Drinking The World

I spent the past week at the American Distilling Institute (ADI) annual conference, held this year in Louisville, KY and Borden, IN. ADI is the trade organization for artisanal distillers, of which there are approximately 210 right now in the USA. I was one of the judges for the 2010 artisnal whiskey competition and would like to announce the results.

See the results after the jump

Read more

Hi Folks, I know I haven't been writing much lately. For the past several months I have been planning my new distillery. I've been meeting with my partners, drawing up the business plan (over 60 pages so far), meeting with consultants, and a million other things. (I've also been consulting to a great beer company making bourbon barrel aged Scottish ale, called Innis & Gunn)

Soon I'll write about the project, it will be a very large artisanal distillery making bourbon, rye, unaged/white whiskey, gin, genever, rum, brandy, liqueurs, and bitters. It is to be located on a 350 acre farm where we will have local farmers grow our own grains.

Check back soon to learn all the details.

I've been working for several months experimenting with various botanicals for bitters and to use in making gin. Right now I am working on some bitters recipes that are unique, with a Colonial and Native American medicinal twist. So far I have around 115 botanicals that I've made into tinctures and infusions, with around 40 more that I haven't gotten around to yet, and a future list of another 50 or so which I have to track down. My botanical lab is now stocked with the following essences that are the basis for my "Library" of flavors and aromas.

Read more

SingleMalt.tv stopped by last week to shoot some video. Here is Part Six of a Six Part Series.

SingleMalt.tv stopped by last week to shoot some video. Here is Part Five of a Six Part Series.

SingleMalt.tv stopped by last week to shoot some video. Here is Part Four of a Six Part Series.

SingleMalt.tv stopped by last week to shoot some video. Here is Part Three of a Six Part Series.

SingleMalt.tv stopped by last week to shoot some video. Here is Part Two of a Six Part Series.

SingleMalt.tv stopped by last week to shoot some video. Here is Part One of a Six Part Series.

What’s That You’re Drinking? - The Least Well Known Spirits in the Land.
By Jonathan M. Forester

Brandy, Eau de Vie, Grappa, Marc, Pisco, Palinka, Slivowitz, Tuica, Rakia, Singani, Chacha, they’re all fruit spirits. In Europe, South America, Africa, Asia, Australia, and all over the world except North America, there is a fine, old tradition associated with them. Everyone knows about them, drinks them, and loves them. Every region makes spirits from every fruit imaginable. In France grapes in the regions of Cognac and Armagnac are made into brandies that go by those names. Pisco is what they call grape brandy in Chile and Peru, usually unaged and rough in nature, it’s still well loved. Grape brandies are also made in many other parts of the world: Armenia, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Italy, Mexico, Moldova, Pakistan, Portugal, South Africa, Spain, and the Ukraine.

Then there are other fruit brandies, besides those made from grapes. In France apples are made into Calvados in Lower Normandy. Then you have other fruit made into spirits; pears, plums, peaches, cherries, elderberries, strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, apricots, rosehips, bilberries, quince, rowanberries, holly berries, you name it. In Sri Lanka, coconut brandy is made from the sap of coconut flowers. If it’s a fruit it can be distilled, or herbs and spices, and vegetables like asparagus or carrots; someone in Europe, or the rest of the world, is distilling it.

Read more