Review | Wild Turkey Jimmy Russell's 70th Anniversary 8 years old

The American bourbon brand of Wild Turkey has released a special commemorative whiskey to celebrate the remarkable career of Jimmy Russell, the long-serving Master Distiller. This year marks the 70th anniversary since Russell began working at the distillery in Lawrenceburg, Kentucky on September 10 1954. His remarkable career includes establishing Wild Turkey as a global brand and being inducted into the Bourbon Hall of Fame. 

The Wild Turkey Jimmy Russell's 70th Anniversary 8 years old features whiskeys of 8- and 9-years of age that were hand-selected by son Eddie Russell and grandson Bruce Russell, who both work at the distillery in senior positions, from Jimmy's favourite rickhouses. 

Review | Elijah Craig Straight Rye

The American whiskey brand of Elijah Craig has announced the release of their rye expression into the UK market. We were invited to the launch event of the Elijah Craig Straight Rye. The spirits has a mash bill of 51% rye, 35% corn and 14% malted barley. This heavy reliance on corn as the secondary grain makes the spirit highly suited to long maturation, which has enabled this rye whiskey to reach eight years of age.

Distillery Visit | Wild Turkey

Wild Turkey is one of the gems of the American whiskey industry and home to a family dynasty that spans three generations. Recently, Matt was invited to Kentucky to visit the distillery and new visitor centre, which are about one hour's drive south of Louisville, and meet the names behind the brand.

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When driving through Kentucky in May you could almost think you were in Scotland. Green rolling hills and farms zip by. But once you hit the town of Lawrenceburg, where the Wild Turkey distillery is located, this changes. Now you are definitely NOT in Scotland. The quaint main street is lined on either side with old colonial buildings, each adorned with a fluttering Stars & Stripes flag. Now you know that you are well and truly in Kentucky - the heartbeat of the American whiskey industry. 

Review | Maker's Mark Cellar Aged

The wheated American whisky brand of Maker's Mark has debuted the inaugural bottling of its Cellar Aged expression. The whisky is planned to be an annual small batched release going forward. For this expression Rob Samuels, 8th generation whisky maker and grandson of the brand's founder, has taken regular Maker's Mark (which is aged for just over six years on average) and then placed the casks in a purpose built limestone cellar for an further extended maturation period. 

Allotment Dram - Making a Mint Julep

Matt is back at the allotment as America celebrated National Mint Julep Day last weekend. Watch as he attempts to make the classic cocktail using mint picked and items found at the allotment and other ingredients brought from home. His whiskey of choice for this is the American Eagle 4 years old bourbon.

The Mint Julep was first referenced in the early 1800s in Kentucky and often used whiskey, brandy or rum as the spirit ingredient. It was not until a century later in the early 1900s that whiskey exclusively became the main ingredient. This could have been bourbon or rye. The Mint Julep is now most famously associated with the Kentucky Derby, one of the biggest and richest horse races in the world, and has been officially served at the event every year since 1938.

#allotmentdram

Review - Uncle Nearest 1856

Uncle Nearest is a Tennessee whiskey brand that has been reborn to honour a pioneer of the American whiskey industry. He was named Nathan Green and was believed to be the first African-American master distiller in the USA during the 1850s. Green is often described as "the best whiskey maker that the world never knew" and lived just outside Lynchburg in Tennessee. He was known as Nearis to his friends and colleagues and worked at a distillery on Dan Call Farm that was owned by Reverand Call, a Lutheran preacher.

Green became the figurehead after the Reverand's congregation disapproved of him distilling and he is said to have been at the forefront of developing The Lincoln County Process - the process where the matured whiskey is filtered through charcoal. He is also said to have trained and later worked under Jack Daniel, the founder of the world's biggest selling Tennessee whiskey, who held Green in high esteem and is thought to have referred to him as Uncle Nearis.

Inbox - The Week's Whisky News (January 18, 2019)

Welcome to Inbox, our weekly round up of whisky news and PR material that has found its way in to our WFE email. It was created as we cannot write full articles or do justice to every piece received. It features items from around the world of whisky and is published by us each Friday.

Review - Four Roses Small Batch 2017 Edition

This whiskey is the latest limited edition from the award-winning Four Roses distillery. Four Roses is unusual amongst American distilleries as it produces 10 different spirits, using two different mash bills (one low rye mash and one high rye) and then one of five different yeast strains. This 2017 Edition contains three different whiskies of ages 12, 13 and 15 years. The Small Batch was first released in 2007 and has won numerous awards since. This 2017 Edition has approximately 13,000 bottles - this number has grown from the original 2007 release, which contained just 1,500 bottles.

Texas - A New Whisky Star Is Rising

* This article originally appeared on the Huffington Post UK on 30/6/17.

When most people think of American whiskey, they think of two states – Kentucky and Tennessee. This is not surprising as the biggest brands are produced there and the industry has history and heritage on its side. But now a new state is staking a claim for a share of the American whiskey pie. That state is Texas.

In less than a decade Texas has risen from the whiskey wilderness to become arguably the third most important and influential whiskey state in the USA. America’s second largest state by both area and population is now home to a growing number of distilleries that are aiding and developing the craft distilling revolution in the country.

