Follow the Journey That Scotch Whisky Takes From Barrel to Shelf

A bottle of scotch takes a long voyage before you open and pour it. Follow along as we retrace the steps.

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Ever wondered how that bottle of scotch found its way to your local liquor store shelf? Both single malts and blends take the transatlantic voyage from Scotland to the U.S., transported in a number of different vessels so that you can enjoy a dram. We break down that journey into four crucial steps.

1. Barrel to Bottle

Scotch distillers store their casks in large warehouses that stretch from the southern counties of Ayrshire and South Lanarkshire all the way up to the Highlands. The biggest scotch whisky producer, Diageo, has its main warehouse in Clackmannanshire (near Edinburgh), which holds over 3.5 million casks. Most bottling plants are located within a 35-mile radius of Glasgow, and that is where the bottled scotch is kept, awaiting its overseas journey.

Scotch whisky begins its journey to the States in barrel warehouses, where the casks are dumped and the whisky makes its way to the bottling line.

2. Time to Travel

When it’s time to go, logistics companies—usually Malcolm Group or Russell Group, which dominate that business in Scotland—drive the bottled scotch to port. The U.S.-bound whisky usually sails from Greenock Ocean Terminal, west of Glasgow on Scotland’s coast, though shippers can also use Grangemouth near Edinburgh. But neither are deep-water facilities, so feeder vessels must sail the whisky to the deep-sea ports of Liverpool, Southampton, London Gateway, Teesport, and Felixstowe in England—or Rotterdam and Antwerp in Europe—for the ocean voyage.

3. Sailing The Ocean Blue

One of the main ocean routes for U.S.-bound scotch is from Liverpool to New York and New Jersey, though other U.S. destinations include Los Angeles, Long Beach, Houston, Oakland, Miami, and Port Everglades. The journey to New York takes about 10 to 20 days, while it’s 40 days to Los Angeles. Lately, however, supply-chain woes have been delaying arrivals by two weeks or more.

4. On to the Local Liquor Store

Once the whisky arrives in the U.S., the market’s three-tier system takes over. Importers receive and disburse it to wholesalers, who then transport it, state by state, to retailers across the nation. Thus the precious liquid arrives, ready for you to buy and take to its final destination—your home.

Sources include the Scotch Whisky Association, Diageo, Compass Box, Russell Group, Malcolm Group, and Kühne Logistics University

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Great Jones Brings Whisky-Making Back to Manhattan

Great Jones Distilling opened its doors in August 2021, becoming the first legal whiskey distillery in Manhattan since Prohibition.

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For whiskey fans making a stop in the Big Apple, now there’s a reason to go to Manhattan beyond its many whisky bars. Great Jones Distilling Co., said to be Manhattan’s first legal whiskey distillery since Prohibition, and its only active whiskey-making operation, opened in August 2021. The distillery’s restaurant, the Grid, serves dishes featuring Great Jones’s whiskeys—a bourbon, a rye, and a four-grain bourbon made with corn, malted barley, rye, and wheat—as a central ingredient.

The 28,000 square-foot, four-story space is the brainchild of Juan Domingo Beckmann, whose family owns Jose Cuervo tequila—along with Bushmills, Stranahan’s, Tin Cup, and Pendleton whiskies. The distillery has a 500-gallon copper pot still, housed in a two-story chamber perched on a floor that was lowered by five feet to comply with city ordinances.

No grain milling or whiskey aging takes place at the distillery—barrels are shipped to Black Dirt Distillery in Orange County, New York, which Cuervo’s international arm, Proximo Spirits, acquired in 2018. While the Manhattan-made spirit ages upstate, Great Jones’s bourbons and rye, which were distilled at Black Dirt, are available at the gift shop.

Discover More Distilleries in Brooklyn

Building a distillery in Manhattan created unique challenges. “The six-year construction journey overcame rigid city regulations, centuries-old fire codes, and a global pandemic,” notes project manager Andrew Merinoff. But the struggle was worth it, says head distiller Celina Perez, who has worked at Black Dirt and Owney’s Rum in Brooklyn. The spirit coming off the still at Great Jones “has a lot of very floral notes, a lot of citrus,” Perez adds. “We’re running it on the cleaner side before we really start to play around. But having that artistic freedom to go out on a limb and have experimental grain bills is pretty extraordinary, especially on a still that’s so multifaceted.”

