New law evens cideries' playing field

Inside Nine Pin Ciderworks

"The Greeks and Romans mastered the art of cider making. When Romans invaded England around 55 B.C., they found that cider was already being enjoyed by the locals there. By that time, apple trees had long ago migrated from forests around Kazakhstan and were well established across Europe and Asia. It was in southern England, France, and Spain that the technique of fermenting -- and later distilling -- the fruit was perfected. Evidence of this ancient art can be found in the European countryside today, where large circular apple grinding stones used to crush the fruit are still half buried in the fields."

-- Amy Stewart, "The History of Cider Making"

Although in the early United States cider was a popular everyday beverage, over the years what we call "hard" cider to distinguish it from the non-alcoholic version virtually disappeared. However, in recent years it has made a strong comeback, in New York State helped immeasureably by changes in alcoholic beverage laws and the fact that the state is second only to Washington in apple growing.

But, enticing the public to visit cideries for tasting and purchasing has been a bit difficult. That should change because of a new piece of legislation signed into law on Tuesday by Governor Andrew M. Cuomo. It allows farm cideries to serve not only cider but wine, beer and spirits by the glass. Before that move, farm cideries were required to apply for separate farm brewery, winery, or distillery licenses to be able to serve such beverages by the glass. Whereas a cidery could sell beer, wine, and spirits by the bottle for retail, a consumer could not consume by the glass.

The new law was pushed in the state Legislature by Senator George Amedore, R-Rotterdam, and Assembly Member Patricia Fahy, D-Albany.

"As New York's farm beverage industry continues to grow, it's important to do everything we can to encourage further expansion of this important piece of our economy," Amedore said. "Allowing farm cideries to offer other New York State-produced beers, wines, and spirits by the glass encourages cross promotion of all the great products New York State has to offer, and will help strengthen the growing craft beverage industry."

Alejandro Peral, founder and owner of Albany's Nine Pin Ciderworks, the state's first farm cidery, said, “This bill creates parity among the various farm based licensees and supports the growth of the value added products produced by them. We will now be able to serve other New York farm based beverages to our customers in our tasting room just as those farm wineries and breweries are able to serve cider to their customers.”

"As a coalition of craft beverage producers [we] thank Governor Cuomo, Senator Amedore, and Assembly Member Fahy for their leadership to make regulations easier for farm-based producers to promote New York-made beverages. As a distiller and small business owner myself, this continues the state's commitment to building the farm-based craft alcohol sector," said John Curtin of Albany Distilling Company and president of the Capital Craft Beverage Trail Association.

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Vermont distiller creates a cacao vodka

It didn't take the SILO Distillery long to get into the unusual. The barely-three-year-old Windsor, VT, distillery has announced the impending debut of Cacao Vodka, created with the aid of an older Vermont company.

SILO obtained winnowed cacao bean shells from Burlington icon Lake Champlain Chocolates -- which makes the Blue Bandana line of sweets -- and steeped them in its local-corn-based vodka to create the new spirit.

The initial batch of shells, from which the nibs used in chocolate making have been removed, is from Madagascar. Future batches may be sourced from other places on the globe. which could create a slightly different taste.

Chris Maggiolo, SILO head distiller, in an interview with the Vermont Fresh Network, said he came across Blue Bandana owner Eric Lampman at an Association for the Study of Food and Society conference at the University of Vermont a few years ago and, in an offsite tasting, "put Blue Bandana on my radar ... I love what they're making and how they're doing it. Chocolate came to mind while thinking of cold weather vodkas, but 'chocolate vodka' has a fabricated, almost fake, connotation. I thought about the chocolate making process and it occurred to me that the cacao shell likely retained a good amount of flavor."

A vodka release party, open to the public, is scheduled for 6 to 8:30 p.m. this Friday at the Hotel Vermont, 41 Cherry Street, in Burlington. It will be be a free public event. Lake Champlain Chocolates and SILO Cacao Vodka in-store tastings are scheduled for 2 to 5 p.m. Saturday at the candy maker's Factory Store on Pine Street in Burlington.

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Jameson revamps its whiskey portfolio

• From Paste Magazine.com

Jameson is one of the classic bar shelf whiskeys, a gateway, “pint and a shot” staple through which many have become acquainted with whiskey in the first place. 

The brand has also dominated the Irish whiskey resurgence of recent years, accounting for slightly more than three-quarters of Irish whiskey sales in the U.S., according to International Wine And Spirits Research.

Yet the larger Jameson family of whiskeys had been something of a tangle, and earlier this summer the brand lineup was overhauled. The old, familiar Jameson Irish Whiskey went untouched, as did Jameson 18 Year Old near the top of the spectrum, but everything else got a shakeup.

Here is what to expect from Jameson’s other, more upscale offerings.

Go here for the full story.

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Angostura debuts blend of 15-year-old rums

There aren't many ultra-premium rums around that reached the age of 15 before being offered for sale. The House of Angostura is showing off with a new sipping rum that is a blend of several 15-year-olds.

Angostura 1787 Caribbean Rum was introduced Monday at the popular Ruby Cocktail Bar in Copenhagen, Denmark. I've got a query in to company officials to find out when it will become available in the U.S.. market, and at what price.

The new blend, says the company, commemorates the establishment in 1787 of the first sugar mill on the Caribbean island of Trinidad, at the famous Lapeyrouse sugar plantation, in 1787. It consists of rums chosen from the House of Angostura’s extensive aging warehouses, each of which has been aging for 15 years in charred oak barrels.

No word on exactly how many rums are in the mix, but the result is floridly described as "a rich mahogany in color with hints of bronze, beautifully balanced, with a medium-bodied palate, and a sweet bouquet of banana, dried fruit and oak with top notes of apples. Its taste carries a hint of dried prunes and sweet rounded oak notes entwined with toffee nuances, with a long, crisp finish."

It is bottled at 40% abv (80 proof), presented in a heavy, rounded bottle with a thick glass base, emblazoned with the signature of Dr. J.G.B. Seigert, the founder of Angostura, and packaged in a heavy brown and orange box.

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Marrying cider-, beer-making techniques

Kevin and Evan in their artsy image

Politics is all about finding a gimmick to help sell someone or something to the masses. So, a pair of Finger Lakes beverage producers are hoping their partnership in creating a cider called "Make America Grape Again" will find willing consumers.

The name is, of course, a riff on Donald Trump's "Make America Great Again" campaign slogan. You know, the same slogan Hillary and Bill Clinton have proclaimed as racist even though in the past they repeatedly used precisely the same phrase to push their political agendas. Yeah, that slogan.

The new New York State cider is the product of a partnership between Kevin Collins of Cider Creek Hard Cider in Canisteo, southeast of Hornell, and Evan Miles of Miles Wine Cellars in Himrod on Seneca Lake. Collins previously teamed up with brewers -- Resurgence Brewing Company of Buffalo, Swiftwater Brewing of Rochester, and Stoneyard Brewing of Brockport -- to produce small batch ciders, but this is his first collaboration with a winery.

It features Lemberger grapes, saison ale yeast, and champagne yeast, resulting in notes of raspberry, blackberry, plum and pepper. Wines made from Lemberger typically have a light tannin level. The saison ale yeast adds citrus notes, and the champagne yeast adds to the effervescence. The yeasts also join to create a light pink hue.

Why the name, "Make America Grape Again"? The two entrepreneurs say Trump's entrepreneurial spirit and support for agriculture make him the best candidate to "help us grow as businessmen, farmers and beverage producers."

