The Original Water of Life
From their first appearance in written history, distilled spirits in medieval Europe were called aqua vitae — Latin for “water of life.” Many languages share names with the same meaning: the French eau de vie, Scandinavian aquavit, and even...
Long Train Runnin’
For 126 years, the John Bunning Transfer Station has stood where cold rails meet a spur of mountains rising from the hardened steppe of southern Wyoming. Over the generations, it’s seen its share of boxcars bringing whiskey to fuel...
Understanding Barrel Entry Proof
There are parallels to be drawn between all creative processes, including distilling. For example, when it comes to whiskey, selecting the grain, yeast, and fermentation strategy is like pulling together the loose words and notes that make up the...
From High-Flying Hybrid Blimps to High Mark
When Felicia Keith-Jones found herself steering a $40 million Lockheed Martin airship over vast white oceans of snow, she tried to keep her focus on the thrill of the moment. The thrill – and the challenge. She was operating...
Distillery Highlight: Copper Crow Distillery
After a career in the school system and law enforcement, Curt and his wife Linda opened Copper Crow, the first distillery in the US owned by Native Americans, and the first distillery within the boundary of a Native American...
How to Create a Carbon Neutral Distillery
One of the questions we got asked several times at the sustainability summit at the Louisville conference this past year was how to achieve a “Carbon Neutral” distillery or how to mitigate or treat the production of greenhouse gasses...
The Great Eight
When did you read eight books on any topic? How about ten? Probably never. But now you can SAY you read ten books on craft distilling in one sitting. All courtesy of Distiller Magazine. On the other hand, if...
How Stoutridge Distillery Managed the Wine-to-Spirits Migration
Having opened in 2006 as a winery eschewing chemicals in its winemaking (unique now, more so for that time), life and work partners Steve Osborn and Kim Wagner sought to capture as much flavor as possible in wines and...
The Quiet Coproduct Re-Use Megatrend
Introduction
In March 2021, the University of Kentucky’s James B. Beam Institute for Kentucky Spirits worked in partnership with the Kentucky Cabinet for Energy and Environment, and the Distillers’ Grains Technology Council to study the current and emerging approaches for...
Crafty Consultants
Five years ago, Scott Morrison had a vision. He wanted to open a distillery to make and sell high quality spirits. His background in branding and advertising combined with a passion for food and beverage gave him the critical...