The still itself is attached to two 20-foot columns. One side has 12 plates for making vodka, “which I’m not sure we have any plans to do but is always an option,” Perez says. On the other side, “our whiskey column has eight plates in it…so we have the ability to make whiskey that is very clean at 160 proof. We also have the ability to cut out the column completely and just do a pot distillation, run it through a pot three times, and do something more akin to a scotch. We have the technology to manipulate the product to a very specific taste, depending on what we want in the final product.”

That versatility allows Perez to push the bounds of flavor in different directions. “I’ve been working on new product development, so I have various bourbons and ryes all ready to go,” she says. “We’re still in a startup year—we’ve only been producing here since July,” and the global supply chain crisis, coupled with a national truck driver shortage, has created logistical challenges. “But once we get stuff like that figured out, I’m definitely going to start making some cool bourbons, first off, and then after that, ryes.”

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The Brooklyn Craft Whiskey Trail

New York City’s outer-borough distillers are putting an urban spin on bourbon, rye, and malt whiskey, giving whisky lovers plenty to explore.

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Planning a trip to New York City—the Statue of Liberty, Broadway, museums, the Empire State Building, Central Park, shopping on Fifth Avenue, and world-class dining? Why not add distillery visits to your itinerary, and head to Brooklyn? The borough is home to a burgeoning whiskey scene, with innovative distillers making bourbon, rye, and malt whiskey, while others experiment with rice, apples, and wormwood. Making whiskey isn’t easy, but distilling in an urban setting like New York is particularly challenging since distillers must navigate various building regulations and stringent laws governing manufacturing sites, all while working in a tight space and respecting the surrounding neighborhood. Yet a group of industrious distillers has surmounted these challenges and is making whiskey and other spirits in the city that never sleeps. These places began cropping up around a decade ago, and since then have multiplied.

New York City’s modern whiskey-making movement arguably began in 2010 with Kings County Distillery, which lays claim to being the city’s first legal whiskey distillery since Prohibition. “I believe we were the first [whiskey] distiller to have our federal license, state license, and to actually begin production under the farm distillery license [on] April 15, 2010,” co-founder and distiller Colin Spoelman says. “There is a Chinese rice wine manufacturer in Brooklyn that preexists us with a distilling permit, so safest to say [Kings County is the] first whiskey distiller” in New York City in a long time, he adds. Following changes in state laws that made it easier and less costly to start a small distillery, Kings County began production in a 325 square-foot room in East Williamsburg before moving to the Brooklyn Navy Yard in 2012. Spoelman, a Kentuckian who “grew up loving bourbon,” tries to “take the best from every distilling culture and make something totally different,” like Kings County’s peated bourbon. The distillery offers tours Wednesday-Sunday with tastings on Wednesdays and Fridays at 7 p.m., which visitors can reserve via the website or, in lieu of a tour, flights and cocktails in the Gatehouses tasting room.

Whisky barrels outside of a brick building

Widow Jane is making bourbon in Red Hook using a proprietary heirloom corn varietal known as Baby Jane. (Photo by Michele Clark)

Head four miles south along the waterfront to Widow Jane Distillery in Red Hook, where in addition to the distillery’s own-make whiskey, president and head distiller Lisa Roper Wicker draws from a well of aged stock in Kentucky, Indiana, and Tennessee. Widow Jane, which opened in 2012, aims to begin construction on a new facility in late 2022, a 15,000-square-foot distillery and visitor center “enabling us to lift production…significantly,” Roper Wicker says. “We are projecting several thousand barrels a year, making rye whiskey and bourbon with our proprietary Baby Jane heirloom corn. This is part of our strategy to repatriate more whiskey making to New York. Currently our distilling on-site runs at full capacity and is only able to produce a few hundred barrels a year.” In the meantime, the distillery is open seven days a week offering, public tours Friday, Saturday, and Sunday and private tours by appointment during the week. If you can’t make it for a tour, stop by the distillery’s bar, Botanica, for a cocktail or flight.

A 10-minute walk from Widow Jane, Van Brunt Stillhouse, which also opened in 2012, distills whiskey from grain purchased from an organic farm upstate in Newfield. “We create our own [mashbills] using brewers’ malt,” distiller and co-founder Daric Schlesselman says. “Because of that, our whiskeys tend to have a little more depth and complexity right off the still.” Van Brunt offers Saturday afternoon tours (limited to 10 people) that include a tasting of the distillery’s four core whiskeys plus one limited release. The bar and tasting room are open seven days a week.

