in the burgeoning liquor caches of America.  A trio of writers gave the country the song, “Everybody Wants a Key to My Cellar,”  with the sheet music featuring six hands grabbing toward the key.  In the opening verse the owner confesses to having changed things around in his cellar, stockpiled liquor, tried to keep it a secret but told his wife.  She blabbed:



Now ev'rbody wants a key to my cellar, my cellar, my cellar,

People who before wouldn't give me a tumble,

Even perfect strangers beginning to grumble,

'Cause I won't let them have a key to my cellar,

They'll never get in just let them try.

They can have my money,

They can have my car,

They can have my wife

If they want to go that far,

But they can't have the key that opens my cellar,

If the whole darn world goes dry.


The “I write the songs,” crew also picked up on another phenomenon of the Dry Era — the sudden popularity of doctors.   During America’s dry age, the federal alcohol ban carved out an exemption for medicinal use, and doctors nationwide suddenly discovered they could bolster their incomes by writing liquor prescriptions. They typically charged $3.00 for such and prescribed it for a wide range of supposed ills.  Pharmacies filled those prescriptions and were one of the few places whiskey could be bought legally.  They raked in the dollars. Through the 1920s, fueled by whiskey prescriptions, the number of Walgreen stores soared from 20 to nearly 400.




On this sheet music, entitled “Oh Doctor,” a gent is whispering his needs to a doctor who is in the process of writing a prescription for whiskey.  Meanwhile behind him a line of well dressed men are calling for similar assistance.  According to the song, the petitioner is pleading, “Write the prescription and please make it say, ‘Take with your meals,’ I eat ten times a day.”  The authors, Billy Joyce and Rubey Cowan, were New York songwriters who also worked as publishers.


Even the famed American songwriter, Irvin Berlin, took a turn at writing a Prohibition ditty, both music and lyrics.  Remembered far and wide for “White Christmas,” his song, “I’ll See You in C-U-B-A,” falls far short of that classic.  Written in 1920, Irvng B. is going to Cuba “where wine is flowing,” and “dark eyed Stellas light their fellers pan-a-gel-as.”  That apparently is Stella on the cover of the sheet music, looking saucy and sexy.  Berlin ends the verse by asking everyone to join him in C-U-B-A.  In that island country, as might be fathomed from the song, alcoholic beverages flowed freely.  


The cover of the sheet music for “I’m the Ghost of that Good Man John Barleycorn” may be be the most interesting part of that song.  It depicts a ghost-like figure in a mist looking over a broken whiskey barrel and some broken and intact bottles.  The words were by George A. Little and the music by Earl K. Smith.  Another Geo. Little song, “When a Black Man is Blue” was recorded by Duke Ellington’s band and is still available on disc.


Some new words and phrases were coming into the vocabulary of the average American, words like bootlegger, rum-runner, speakeasy, home brew, and moonshine.  Actually moonshine had been around for a while.  Bert Williams, a black man who performed in black face, had a hit song in the Ziegfeld Follies called “The Moon Shines on the Moonshine.”  Williams was by far the best selling recording artist before 1920 and is said to have done much during his career to push back racial barriers.


The cover of the 1923 song, “The Moonshine Shudder,” is austere enough to induceat least a slight chill.  It shows five empty bottles on a window sill silhouetted in the light of a smiling moon.  The cover design is by Jan Farrell, about whom I was able to learn nothing, nor anything about the songwriter, Wade Hamilton. Given the lyrics, perhaps their obscurity is deserved:


                                   Oh, could you ever keep from doing it,

I mean the moonshine shudder,

After gurgling, guzzling, lapping up home brew

First you shiver at your throat,

Then you shimmy at your chest;

You wiggle out of your coat,

And you nearly shed your vest.

But you cannot keep from doing it,

I mean the moonshine shudder,

After gurgling, guzzling, lapping up home brew.


As Prohibition wound on through the 1920s and into the 1930s, the songs continue to come.  Some representatives titles were “Kentucky Bootlegger,” “Bootlegger’s Story,”  “Moonshiner,” “Prohibition is a Failure,”  “The Old Home Brew,” “Whiskey Seller,” “Down to the Stillhouse to Get a Li’l Cider,” and “Drunkard’s Hiccups.”  The last-mentioned song is also known as “Jack of Diamonds,” a euphemism for hard drink.   An excerpt from it seems a suitable way to end this post:


Wherever I go

Jack of diamonds, jack of diamonds

I've known you from old

You've robbed my poor pockets

Of silver and gold.




















Tamdhu Adds Fourth To Cigar Malt Series

Speyside distillery Tamdhu has released Cigar Malt IV – the fourth addition to their Cigar Malt single malt batch series. Tamdhu Cigar Malt IV was matured in both Oloroso sherry casks and first-fill European oak sherry casks, bottled at 53.8% alcohol by volume [107.6 proof] and is said to offer notes of crème brûlée, ginger […]

The post Tamdhu Adds Fourth To Cigar Malt Series first appeared on Whisky Critic – Whisky Reviews & Articles – Style. Attitude. Whisky..

Speyside distillery Tamdhu has released Cigar Malt IV – the fourth addition to their Cigar Malt single malt batch series.