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Irish whiskey boom promises more expansion

An Irish newcomer

For most of our lifetimes, you could count the number of Irish distilleries on one hand. Maybe two, Now, however, the island seems to be awash in them, with 32 new or proposed distilleries.

Until 2013, just four mainstays, all owned by large international corporations, had distilled under a variety of brand names what most people knew about Irish whiskey -- Kilbeggan in County Westmeath and Cooley in County Louth, both owned by Beam Brands; Bushmills in County Antrim, owned by Diageo, and Midleton in County Cork, owned by Pernod Ricard.

That, however is changing rapidly as Irish whiskies as a category are growing in consumer acceptance thanks to high-quality products and smart marketing campaigns. Exports rose 10% between 2014 and 2015, and the Irish Whiskey Association (IWA) projects a 300% increase in sales domestic and foreign over the next 15 years.

"Having been distilled in Ireland since the 6th Century, Irish whiskey is one of the oldest spirit drinks in Europe," said Miriam Mooney, head of the IWA. "It is a premium product that can only be made on the island of Ireland. The existing players have driven the global renaissance in Irish whiskey, and now it is the fastest growing spirits category in the world."

Not all of the new distilleries will be producing the same old expressions. The Walsh Whiskey Distillery, a $28 million facility that formally opened in Royal Oak, County Carlow, in July, is about to release its first product under the Writers Tears brand created by company founders Bernard and Rosemary Walsh. Their Writers Tears Red Head is a limited-edition, triple distilled whiskey, aged in used Olorosso sherry butts from Spain that give it a ruby hue. Only 12,000 bottles will be released, bottled at 46% abv (92 proof). No retail price has yet been announced.

“We are thrilled with the result of the marriage between our first-ever single malt expression of Writers Tears and these precious Oloroso sherry butts,” Bernard Walsh said in a statement. “The natural interaction and careful aging between the pot still spirit, styled in Writers Tears signature fashion in copper pots as all Irish whiskey was in the golden era of the 1800s, and the Spanish wood contributes to the outstanding quality and distinctive flavors of this sublime single malt.”

Incidentally, if you're not familiar with the barrel term "butt," it has nothing to do with where some unsatisfactory people seem to have stuck their heads. It is roughly half the size of a standard barrel, and the name is derived from botte, a Medieval French and Italian word for boot, an item occasionally inserted in the same place as the aforementioned heads.

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'Brunch bill' goes into effect today

The timing seemed fitting when New York Governor Andrew Cuomo signed the latest amendment to the state's alcoholic beverage control laws this morning. After all, the package of changes has been nicknamed the "brunch bill."

The change, the latest in a steady stream of modernizations of the laws under Cuomo's administration, immediately allows restaurants and bars to begin serving alcohol at 10 a.m. on Sundays, two hours earlier than previously allowed. In addition, such businesses outside New York City will be able to apply for 12 permits per year to sell alcohol as early as 8 a.m.

Also going into effect because of the signing: permission for the sale of wine in growlers, allowing liquor stores to sell gift wrapping and gift bags, and cutting more red tape for craft alcohol producers and sellers.

“After more than 80 years, it’s about time to bring the rules governing the sale of alcohol in line with the demands of our customers,” Scott Wexler, executive director of the Empire State Restaurant & Tavern Association, said in a statement. “Thanks to the leadership of Governor Cuomo and SLA Chairman (Vincent) Bradley we can now accommodate our guests who want a Bloody Mary or Mimosa with their brunch or a draft beer while watching their favorite football team — European or NFL. This is good news for small businesses all across New York State.”

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One time vodka and tequila mix well

One tequila involved

Normally, one might not be wise to mix vodka and tequila. But, in the case of business, it apparently is OK.

The Amber Beverage Group, a subsidiary of SPI Group that makes the iconic Stolichnaya vodka, this week announced it has made a “significant equity stake” in Fabrica de Tequilas Finos.

The tequila maker, a family-owned business established in 2000 in Jalisco, Mexico, has a portfolio of more than 20 brands, including Tonala, KAH, Don Camilo, Agave 99, and Zapopan. Amber's announcement said the deal will allow it to expand distribution in the U.S., Central America, and South America. No dollar amount was revealed.

SPI Group created the Amber entity two years ago as an umbrella for a lineup of distilling, packaging, and distributing companies. It now deals with about 500 spirits and wines in 160 markets.

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Mount Gay introduces new 2-style rum package

The new Mount Gay 'twins'

The Remy Cointreau company has just released details of the latest addition to the Origin Series run of expressions of its Mount Gay rum brand.

What it is calling "Volume Two, The Copper Stills Collection" is a small-batch combo release of one iteration that was distilled in a copper pot and another in a copper column still. The pair of 37.5cl bottles (sometimes referred to as half bottles) will be sold beginning late this month as one $95 package for a limited, but unspecified, period.

"We created the Origin Series collections so we could give rum drinkers the unique opportunity to experience rum by tasting the pure essence of the distinct distillation methods and a deeper understanding of how each part of the process can change the taste of rum entirely," says Allen Smith, Mount Gay's master blender.

The first volume featured virgin cask and charred cask versions of Mount Gay rum, part of a gradual phasing out of lower-end versions of the rum brand in the U.S., according to a company statement several weeks ago.

Mount Gay is billed as the world's oldest brand of rum. It dates to 1703 on the Caribbean island of Barbados. As the company history puts it, "Rum, originally called 'Kill-Devil' by the Barbadians who first distilled it, is truly a product of the island. The abundance of molasses combined with the culinary ingenuity of early settlers and, of course, their legendary thirst for alcohol lead to this unique discovery in the production of spirits."

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New Jim Beam Double Oak an aged-twice spirit

Being the top-selling bourbon in the world may make for a comfortable perch in the spirits industry, but Jim Beam isn't resting on its laurels.

The Kentucky distiller has just released a new product called Jim Beam Double Oak. Like the basic four-year-old Jim Beam white label, it is aged in charred American white oak barrels as required by federal regulation. However, it then is poured into another freshly charred barrel to mature for a second time, creating a whiskey that is deeper in notes of oak and caramel.

The distiller does not specify how long the second maturation takes place, only that "When the bourbon reaches the right taste profile it is removed and bottled."

Double Oak is finished at 43% alcohol by volume (abv), or 86 proof compared to the white label's 80 proof. It is hitting retailers' shelves this month at a suggested price of $22 for the 750ml bottle.

The rest of the Beam bourbon portfolio includes Jim Beam Original, Single Barrel, Distiller's Masterpiece, Black, Bonded, Devil's Cut, Red Stag Black Cherry, Apple, Honey, Maple, Kentucky Fire, Jacob's Ghost, and Craft Harvest Collection, as well as Jim Beam Rye.

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Hillrock releasing first Sauternes-aged rye

Hillrock Estate Distillery has added a new product to its aged whiskey portfolio -- what it is calling "America’s first Estate Rye Whiskey finished in French Sauternes casks."

The Columbia County facility is New York State’s first field-to-glass distillery -- simply put, it distills from its own grain. Next Saturday, September 10, it will release the 100% rye whiskey that has been resting in rare used Premier Cru Sauternes wine casks.

“Finishing Hillrock Estate Distillery Double Cask Rye in French Sauternes casks merges tradition and [Hudson Valley] terroir, creating a rounded, almost buttery texture with notes of honey and citrus lemon,” said founder Jeff Baker. “With the Pedro Ximenez-finished rye selling out at our open house this past June in just a few hours, we encourage interested customers to reserve a bottle of this very limited distillery release.”