Manhattan Is Making Whiskey As Well With the Opening of Great Jones Distilling

From Van Brunt it’s about a 10-minute taxi ride to Breuckelen Distilling, where founder and distiller Brad Estabrooke offers tastings by appointment. The distillery’s 6 year old Brownstone Malt (Batch 1) scored 93 points in Whisky Advocate’s Buying Guide for its “enchanting” flavor profile. The distillery, which began production in 2010, also offers a range of core whiskeys Estabrooke describes as “approachable and easy-drinking,” including 77 bonded rye, produced using a Coffey-style still and aged in 53-gallon barrels for a minimum of 6 years.

Head south on Third Avenue to Fort Hamilton Distillery in Industry City, the historic shipping, warehousing, and manufacturing complex in Brooklyn’s Sunset Park neighborhood, where bartender turned distillery owner Alex Clark makes rye whiskey from a mashbill of 90% New York rye and 10% malted barley. “We age, blend, and bottle all of Fort Hamilton’s whiskeys on-site. Distilling is scheduled to begin in December,” pending the arrival of the distillery’s new still. “It should have arrived already, but supply chain issues have been messing with the delivery date,” Clark says. In the meantime, Clark has been distilling Fort Hamilton’s whiskeys at Taconic Distillery, “our partner distillery” in Stanfordville, New York. Clark—who cut his teeth behind the bar at East Side Company Bar and Balthazar restaurant, and later worked as Widow Jane’s sales director—hasn’t forgotten how to stir a cocktail. “That’s how I ended up doing what I do—from falling in love with the American classic cocktail canon to [helping to launch] Widow Jane, and then deciding I wanted to focus on rye and bring it back to life,” he says. “Fort Hamilton is the culmination of that.” Reserve a tour and tasting (currently limited to 12 people) via the website, or just walk in for a flight or cocktail. Try an Old Fashioned made with Fort Hamilton’s Double Barrel rye, bourbon barrel-aged maple syrup, and black walnut bitters.

Sample a range of wormwood-based spirits in the Standard Wormwood tasting room.

Before leaving the Industry City complex, head to Standard Wormwood Distillery on the ground floor, which, true to its name, produces a range of wormwood-based spirits. Standard Wormwood opened in 2012 in Brooklyn’s Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood before moving operations in 2019 to Industry City, co-founder Sasha Selimotic says. The distillery doesn’t offer tours, but visitors can try Standard Wormwood’s rye (not technically whiskey because it isn’t aged in oak containers, but good in a Sazerac nevertheless). There is also gin, amaro, and other spirits. The tasting room bar, which offers a full view of the distilling system, is open Thursday through Sunday.

Trek east to Bushwick (about an hour by subway or 45 minutes by car), where motorcyclist/distillers, and Môtô Spirits co-founders Marie Estrada and Hagai Yardeny make rice whiskey and Jabuka, a spirit distilled from apples and rice. The distillery’s name—and the rice whiskey they produce—was inspired by motorcycle trips Yardeny took in Vietnam before he and Estrada began commercially producing spirits in 2016. “It was the hospitality, meeting people who were making this thing called rice wine, which was actually a distilled spirit, and I think he fell in love with it—the relationship between what he was tasting and people welcoming him into their homes,” Estrada explains. Email info@motospirits.com to schedule a tour and tasting or visit the tasting room, which is open Wednesday through Sunday.

Hike or taxi a mile north to Interboro Spirits and Ales in East Williamsburg, where co-founder, brewmaster, and distiller Jesse Ferguson can suggest a high-octane Boilermaker that pairs Interboro’s malt whiskey or amaro liqueur with a hoppy pilsner, hazy IPA, or decadent stout from an extensive draft list. Interboro laid down its first barrel of whiskey soon after opening in 2016. That whiskey is still aging, but the distillery recently bottled barrel No. 4—straight malt whiskey aged in first-use American oak for three years and then finished for one year in bourbon barrels—in May 2021. The tasting room is open Tuesday through Sunday for ticketed tastings, flights, cocktails, and food.

People and motorcycles outside of a tasting room

Môtô Spirits in Bushwich offers rive whiskey and Jabuka, a spirit distilled from apples and rice.

End your day at New York Distilling Co. in buzzing Williamsburg. This distillery is beloved among local spirits enthusiasts for its Ragtime rye, Dorothy Parker gin, and Perry’s Tot navy strength gin. “Our sole whiskey focus is rye whiskey,” owner and distiller Allen Katz says. “Part of that is a bearing of New York history and American history, and an agricultural interest in growing rye in New York state. Another part is having the patience to consider the time frame not just to make whiskey, but to age and blend it.” Order a pour of the distillery’s single barrel rye at the on-site bar The Shanty. New York Distilling Co., which opened in 2011, doesn’t currently offer tours, but The Shanty serves cocktails, flights, and snacks.

