That we embrace grain-to-glass on one brand, but on the other we will blend with sourced spirits as well.

We do a little bit of everything since most distilleries do one or the other.

The name Dry Diggings Distillery comes from the original name of the town from 1848 when gold was being mined before the big gold rush a year later (49ers). The town’s name was later changed to Hangtown, and then finally renamed Placerville.

I would have to say it is tradition, the history of whiskey and a bottle that gets passed down from generation to generation. It is something that is acquired with age. People grow older and think to themselves, “Maybe Dad had better taste, and now I understand.

Terroir. Single malt doesn’t have to taste the same everywhere. Use of different grain and how the whiskey is aged.

I also hope that blending will become more popular, like Scotland.  It really is a unique skill set that is still not fully appreciated in the U.S.A.

The public’s willingness to try something new.

They haven’t completely abandoned the tried & true old-time brands, but are opening up to embracing something new.

I like that it ties itself back to the birthplace of whisky.  It carries on the history & heritage of whisky.  It is what we use to sample everyone at the distillery.

They are not cheap, and make a perfect pitch sound that you don’t get with other glassware. Also, the fact that Glencairn brands them for us, thus making it a partnership.  We always remind folks that these come from Scotland and we love that about them!

Visit the Dry Diggings website here

A couple things make us unique – we are in Northern California; we are in the heart of wine country and we only make whiskey.

The type of equipment we use is the Scottish pot stills from Forsyths and the alembic cognac stills give our whiskey a very different flavor from others.

Whiskey for a long time has been straddled with the tag of “what your father or grandfather used to drink”.

But now, due to shows like like “Boardwalk Empire” & “Madmen” plus the rise of the new cocktail culture has made whiskey a cool thing again.

From the supply side – age statements & price point availability are some of the trends that I see may pay dividends in the future.

I think a lot of it has to do with barrel finishing. That I think is exciting! I also like the idea of bringing back bottled-in-Bond as well. Also, sourcing ingredients locally, since I realize the positive economic impact it can have on the local farmers. I think that is really important! It is why we are a 100% California sourced spirit!

So, this is not bullshit at all – the glass itself is built really, really well! This from a guy who breaks a lot of glasses! I like the nose on it, as someone who blends whisky. I can really move the Glencairn glass as I swirl it. The knuckle of my thumb fits perfectly on the base of the glass, so it is a perfect fit.

My only qualm is if the base was only a little taller so that my hands were further from my nose when nosing a spirit. That way any aroma of my hand wouldn’t interfere with the aroma of the spirit.

Visit the Sonoma website here

The use of Scottish (Forsyths) pot stills, even for our American Whiskey styles, was pretty unique when we started. Also, again, something probably more common now that wasn’t when we started was that we made single malts in the U.S.

When we started there was no Texas whiskey being made, so maturing in this area was a huge question mark. It’s a very different maturation climate than the traditional whiskey regions of the world. But now with whisky from Taiwan and India, with similar climate to ours, the conversation about whiskey from more extreme climates is more fleshed out.

Some of the biggest things I didn’t see coming, were how many distilleries have popped up since we started.

Also, how the bigger the industry got; the more difficult things became. You start making the whiskey and seeing the business grow, which means hiring people who know marketing and get feet out on the street to get your brand on store shelves and backbars.

I was pouring whiskey at an event for an American gent who had married a Scottish girl, and whose Scottish father-in-law was residing in Texas, but was very ill in hospital. The father had heard of a single malt whiskey being made in Texas, so he sent his son-in-law out to find this Balcones single malt and bring it back to him. He found it, brought it back to his father-in-law in the hospital, and they would share little nips in the evenings every night.

Since the father-in-law was Scottish, he was deemed the whiskey expert of the two men, and he really liked it. When the older man passed away, they found that the bottle still had some whiskey left in it, so the family would share it in memory of him from time to time.

It shows that we are making more than just whiskey, but are affecting moments in people’s lives. I think everyone in this industry needs to remember that we are doing way more than whiskey, and other people are incorporating what we make into some of the most important moments of their lives. We get to be the stewards of something that is very meaningful to people.

Well, obviously, the Covid-19 stuff is throwing everyone’s expectations out the window. I do see continued growth, but with some hiccups because of recent events. There should still be growth, though perhaps slowed down more than we thought.