Sauternes wine is made only in the Graves section of Bordeaux, France, with grapes affected by Botrytis fungus – better known as the “noble rot.” Botrytis causes the grapes to become partially raisined, resulting in a concentrated and distinctive flavor. Used Sauternes casks have been otherwise used primarily to age Scotch whiskies.

Barrel No. 1 of the Hillrock product will be released during the fall distillery open house between noon and 5 pm. The public event will offer enthusiasts the opportunity to tour the facility, sample the entire portfolio of spirits, and purchase Hillrock whiskies. No reservations are necessary, although those interested in purchasing the Sauternes Rye are encouraged to reserve their bottles by emailing info@hillrockdistillery.com, or by calling then picking up at the event. The price is $100 plus tax per 750ml bottle.

The facility is located on the Hillrock Estate at 408 Pooles Hill Road near Ancram. Phone: (518) 329-1023.

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Special whiskey release marks Jack Daniel's 150th

The commemorative product

It's been around for a century and a half, but people still screw up the name.

Jack Daniel's -- the possessive "s" tacked on the name Jack Daniel -- is marking its 150th anniversary with a new limited-edition Tennessee whiskey released from its Lynchburg, TN, distillery.

The distillery was founded in 1866 by Jasper Newton "Jack" Daniel. He got into distilling just after the Civil War as a 16-year-old orphan taken in by Dan Call, a prosperous local farmer and shopkeeper who operated a distillery with the help of his former slave Uncle Nearis Green, as noted in my book "Barrels & Drams: The History of Whisk(e)y in Jiggers and Shots" (Sterling Epicure NYC).

Jack Daniel

Current Master Distiller Jeff Arnett says, “For this 150th anniversary whiskey, our coopers slow-toasted the barrels to bring out the rich flavors and aromas of the wood, creating a contemporary expression of an 1866 barrel char. We wanted to offer a unique whiskey that we think collectors and consumers alike will enjoy for their own celebrations and is as special as the anniversary that it celebrates.”

Arnett says the grain bill is the same as the iconic Jack Daniel’s Old No. 7 -- 80% corn, 12% barley, and 8% rye. The spirit was filtered and mellowed through 10 feet of sugar maple charcoal -- known as the "Lincoln County process," before going into specially-crafted new American oak barrels, adhering to the guidelines required of a Tennessee whiskey. The barrels then were placed in the “angel’s roost” of one of the oldest barrel houses at the distillery where whiskey has matured for generations at an elevation and with the exposure to sunlight that creates a specific climate for interaction between the whiskey and barrel.

Jack Daniel’s 150th Anniversary Whiskey was barreled and bottled at 100 proof (50% alcohol abv). It went on sale Thursday at a suggested retail price of $99.99 for a 1-liter bottle.

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Whiskey Museum of America project on the clock

Meredith Grelli and the WAM! logo

One of the major decisions George Washington had to make as president of a fledgling nation was how to put down an anti-tax rebellion among whiskey makers in western Pennsylvania.

That region had become a center of distilling by Scots-Irish farmers who had settled in the region after emigrating from their tempestuous homeland in what we now call Northern Ireland.

As I wrote in my book "Barrels & Drams: The History of Whisk(e)y In Jiggers and Shots" (Sterling Epicure, NYC):

"They were not alone in distilling whiskey, but they were among the feistiest and most productive in the New World. ... They quickly pushed their way to the frontier area ... where they found fertile fields for their grain and plenty of takers for the whiskey they produced from some of it. However, when the Continental Congress put a tax on whiskey production -- the fledgling nation's first excise tax -- they refused to pay, thus touching off the Whiskey Rebellion of 1791 to 1794. The dispute was about more than simply being taxed. In the minds of a significant number of frontier settlers in the new United States, the government was under control of the eastern elite, and the tax, suggested by Alexander Hamilton, first Secretary of the Treasury, to service the national debt created by the War of Independence, was a prime example of unfairness."

Eventually, an armed federal force was sent to the area to put down the insurrection during which a 500-man force of farmers attacked the home of a federal tax collector. Then ...

"Washington and Thomas Jefferson, who had become governor of Virginia, cooked up a deal to break up the concentration of resistance. Jefferson offered sixty acres of land as an incentive for moving to the Kentucky region (then part of Virginia), building a permanent structure, and growing corn."

The transplanted farmers eventually began to use their excess corn to make whiskey and eventually bourbon was born. But, what about back in western Pennsylvania? Plenty of farmers-distillers remained there and created licensed distilling operations that built one of the greatest spirits-producing areas in the new U.S. (Coincidentally, Washington went into distilling in a big way on his Mount Vernon, VA, estate and became the biggest single producer of whiskey in the new country.)

Today, there is a move afoot to create the Whiskey of America Museum (WAM!) in Pittsburgh. It's the brainchild of Meredith Grelli, co-founder and co-owner of Wigle Whiskey, founded in December 2011 as Pittsburgh's first legal distillery since Prohibition. She has put together a group of more than 20 local and regional leaders -- designers, museum staffers and spirits experts -- to help develop "WAM! National Whiskey Museum and Regional Alcohol Emporium."

The museum will serve as the trailhead for an "American Rye Whiskey Trail" that would connect distilleries from Pittsburgh to the Mount Vernon Distillery in Virginia via the Great Allegheny Passage and Cumberland Bike Paths.

Grelli has told local media she estimates the museum will cost $1.1 million, and she already has pledged "six figures" herself. However, she also has set a September 19 deadline for raising at least $35,000 via a Kickstarter campaign or the project may be called off. As of today, she has enlisted 126 backers pledging a total of $11,706.

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Annual Parker's Heritage due in September

In most instances, the longer a whiskey ages in wood the better it gets. (Exceptions would be those not well made in the first place.) Two or three years is common, eight is premium, and so on. The 10th annual release of Heaven Hill's Parker’s Heritage Collection is an exception -- on the upside.

The bourbon is named to honor Parker Beam, the distillery’s master distiller emeritus who has been suffering from ALS -- Lou Gherig's disease -- for a number of years. The Heritage Collection is used to raise money for research and patient care for the disease.

The 2016 edition is a 24-year-old, bottled-in-bond bourbon. It features two separate versions, expected to be the oldest bottled-in-bond in the world, according to Heaven Hill. It was produced in the fall of 1990 and spring of 1991 at the Bardstown, KY, distillery that burned down in 1996 along with seven rickhouses and more than 90,000 barrels.

The liquid is bottled by season to retain its bottled-in-bond designation. By federal law, to be labeled bottled-in-bond or bonded, the liquor must be the product of one distillation season (January to December) and one distiller at one distillery, then aged in a federally bonded warehouse at 100 proof (50% abv) for at least four years.

This edition, packaged in the same upscale 750ml bottle as the previous editions, will be released in September and carry a suggested retail price of $250, with $15 of each sale going towards the ALS campaign.

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Adirondacks distiller in NYS of mind

Despite the explosion of craft distilling throughout the nation in recent years, the vast bulk of whiskies still are made in Kentucky and Tennessee and aged in barrels made from white oak harvested in Missouri's Ozark Mountains. That's what makes a fledgling operation in New York State's Adirondacks so interesting.

Talk about a true New York production. Keith Van Sise, founder and jack-of-all-trades at Gristmill Distilling in Keene, Essex County, and his team are using grains grown locally by Adirondack Organic Grains of Essex and apples grown locally by Rulf's Orchards in Peru with charred barrels made at U.S. Barrels in Wilmington from oak wood cut in the Catskills.