Finally, look out for Arcane Distilling’s relaunch, slated for early 2022. CEO Brian Thompson notes that construction is underway on a new facility in Bushwick to produce its beer-based, vacuum-distilled whiskeys on a larger scale. Arcane previously operated “out of a corner” at Interboro’s facility, Thompson notes.

Check the distilleries’ websites to confirm hours, tour schedules, and prices.

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Great Whisky Club: Exec’s Whiskey Club

A Southern California networking group has grown into a full-blown whisky club with members in several states.

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Fernando Castorena had already been a member of Financial Executives International’s (FEI) Orange County, California chapter for around three years when he discovered that he and fellow member Todd Amy shared a passion for whisky. “Todd and I were just randomly talking one day, and we were both like, ‘Hey, I like whisky.’ ‘Oh, I like whisky too.’ And it developed into ‘Should we start a smaller club through FEI?’ And it just kind of happened,” explains Castorena.

In the beginning, they sought to connect with other FEI members over a dram. “At the first meetings, we were hoping to maybe have like 10 people attend,” Castorena recalls. “But probably halfway through year one of starting that networking group, we were selling out every tasting, and I realized we were more of a whisky club than originally intended. It was just a passion for whisky—and wanting to learn more about it—that helped us create the club, and organically, it grew to be what it is today.”

From its humble SoCal roots, Exec’s Whiskey Club has expanded to around 120 members across the U.S. The club previously held in-person gatherings but transitioned to virtual meetings due to COVID-19. The new format seems to have boosted interest and membership. “COVID has allowed for an expansion that we weren’t really expecting, and not only within Orange County,” Castorena says. Active members come together for monthly Zoom meetings, and the club has a robust social media presence. Currently, the group has around 1,000 followers on Instagram, where anyone thirsting for whisky knowledge and friendship can reach out to Castorena to express interest in joining the group. “[Due to] COVID, people are home and looking for fun ways to interact with each other, so it’s really been a godsend for a lot of our members to be able to look forward to a tasting each month,” he adds. “We’re looking to keep that community going, but also growing it at the same time.”

There is no cost to join Exec’s Whiskey Club at this time. Castorena tries to keep the tastings affordable; aiming to price them at no more than $60. When it comes to building a lineup, Castorena trusts his instincts—and those of fellow club members. “Whisky is a passion of mine, so I ask myself, ‘What would I love to taste?’ and go from there. And I certainly take suggestions from our club members if there’s something specific they want to taste.” Prior to going virtual, the club often paired food with flights. In January 2020 it held a Japanese whisky and sushi pairing, and Castorena notes, “That was a great hit.”

To wrangle the bottles, he leverages industry connections he’s cultivated over the years. “A lot of times [whisky brand] reps or the distilleries help us out in procuring bottles, and we’ve also worked with local liquor stores,” he says. “Growing those relationships has been really important in being able to put on good-quality tastings, and secure rare bottles not everyone gets to try.”

Exec’s Whiskey Club meetings emphasize inclusivity, and that extends to whisky-curious non-members. “We definitely have members that have come from, ‘Hey, I just want to dip my toe into this—can I join a meeting and see what you’re about?’ I’m all for that,” Castorena says. “At the end of the day we’re here to talk to each other and just have a good time. We all have the same passion for whisky, and we want to be a resource for anyone who’s interested in it.”

Club Insider: Exec’s Whiskey Club

Location: Orange County, Calif., with additional members in several U.S. states
Year founded: 2017
Number of members: Around 120
Membership: Open to the public, inquire via Instagram

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Can I Get Whiskey Delivered to My Doorstep?

Getting a bottle of whisky delivered can be complicated and even illegal, but that is starting to change.

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Getting your favorite whiskey in the mail can be a thorny—and sometimes illegal—process. But things are changing, even if only slowly. While alcohol laws vary across the 50 states—and even among towns and cities—some state governments are pushing aggressively to have whisky delivered to your home more easily.

In California, wine lovers have been allowed that luxury for many years, but the Golden State’s distilleries are more constricted. It’s the same story across much of the nation: Most states permit wine to be shipped directly, but only 11 states, plus Washington, D.C., have the same rule for spirits.

The push is on to level that playing field, says Chris Swonger, who is president of spirits industry trade group DISCUS, citing a number of related bills put forward in state legislatures over the past several years. He also points to a DISCUS survey of more than 2,000 spirits drinkers showing that 80% believe direct shipping should be allowed. In a separate question, the survey found that 75% agree that wine and spirits should be subject to the same shipping laws.

