Author name: Chuck Cowdery

Is It in My Blood?

 The voodoo of Ancestry DNA says some of my people migrated from Maryland to North Central Kentucky in the 18th-19th centuries.I have been around the Kentucky bourbon business for about 45 years. I got into it by moving from Ohio to Kentucky for a…

Should Your Favorite Whiskey Always Taste the Same?

 Big whiskey companies are serious about consistency.John Lunn, before he took the position of master distiller at George Dickel, got to meet Ralph Dupps, who built the Tullahoma distillery for Schenley in the 1950s. “Don’t change a damn thing,” w…

Lost Lantern Celebrates "Summer of Bourbon"

 Lost Lantern’s 2023 Summer of Bourbon Collection.The 21st century has witnessed two dramatic changes in the distilled spirits landscape. First is the revival of American straight whiskey, especially bourbon and rye. Second is the explosion of cra…

In the United States, We Take Our Whiskey Personally

“A conversation with Mr. Van Winkle.”The question was one of those clickbait things on social media. “To whom do you turn when the going gets rough?” More than one person answered, “Jack Daniel’s.”Americans like that about our whiskey. In Scotland and …

Who Makes America’s Whiskey Now?

 A photo from the American Craft Spirits Association to represent craft spirits.Seven years ago, it struck me that for all the sound and fury about new brands and new distilleries, things had not changed very much since I made a similar survey two…

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