Many people ask how whiskey is made and where can it be made. It can be made anywhere in the world, like distilleries in NJ and not just Scotland or Kentucky, contrary to popular belief. Whiskey is a distilled alcoholic beverage made from fermented grain mash. The basic steps involved in making whiskey are: Mashing: The first step is to prepare the grain by grinding it and mixing it with hot water to create a mash. The mash is typically made up of a combination of grains, such as barley, rye, corn, or wheat. Fermentation: Yeast is added to the mash, which converts the sugars in the grains into ..read more

Bound by a NDA, or lying? A non-disclosure agreement (NDA) is a legal contract covering confidential information the parties wish to share with each other, but with restrictions on wider sharing. In the whiskey world, when you try to find out who made something, a non-distiller producer (NDP) may tell you that information is confidential because of a NDA? Is the NDP really prevented from revealing the whiskey’s source or sources because of a NDA? Probably not. By its nature, the use of NDAs in the world of NDPs is tough to research, but the distilleries that provide most of the whisk ..read more

Grave of James Christopher Crow; Versailles Cemetery; Versailles, Kentucky. Although death is always the end of something, it can cause something else to begin. That is what happened when James Christopher Crow, 67, died in Woodford County, Kentucky, in 1856. Crow was a professional distiller, itself something new. He didn’t have a farm, mill, or distillery of his own. His was an itinerant profession, plied at various distilleries in Central Kentucky from the 1820s until his death. In those days, few whiskey-makers were known beyond their home communities, but Crow and whiskey he mad ..read more

Well, well, well… September is here! And it’s Labor Day weekend aka the unofficial end of Summer. September is my favorite month because it’s Summer AND Autumn and there’s plenty going on. Let’s leave the house to explore what NJ has to offer (or not, you do you). These are my top 10 New Jersey Events for September 2 – 5, 2022. Due to the ongoing restrictions and safety regulations with Covid-19, please verify these events before attending in case of any last-minute cancellations. And always check the weather! For more events throughout the year, be sure to check out our Event Guide. If you’d ..read more

Russian Standard is the only major vodka brand made and owned by a Russian company. NOTE: I revised this post 3/3/22 to include new information about Stoli. I apologize for putting out misleading information. Sorry, fog of war. I’m doing the best I can. Most of the world’s citizens are outraged and disgusted by Russia’s cruel and irrational invasion of Ukraine, and frustrated by their inability to do anything about it. There is a satisfying symbolism in rejecting all things Russian, so what about vodka? That’s Russian, right? The short answer is, no, in that virtually all vodka sold ..read more

This will Certainly help Long Branch Distillery with the bottle glass shortages we’ve experienced over the past 2 years during COVID… As the current bourbon boom goes there are more than 10 million barrels of distilled spirits aging in Kentucky alone not to mention the other 49 states. Once those spirits come of age and are ready for dumping all that whiskey must be bottled up. To accommodate that coming need for bottles, O-I Glass has announced a $240 million investment in Bowling Green, Kentucky to build a new state of the art bottle manufacturing facility. New Facility to Serve the Premium ..read more

Between July 25th and July 30th, 2022, several thunderstorms brought heavy rain, deadly flash flooding, and devastating river flooding to eastern Kentucky and central Appalachia. These thunderstorms, at times, caused rainfall rates in excess of 4″ per hour across complex terrain that led to widespread devastating impacts. Radar-based rainfall estimates suggest that upwards of 14-16″ of rain fell during this 5-day period in a narrow swath, with many more locations receiving 6-10″ of rain. While it did not rain continuously during this 4-day stretch, the overwhelming amounts of rain and resulta ..read more

It’s June and the weather is hot hot hot.  Let’s celebrate with street fairs, music and food truck festivals, carnivals, and more. Let’s leave the house to explore what NJ has to offer (or not, you do you). If you’re looking for something to do… I got you. These are my top 20 picks are for June 10 – 12, 2022. Due to the ongoing restrictions and safety regulations with Covid-19, please verify these events before attending in case of any last-minute cancellations. And always check the weather! For more events throughout the year, be sure to check out our Event Guide. If you’d like to submi ..read more

CARES Act Will Help Craft Distillers As States Loosen Regulations In late March, the House passed the CARES Act Covid-19 Economic Relief Package, which had already passed the Senate, and President Trump signed the bill into law. The law is a $2 trillion stimulus/economic relief package that includes extensive small business assistance that could prove a lifeline for craft distillers across the country. Like restaurants, craft distillers have been hit particularly hard by the coronavirus shutdown, especially distilleries that rely primarily on their tasting rooms and local on-premise revenue. C ..read more

Bound by a NDA, or lying? A non-disclosure agreement (NDA) is a legal contract covering confidential information the parties wish to share with each other, but with restrictions on wider sharing. In the whiskey world, when you try to find out who made something, a non-distiller producer (NDP) may tell you that information is confidential because of a NDA? Is the NDP really prevented from revealing the whiskey’s source or sources because of a NDA? Probably not. By its nature, the use of NDAs in the world of NDPs is tough to research, but the distilleries that provide most of the whisk ..read more