Ted Simmons

New York

U.S. Correspondent at The Spirits Business

Somewhere between Larry David and Craig David.

Articles

Cocktail stories: Cocoffee Negroni, Yacht Club

4 days ago | thespiritsbusiness.com | Ted Simmons

The Cocoffee Negroni is a modified classic that perfectly captures the hybrid vibes of Denver’s Yacht Club bar. *This feature was originally published in the April 2025 issue of The Spirits Business magazine. There is no membership required to drink at Yacht Club, which is the point, and the joke. “We’re not a club,” says McLain Hedges, who opened the bar in 2021 with Mary Allison Wright.
De Nada Tequila lands distribution deal

4 days ago | thespiritsbusiness.com | Ted Simmons

Tequila brand De Nada has partnered with importer Luxury Spirits International, which will now handle the carbon-neutral brand’s sales and distribution. De Nada Tequila joins brands including Flor de Caña Rum, Los Javis Mezcal, and Camus Cognac within the Luxury Spirits International portfolio. “In today’s climate, it’s important to join forces with like-minded brands,” De Nada president Daniel Neeson said.
High West and Luke Grimes team up to Protect the West

1 week ago | thespiritsbusiness.com | Ted Simmons

American actor and musician Luke Grimes has partnered with Utah distillery High West to advance the whiskey maker’s conservation efforts. Since introducing its Protect the West Campaign in 2022, Park City, Utah-based High West has contributed over US$1 million to nonprofit organisations committed to land preservation and environmental stewardship across the region.
Stranahan’s looks to set the American single malt pace

1 week ago | thespiritsbusiness.com | Ted Simmons

With American single malt newly certified, Stranahan’s head blender Justin Aden talks age statements and brand growth. Proximo Spirits-owned Stranahan’s has been committed to making single malt since it was founded in 2004, making it poised to capitalise on this moment in American whiskey. In December 2024, the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) formally recognised the category, a landmark moment for producers like Stranahan’s that have been betting on it all along.
Belle Meade Bourbon reemerges in Nashville

1 week ago | thespiritsbusiness.com | Ted Simmons

Brothers Charlie and Andy Nelson are back on the whiskey-making scene with a reimagined Belle Meade range. Without much fanfare, brothers Charlie and Andy Nelson have put their weight back behind the Belle Meade line of Bourbons, a familiar label to anyone who has been following their path through whiskey. The brothers refounded their family distillery, Nelson’s Green Brier, in 2009, with production beginning in 2014.
Remus Bourbon brings back its Babe Ruth Reserve

1 week ago | thespiritsbusiness.com | Ted Simmons

MGP-owned Remus has partnered with the Ruth Family to create a new limited edition whiskey honouring baseball legend Babe Ruth. The 2025 edition of Remus Babe Ruth Reserve is a blend of three high-rye Bourbon mashbills, inspired by Ruth’s #3. It includes barrels distilled in 2016 and 2017. The three mashbills contain 44%, 49%, and 36% rye.
Whiskey House of Kentucky strikes rickhouse deal

1 week ago | thespiritsbusiness.com | Ted Simmons

A new partnership with the Koetter Group will yield Whiskey House of Kentucky 12 new state-of-the-art rickhouses. The 12 new rickhouses will use K-RAX barrel storage technology and will be built over the next six years on Whisky House of Kentucky’s property in Elizabethtown. Each warehouse will be seven storeys high and hold 48,084 barrels.
The Spirits Business

1 week ago | thespiritsbusiness.com | Ted Simmons

Bardstown Bourbon Company’s vice-president of product development talks expansion, innovation and keeping up with contract clients. *This interview was originally published in the March 2025 issue of The Spirits Business magazine. How does Bardstown differentiate itself as a contract distiller? Coming out of the gate, the flexibility to do 60 recipes — unheard of in Kentucky. So the opportunity to have a Kentucky Bourbon customised your way.
Leiper’s Fork plans Nashville distillery

1 week ago | thespiritsbusiness.com | Ted Simmons

Tennessee-based Leiper’s Fork Distillery will open its second distillery next year, located at Nashville Yards. Leiper’s Fork, a family-owned whiskey distillery in Williamson County, Tennessee, has announced plans to open a new distillery at Nashville Yards, a 19-acre mixed-use development property near Broadway. The new space will feature on-site whiskey production, a restaurant and bar, retail store, tasting room, and event stage.
Should the spirits sector embrace technology?

2 weeks ago | thespiritsbusiness.com | Ted Simmons

With an array of software available, the spirits industry has to decide whether to embrace advancements in technology or not. Creating a spirit, or better yet, sharing one, can be an emotional experience. The industry is, after all, about human connection, and traditions passed down through generations.