The American Craft Spirits Association (ACSA) today announces the election and installation of Jordan Cotton of Cotton & Reed (DC) as the President of the Board of Directors. He has served as a member of the organization’s Board of Directors since 2023, and has been a key ally on the ground in Washington, including chairing …
By Richard Thomas Buffalo Trace Distillery draws in some 340,000 visitors annually which places it among the most visited distilleries in the world. For most of those visitors, the distillery’s location on the banks of the Kentucky River is one of its most bucolic features; indeed, the distillery itself figures prominently for kayakers and boaters …
By Richard Thomas When Maker’s Mark released Maker’s 46, it was a major landmark for Kentucky bourbon. Since its inaugural release in 1953, the only product the Loretto, Kentucky company had ever sold was its flagship expression, Maker’s Mark itself. Five decades passed between Bill Samuels, Sr. starting the family business over again, famously burning …
Heaven Hill marked a historic milestone yesterday with the first barrel filled at the new Heaven Hill Springs Distillery in Bardstown. Nearly three decades after a fire destroyed the original facility, the event celebrates the return of distilling to the Bourbon Capital of the World and ushers in a new era for Heaven Hill as …
By Randall H. Borkus Rating: A Richard Thomas, is my friend, managing editor and the owner of the online magazine The Whiskey Reviewer. He released a book last month called Whiskey Stories: The True Spirit Behind the Labels. This is not Thomas’ first book, so here we have a seasoned, or shall I say well-aged …
By Richard Thomas In my new book Whiskey Stories (due out March 4), I made some observations on the attention given to Nathan Green, the slave (later freedman) who taught Jack Daniel how to make whiskey, and the rise of African-American distillers before, during and after the spotlight was placed on Green’s story. As part of …
The Kentucky Distillers’ Association today hailed the groundbreaking agreement made by President Trump and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to lower India’s tariffs on bourbon, opening the world’s largest whiskey market for significant increases in Kentucky Bourbon offerings. “We have seen worldwide, when trade restrictions are eased, that the elegance and complexity of Kentucky Bourbon …
After becoming the first malt house to become third-party certified for regenerative agriculture in 2024, Riverbend Malt House is delighted to introduce Regenified™ Southern Select. This malted 2-row barley product is crafted from Southern grown Certified Regenified™ Avalon barley. Regenified is a practice and outcomes-based land verification and product certification program. Its framework recognizes the …
The Kentucky Distillers’ Association (KDA) today announced Elizabethtown’s Whiskey House of Kentucky (Whiskey House) as the newest member of the non-profit trade group that unites and leads Kentucky’s signature Bourbon and distilled spirits industry. Founded in 2021 by industry veterans David Mandell (co-founder and former CEO of Bardstown Bourbon Company [BBCo]), John Hargrove (former Master …
Kentucky’s Castle & Key Distillery has announced the completion of Phase 1 of a major solar energy project as part of its ongoing sustainability initiatives. With this investment, the distillery has made progress toward relying on renewable energy. The $2 million investment was supported by the Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) Grant, a federal …