Review - Wild Turkey Rye

This rye whiskey was first released in 2015 and is bottled at 81 Proof (proof is the old American system of measuring alcohol strength and equates to 40.5% ABV).  It joined the popular Wild Turkey whiskey range - this includes the 81 Proof bourbon, 101 Proof bourbon and a stronger version of the rye, called 101 Proof Rye.  The mash bill for this whiskey is 51% rye, 37% corn and 12% barley, and it has been matured in American white oak casks.  The Wild Turkey Rye is available through specialist whisky retailers in the UK and Europe, but is widely available throughout the USA. A bottle should cost between around £30 each.

Review - Whiskey Thief

Whiskey Thief is a new bourbon that was launched in the UK late last Summer.  It is the culmination of an idea that formed in 2010 and has been in development ever since.  The aim of Whiskey Thief was to create a bourbon that was accessible to new whisky drinkers in terms of flavour profile and price point.  Many new brands are produced by craft or artisan distilleries and their products are boutique, small batch and expensive as a result.  Whiskey Thief is designed to be the opposite of that and both easy drinking when taken neat or as the base spirit in a cocktail.

Review - Jim Beam Double Oak

The world's largest selling bourbon brand has announced the addition of a new bottling, which will be exclusive to the travel retail sector - the Jim Beam Double Oak. The new whiskey has been matured in new American white oak barrels for four years before being transferred to second charred oak barrels for a further short maturation, giving greater contact with the wood.  This added interaction gives the whiskey an extra boost of intensity.  The Double Oak is presented in the Beam range's new premium packaging that features embossed glass and textured labeling amongst other things.

An American Whiskey Fan In London

Being a fan of American whiskey in the UK can be a challenge. To the uninitiated (like this London-based whisky commentator who writes and comments on social media about Scotch whisky) the topic of American whiskey can appear a bit daunting and confusing.  Where do you find information? 

There do not seem to be many UK sources apart from the occasional brand ambassador floating around at whisky shows or events if you are lucky enough to be able to attend these.

Review - Old Forester

Old Forester is a bourbon from the famous whisky producing state of Kentucky in America.  It is one of the oldest American whisky brands and it has a number of claims to fame.  It was the first American whisky to be sold in sealed glass bottles rather than wooden barrels - this was over 25 years earlier than most other brands, who were later required to by a law change in 1897, and was done to ensure a better consistency of quality.  Old Forester was also one of the only distilleries to remain open during the damaging Prohibition era after it successfully applied for a license from the U.S. Government to continue production for 'medicinal purposes'.

Have just tried - Bulleit Rye

The Bulleit Rye is the newest addition to the Bulleit Bourbon range.  It was first launched in the USA in 2011 and proved extremely popular. This has resulted in it being rolled out in selected other markets in late 2013, including Australia and the UK.  The Bulleit Rye is made using a mash bill of 95% rye grain and 5% malted barley.  This rye content is high compared to most other American rye whiskeys on the market.  The minimum percentage to be legally called a rye whiskey is 51%.

Have just tried - Whistlepig 10 Year Old Straight Rye

The Whistlepig whisky company are located on a farm in Shoreham,Vermont and include former Maker's Mark head distiller Dave Pickerill among their staff. I came across their flagship 10 Year Old Rye on a recent trip to the United States and thought it was brilliant so brought a bottle back home with me. On closer inspection of the label I noticed the rather cryptic line “Hand Bottled on Whistlepig Farm, Vermont”. Why mention this? Surely it was distilled there as well, right?

Have just tried - Colonel E.H. Taylor Rye

Rye can be argued to be the original American whiskey and was the most popular type of whiskey produced and drunk in the United States up to the advent of prohibition in 1920. Records show that there were various different Rye whiskies, each named after their area of production (i.e. Maryland Rye, Monongahela Rye etc) which suggests that each area produced it’s own distinctive style. Unfortunately we’ll never know if this is the case as Rye whiskies popularity declined after the end of prohibition in 1933 and many producers never resumed production.

Nowadays though, Rye whiskey is experiencing something of a renaissance with a lots of new different Rye’s now available and distillers struggling to keep up with demand. A lot of these whiskies are hard to come by in the U.K. as a lot of brands are kept for the home market but one such Rye that has made its way over here is Colonel E.H. Taylor.

Great places to drink whisky - New York City

New York City is rightfully famed for its night life. Any city vying for “best city in the world” status has to have some pretty cool bars to while away the small hours and get a little merry and New York’s sheer size means there’s a lot of places to choose from. So, on a recent holiday across the pond I ended up in a couple of Gotham’s excellent whisky bars in order to sample some of that famed night life and a couple of whiskies.

Have just tried - Balcones whisky

Balcones is an American distillery that is gaining plenty of recognition and attention at the moment.  It is based in Waco, Texas and was built by hand by founder Chip Tate with the help of his two other distillers.  Since the first product was launched in 2009, the distillery has racked up over 25 national and international awards for their whiskies including the prestigious Whisky Magazine Icons of Whisky - Craft Distiller of the Year award in 2012.

Have just tried - Thomas H. Handy Sazerac

Thomas H. Handy is an American rye whiskey which is made at the Buffalo Trace distillery.  It is a whiskey that has been the centre of attention during the last week, as the Batch 2011 has claimed the prestigious accolade of 'Whisky Of The Year' in Jim Murray's Whisky Bible 2013, the latest edition in the best selling series.  Traditionally, winners of this award sell out fast so it may already be too late to grab one.  However, we were lucky enough to track down a sample ...