The products are branded with names very much enmeshed in Adirondack lore. Black Fly bourbon whiskey is named for the pesky seasonal insect that plagues residents and visitors alike; Rusty Piton moonshine is named for the climbing spike used in High Peaks adventures, and 1892 Forever Wild apple brandy is an homage to the date the state Legislature declared the Adirondacks Forest Preserve forever wild.

Gristmill Distilling's products are available at a variety of retail stores, restaurants and bars, and local farmers markets. The full list is available online.

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Flyover tours of Scottish, U.S. distilleries

If you never have had the opportunity to tour some of Scotland's iconic distillery complexes, or even those in the U.S., the website called The Whiskey Wash has something that may be of interest.

It's a set of eight videos from drone flyovers of whiskey complexes that offer views you can't get even if you've been there on the ground. As the editors explain:

"There is something to be said for considering the size of the distillery that makes your favorite mainstream Scotch or bourbon. Most craft whiskey makers aside, a good number of whiskey brands are created on the grounds of rather large facilities which are almost impossible to see from the vantage of the visitor’s center. ... Some [of the videos] are notably scenic, while others are more just about seeing how such distilleries just eat up the landscape around them."

The Scottish venues include Bowmore (shown above), Bruichladdich, and one video covering eight other facilities on the island of Islay, plus Macallan and Old Taylor. The U.S. venues include T.W. Samuels, Old Turkey, and Old Willett, all in Kentucky.

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NY Wine & Culinary Center in the gin business

NY Wine & Culinary Center (Bill Dowd photo)

If the New York Wine & Culinary Center continues its present inclination, it may have to modify its name.

The NYWCC facility, located on the shore of Canandaigua Lake in the picturesque Finger Lakes city of Canandaigua, opened 10 years ago as a showcase for New York State wines and foods. Since then, it has maintained a busy wine-centric pace while steadily increasing its involvement with tastings and special events involving New York beers and spirits.

Its latest project is a collaboration with Black Button Distilling of Rochester to launch Garden Gin, a collaboration spirit that will be released next Tuesday at the the center's 4th annual "Garden Party," according to an announcement made Tuesday. It is an herbaceous London Dry-style gin with herbs and licorice notes and a strong juniper nose, according to officials.

Proceeds from the sale of Garden Gin will go to NYWCC’s "Culinary Camps for Kids" program and other educational programming.

“We love what the NYWCC does to bring unique New York products and educational programming to the community,” said Jason Barrett, president and head distiller of Black Button. “This collaboration presented us with an opportunity to develop a ... gin with tastes and inspiration from NYWCC’s garden."

The new product will be available at Black Button Distilling, at NYWCC, and at select retailers.

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Dulce Vida expands its tequila portfolio

Dulce Vida tequila flanked by new infusions

"Infusion" is a key word in the world of adult beverages. In this instance, an infusion of cash from a new owner has resulted in a major expansion of Dulce Vida Spirits' tequila portfolio that now includes infused versions.

The Austin, TX, company this week announced the release of five new versions, including lime- and grapefruit-infused 35% abv (70 proof) tequilas utilizing real fruit and "all natural flavors." They join a new lineup of 40% abv (80 proof) blanco, reposado, and añejo versions to complement the original line of seven 100-proof tequilas. The new reposado is aged from 9 to 11 months and the new añejo up to 24 months in used American white oak barrels. All products are made in Mexico.

Dulce Vida Spirits was recently purchased by a new beverage investor company called Milestone Brands, headed by Eric Dopkins who had been CEO of the Deep Eddy Vodka Distillery in Austin.

“Dulce Vida has seen amazing growth since our acquisition, and we’re thrilled with the launch of these naturally-infused flavors,” Dopkins said. “These cocktail-ready category disruptors continue our standards in providing healthier cocktail solutions and handcrafted products.”

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Jameson 'Whiskey Makers Series' debuts in U.S.

The Irish distiller Jameson has just released to the U.S. market The Cooper's Croze, the first of three super-premium Irish whiskies from its "Whiskey Makers Series."

No word yet on when, or whether, the others -- The Blender's Dog and The Distiller's Safe -- will debut in the U.S.

The whiskey’s namesake –- the croze -– is a tool used to make the groove where the head of the barrel is positioned to seal the barrel.

The 86-proof whiskey (43% abv) itself was created by Jameson's fifth-generation head cooper, not head distiller, Ger Buckley to showcase the diversity of barrels at its Midleton, County Cork, facility. He used virgin American white oak charred barrels as well as seasoned bourbon barrels and Iberian sherry barrels to age the non-chill filtered spirit and impart fruit flavors as well as floral and spice notes.

Says Buckley, “I’ve created Jameson The Cooper’s Croze to show the versatility and profound influence barrels have on distinct whiskey flavors. Barrel making transcends generations, as I’ve used the same methods and tools passed down from my grandfather, that’s the beauty of the craft.”

The Cooper's Croze carries a suggested retail price of $69.99.

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Steel cans attention-getting whiskey vessels

Given the ever-increasing number of spirits coming to market in the U.S., smart distillers need at least two things for initial success: (1.) prominent retail store placement, and (2.) clever packaging.

Getting consumers to buy your product more than once is, of course, dependent on price and quality. But, scoring that initial purchase often relies on having an eye-catching container that can overcome even poor shelf positioning.

Adult beverages these days can be found in everything from traditionally-shaped bottles to squat little globes to human skull replicas to squared-off glass vessels to ceramic containers to Mason jars. Brad Beckerman, CEO and founder of the Stillhouse Spirits Company of Columbia, TN, decided he wanted to come up with something that would break out of that pack.

I think he has succeeded with how his portfolio of Stillhouse Original liquors is offered -- in 100% stainless steel cans.

The packaging is a creation from Sandstrom Partners, the Portland, OR, firm specializing in strategic brand design. In addition to standing out in the crowd, the deep-red steel container is unbreakable, lighter than glass, and recyclable.

Stillhouse's lineup now has six varieties of whiskey -- the 80-proof Moonshine, and the 69-proof flavored versions Apple Crisp, Peach Tea, Coconut, Mint Chip, and Red Hot. Each is available in 20 states -- including New York -- and Washington, DC, priced at $28 per 750ml can.

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Shut up and drink your beets

Over the many years I've been involved in the world of adult beverages, I've had occasion to write about the immense range of ingredients from which vodka is made.

Not just grains or potatoes as foundational ingredients, but other things such as wild and cultivated grasses, bamboo, sweet potatoes, apples, tree saps, honey ... virtually any organic matter rich in starches or sugars.

And then, there is the dizzying array of flavor infusions that seem to know no end -- fruits both sweet and savory, melons, cocoa, nuts -- and coconuts -- as well as chocolates, coffees, teas, marshmallows, herbs, hops, caramel, elderflowers, cinnamon, ginseng root, root beer ... even candy bars and smoked salmon.

What I hadn't come across until now is beet vodka. A Philadelphia distiller with the unlikely name of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction recently released such a product as part of its "Garden Infusions" series that utilizes various seasonal items. Its earlier offerings were chicory root and sweet potato infusions. (The company's website is worth spending some time reading. Fascinating enterprise.)

While the deep reddish purple color of the final Beet Root Flavored Vodka certainly smacks of beets, it also contains elements of cranberries and apple pomace -- the fibrous remnant left after pressing of the fruit -- as well as honey, salt, and tarragon.

If you can lay hands on the product, here's a recipe for a cocktail to get you started.  

