Dowd's Spirits Notebook

Somewhere in this craft whiskey mad country of ours there is a distiller who will dispute the claim by a Vermont company that it has prod...

Captain Morgan's ship has sailed Or, it is about to. Its parent company Diageo has announced it is closing its rum maturation and ware...

First things first. The new Jim Beam Double Oak does not taste twice as oaky as the Jim Beam white label many of us know and love. Yes, it...

• UPDATE (11/18/16): Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits has responded to allegations in a lawsuit that it has been defrauding four Albany...

THE NEW SINGLE MALT WHISKEY. Cider Mill Press. 624 hardcover pages, illustrated. $35 US, $46 Canada. By BILL DOWD In global whiskey pa...

They used 80 bottles of Appleton Estate Rum, simple syrup, lime juice and ice at the Porco Lounge & Tiki Room in Cleveland to create w...

These are strange times for major New York State players in the adult-beverage sales industry. As I reported on Friday, the huge Empire Me...

The Plantation Rum portfolio has just been expanded by brand owner Maison Ferrand. Plantation OFTD Overproof Rum is a blend of rums from Guy...

• Apparently alcohol is the key to achieving Jessica Alba’s hair glory. That, at least, is a conclusion we're expected to draw from ...

• British media personality Jeremy Clarkson endeared himself to American TV viewers with his antics and wit as one of the hosts of BBC Ameri...

• From Fortune magazine   The U.S. spirits industry is finally seeing a “craft” movement take hold across bars and retail outlets in ...

Beam's expanded Frankfort, KY, complex. Beam bourbons are the category's top sellers worldwide, and it is obvious the distiller ...

Hennessy Master Blender’s Selection No. 1 H OK, I officially am confused. Very confused. The normally reliable Bloomberg news service...

A pair of Massachusetts alcoholic beverage makers founded nearly a quarter-century apart have found common ground in something that happened...

Barbados is a picturesque Caribbean island that until 1966 had been ruled by a number of European colonial powers. Now, it is marking its 50...

Quick, what segment of the world's population is the largest consumer of Jack Daniel's Single Barrel Whiskey? Oh, you read the hea...

• Priyanka Chopra, the India-born star of TV's "Quantico" series, apparently was a bit confused when people kept handing her...

Customers who come across Apiary Gin on the shelves of their favorite spirits shop may be excused for thinking they've instead spotted ...

• Enrique De Colsa has been the master distiller for the upmarket Don Julio tequila company for a dozen years, and has worked in the indus...

• Mariano “Pops” Rotelli, a resident of the Atlanta suburb of Senoia, revealed the secret of his longevity to the Newnan Times-Herald -- a...

An action announced by the Obama administration last Friday apparently has created confusion in some circles. While the White House ann...

When I hear people say negative things about tequila, usually citing a bad experience in college or some such period, I cringe. As I usual...

The continually increasing popularity of American whiskies on the world market certainly won't be harmed by the release of authority Jim...

The ongoing expansion of distilleries across the country has become a catalyst for some imaginative products. From aging in different typ...

If you are among the many travelers who like to see what new alcoholic products are available in airport duty free shops, here's one t...

Take a look at the accompanying image of an old bottle of Glenfiddich scotch whisky. Chances are it will be the only time you'll see it....

Cuervo CEO Beckmann (Bill Dowd photo) UPDATE (10/6/16): Jose Cuervo, the world's biggest tequila producer, has delayed its planned...

Sometimes changes in governmental regulation spur expansion. The boom in craft distilling, winemaking, and brewing, fueled by removal of man...

Donatella Arpaia I really miss the days when Amtrak ran trains from my Upstate neck of the woods at Albany/Rensselaer down to New York C...

Elijah Craig is a historic figure, but even an icon can undergo a freshening up once in a while. So, Heaven Hill Distillery, the maker of El...

From the mansion to the boondocks. An interesting path for Dave Scheurich, who retired as the master distiller of Woodford Reserve bourbon i...

The results have just been released for the 2016 New York World Wine & Spirits Competition. For ease of reading, given the large numbe...

The results have just been released for the 2016 New York World Wine & Spirits Competition. For ease of reading, given the large numbe...

An upgrade project at Grant distillery. Some beverage journalists may seem to be specializing in reporting on the craft distilling move...

Cuervo CEO Beckmann (Bill Dowd photo) Fans of Jose Cuervo soon may be able to pick up more than a bottle of the iconic tequila. The Me...

If you're planning to attend the 2nd annual Harvest Fair at Heather Ridge Farm next month, be sure to keep a sharp eye out for the ta...

•  From Bloomberg A Mexican liquor is beginning to win over the hearts of U.S. consumers, and it’s not tequila. Pernod Ricard SA, the ...

That Johnnie Walker is a colorful gent. There are the familiar labels for its Black, Red, Blue, Gold and so on. Now, the blended Scotch wh...

If you're a Knob Creek bourbon drinker, you may see something different about the label in the coming months. The lack of an age state...

I'm not a big fan of "best of" lists. Yes, I do post reports on some of them because, well, because a lot of readers seem ...

• From the Shanken News Daily   Exclusive: Empire Merchants, New York’s biggest spirits and wine distributor, has fired CEO Lloyd Sobel ...

Registration is now open for the 4th annual Hudson Valley Beer, Wine, Spirits & Cider Summit, scheduled for October 4 at the Culinary In...

• From Forbes.com In a far-off corner of the Jameson whiskey facility in Midleton, Ireland, sits a long-dormant warehouse. It’s an old ...

Tullamore D.E.W., the second-largest selling Irish whiskey in the world, is making two more single malt expressions available to U.S. consum...

Bootleggers loading up For those among you who feel a nostalgic tug when it comes to the zaniness of the Prohibition Era, you can dip a ...