The Bottle Facts

Evan Williams white label was my first introduction to the world of bottled in bond whisky. I did not know what bottled in bond meant and I thought it was just another marketing gimmick used to trick consumers into buying a product. What really attracted me to the bottle was its bottle design and the fact that it was 100 proof. I was at a point in my whisky drinking journey where I wanted to try some of the higher proof whiskies. I felt I was ready to move on to the next step after spending much time in the 80-90 proof range. So I took the risk and bought a bottle.  There were other 100 proof whiskies on the shelves but I grabbed this particular bottle because it looked cool. Then I opened it, drank it, read all about the bottle facts and my world changed.  I expected the whisky to burn my palate knowing it was 100 proof but I was surprised at how much flavour and complexity it had. The alcohol is almost like an after thought when drinking this whisky.  Befor...

This is the second part of a series that talks about the different words you see on a whisky label and figuring out which ones matter and which ones to avoid. This series is not for the whisky "experts" or the self proclaimed "connoisseurs". This post is for the beginners and hopes to give them a basic understanding of words on labels so they can make better purchase decisions as they explore the world of whisky. If you are not a beginner, then I suggest you stop reading here. Age statement  When I started my journey into whisky, a lot of people told me that older whiskies are better and to always look for the age statement on the bottle when making my purchase decision. These people insisted that older whiskies are better and told me to trust them because they are whisky connoisseurs. I took their advice, went to the liquor store only to realize that age statements on bottles are not that common any more. Yes, there are still age stated whiskies but more whisk...

Bourbon is the hottest selling brown spirit right now. It is growing in popularity all over the world and more of it is being produced now than ever. You may have seen your favourite movie character talk about it. Some of your friends may already be in to it and are trying to get you to try it. But what is Bourbon?  This is a very simple question and one that also has a lot of misconceptions. This post will talk about the legal definition of Bourbon and some of the misconceptions about this spirit and the biggest misconception of all. I hope that this post will help you better understand the spirit and help you make an informed decision.  Bourbon must be made in Kentucky Some people may claim that for a Whisky to be considered Bourbon it has to be made in Kentucky. This is wrong.  This misconception about Bourbon having to be made in Kentucky is due to the fact that Kentucky produces over 90% of the world's Bourbon.  A lot of the best Bourbons are also mad...

Why is Whisky sometimes spelled Whiskey with an "E"? This is a question I asked myself when I first became curious about Whisky. So in this post, I will try to share what I have learned so far after reading up on this magical liquid. According to Master of Malt (see source here ), the difference in spelling originated from the desire of 19th century Irish distillers to differentiate their Whiskey from that produced in Scotland which was deemed a poor quality Whisky. Ireland, having been distilling Whisky way before Scotland, wanted to set itself apart from people they considered copycats. This differentiation was then carried over into the countries that Scotland and Ireland influenced and that is where the difference in spelling started. The argument goes that if the country learned or traces their distilling heritage to Scotland then they will use Whisky but if they trace their heritage to Ireland they will use Whiskey.  So let us look at the major Whisky produc...

We all know the bottle but most of us probably do not know much about the brand. We have seen the unique bottle shape, the sexy and iconic red wax playfully dripping down the neck of the bottle like a silk dress on a woman's body. The bottle design and the careful marketing of this product probably drew a lot of bourbon drinkers into it more than anything else about the bourbon or the bottle facts.  I first bought a bottle of Maker's Mark as a "treat" for myself. It looked classy at a fairly decent price so I purchased it as a way to expand my palate to more "high-end" bourbons. I know many people who purchased their first bottle of Maker's for the same reason. It seemed like a sensible upgrade from the bottom shelves. This image that the brand carefully cultivated makes this bourbon important to bourbon's popularity today. How Maker's Mark made its mark.  The brand was started when T. William "Bill" Samuels Sr. purchase...