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You’re Using The Term “High Rye” Wrong. Please Stop.
By Richard Thomas Sagamore Spirit High Rye Straight Bourbon Whiskey(Credit: Sagamore Spirits) Bourbon is chock full of poorly defined terms, and I think the wrong ones receive far too much of...
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The Surprising Science Behind Distillery Boiler Systems and Steam
Fermenters and barrels(Credit: Pexels/Magda Ehlers) Steam is one of the oldest tools in industrial history, but its role in modern whiskey production is easy to overlook. Walk through a working...
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Sour Mash And Sweet Mash 101
By Richard Thomas The classic cypress fermenters(Credit: Elisa Miller) While I was promoting my latest book, Behind the Bottle: Jack Daniel’s, earlier this spring, I fielded more than a few questions...
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Top 5 Cask Finishing Techniques That Change the Flavour Profile of Single...
(Credit: Josh Haslam/Wikimedia Commons CC BY 2.0 Single malt Scotch can change dramatically during its final months in oak, even after years of primary maturation have already shaped its core...
View ArticleNew Sober Activists Strike Again, But Trade Groups Ready With Response
On July 2nd, the Los Angeles Times published an opinion piece in their “Voices” section by Dr. Emma Fenske entitled “Alcohol Should Be Stigmatized Like Smoking.” Dr. Fenske argued that alcohol ought to...
View ArticleThe Crucial Differences in Storing Fine Wine and Rare Whiskey
According to the 2025 Knight Frank Luxury Investment Index, both rare spirits and fine vintages have firmly transitioned from speculative booms into essential long-haul investments. Over the past two...
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How Temperature Control Transforms Wine and Whiskey
The difference between a forgettable pour and a memorable one often comes down to a few degrees. Temperature shapes how wine and whiskey reveal themselves—whether delicate aromatics emerge or...
View ArticleNew Scientific Study Fires Back At Anti-Alcohol Forces
A recently released study shows that there is no observed increased association between moderate alcohol consumption and cancer mortality. Moreover, the study indicates that light alcohol consumption...
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The Curious Tale of Russia’s War Over Stoli
By Richard Thomas This is classic Stolichnaya, not Stoli. I decided it was better not to post a picture of Stoli vodka, because I’m sure it will attract copyright trolling(Credit: Wikimedia Commons/C....
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What To Do After A DUI Accident In Duluth Involving Whiskey Consumption
Drunk driving(Credit: energepic/Pexels) Getting into a car crash is a scary moment for anyone. When the other driver has been drinking whiskey, the situation becomes even more serious because of how...
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New KDA Report Places Kentucky Bourbon As $10.6 Billion Industry
(Credit: RD1 Spirits) Although slumping sales have signaled the end of the Bourbon Boom and the industry is further imperiled by President Trump’s incessant threats to start a trade war with America’s...
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Whiskey Lawsuits, Bankruptcies and Shutdowns Update
By Richard Thomas (Credit: Beam-Suntory) The year 2025 ended with a news story that impacted throughout the world whiskey industry: that Jim Beam, America’s top-selling whiskey company, was shuttering...
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Kirin To Put Four Roses Up For Sale
By Richard Thomas (Credit: Wikimedia Commons/CC By-SA 4.0) Whiskey observers were shocked at the end of last week as word broke that Kirin Holdings Company intended to sell Four Roses for $1 billion....
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Is The 21st Century Whiskey Crash Here?
By Richard Thomas (Credit:Arthur A on Unsplash) Going into 2025, the tea leaves were already looking like at least a slowdown in sales was looming. By the end of September, the picture was one of a...
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The Seven Most Persistent Bourbon Myths
By Richard Thomas ASBs on the move at Woodford Reserve(Credit: Public Domain) Before covid-19 slapped whiskey club meetings, distillery tours, certification courses and brand-hosting tastings closed,...
View ArticleNew Riff Explores Sour Mash Chemistry With New Pairing
New Riff Distilling announces the release of an unprecedented bourbon and rye duo in early May, part of an ongoing exploration of the deep truths and deeper mysteries of the sour mash method. Like all...
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Canadian Whisky 101
By Richard Thomas Diageo’s Crown Royal plant(Credit: Public Domain) World whisk(e)y has three fundamental production models. The first and most familiar to the global audience is the Irish-Scots model,...
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How Whiskey-Makers Are Switching To Hand Sanitizer
By Richard Thomas (Credit: Traverse City Whiskey Co.) As a drinks writer, one of the mainstays of my news alerts, inbox and correspondence with my colleagues is the partial conversion of the distilling...
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Leopold Brothers Adds Floor Maltings To Its Repertoire
Centennial State craft distillery Leopold Brothers already had a claim to being one of the most interesting whiskey producers in the United States when it commissioned Vendome to build it an...
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Best George T. Stagg Bourbons Of This Decade
By Richard Thomas George T. Stagg Bourbon(Credit: Buffalo Trace) American limited edition whiskeys are fast becoming collectible items, and some of those terms I just used have implications. Most, but...
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