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Sublime Brandy
But brandy—which essentially means distilled fruit—is sublime. Like whiskey, brandy is a categorical term with subcategories throughout the world. Let’s explore.
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Defining Craft
As these companies grow, they’ll add fermenters and distillation equipment, and will be synonymous with bourbon perfection. By then, the word “craft” will be a little more defined.
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Rye Not?
According to a 1935 Hunter Baltimore Rye Whiskey ad: “In the Gay Nineties, and on through the Spanish-American War when Theodore Roosevelt took his Rough Riders to Cuba, Hunter Rye was in demand nation-wide, and had become well-known in London. ‘First Over The Bars,’ it had won a world reputation for taste among English-speaking peoples—it was in fact the largest-selling rye whiskey in the world.”
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Five Sources of Flavor
But, what if a single stave was more porous than the others? It could leak and suddenly the barrel is losing up to 15 percent of whiskey a year. That will greatly change the flavor.
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Water of Life
So, it’s time to lose the college frat-boy mentality with Irish whiskey. Sip and savor, my friends. This is great whiskey.
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Vodka versus Whiskey
Did you know vodka didn’t have a US federal definition until the late 1950s? It’s true. And when the mostly Russian and Polish spirit started garnering minute amounts of acclaim, the whiskey distillers lobbied the government to create a definition that would surely defeat its popularity.
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American Blends to Try
Long before the bourbon craze, distillers gave private tours and used the words mingled or married to describe the process of blending barrels together. As was often the case, somebody in the audience asked why they used these strange words when the term blended fit so perfectly to describe the action of, you know, blending barrels. “Blending is a dirty word,” the distiller would say without much explanation.
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When to Ice Your Whiskey
When my friend ordered Pappy Van Winkle 23-year-old on the rocks, I cringed. I mean, how could he? Did he hate puppy dogs and kittens, too? As “on the rocks” left his lips, I seriously questioned my friendship with this guy.
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Whiskey Destinations
From New York to California, Minnesota to Mississippi, learn the drinking culture of disparate American regions, such as Bainbridge, Washington’s interesting bootlegging past, or the lost apple brandy heritage of New York. On your next excursion, take the time to visit one of these great distilleries and experience true American travel.
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