BEET ROOT SMASH
 

2 ounces AITA Beet Root Vodka 

1 ounce fresh lime juice 

5 blackberries 

1/2 ounce simple syrup 

Splash of club soda 

Lime peel and blackberries for garnish

Muddle the vodka, blackberries, lime juice, and simple syrup together in a cocktail shaker. Then, shake vigorously, Strain over ice into a rocks glass, top off with club soda, and garnish.

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This 'Scottish G&T' not just your usual drink

Scottish G&T kit (photo by Bill Dowd)

The current, and I hope brief, cooling off and accompanying rain in my Upstate New York corner of the universe are robbing me of something I cherish in the usual dog days of summer: thirst.

I don't get very excited about gin during most of the year, but when it comes to July and August I begin looking forward to a G&T, as my Brit friends call the drink -- gin and tonic, with a slice of lime in a chilled glass. Simple, direct, thirst quenching, and oh so satisfying.

This summer I've been sticking to what I refer to as a "Scottish G&T" out of deference to the two main ingredients -- Fever Tree Tonic Water made in England but introduced to me in Scotland, and Caorunn Small Batch Scottish Gin. Over the years, I've tried many types of gins and many types of mixers. These two, superb on their own to my taste, earn even higher accolades as a combination.

In making both gin and tonic water, the portfolio of ingredients is paramount since they use more ingredients than most mixers and most distilled spirits. Many Americans are unfamiliar with both brands. To be honest, I wasn't familiar with Fever Tree mixers until a tavern crawl in Edinburgh, Scotland, some years ago when I found that even the meanest of pubs there looked down on serving anything else. After that experience, I was hooked. Not only on the tonic but on the Bitter Lemon and I'm fascinated by its latest mixer just out, something called Aromatic Tonic Water that expands the line of mixers to seven.

I mentioned the wide variety of ingredients -- marigiold extracts, Tanzanian bitter orange and a half-dozen other botanicals -- sourced from around the globe to make the basic Fever Tree recipe. (That name, incidentally, comes from the nickname for the cinchona tree from which quinine, used to treat malaria but also a key ingredient in tonic, is taken.) Here's Fever Tree's explanation of its newest offering:  

"Aromatic Tonic Water is inspired by a historic recipe Tim [Warrillow], our co-founder [with Charles Rolls of Plymouth Gin fame], discovered whilst researching early references of tonics. Angostura bark was used by Royal Navy surgeons as a fever remedy or 'tonic' in the early 19th Century as a supplement to the long known anti-fever prescription of cinchona bark.

"Fast forward 200 years, and Fever Tree have once again gone to the ends of the Earth to source all-natural ingredients in this 21st Century twist. The highest quality angostura bark sourced from South America is blended with our signature quinine from the Congo as well as aromatic ingredients including cardamom from Guatemala, pimento berries from Jamaica, and ginger from Cochin. With subtle aromas of spice and fresh citrus, Aromatic Tonic offers a uniquely refreshing flavor, designed to be paired with juniper-rich and robust gins."

One such gin is Caorunn (pronounced ka-roon), which like most gins uses a basic assortment of botanicals such as juniper berries, cardamom, lemon and orange citrus peels, anjelica, and cassia bark has quite a different twist on its recipe. Five of its 11 botanicals are sourced not from Africa or Asia or South America, but rather from right around its Balmenach Distillery in Scotland's iconic Speyside region that is home to dozens of distilleries. They are rowan berries (caorunn is the Scots Celtic word for rowan), bog myrtle, dandelion, Coul Blush apple and, of course, heather, that most Scottish of all plants.

Gathering them requires foraging right before a distilling session headed by master distiller Simon Buley because most of those local plants are short-season ones and difficult to store.

Buley, who suggests garnishing a G&T with a slice of Coul Blush apple rather than the traditional lime, says, "In the Scottish Highlands we live in harmony with nature, and Caorunn is a truly Scottish gin. It draws on the heritage, craft, and expertise of local people to harness Scotland's unique natural resources and age-old botanicals."

While Caorunn is a relative newcomer to the world market, the Balmenach Distillery, located at the bottom of the Haughs of Cromdale less than a mile from the River Spey, is no johnny-come-lately. It was founded in 1824 by James McGregor, a local farmer with a family penchant for unlicensed distilling, a heritage shared with many other Speyside families. Today, the distillery is owned by Inver House Distillers Ltd., a company that also owns the Speyburn-Glenlivet, Knockdhu, Balblair, and Old Pulteney distilleries.

Buley worked his way up from starting at Balmenach as a shift operator in 1998. Today, in addition to overseeing Balmenach whisky production, he creates Caorunn gin in the world's only Copper Berry Chamber still that was built nearly 100 years ago. Some competitors use the same vapor/infusion distillation he does, but they also use more traditionally-shaped stills. Buley, by contrast, funnels the vapor to the Berry Chamber, a gimmicky-looking device originally used to extract fusel oils when distilling perfumes.

As Gintime magazine describes it, "It is a round horizontal chamber with a copper frame (copper is used in the distillation of spirits because it removes sulphur and unwanted compounds) and it contains four large horizontally positioned trays. Caorunn’s 11 botanicals are spread on these trays in such a way as to allow the spirit vapor to pick up the broadest range of flavors over the widest possible area. ... It takes four hours to distill 1,000 liters of spirit into gin but, as the old adage goes, good things come to those who wait. Certainly this particular method of distillation allows the aromatic notes of the six classic gin botanicals ... to be deeply imbedded in the spirit. At the same time the more elusive, fragrant notes of the Celtic botanicals ... are captured and held. Those Speyside distillers, they do know what they are doing."

I echo that enthusiasm. As to putting together your "Scottish G&T kit," I'd suggest online ordering of Fever Tree products ($35 for a 24-pack of 6.8-ounce glass bottles via Amazon, for example) because I've been unable to reliably source the brand locally; and, if your favorite liquor store does not stock Caorunn it certainly should be able to custom order you a bottle. A suggestion: order more than one despite the suggested retail price of $42 per 750ml bottle. I doubt you'll be disappointed.

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That hangover may be your DNA talking

• From VinePair.com

Yes. You could blame that savage hangover on the seven tequila shots you did last night. But we have a much better scapegoat. Genetics.

The basic cause of a hangover, of course, is ethanol (the alcohol in our drinks), which causes dehydration and urination and probably some really bad text conversations. But other factors, including diet, blood sugar levels, and even your immune system can play a role, and a recent study shows that genetics might be influencing those factors.

Actually, probably half of your predisposition to a terrible hangover has to do with your genes.

A study of 4,000 Australian twins found that “genetic factors accounted for 45% of the difference in hangover frequency in women and 40% in men.” We’re gonna have to guess that study was really, really fun at first and then got terrible once the hangovers set in, and instead of ordering a greasy breakfast, participants were forced to fill out questionnaires and have those sticky science wires stuck to their throbbing heads.

Go here for more details.

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2 new Beam flavors, but just 1 for you

The latest flavored whiskeys from Jim Beam Brands went on sale today. They are the second and third specialty concoctions in the brand’s portfolio. However, only one is available domestically.

• Jim Beam Apple, bottled at 30% abv (60 proof), is Beam’s Kentucky straight bourbon blended with apple liqueur. Beam recommends it be taken on the rocks or with club soda as a highball with a green apple slices as a garnish.

• Jim Beam Citrus Highball RTD (ready to drink) is available only in Japan and Australia. It fuses bourbon with several varieties of grapefruit. The drink, finished at 4.8% abv, and comes in 375ml cans available 6- and 10-packs.

The new products two join Jim Beam Honey in the flavored portfolio.