The most recent glimmer of hope on this front has come from Kentucky, where a new law in March of 2021 now allows distilleries, wineries, and breweries who have obtained a Kentucky license to ship directly to in-state consumers, as well as to consumers in other states, so long as that other state permits direct-to-consumer shipping. Out-of-state producers can ship into Kentucky—if they have a Kentucky direct shipper license and if their own state laws allow it. But not every Kentucky distiller is diving in quite yet. “Right now, we’ve probably got a couple of dozen distilleries shipping [directly],” says Kentucky Distillers’ Association president Eric Gregory. “Most are shipping to Washington, D.C., Alaska, and some other states” that allow direct-to-consumer shipping.

The main players so far are the boutique distilleries, which lack the clout to distribute their whiskeys far and wide, Gregory notes. Larger producers are likely to offer only limited-edition or rare whiskeys for direct shipping, he adds. Indeed, the ability to ship directly is a lifeline for smaller distillers, argues American Craft Spirits Association CEO Margie Lehrman. “Spirits should be treated equally to wine,” Lehrman adds.

In Washington state, distilleries can only deliver to in-state customers, but that has helped some smaller producers survive. “People are ordering a bottle or two, but having this ability allows small distilleries without any retail presence to be known and to have people support their businesses,” says Nathan Kaiser, owner of 2Bar Spirits in Seattle. Similarly, Pennsylvania allows licensed distilleries and “limited distilleries” (producing 100,000 gallons or less per year) to sell and deliver to in-state consumers. “If you have the ability to sell directly to consumers, suddenly you control your own destiny,” says Mark Meyer, co-owner of Wigle Whiskey in Pittsburgh. “It allows smaller distilleries to gain a foothold in the marketplace.”

Like other craft distillers, 2BAR Sprits in Seattle has only been able to ship in-state but that has been helpful all the same.

Meanwhile, back in California, distillers are urging lawmakers to make direct-to-consumer shipping permanent after an executive order from Gov. Gavin Newsom last year allowed it during the pandemic. “It helped us keep the lights on and people employed,” says Ryan Friesen, head distiller at Blinking Owl Distillery in Santa Ana and vice president of the California Artisanal Distillers Guild. Newsom’s order is to expire at year-end, and Friesen believes making it permanent could see California set the tone for other states. The details of California’s legislation are still being ironed out.

Distilleries in New York state also benefited from a temporary ability to deliver spirits directly to their home state customers. But that honeymoon ended abruptly in June 2021, when former Gov. Andrew Cuomo declared the COVID-19 state of emergency over. Brian Facquet, head distiller at Do Good Spirits in Roscoe, New York, and president of the New York State Distillers Guild, says he’s leading the charge for a permanent measure. It could depend on a pair of bills currently in the Senate and Assembly that would allow direct shipping in New York and other states where it is permitted. “We don’t make a tremendous amount of money” from direct-to-consumer sales, Facquet adds. “All we’re trying to do is survive.”

Other states are also reporting progress. In September, the North Carolina General Assembly authorized distilleries to sell and ship spirits to customers in other states—even ones that do not allow it themselves. While North Carolina distilleries are still not allowed to ship directly to home state customers, Carol Shaw, executive director of the Distillers Association of North Carolina, calls the new law a step in the right direction.

Kaiser of 2Bar predicts a “long, hard slog” before whiskey fans in most states can easily—and legally—order that coveted bottle in the mail. Meyer agrees that it could take a while, but that “eventually, either through court decision or the marketplace, the spirits world will resemble the wine world.”

Gregory, meanwhile, says the protracted process could ultimately be better anyway. “We know it’s going to take years for other states to pass legislation so bottles can be shipped in and out,” he says. “But that’s also giving [Kentucky distillers] time to dip a toe in the water and work out all the bugs with software and tax collection—so that when the doors do open to other states, we’re ready to get in there and make sure it’s done right and responsibly.”

States allowing direct-to-consumer shipping and/or related practices, according to analysis from the Distilled Spirits Council as of September 2021

Alaska: Allows out-of-state suppliers to direct ship to in-state consumers without any regulation by the state, subject to the rules of localities prohibiting importation or possession of alcohol beverages.

Arizona: Allows in-state and out-of-state craft distillers (producing up to 20,000 gallons per calendar year) to sell and deliver to in-state consumers.

Connecticut: Allows in-state consumers holding a Connecticut permit to import alcohol beverages from within or outside of the U.S., as long as the product is first delivered to a distributor.

Hawaii: Allows in-state consumers holding a Hawaii permit to receive shipments from outside the state if the product is otherwise unavailable in the state.

