Foreign

Liberty Pole Corn Whiskey

Corn Whiskey is not an offering usually seen by name on store shelves, as much of the corn-based whiskey is bourbon. But corn whiskey as a category is a little different than bourbon per the US federal regulations. Corn whiskey has to be at least 80% corn and can be stored in either new or used oak barrels. The Liberty Pole Corn Whiskey is is fermented with an American ale yeast and aged for 18-24 months in medium-toasted oak quarter casks formerly housing Liberty Pole’s own bourbon and rye. The Bloody Butcher Corn used as the base is a heirloom grain from southwest Pennsylvania, similar to the kind of corn grown there during the late 18th century Whiskey Rebellion.

By Adam | July 20, 2020 | Foreign | No Comments |

An age-old marketing trend has been the use of celebrities to promote brands and it has exploded in the whisky industry over the past couple of years. Before the surge, however, Swedish distillery Mackmyra partnered with English rock band Motörhead to help celebrate the group’s 40th anniversary in 2015. The band actively worked with the distillery to choose the barrels and blends, all aged at least five years. Drummer Mikkey Dee said “We think it’s great fun to launch a whisky in collaboration with a Swedish, world-famous distillery, Mackmyra. The whisky is incredibly good, with full character and fully flavoured with a superb bourbon touch” Motörhead’s front man Lemmy Kilminster was even more succinct: “Life is less painful with Motörhead Whisky. I may consider having a sip now and then.”

By Adam | June 25, 2020 | Foreign | No Comments |

Westland Distillery opened in 2010, started by head distiller Matt Hoffman and Emerson Lamb. The core line of the distillery is made up of three single malts. This Westland Peated was first released in 2014 and is unusual because as experimental as American whiskey generally is, one element that’s almost never seen is peat. One of the more practical reasons for this is because peat is generally harvested from wetlands, and wetlands have been federally protected under Section 404 of the Clean Water Act. Thus, Westland imported peated barley from Scotland to add to their regular five-malt spirit to make this peated single malt. A fortunate loophole allowed them to recently start harvesting local Washington peat for future projects, but it will be a few more years before the results of that local element are released.

By Adam | May 10, 2020 | Foreign | No Comments |