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Growing rye back in favor in North America

• From Grain News 

North American farmers are turning back to a neglected crop, sowing fields with the largest rye crop in years partly as consumers satisfy a growing thirst for whiskey.

Rye, planted in autumn and harvested in mid-summer, fell out of favor during the past decade as other crops produced bigger profits. But, whiskey demand as well as new varieties of rye that offer greater yields have renewed interest.

 U.S. farmers planted 1.76 million acres for the 2016/17 season, the biggest area since 1989 and a 12% year-over-year increase, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture. In Canada, a major rye exporter along with the European Union and Russia, farmers sowed 405,900 acres, the biggest rye area in seven years, Statistics Canada reported.

Go here for the full story.

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From rum experiment to 'best new product'

Looking for a new and quality spirit? So were the judges in the just-completed "Tales of the Cocktail" event in New Orleans, and they declared Plantation Pineapple Stiggins’ Fancy Rum the “Best New Product” at the 2016 Spirited Awards that are part of the festival.

This is the second time a spirit from producer Maison Ferrand has won the award, the only company to do so. In 2012, its Pierre Ferrand 1840 Original Formula Cognac was so honored, and in 2013, its Pierre Ferrand Dry Curacao was a finalist for the same award.

“These spirits are my life,” says Alexandre Gabriel, owner and cellar master of Maison Ferrand. “Our intense focus is perhaps what sets Pierre Ferrand, Plantation, and Citadelle Gin apart from other spirits. ... Our mission is to amaze and bring pleasure through spirits of excellence and taste."

Plantation Pineapple Stiggins’ Fancy is a rum that resulted from research Gabriel and his small team undertook along with his friend and frequent collaborator David Wondrich. Their aim was to create a pineapple rum similar to the favorite drink of the Reverend Stiggins character in Charles Dickens’ "Pickwick Papers."

It originally was supposed to be a one-off product, but samples passed around at the 2014 "Tales of the Cocktail" event received strong positive reactions, so they went on to manufacture it as a portfolio line.

"We didn’t expect the overwhelming amount of praise from bartenders and aficionados who began to harass us to produce more," Gabriel said. "So, we decided to make another batch and share it with even more friends and the rest is history.”

Plantation Pineapple won “Best in Class” at the Miami Rum Festival 2015. It is made from Queen Victoria pineapples, which have a short season, thus making the rum available only as an annual limited edition item with delivery in April/May and July/August each year. It is bottled at 40% alcohol by volume (80 proof), and carries a suggested retail price of $34.99 per 750ml bottle.

The Plantation Rum portfolio includes rums from Barbados, Guyana, Jamaica, Panama, St. Lucia, and Trinidad.

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Ezra Brooks unveils new look, new product

It may at first glance still look a bit like a bottle of Jack Daniel's (go here for the story of that whole lookalike problem), but it actually is the new look for Ezra Brooks Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey.

The brand, owned by importer-marketer Luxco, also has expanded its portfolio with the introduction of Ezra Brooks Bourbon Cream.

Luxco, formerly called the David Sherman Company, is headquartered in St. Louis, MO. It owns no distilleries, so its Ezra Brooks brand is distilled, aged, and bottled in Kentucky under contract with Heaven Hill Distilleries.

The new item is a seasonal spirit to be available in fall and winter months when its notes of caramel, nutmeg, and cinnamon may be most welcome. It will be available in 750ml bottles, at a very mild 12.5% alcohol by volume (25 proof) and a suggested retail price of $12.99 to $14.99.

The new look is a corked bottle with a matte finish closure to give it more of a craft feel. Ezra Brooks whiskies are sold in 750ml bottles and ranging in suggested retail prices from $11.99 to $26.99. They include Kentucky straight bourbon whiskey, 90 proof; blended whiskey, 80 proof; Old Ezra seven year Kentucky straight bourbon whiskey, 101 proof, and the new Bourbon Cream.

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A Basic Guide to Mexican Spirits

Ever hear of sangrita? (No, not sangria.) It's tequila's perfect accompaniment. Go to this archival post for details. (Bill Dowd photo)

This Sunday is National Tequila Day. That will mean many people who never experienced the iconic Mexican spirit will do so for the first time. It also means people who had bad experiences with it while drinking cheap versions as raucous college students will hold their noses and shy away, forgetting that they probably also had bad experiences with beer and vodka back in the day but still drink them.

So, what to do? How about sharing some basic information the tequila-curious might find helpful before setting out to actually enjoy the spirit? Here's a basic guide to all things tequila (and its cousins), with a few pronunciation tips thrown in.

Three foundational requirements under Mexican agricultural law:

1. True tequila must be made 100% from the blue agave plant and distilled only in Mexico’s Jalisco (pronounced hah-LIS-ko) state and certain specified adjoining counties.

2. Tequila 100% Agave: Must be made only with the juice of the blue agave plant and must be bottled at the distillery in Mexico. It may be Blanco, Reposado, or Añejo (ahn-yay-ho).

3.  Tequila: Must be made with at least 51% blue agave juices. It may be exported in bulk to be bottled in other countries following the NOM standard. It may be Blanco, Gold, Reposado, or Añejo. 

NOM, the official Mexican product safety requirements, defines four types of tequila:

1. Blanco, or Silver: The traditional tequila. Clear, transparent, fresh from the still. Must be bottled immediately after distillation process. Traditionally served in a cylindrical two-ounce glass called a caballito (kah-bah-yeeto).

2. Oro, or Gold: Modified by adding colorings and flavorings, caramel the most common. Widely preferred for frozen Margaritas.

3. Reposado, or Rested: Kept in white oak casks or vats called pipones (pip-oh-nace) for two to 11 months. Much mellower than blanco or oro, pale in color, gentle bouquet.

4. Añejo, or Aged: Matured in white oak casks for a year or more. Maximum capacity of the casks should not exceed 159 gallons. Amber color, oak notes. 

Then there is Reserva. Like “Extra Añejo” it is not technically a category, but recognized as an Añejo aged in oak up to eight years.

Here’s a quick rundown on the other Mexican spirits:

• Mezcal: The state of Oaxaca (wah-hawk-ah) in south-central Mexico claims this spirit as its own. It’s the result of the fermentation of the native maguey (mag-way) plant by the indigenous people and the distillation techniques introduced by Spaniard conquerors. The unique topography of Oaxaca — at the confluence of three great valleys at an altitude of 6,500 feet — creates a wide variety of growing micro-climates for numerous varieties of the agave variety known as maguey, from the giant pulque (pull-kay) maguey to the maguey tobala from which one of the rarest mezcals is made.

• Bacanora: This traditional liquor, mentioned by the earliest Spanish explorers as a native drink, is made in the state of Sonora, which lies below Arizona. It was illegal until about 20 years ago when rules for its manufacture were put into place. It is made from a variety of the agave plant that grows exclusively in Sonora’s climate and terrain. One of what I refer to as “border spirits.”

• Sotol: Another “border spirit,” made from a shrub that looks like a bouquet of spiny leaves with fringed tips. It grows in deserts, mountains, and on dry rocky slopes. Its powerful fermented juice is the state drink of Chihuahua state, south of New Mexico. Like tequila and mezcal, it was improved by distilling the original fermentation.

• Raicilla: This liquor (pronounced ray-see-yah), widely known as “Mexican moonshine,” now can be found in somewhat more sophisticated varieties as a result of modernization and commercialization. It usually is distilled from a fermented mash made from the roots of the maguey plant. It’s a harsh liquor, 100 proof or higher. Despite its dicey reputation, the tourist haven of Puerto Vallarta thinks enough of it to hold an annual raicilla festival.