Kentucky: Allows in-state and out-of-state producers and suppliers (including importers) to ship to Kentucky residents in localities that permit alcohol beverage sales.* Limited to 10 liters of spirits per month per consumer.

Nebraska: Allows out-of-state manufacturers to sell and ship to in-state consumers. Limited to 9 liters per month of any alcohol beverage per consumer.* Allows producers to sell and ship to in-state consumers. Limited to 9 liters per month of spirits per consumer

New Hampshire: Allows in-state licensed distilleries to sell and direct ship to in-state customers in localities allowing alcohol beverage sales. Limited to 60 1-liter containers of spirits per calendar year per consumer’s address.

North Dakota: Allows producers to sell and ship to in-state consumers. Limited to 9 liters of spirits per month per consumer.*

Oregon: Allows in-state distilleries appointed as distillery retail outlet agents to sell and deliver to in-state consumers. Consumers may purchase up to six different spirits products per day, but up to only two bottles of each of those six, for a total of 12 bottles of spirits per day.

Pennsylvania: Allows limited distilleries (producing up to 100,000 gallons a year) and other distilleries to sell and deliver to in-state consumers.

Rhode Island: Allows in-state consumers to order at a manufacturer’s premise for shipment to them.

Washington: Allows distillers and craft distillers to sell and deliver to in-state consumers.

Washington, D.C.: Allows out-of-state manufacturers and importers to direct ship to consumers in the district without a permit or license. Limited to 12 bottles or cans (any size) of spirits per one-month period per consumer.

West Virginia: Allows in-state and out-of-state distillers holding a West Virginia private direct shipper license (less than 20,000 gallons per calendar year limit) to sell to in-state consumers and ship directly from the distiller’s primary place of distilling by a mail shipping carrier to a retail liquor outlet in the market zone where the purchaser resides (retailer may add a fee).

Wyoming: Allows distillers with a satellite location to accept orders and deliver to in-state consumers.

*State direct shipper license required.

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Kentucky Owl Park: A Sneak Preview

Kentucky Owl Park is planned to be constructed on the site of a former quarry with a distillery, rickhouses, and amenities galore.

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Cedar Creek Quarry is a 420-acre parcel of land located at 2095 E. John Rowan Blvd. in Bardstown, Kentucky, just a few minutes drive from the town’s most famous distilleries—Heaven Hill, Lux Row, Barton, Willett, and Bardstown Bourbon Co. The former quarry site has become a peaceful set of small lakes, all surrounded by wildlife. But springtime is expected to bring the sound of groundbreaking on a long-awaited new project—Kentucky Owl Park, which will feature a new distillery, rickhouses, and a variety of visitor amenities.

The story began in 2014, when entrepreneur Dixon Dedman resurrected an old family recipe to create a luxury, limited quantity bourbon and rye under the Kentucky Owl name. The whiskeys won raves from critics, and Kentucky Owl became an overnight sensation. Enter Stoli Group—the distribution and marketing arm for Luxembourg-based drinks giant SPI Group—which acquired Kentucky Owl in 2017 and unveiled plans for this ambitious $150-million project in the heart of Bourbon Country. Construction was slated to start in early 2018 and be completed by 2020, and the delays have people wondering what’s taking so long.

David Mandell, president of Stoli-owned Kentucky Owl Real Estate Company LLC and former CEO of Bardstown Bourbon Co., blamed the hold-up on the pandemic and a series of leadership changes at Stoli, but stresses that the push is on to get operations up and running as quickly as possible. “Distilling and warehousing will be the primary focus—and bringing visitors to the site during the construction process,” Mandell adds.

The fact that the future Kentucky Owl Park comprises 420 acres that are predominantly water is a big advantage, Mandell maintains. “We’ll be using that water not only to make our products, but also in the cooling and production process of the distillery,” he says. The distillery buildings’ design will be pyramidal, conceived by Japanese architect Shigeru Ban, whose body of work also includes the Aspen Art Museum in Colorado and Swatch Group’s Biel, Switzerland headquarters, among numerous other notable projects. “The pyramid is a natural shape to house a large still [and was] an inspiration for Shigeru Ban,” Mandell says. It’s still too early to say how many stills the distillery will have once construction is complete, but they’ll be versatile. “We’re developing a system that allows for tremendous flexibility and innovation in production, allowing us to produce multiple different styles of bourbon and whiskey,” Mandell adds.