Tamdhu Cigar Malt IV was matured in both Oloroso sherry casks and first-fill European oak sherry casks, bottled at 53.8% alcohol by volume [107.6 proof] and is said to offer notes of crème brûlée, ginger and plum and is, of course, designed to accompany a premium cigar.

Tamdhu Cigar Malt IV is being made available for $305 per bottle.

The post Tamdhu Adds Fourth To Cigar Malt Series first appeared on Whisky Critic - Whisky Reviews & Articles - Style. Attitude. Whisky..

Whiskey Quickie: Bardstown Bourbon Company + Blackberry Berry Farm Brewery Review

On this Whiskey Quickie by Bourbon Pursuit, we review Bardstown Bourbon Company Collaborative Series with Blackberry Berry Farm Brewery. This 6-14 year […]

The post Whiskey Quickie: Bardstown Bourbon Company + Blackberry Berry Farm Brewery Review appeared first on BOURBON PURSUIT.



On this Whiskey Quickie by Bourbon Pursuit, we review Bardstown Bourbon Company Collaborative Series with Blackberry Berry Farm Brewery. This 6-14 year old finished bourbon is 107 proof and $160 MSRP. Let us know what you think. Cheers!

DISCLAIMER: The whiskey in this review was provided to us at no cost courtesy of the spirit producer. We were not compensated by the spirit producer for this review. This is our honest opinion based on what we tasted. Please drink responsibly.


The post Whiskey Quickie: Bardstown Bourbon Company + Blackberry Berry Farm Brewery Review appeared first on BOURBON PURSUIT.

A few young Glen Ord

Glen Ord 10 yo 2012/2022 (52.3%, The Whisky Agency, RIFA, cask #800207, 118 bottles)
The Singleton 14 yo ‘Autumn Walk’ (54.7%, OB, Special Release, 2024)
Glen Ord 11 yo 2012/2024 (58.6%, Lady of the Glen, cask #800186, 193 bott…

Glen Ord 10 yo 2012/2022 (52.3%, The Whisky Agency, RIFA, cask #800207, 118 bottles)

The Singleton 14 yo ‘Autumn Walk’ (54.7%, OB, Special Release, 2024)

Glen Ord 11 yo 2012/2024 (58.6%, Lady of the Glen, cask #800186, 193 bottles)

Glen Ord 11 yo 2012/2024 (57.1%, Signatory Vintage, 100 Proof)

Glen Ord 11 yo 2012/2023 (58.8%, Fadandel, cask #800241, 213 bottles)

Whisky Wonderland 2025: A Weekend of Unforgettable Whisky

Whisky Wonderland 2025

There are over 40 vendors at Whisky Wonderland 2025, plus exclusive dinners, masterclasses, and outdoor events. Whisky Wonderland 2025: Canada’s Premier Whisky Festival Unveils New Downtown Ottawa Venue and Unmatched Experiences. In 2025, Whisky Wonderland will return to Downtown Ottawa at the Saint Brigid’s Centre for the Arts from February 20-22. Whisky enthusiasts will gather […]

The post Whisky Wonderland 2025: A Weekend of Unforgettable Whisky first appeared on Whisky Critic – Whisky Reviews & Articles – Style. Attitude. Whisky..

Whisky Wonderland 2025

There are over 40 vendors at Whisky Wonderland 2025, plus exclusive dinners, masterclasses, and outdoor events. Whisky Wonderland 2025: Canada’s Premier Whisky Festival Unveils New Downtown Ottawa Venue and Unmatched Experiences.

In 2025, Whisky Wonderland will return to Downtown Ottawa at the Saint Brigid’s Centre for the Arts from February 20-22. Whisky enthusiasts will gather for an unforgettable weekend of whisky tasting.

There will be a diverse lineup of tasting experiences, gourmet food, and exclusive activities at Whisky Wonderland 2025, which will be filled with music, culinary delights, and exciting activities.

Hundreds of premium whisky vendors will showcase their unique expressions from across the globe. From rare single malts to bold new blends, there will be something to pique every palate’s interest.

Whisky Wonderland 2025: A Weekend of Unforgettable Whisky

Enjoy gourmet meals and exquisite food pairings at Whisky Wonderland’s exclusive dinners. Whisky Wonderland’s exclusive dinners pair world-class whiskies with exquisite dishes that elevate your tasting experience.

Become a whisky expert with access to exclusive masterclasses led by industry experts. Learn the nuances of whisky-making, tasting notes, and the expertise behind each bottle.

Enjoy the beautifully crafted ice bar and stay warm in our cozy igloos as you unwind and enjoy the festival’s ambiance. Enjoy a whisky cocktail while embracing the crisp February air in the heated outdoor areas.

Live music throughout the weekend creates an electric atmosphere that enhances the whisky experience, from the thrill of our “closest to the pin” competition to the art of live ice sculpting.

“Whisky Wonderland 2025 is not just an event; it’s a destination for whisky lovers to come together and share in the celebration of fine spirits,” says Mike Brisebois, Event Organizer. “With our new location in Downtown Ottawa, we’re excited to offer an immersive experience that brings whisky enthusiasts closer to the world of whisky, all set within the vibrant energy of our nation’s capital.”

 

The post Whisky Wonderland 2025: A Weekend of Unforgettable Whisky first appeared on Whisky Critic - Whisky Reviews & Articles - Style. Attitude. Whisky..