• Destilado de agave: This spirit is quite similar to tequila, but is brewed outside the state of Jalisco which has 98% of all legal tequila production. As with tequila, it may or may not be made with 100% agave.

Armed with this information, may I wish you a happy National Tequila Day.

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An upbeat drinking-and-driving connection

Workers at the Casa Orendain distillery in Tequila, Mexico, cut and load blue agave plants into
the cookers prior to distillation. (Bill Dowd photo)

We all know drinking and driving don't mix well. But, that doesn't rule out some sort of symbiotic relationship.

To explain:

The Ford Motor Company is joining forces with the Mexican distiller Jose Cuervo to explore the use of the tequila giant's agave plant byproduct to help develop more sustainable bioplastics for Ford vehicles. Specifically, Ford is looking into whether the properties of the blue agave plant, the basis for tequila, can be used as a greener alternative to traditional plastics, in particular those currently derived from petrochemicals.

The agave pant's fibers are very durable, and are used in a variety of manufacturing processes beyond tequila making. The heart of the plant is what is roasted then used in a distillation mash. The remaining fibers are used for composting, for specialty papermaking, for woven products, and the like.

Debbie Mielewski, senior technical leader in Ford's sustainability research department, noted that there are about 400 pounds of palstics used in the typical Ford car. "We are developing new technologies to efficiently employ discarded materials and fibers, while potentially reducing the use of petrochemicals and light-weighting our vehicles for desired fuel economy," she told CTV News in Canada.

First Israeli whiskey arrives in America

David Zibell

• Dan Friedman of the Jewish-interest publication The Forward reports:

Israeli whiskey has arrived in America.

The Golan Heights Distillery from the mountains on the Syrian border is younger than Tel Aviv’s Milk and Honey -- its domestic rival -- but its finished product arrived in New York on or around Bastille Day (July 14), about a year ahead of the promised competition (whose three-year aged single malt will be, in fairness, a quite different product). That makes it, as far as I can tell, the first Israeli whiskey ever to go on general sale in America. (Please let me know if you know better.)

The River distributing company imported the first shipment of 600 bottles and made sure the Forward was able to taste bottle 577. Which is, at barely over a year old, surprisingly, quite palatable.

If you don’t care to know the details of how distiller David Zibell (pronounced Zee-bell) was born in France, lived in Israel (in Tzfat) for a couple of years as a child, and then finally made Aliyah to Israel from Montreal in 2014 only to find himself living on top of a hill making a variety of liquors, then you can jump to the tasting notes at the bottom. But it’s quite a tale, and I’ll tell it quickly.

Go here for the rest of Dan's tale, and his tasting notes.

Cachaça returns to the popular consciousness

A sampling of Brazil's 4,000 cachaça brands

I had almost forgotten about cachaça.

I was at a summer cookout the other day at a friend's house when I noticed a bottle of it nestled discreetly among the bottles of whiskey, rum, vodka, and so on sitting on his bar. It reminded me that I kind of liked the sugar cane-based distillation two decades ago when I was introduced to it while judging an international rum competition in Florida. But, as is the case when you're exposed to many, many possibilities, sometimes a few fall by the wayside over the years.

That's what happened with cachaça, perhaps best known as the base for the caipirinha cocktail that so enamored tourists to South America in this century that they demanded it when they returned home. That demand was answered over the years in many of the better cocktail lounges and bars throughout the U.S. And now, cachaça is back in the mainstream drinks scene because of the upcoming Olympic Games in Brazil where the vast majority of the spirit is manufactured.

There are as many as 2,000 different names for cachaça (pronounced kah-SHAW-sah) in the vernacular, according to one authoritative Brazilian publication. Many cropped up over the years as illicit distillers sought to call their distilled sugar cane something that would not attract the attention of government tax collectors and regulators back in the days when the spirit was banned, sort of like American moonshine's lineage. But, just as with our moonshine, that led to a lot of plonk -- in other words, garbage spirits, some of them even dangerous to the health of imbibers.

Luckily, in 2000 the U.S. and other countries convinced Brazil to label cachaça "Brazilian rum." That put it into a much more competitive market niche, because cachaça was not specifically recognized by the U.S. before that. (As part of a quid pro quo, in 2012 a U.S.-Brazil agreement pledged the U.S. to recognizing cachaça as a distinctive Brazilian product, and Brazil promised similar recognition for bourbon and Tennessee whiskey, each of which has long been manufactured under specific regulations. Inherent in the agreement is that the Brazilian government will be monitoring the quality of the cachaça its distillers export.)

There are two types of cachaça, unaged (referred to as white) and aged (gold). White usually is bottled right after distillation, although some is aged for several months, and usually matures in wood barrels for at least three years. Unlike most rums, the spirit is distilled from fresh-pressed sugar cane juice; most rums are distilled from molasses, with only a small percentage using cane juice. The legal definition of cachaça requires sugar cane to be the main ingredient, a strength of 38% to 54% alcohol by volume (76 to 108 proof), and a maximum of 6g of sugar per litre.

To understand the scope of cachaça in the Brazilian economy, it helps to know that as recently as 2013 there were only 5,000 legally registered producers of cachaça in Brazil producing 4,000 brands, but the latest Brazilian census shows the number of producers actually could be higher than 40,000. Apparently, Brazilian moonshine lives.

Although most cachaça is consumed in-country, more than $1 billion worth is sold in the U.S. each year, with another $20 million sold in Germany, Portugal, and France.

If you're interested in trying out a variety of cachaças -- sort of your own Olympic Tasting Games event, here are the four leading legitimate Brazilian distillers:

• Companhia Müller de Bebidas, which owns Pirassununga 51 and has 18% of the market share. 

• Pitú has 15% of the market share, with 6% of it coming from the Caninha da Roça brand. 

• Indústrias Reunidas Tatuzinho Três Fazendas, which owns Velho Barreiro has 8% of the market share 

• Ypióca has 2% of the market share

As the say in Brazil, "Saúde" (pronounced "saw-ooh-de).

Jack Daniel's launches birthday barrel hunt

Countdown to barrel hunt

The Pokémon Go craze is getting the bulk of the media attention these days, but the distiller Jack Daniel's has a hide-and-seek game of its own going on to mark its 150th birthday.

From now through September, 150 handcrafted whiskey barrels are being hidden in historic and cultural sites around the globe, with clues on Jack Daniel's Facebook pages to help guide fans find the secret locations. You can get started on the hunt by clicking here.

Other birthday celebratory items from the Lynchburg, TN, distiller include:

• What master distiller Jeff Arnett calls a "special liquid." The anniversary drink will come in a collectible bottle, available at the distillery and select other locations in September.

• A "Sinatra Century" barrel as an homage to the late singer-actor Frank Sinatra,, well known for his love of Jack Daniel's.

Jack Daniel's now No. 1 whiskey in UK

UK's favorite whiskey an All-American

The United Kingdom has gotten less European as shown by its recent controversial exit vote from the European Union. Judging by its whiskey sales, it actually has gotten more American.

In fact, the highest-selling brand in the UK is America's own Jack Daniel's, a Tennessee sipping whiskey that is sort of bourbon. (It's made about the same way, although with a bit less corn in the mash than the average bourbon, and then is filtered through maplewood charcoal.)  

The Grocer, an influential UK trade magazine, has just reported that sales of Jack Daniel's in the UK have soared 9.3% in the past year, pushing it past The Famous Grouse as the nation’s most popular whiskey (or "whisky" without the "e" as they insist on spelling it there).