Central to building the new distillery is a concept known as biophilic design, “where the idea that being surrounded by natural materials, particularly wood, has a positive effect on human beings in their workspace,” Mandell says. “What’s beautiful about this [new distillery] is connecting the heavy timber elements with artisanal, high-end distilling equipment, surrounded by massive pools of fresh limestone water. You have all the natural elements that go into making whiskey in a sustainable fashion.”

Plans for Kentucky Owl Park’s amenities—including a visitor center, bar and restaurant, event center, a hotel, and even a train station along a route shuttling passengers among the area’s various distilleries—are still taking shape. “With me coming on board, and because of demand for our Wiseman bourbon and [other] Kentucky Owl products, we’re looking at the prioritization of the buildings and reevaluating the timeline,” Mandell says. But a fully operating train station “is our goal … because that train line connects Jim Beam, Four Roses—it runs all the way down to Kentucky Owl and beyond,” he adds, noting that R.J. Corman Railroad Group, LLC owns the rail lot. “Part of the vision would be to have that train, at some point, bringing passengers along the distilleries from Jim Beam into Bardstown.”

In addition to pandemic-related delays and leadership changes, there’s also been “a lot of work behind the scenes—a good amount of design and development on a number of buildings, [but] also site studies,” Mandell says. But with those hurdles out of the way, “this project is now prepared to move forward rapidly. We’ll certainly be making our own whiskeys, but there’s such a rich history in blending—not only in America but in Scotland, Ireland, and other places—so that leaves a lot of room for innovation. All of that is part of the future.”

Mandell says it’s still too soon to dive into details of future whiskey projects at Kentucky Owl Park. Kentucky Owl’s former master blender, Dedman—whose great-great-grandfather founded the brand in 1879—left the company earlier this year to join Nashville, Tennessee-based bulk spirits supplier Brindiamo Group as a consultant. Replacing Dedman at Kentucky Owl is former Four Roses chief operating officer John Rhea.

Rhea has his work cut out for him—not only because Kentucky Owl’s whiskeys are highly sought-after among whiskey enthusiasts, but also because the ultimate goal of this project is to open a distillery that can make a number of other whiskeys. “Kentucky Owl, given its size, will be a small part of what we’ll produce here,” Dmitry Efimov, former head of Stoli Group’s American Whiskey Division, told Shanken News Daily in 2017 after the company mapped out plans for the new distillery. (Efimov, who previously helmed SPI North America, is no longer with the company, according to his LinkedIn profile.) “We plan to create a few brands, and if we come across a good opportunity, we’ll also acquire a brand or two,” Efimov said at the time. “So, there will be much more than Kentucky Owl.”

Notably, Kentucky Owl’s latest release, The Wiseman—a blend of 4 year old Kentucky Owl wheat and high-rye bourbons, as well as older, sourced Kentucky bourbons—is the brand’s first bourbon produced and distilled in collaboration with Bardstown Bourbon Co., as well as its first whiskey created by Rhea. “Seventy percent of the liquid that’s in The Wiseman is Kentucky Owl’s product that was made in collaboration with Bardstown Bourbon Co.,” Mandell says. “What you’re going to see coming forward is a whole suite of products and collaborations with other great distillers and blenders,” although it’s too early to name specific partners or even a master distiller for the new distillery.

“Those determinations have not been made yet,” Mandell says, adding he’s nevertheless thrilled to tackle the next steps of bringing the project to life—even if they’re not quite carved in stone. “It is a beautiful, exciting project,” he says. “It has great vision for Kentucky Owl, for the whiskey industry, and for this entire community. That’s certainly what excites me the most about it.”

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WhiskyFest New York 2021 Promises a Night of Unmatched Tasting and Learning

The night of November 11th will feature whisky pours galore in the Big Apple

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WhiskyFest New York offers a chance to meet the makers and other experts behind your favorite whiskies, reconnect with old friends, and even make some new ones—perhaps over a whisky you’ve never tried. It all takes place this Thursday evening, November 11^th at the Marriott Marquis in Manhattan’s Times Square. With hundreds of drams to choose from, it’s a whisky lover’s paradise, featuring pours from nearly every major whisky making country.

With such a panoply of choices, you’ll need to prioritize your choices. Check out Whisky Advocate’s advice on how to make the most of the event. Start by mapping out your can’t-miss drams, and remember to eat and hydrate plentifully. Keep tabs on what you’re tasting with the free WhiskyFest app or the printed event program.