There will also be a big loss among distilleries, especially with those that never had a good stronghold in the marketplace to begin with.

So, this is not bullshit at all – the glass itself is built really, really well! This from a guy who breaks a lot of glasses! I like the nose on it, as someone who blends whisky. I can really move the Glencairn glass as I swirl it. The knuckle of my thumb fits perfectly on the base of the glass, so it is a perfect fit.

My only qualm is if the base was only a little taller so that my hands were further from my nose when nosing a spirit. That way any aroma of my hand wouldn’t interfere with the aroma of the spirit.

Visit the Balcones website here

I think, particularly whiskey, that people started embracing the food culture and started appreciating the handcrafted whiskeys out there. There’s such a devotion to the craft and the history and the heritage.

The expansion of demographics – women, young people, minorities, etc. It’s great! It used to be an old man’s drink, something your father or grandfather would drink but now everyone is getting into it.

The development of all the small distilleries having aged whiskeys. There is such a large breadth of profiles & tastes. It’s just amazing! I think it is very exciting!

It’s obviously a great glass for whiskey, because it channels the aroma up to the nose and the clarity of the glass lets you see the quality of the whiskey. We use the Wee Glencairn Glasses on our tours!

Visit limestone Branch distillery website here

On top of being the first legal whiskey ever made in Texas and the first of the regional bourbon makers, we only make bourbon whiskey. We see beauty in the process as much or more than the end product. The product is simply a validation of the process and place.

I think there are two main reasons – the first is wood. It’s the common denominator. There is something special that wood imposes into whiskey – it does the same thing with BBQ and smoked foods. It’s not just a “good” flavor, It’s complicated and it makes you think.

The second is time. Making whiskey is special because it takes time. Investing years making whiskey gives it a sense of pride and purpose. It creates its own tradition. To be honest I think that is why so many of us get emotional about the makers vs the fakers argument. The fakers just don’t see the beauty in the process.

I don’t see whiskey’s growth as a trend. I think its part of the societal changes that have come about due to the internet and social media. As I mentioned, whiskey is a product that makes you think about it. It makes you want to understand it. Social media gave whiskey drinkers a chance to start asking questions and learning. The more they posted the more people became interested. In all the years I have been in this I have never come across a podcast devoted to unflavoured vodka. I’ve come across hundreds about whiskey.

That one is easy. There are whole lot of bees at the picnic table now. It’s pretty easy to chase off a single bee but chasing off hundreds of bees is damned near impossible. We bees are starting to work together to change this industry. I think it’s just a matter of time before the end consumer will get to decide when, where and how they buy their spirits. The free market will win the day.

Elegance. Plain and simple. Glencairn was there long before peanut flavoured whiskey and it will be there long after beef flavoured rum. There is something calming and thought provoking about looking into a Glencairn glass filled with a damn good whiskey.

A couple of things. The use of heirloom varietal grains. Marcia just planted some atomic organic corn for us to use. We have used bloody butcher corn, purple corn, flint corn… You name it. What we are most known for is the use of French techniques in our whiskey distilling and maturation.

We are very involved in the individual barrels thus being able to control the extraction & maturation. The French method was a natural progression since Denison, TX is a sister city to Cognac in France. This is where they retrieved the vines to replenish the vineyards in the late 1800s after the blight hit the Cognac region.

There is a romanticism to whiskey due to the artistry & length of labor that goes into making the spirit. There is also a link to past generations. There is also a new interest in flavour, not only spirits, but also food, with such things as the Food Network. You can have a wider variety in the whiskey category with everything from lighter nuances to bigger heavier flavours.

The trend over the last few years has been experimentation and innovation.

You are starting to see single barrels, higher proofs and the use of different barrel types.

We have single malt that has been aging for 3 years now, so the American single malt movement has been exciting. We have begun playing with a number of malts in anticipation of this coming about.

We are also interested in the potential for rum to come into its own.

We use different Glencairn Glasses for different parts of our process. Typically for distilling, I (Jonathan) use the traditional Glencairn on the still, as well as during the blending process. If something has a smoky character, I (Jonathan) prefer to use the Glencairn Mixer Glass.

As far as seeing the spirit and getting a full picture of the aroma & nose, it is the best. The whiskey clubs love the Wee Glencairn, so much so that they buy them by the box. We had a call the other day from a guy who said he was in desperate need of a Glencairn.