Our most immediately identifying uniqueness is that our Great-Great-Great-Grandfather was one who produced the Original Tennessee whiskey. He was a merchant & bottler who ended up purchasing the distillery where he sourced his spirit.

He was a contemporary of a couple other well known Tennessee Whiskey makers in George Dickel and Jack Daniel, though Jack was a bit younger and George a bit older. We still have some unopened bottles of the original Green Brier Tennessee Whiskey and other brands that Chas. produced.

The brand started in 1860, he bought the distillery in 1870 and we restarted the company in 2012, with the distillery opening in late 2014 in Nashville.

I think because of the inherent soul of a whiskey compared to a vodka.

There is no romance or history or character therefore soul in a vodka or gin compared to a whiskey. You just get so much more out of a whiskey.

Distilleries producing canned cocktails has been huge. I love the movement to create an American single malt category and don’t seeing that going away.

That should be a popular category in the future.

The American single malt movement. That is a big deal for the U.S.

Also, the overall innovation taking place around the industry. Barrel finishing is great to see as well.

Gosh & schucks! I am so glad that you asked. We used them because they are beautiful & functional. They allow you to nose a whiskey like no other glass.

It is like a work of art unto themselves. Visitors comment on them quite a bit and we talk them up. The Glencairn Glass allows our whiskeys to really shine.

To find out more about Nelson’s Green Brier visit here.

First of all, and arguably most important, is that Heaven Hill Distillery is 100% family owned and family operated by the Shapira family who started the distillery in 1935.

After that, I believe that it is Heaven Hill’s House Style that sets us a part.  Since Heaven Hill owns more barrels of whiskeys six years and older, across our portfolio, Heaven Hill whiskeys are typically aged longer, and bottled at a higher ABV than our competitors.

Bourbon and American Whiskey was over looked for so long due to several events and consumer preferences, but the quality was always there, even during whiskeys decline.

When different Whiskey tastings like Whiskey Fest, Whiskey Live!, Whiskeys Of the World, and others sprung up, folks were so interested in Scotch Malts, and over time, those same folks started to include American whiskeys as one of their regular drams.

Then with the rise of Social Media, more and more Whiskey and Bourbon Society’s sprung up, and that along with many more building blocks has led to this success, but the quality was always there.

Bourbon Tourism
International Market expansion
Home Delivery
Internet Commerce

Bourbon Tourism. Seeing hundreds of thousands of bourbon enthusiasts from all over the world traveling to and visiting all of our visitors centers on the Bourbon Trail is very exciting.

I do believe the Glencairn Glass has been SO embraced by the industry, AND the consumer, that people ask for it by name, or just use the name Glencairn Glass as they do “Xerox copy”.

Vist Heaven Hill Distillery website here

One of the most important things when a distillery opens in what makes it different. We wanted to make whiskey, but not the whiskey everyone else was making. We weren’t going to make Bourbon, because that has already been done. The Scots make Traditional product, the Irish make traditional product, the Japanese make traditional product and that is all great. We, however, wanted to make something different, so we started off making a high-quality beer and distill that into a really different whiskey. Two big decisions that we made was to not make a brewery, but to partner with good breweries and have them make the mash.  We make our beer at three different breweries and use brewer’s yeast, not distillery yeast. Secondly, we rejected the idea of buying a single artisan still that is more versatile, but not specifically designed for each product. Instead, We had our four stills made at Forsythe. One other thing we try to do here is to be mentors to other prospective distillers trying to make their way into the business. We will take someone who is really serious about distilling and have them work with us at the distillery for a week to learn the ins & outs and the mechanics of what it takes to run a company like this and to make spirits.

It is a temporary phenomenon, so there will have a dip again. It has a 30-40 year cycles.  Bourbon is being over-produced so that in 5 or 6 years, it will be difficult to give it away.  American whiskey will have its moment in the sun, but that too will die, and then it just may be Brandy that becomes the next big thing. Bourbon is pricing itself out to most consumers, but brandy is very affordable.  It has a deep, sexy romantic past that consumers will be attracted to. That said, we have no intention to produce brandy, Just to drink it!