WhiskyFest New York will feature many whiskies that have earned spots on Whisky Advocate’s Top 20 lists in previous years. Scotch fans, get ready to explore a wide selection of single malts, blended malts, and blends. VIP ticket holders can taste Balblair 25 year old, while all ticket holders can try the 15 year old—No. 11 in the Top 20 whiskies of 2020—and 12 year old. Benromach is pouring its 21 year old and cask strength whiskies and, for VIPs, the highly limited 45 year old Heritage, which scored 92 points in Whisky Advocate’s Buying Guide. Bunnahabhain is offering tastes of its 25 year old to VIPs and the equally high-scoring 12 year old and Toiteach A Dhà to all attendees. VIPs can also savor Glen Moray 21 year old, and Glen Moray will also be pouring eight additional whiskies, including its classic core expression, a variety of special cask finishes (port, cabernet, oloroso sherry, and chardonnay) and three other age statement whiskies (12, 15, and 18 year old).

And there’s plenty more. Calling all Irish whiskey fans! Don’t miss Bushmills 21 year old, which scored 96 points in the Buying Guide and is available to all ticket holders, along with the 16 year old and 10 year old, each scoring 90 points, and Black Bush (88 points). Beyond Bushmills, Walsh Whiskey will be pouring The Irishman Founder’s Reserve (90 points), Writers’ Tears Double Oak (94 points), and Writers’ Tears Copper Pot (86 points).

If bourbon is your choice, it can be difficult to know where to start at WhiskyFest New York. For those who love well-aged bourbon, now’s your chance to taste Elijah Craig 18 year old Single Barrel, as well as Whisky Advocate’s 2017 Whisky of the Year, Elijah Craig Barrel Proof, and the distillery’s straight rye, No. 7 in the 2020 Top 20. There’s plenty more bourbon to explore, including the Bardstown Bourbon Co., pours from its Discovery, Fusion, and Collaboration series, which showcase not just its own whiskeys, but also its many partner brands.

Tennessee whiskey lovers should stop by the George Dickel booth for a pour of its stellar 15 year old Single Barrel (95 points in the Buying Guide), as well as the distillery’s superb bottled in bond whiskey. Jack Daniel’s, meanwhile, is pouring a selection of single barrel expressions, while the Jack Daniel’s VIP pours will feature its Sinatra and No. 27 Gold expressions.

Age statement Japanese whisky has been hard to find in recent years, so don’t miss this rare opportunity to taste an array of whiskies from Japan. VIPs can taste 30 year old single grain whisky from Kirin’s Fuji Gotemba Distillery, whose whiskies consistently score high in the Buying Guide, and all ticket holders can try the original and single grain expressions. Also on the docket are pours from the Kaikyo Distillery (Hatozaki Finest Blended and Hatozaki Small Batch Blended Malt) and half a dozen whiskies from Nikka. Among them are the 2018 Whisky of the Year, Nikka From the Barrel, and for VIPs, non-peated Yoichi single malt and peated Miyagikyo single malt.

Make sure to say hello to the craft distillers from around the U.S., including Texas’ Balcones Distilling, Illinois’ FEW Spirits, California’s St. George Spirits, and Colorado’s Stranahan’s pouring an exciting lineup of bourbon, rye, single malt, and other unique whiskeys.

Learn about scotch, bourbon, rye, and more at one of the can’t-miss WhiskyFest seminars. (Photo by Daphne Youree)

Attend A Seminar

Because WhiskyFest is equal parts enjoyment and education, consider sitting in on a seminar. There are four seminars to choose from, and they’re free to ticket holders on a first come, first served basis.

Join Dewar’s North American brand ambassador Gabriel Cardarella at 7 p.m., for a vertical tasting of selected Dewar’s expressions.

If you’re more into bourbon and rye than blended scotch, join Brooklyn-based Widow Jane Distillery’s president, head blender, and head distiller Lisa Roper Wicker and brand advocacy director Kyle McHugh at 7 p.m. for a blending session and tasting. Then at 7:45, Heaven Hill master distiller and distillery manager Conor O’Driscoll and West Coast whiskey ambassador Jack Choate dive into the history of rye whiskey and lead a tasting of various ryes from the Kentucky distillery.

Scotch single malt aficionados can savor an array of drams from one of Scotland’s most consistent, accessible, and delicious distilleries with Glenmorangie national ambassador Dan Crowell. He will lead a tasting of Glenmorangie 13 year old finished in cognac casks; both batches of Glenmorangie 15 year old The Cadboll Estate, No. 13 in the 2020 Top 20; the just-released limited edition A Tale of Winter; and a few other surprises.

Your mouth may be watering by now and lucky for you, tickets for WhiskyFest New York are still available. They make a perfect early holiday gift or birthday present for you or the whisky lover in your life, so buy yours now before they sell out.

*Proof of vaccination and identification are required for admission

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