Sales of the six leading blended Scotch whiskies have slumped 4.4% in the same period, with sales of The Famous Grouse alone dropping by 14.9%. Jack Daniel's now is the ninth biggest alcohol brand in Britain, with The Famous Grouse dropping to 13th.

The shift is attributed to a number of factors: younger UK drinkers preferring American products in general; importers and distributors paying more attention to American whiskies which offer them a higher profit margin, and a general drop in prices to the consumer for American whiskies for several years.

And then, of course, there is taste.

Jim Murray, the guru of whiskey rankings around the world, did not put any Scotch on his list of the world’s five best whiskies of 2016, the second consecutive year he has made that decision. He has for a number of years extolled the virtues of American bourbon over Scotch blends, declaring, "The best whisky is coming not from Scotland any more, but from Kentucky.”

Back in 2011, I wrote in my book "Barrels & Drams: The History of Whisk(e)y in Jiggers and Shots" (Sterling Epicure, still available from online book sellers):

"In 2010, Jim Murray's Whisky Bible, the UK top-selling such guide, shocked many people inside and outside the industry by naming 18-year-old Sazerac Rye from Kentucky the world's best whisky/whiskey, elevating it beyond even the UK's beloved Scotches. It topped 3,850 other whiskies that were considered, with Ardbeg Supernova from the Hebridean island of Islay as No. 2 after dominating the awards for the three prior years."

Yo, ho, ho, and a bottle of Gunpowder Proof rum

Familiar with overproof rums? Usually, they are rums with an alcohol content of greater than 57.5% alcohol by volume -- 115 proof or more-- usually bottled and labeled as "151."

I mention this because Shaw-Ross International Importers of Miramar, FL, is introducing Pusser’s Gunpowder Proof, a 54.5% abv (109 proof), at the end of the month in July. Rollout to markets in the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, California, Texas, Georgia, and South Carolina will come in the ensuing months.

Pusser’s Gunpowder Proof is a blend of rums from Guyana and Trinidad. It is widely regarded as the last rum issued by the British Royal Navy to its enlistees in 1970. The new entry will retail at a suggested $33 to $35 a bottle.

On July 31, 1970, on what was known as "Black Tot Day," the tradition going back some 300 years ended, with British sailors wearing black armbands and conducting mock funerals to bid farewell to the rations. A small supply from E.D. & F. Man & Co, official rum merchants to the Navy since 1784, was stored in wicker-clad stone vessels and went untouched except for state occasions.

In the British Navy, in a practice copied in the days of sailing warships by some other nations, served rum as part of a drink called "grog." The word originally referred to a drink made with water and rum, which British Vice Admiral Edward Vernon introduced into the naval squadron he commanded in the West Indies on August 21, 1740. Vernon wore a coat of grogram cloth and was nicknamed Old Grogram or Old Grog.

Merriam Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, which agrees with this story of the word's origin, states that the word "grog" was first used in this sense in 1770, though other sources cite 1749.

The Gunpowder Proof is produced by Pusser's Rum Ltd., headquartered in Charleston, SC.

Brooklyn inspiration, Pennsylvania history in a bottle

Pennsylvania's distilling history has always been dominated by rye whiskies. Now, thanks to a visit to a New York distillery, that is changing slightly.

Several years ago, Pennsylvania resident Anthony Brichta paid a visit to the Kings County Distillery in Brooklyn. What he saw encouraged him to get into the world of craft distilling, and he and his uncle, John Rowe, created County Seat Spirits in a former truck assembling plant in Allentown, PA, about 95 miles west of Brooklyn.

Rather than producing a rye whiskey, aged or otherwise, as their first product, they decided to create a wheat-heavy, no-rye whiskey they call Hidden Copper Bourbon. It was distilled from a mash of Pennsylvania corn, Pennsylvania wheat, and malted barley, then was aged for about a year in small, 15-gallon new charred white oak barrels.

The mash containing more than 50% corn, and the barrels being what they are, satisfied the legal requirements for calling the whiskey a bourbon. Even the bottles are made in Pennsylvania. Hidden Copper Bourbon is bottled at 90 proof (45% abv), and priced at $40 for a 750ml bottle.

The name? The distillers say it is in honor of the historic hiding of the Liberty Bell. On September 23 of that year, the Pennsylvania State House Bell -- which we know as the Liberty Bell -- was taken down to prevent it from being melted down by the British for weapons use during the Revolutionary War. It was hidden in the basement of the Zion Reformed Church in Allentown, and returned to Philadelphia the following June.

Appleton rums rebranded under J. Wray labels

The former Appleton rums

Attention fans of Appleton Special Jamaica and Appleton White rums:

Do not panic when you no longer see those labels on the shelves of your favorite spirits shop. The parent Campari America company is in the process of rebranding and relauncing them.

Now under the group’s J. Wray Jamaica Rums brand, Appleton Special Jamaica will be sold as J. Wray Jamaica Rum Gold, and the Appleton White as J. Wray Jamaica Rum Silver. Both of the 80 proof (40% abv) spirits will retain their original recipes and pricing (suggested $17 per 750-ml bottle).

Christine Moll, Campari America category marketing director, told the industry publication Shanken Daily News the change helps ensure that “Appleton Estate is viewed as a premium rum offering within the Campari America portfolio,” with J. Wray being positioned as the “standard rum set.”

Sales of the Appleton brand, whose core lineup ranges in suggested retail prices from $22 to $38, were up 6.8% to 220,000 cases in the U.S. last year, according to Impact Databank.

Buffalo Trace's first estate bourbon in the barrel

Not merely satisfied with consumer acceptance of their current portfolio, the powers-that-be at Buffalo Trace wanted to try something a little different.

Taking a page from the wine industry, they had a corn crop planted on a piece of land acquired by the company with an eye toward creating an estate product: i.e., a small-batch bourbon made with ingredients entirely sourced from their own grounds.

Now, according to the Franklin, KY, company, that initial corn from that planting has been used to make a new estate bourbon that recently was put into aging barrels. The distillery says the new bourbon was distilled from a non-GMO heirloom corn strain that dates to 1876, around the time the legendary distiller E.H. Taylor was leaving his mark at Buffalo Trace. The strain, it says, “originated from a White Mastodon variety and, through selection techniques in isolation, it became Boone County White, after a farmer named James Riley coined the name.”

The crop had been monitored by master distiller Harlen Wheatley and his staff until last August, after which it was harvested and dried, then fermented and distilled at the end of May. The output was 117 barrels of the Boone County White Corn variety now aging for several years before being bottled and released. Buffalo Trace also has just planted its second crop, a variety known as Japonica Striped Corn. It originally is from Japan, and dates to the 1890s.

The plan is for a different variety of corn to be planted each year so each estate bourbon will be a unique release.

What kind of glasses do you prefer, and why?

I must confess that when I drink any beverage, what I drink it from affects how I feel about the contents, or at least the experience.

Even as a college student I didn't enjoy drinking beer from bottles or cans. While I didn't mind drinking a Coke or Orange Crush (remember that?) from the bottle, for some reason I only liked beer from a mug or a pilsner glass.

With wine, the properly shaped glass is important to me, be it the taller, more slender ones for whites or more bowl-shaped style for reds. For non-alcoholic beverages, I prefer a thinner glass that allows the frostiness to reach my hand, Something refreshing about that.

So, I found a recent post on The Chive website about what sorts of glasses people prefer for their beer, and why good reading. It contains some interesting infographics for both beer and wine glasses, complete with explanations for the shape of each. You can access it by clicking here.