In Japan, the trend is to drink in in Highballs as opposed to neatlike is frequently done here in America, I see the trend going away from using small barrels (thankfully) and towards using a variety of barrels for finishing. The other factors that contribute to flavour, and that we are actively pursuing are local malts, and using different yeast strains..  The rapid maturation processes are interesting, but I would caution against putting anything out on the market before it is ready. We’re not interested in trying any rapid maturation processes.

The concept of terroir. Selecting ingredients based on farm, variety, and vintage , and essentially treating grain like grapes, will give us endless ways to express variation in whiskey.

I bought my first glasses for my own personal collection back in 2008.  I recognized that I couldn’t get the aromas & flavors from any other glass. So when we opened our tasting room, we needed a glass that would really showcase our spirits. In fact, our first order of Glencairn glasses came over from Scotland on the same barge as our stills!

If you would like to find out more about Copperworks Distillery or would be interested in purchasing one of their bottles you can check your their website here

I think one of the major things that makes us unique is that we grow our own grain. Yes, we use pot stills and use Minnesota cooperages, but I grow the grain and have complete control over my raw materials by growing them myself.

The only grain I don’t grow myself is my malted barley which I purchase from a farmer 70 miles south of me who also malts the grain, and he does that much better than I could. So all of my malt is custom for Far North Spirits.

A big part of it is complexity. You & I remember when there wasn’t a big flavour range out there in terms of food, let alone whiskey. People’s palates have been expanded over the past 30 years, especially here in the states. For decades the top spirit was vodka, but the complexity of whiskey is just infinite when you look around the world.

As far as ordinary market trends would be the exponential growth of the craft distilleries. It will be interesting to see where we are when the lockdown ends.

I also think that micro-distillers are going to start realizing that their whiskey needs to be better because it’s craft, and that you charge more because it is better, not just because it is craft.

One of the things that excites me is craft whiskey getting older and the next stage of older releases hitting the market. That could really change the landscape. With 6-8 year old whiskeys, that could be really fascinating but the biggest development for me is the upcoming release of our rye study. A 3-year crop research study on fifteen different varieties of rye.

The study not only discusses the agronomic performance of different varieties in the field, but more importantly it presents statistically significant differences in flavor profile based solely on the variety of rye. This could be a game changer, because this kind of research has never been published.

I think it presents a unique opportunity for craft distillers to emphasize the importance of not only raw materials, but the “front end” of the whiskey making process in general. I think this is important because so much of the discussion of whiskey over the years has been taken up by age and proof, when there is a lot more to talk about.

Well, with our whiskies, they have this expanded aroma that needs a glass like the Glencairn. That is why they are so fabulous!

I like to put the Glencairn glass in front of people in the tasting room, but I personally use the Mixer Glass when I am batching the whiskey. I prefer the wider mouth on the higher strength spirit.

Visit the Far North website here

Mike: The distillery is built inside a former Mormon Church, but what really makes the distillery unique is that we do not rely on any marketing story. We are coming from a place of two brothers who really enjoy working with each other and love making whiskey.

Plus, we enjoy the independence & honesty of doing things our way with no one else calling the shots. We are actually at the distillery all the time, and people get a kick out that.

Oh yeah, we still use a Flux Capacitor!

Mike: American heritage, classic Americana – at least how Bourbon & American whiskeys go. It has made a resurgence, but it is as American as baseball.

It is also a younger generation who really care about the ingredients and authenticity of what they buy now, and that has overflowed into spirits.

Matt: It appears that people have gotten away from the stigma of sourced whiskey as long as there is honesty behind it. Also, we are big fans of the American single malt movement, because it is relevant to what single malt means globally. 

Not sure where the future will take it, but I hope it comes to fruition.

Matt: We both appreciate how the whiskey community is getting nerdier & smarter, which is meshing well with how we do things. Innovation and industry folks taking the hard way is pretty cool.

