Recently, Rosemary and I were asked to pick some barrels at James E. Pepper Distillery by Steve Akley. The other members of the team picking the barrels were Royce and Rebekah Neeley, Maggie Kimberl and Fred Mozenter. We gathered at… Continue Reading…
We’re celebrating a major milestone this week with the 1000th episode of WhiskyCast! To mark the occasion, Mark went back through the archives to pick some memorable moments and interviews from the past 18 years for this special episode. You’ll hear from legends like the late Parker Beam and Michael Jackson, along with Jimmy Russell, Jim McEwan, Maureen Robinson, Fawn Weaver, and Richard Paterson…just to name a few. This episode is a lot longer than usual, and there’s plenty more that we could have included. In the news, Scotch Whisky Association leaders are hoping to persuade Parliament to reject a Read More »
A bottle of Red Hook Rye recently sold at auction for $43,750. I was with LaNell Camacho Santa Ana when she picked the first two barrels of Red Hook Rye for her store in Brooklyn, New York. It was a… Continue Reading →
January 29, 2022 – Sales of “private selection” barrels by distillers in Kentucky have become popular choices for retailers, bars, restaurants, and even whiskey clubs. However, it turns out that those sales actually violate state liquor regulations in Kentucky, and perhaps even at the federal level. It’s not because sales by the barrel are specifically banned, but because the process of selecting those barrels violates a number of state regulations. Kentucky’s Alcoholic Beverage Control Board enforces the state’s regulations, and has issued an advisory opinion to that effect, according to Kentucky Distillers Association president Eric Gregory. “Right now, the ABC Read More »
As I’ve noted in previous posts, my spirits journey started with Bourbon. At 18 I was enjoying Wild Turkey 12 year, drinking it neat or mixing it with coke. It was plentiful and cheap back in the early 80’s. Fast forward (quite …
Yup, sorry for the lag in posting but recent life events have taken priority. I wanted to finish up the spring pickings which ended on Friday with a visit to Four Roses and Jim Beam.We headed out from the hotel and arrived at Four Roses about 9:3…
Thursday had us on the road early in order to get to Buffalo Trace by 9:00 a.m. We arrived and I let the gift shop folks know that we were there to see the BT Barrel Program Manager, Beau. About 10 minutes later Beau shows up and apologizes…
I’ve just returned from Kentucky where this last week we conducted the annual barrel picking endeavor. Visits to Four Roses, Buffalo Trace, Jim Beam and Wild Turkey yielded multiple barrel picks that I’m very excited about. The week started …
Two weeks from today I’ll be headed down to Kentucky for the annual barrel pick festivities. I recognize that I neglected to write much about last years picks and hope to remedy that this year.We moved the arrival date a number of weeks to May in…
