Nobody really saw it coming… but over the past twenty or so years, whiskey consumption, and soon thereafter whiskey production, has exploded around the world with new varieties popping up from obscure locales and craft producers as well as the traditional and more familiar distilleries. It’s like the wine boom of the 1980’s… only at a much higher proof.
In a way, the comeback whiskey has made has been miraculous. From the start of the 70’s to the 90’s whiskey basically took a back seat to vodka, gin, and other lighter spirits. The name brands that our grandparents knew and loved were largely forgotten. The only thing left from those years are the stories swirled with some confusion. For example, the first question I’m often asked from a whiskey novice tends to be something along the lines of “is Scotch whiskey?” followed by “is bourbon also whiskey?”
Those answers (both YES by the way) form the foundation of this website’s mission – to inform, challenge, bring to light and inspire your appreciation of whiskey and the whiskey lifestyle.
This “rebirthing” if you will… has been caused by a new generation that strives for real, rich flavors; access to information via our smartphones and mobile devices, and the rediscovery of expertly crafted cocktails using classic and timeless ingredients.
Also feeding the whiskey boom, first in the US, and then around the world, is a wave of micro-distilleries from the same new generation of entrepreneurs, disillusioned professionals, and the do-it-yourself types. It truly is a golden age for whiskey… and I’m excited to be sharing in that with you all.
