Michael R. Veach - BourbonSphere

Maker’s Mark Wood Project Whiskeys 2022

Last March I was invited to participate in a behind-the-scenes look at how Maker’s Mark picks their wood project series of whiskeys. Jane Bowie invited me and several other whiskey writers to her lab at the distillery. I have written… Continue Readin…

Eight Books You Should Have When Starting An American Whiskey Library

I am often asked “What books I should I but when building a library on American whiskey”. I have put together this list of books that are a foundation of a good reference library. They cover history, but also the… Continue Reading →

Mike And Matt Taste Michter’s Schenk’s And Bomberger’s Whiskeys 2022

Every year, Michter’s releases their legacy brands of Shenk’s Sour Mash and Bomberger’s Bourbon brands. This year, the Shenk’s Sour Mash was aged in specially toasted French oak barrels whose staves had been air dried for 24 months from the… Continue…

Patent Warehouses With Barrel Racks

When you look at Sanborn Insurance Maps from the pre-Prohibition era, you often see a distillery warehouses labeled as “Patent Warehouse”. These are warehouses with barrel racks. In 1879, Frederick Stitzel patented the system of barrel racks we see in….

Whiskey Of The Month September, 2022 – Rare Character ADHD Fishing

Matt and I had a hard time picking this month’s Whiskey of the Month. I had received three samples of the Rare Character whiskeys – all of them are rye whiskeys. This was our favorite of the three and we… Continue Reading →

Mike And Matt Taste Rare Character Bourbon Pursuit And Trevor’s Liquors Rye Whiskeys

I received these bottles from Rare Character. Rare Character whiskeys are single barrel products chosen by different groups and offered through internet sales as well as the people who chose the barrels. They are bottled at barrel strength and unfilter…

Whiskey Tourism In The 21st Century

Distillery tours have changed a lot since I started working in the industry in 1991. In 1991, distillery tours were limited to Maker’s Mark and Wild Turkey, who had visitor centers and offered tours. You could tour the other distilleries,… Continue R…

Author: Michael R. Veach