Highland Herold

Text: Nancy Fraley | Fotos: Julia Nourney

The winds of revolution are blowing once again in the United States. No, this revolution is not a bloody political upheaval, but it is drastically changing the landscape of the American – and world – whiskey industry. The seeds of today’s whiskey revolution were planted in 1982 in the state of California, when two Europeans, Hubert Germain-Robin from France and Jorg Rupf from Germany, came to the U.S. to start brandy distilleries. Today, both producers are involved in the production of whiskey as well. And thanks to these two European men who began the craft distilling movement over thirty years ago, native-born American have since rediscovered their whiskey loving roots and have carried the torch even further.

In fact, there has probably not been a more exciting time in the history of whiskey production as there is today. While, according to the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States (DISCUS), 18 million 9-litre cases of traditional Bourbon and Tennessee Whiskey were sold in 2013 in the United States alone, the creative, independent spirit of the craft whiskey industry has caused big producers to take notice. Large importers, distributors, and distilleries have wanted to get a piece of the action by either creating their own “craft” versions of whiskey, or by buying existing craft distilleries. This has been evidenced by Proximo Spirits' purchase of Stranahan's Colorado Whiskey and by the sale of the Hudson whiskey brand to W. Grant & Sons in 2010. 

What has caused such interest by big companies, as well as connoisseurs? Craft distillers offer a plethora of exciting new mash bills, cooperage, and production techniques, which in some cases have radically redefined traditional expectations of whiskey flavors and aromas. One now finds whiskeys that use non-traditional grains such as blue and red corn, quinoa, spelt, triticale, teff, and millet, or the addition of hops to add top notes of grapefruit, citrus, floral, and pine. A few enterprising distillers are even smoking grains with various types of wood and bark, such as cherry wood or blackberry vine, thus offering products that give new definition to the “smoked” whiskey category beyond the use of peat.

Another trend one sees among craft distillers is their departure from using white American oak (q. alba) exclusively, in part due to the current shortage of American white oak logs for cooperage. Some distillers are exploring how different varieties of French and European oak, with longer stave seasoning times, can augment the flavors of their whiskeys. A few are experimenting with both char and toast of their barrels, while others are using various barrel sizes to mature their products. As long as they honor the legal regulations of using new charred barrels for certain categories of American whiskey, the sky is the limit for creativity in cooperage.

One trend in whiskey that has been extremely popular has been the production of modern day “moonshine.” Moonshine, or illegal spirit, is not a legally recognized category in the U.S., but it does have deep historical and cultural roots going back to the time of the American War of Independence in the late 1700’s. Nevertheless, many distillers have capitalized on the illicit whiskey concept in their marketing campaigns, thus legally producing “moonshine” and selling it around the country. Moonshines such as cherry, peach, or apple pie are usually the preferred moonshines among consumers, and variations of this have swept the country.

Although the craft distilling movement still has a long way to go before catching up to the number of sales for traditional, large Bourbon producers, the craft producers are certainly redefining “American whiskey.” It will be exciting to see how American craft producers affect and influence the whiskey world at large.

About the Author

Nancy Fraley, shown in the picture on the right next to Julia Nourney, is an independent blending, warehousing, maturation, and sensory analysis consultant who runs a firm called Nosing Services in Berkeley, California, U.S.A. She consults with distilleries both in the United States and internationally. She is also on the faculty at both the Distilled Spirits Epicenter/Moonshine University in Louisville, KY, and the American Distilling Institute in Hayward, CA, where she teaches courses on Whiskey and Rum Maturation, Warehousing, and Blending, and Sensory Analysis.