Susannah Skiver Barton

2 weeks ago | newwinereview.com | Susannah Skiver Barton

It’s hard to find a whiskey fan who doesn’t like Wild Turkey Rare Breed. The barrel-proof bourbon, brainchild of legendary master distiller Jimmy Russell, has racked up many an award since its debut in 1991 and—despite rumors that its quality has declined—remains a consistent bet for punchy flavor, full body, and fair pricing. Rare Breed is made from the same mashbill as Wild Turkey 101, Russell’s Reserve, and the distillery’s other bourbons.

2 weeks ago | vinepair.com | Susannah Skiver Barton

Back in the late 1800s, American whiskey was booming. Alongside distilleries, there were rectifiers — non-distiller producers that mixed low-quality spirit or minimally aged whiskey with additives to mimic the effects of barrel aging and make their products appear to be something they weren’t.

1 month ago | vinepair.com | Susannah Skiver Barton

Spirits additives have been in the news a lot lately, almost solely in relation to tequila. A clash between the independently run Additive Free Alliance and the Consejo Regulador del Tequila (CRT), tequila’s regulatory body, has chilled the growing movement for transparency in the category, and currently, per the CRT, no brands may legally discuss use or non-use of additives — which are legal — on their packaging or in their marketing.

1 month ago | newwinereview.com | Susannah Skiver Barton

In whiskey, the term “innovation” has become as overused as “small batch,” to the point that it’s now effectively meaningless. Most producers who tout their innovative offerings frequently make reference to a new barrel finish, or sometimes just a higher-than-usual proof. These attributes, while novel for individual brands, break no new ground in the broader whiskey world.

1 month ago | mensjournal.com | Susannah Skiver Barton

Distillers love to say that you can’t make whiskey without first making beer. And it’s true: If you stopped the whiskey-making process after fermentation and added some hops, you’d end up with beer. It’s the distillation and maturation stages that turn the beer into whiskey. But unlike at a brewery, which might produce West Coast IPAs, pilsners, imperial stouts, and sours, most of the “beer” that becomes whiskey doesn’t vary.