Mike: We started using it because we used to drink Scotch whisky, we visited the distilleries in Scotland and it was the glass they used.

We became fanboys of the glass, collecting them at every distillery we visited, before we ever started our own distillery. We would seek them out whenever we visited a tasting room as a badge of honor.

We had the glass in our tasting rooms even before we had our whiskey in bottles.

If you would like to find out more about Blaum Bros Distillery or would be interested in purchasing one of their bottles you can check your their website here

Wiggly Bridge Distillery started in the heart of York Beach, Maine — a charming and historic seaside village settled in the early 1600’s, among the first in Maine. The ocean air and rocky coast of our own hometown is our inspiration, so it’s no wonder that we chose to start our distillery here. My son David and I researched and studied (and some say obsessed) over how to build a still and process alcohol. Being fortunate enough to travel to the Caribbean we decided to build and operate a small hand made copper still on the island of Montserrat to put our research to the test. Turns out they were quite good at it and grew even more intrigued by the craft of small batch distilling. What we made rivaled some of our favorite brands, with a bit of a twist. Now, winning awards, we are beginning to understand that we have created something very special.

There’s a history behind whiskey and making whiskey across all countries. It’s a spirit that’s associated with special occasions and because of the time associated with not only making but aging makes it more desirable. Prohibition in the US really started it’s trajectory towards success because people want what they can’t have. Currently the internet and bartenders across the globe are creating craft cocktails with whisky that appeal not just to men, but to women as well.

The increased consumption of alcoholic beverages always helps. The “craft” movement where people are wanting to use fresh ingredients and also wanting to use “craft” spirits to make those cocktails complete. I think you will also see the rise and fall of many distilleries as current economic issues engulf our country.

The return on our investment that is received from diligent hard work over the years.

Like you, we are a family business and we couldn’t agree more that family values deliver better products and services.

We’ve been satisfied with each order in service and quality. Being able to say the Glencairn glasses we carry are official gives credibility and trust.

If you would like to find out more about Wiggly Bridge Distillery or would be interested in purchasing one of their bottles you can check your their website here

#1 We are one of the very few that is grain to bottle. Everything is in-house!

#2 We are the oldest craft distillery in Michigan.

#3 We are a father & son operation, which is rare these days.

You have vodka as a category, and there is varying quality, but there are more similarities than differences.  But when it comes to whiskey, the differences are numerous!  What kind & size of barrels are you using?  What time of year are you making it?  So many different mashbill combinations. There really is something for everyone! There are just so many different flavors of whiskey, thus more for palates to pickup.

The creative aspect of different mashbills that you see worldwide.  How distillers are smoking their grain, or seeing smaller batches that are experiments. We did a peated malted barley/rye and are always experimenting. Folks are doing great stuff all over the world these days.

The creativity of new whiskey.  The different grains, the different types of smoke, the different mashbills. It is like the music of the 60s and how they changed the way we listen to music, the same is happening now in whiskey. I would like to see the category of American single malt.  Why not?  It would be great!

For us & for me, it is the perfect glass to drink spirits.  It is the gold standard!  It’s perfect for nosing & drinking.  We sell a lot of them out of the tasting room, plus I have loads around that house that I always pull out to taste friends out on whiskeys. It is just the perfect whiskey glass!  I really love the (Canadian) Mixer Glass as well.

If you would like to find out more about Grand Traverse Distillery or would be interested in purchasing one of their bottles you can check your their website here 

FEW is a small distillery, and the fact that is located in Evanston, the home of Temperance Movement of the 1800s in the Midwest, and that I was very instrumental in having those laws overturned, provides our distillery with a unique character. We are also a grain to bottle distillery, and put no restrictions on the creativity in our mash bills, ingredients or distilling techniques.

The rise & flows of personal tastes over the past 20-30 years towards fuller flavors. Plus, the rise of craft beers and shows like “Mad Men” making it culturally popular. Some folks may also follow the example of their elders, prior generations or bosses at work. Some just to be different.

The rise of the handcrafted whiskey distilleries and the response of the big guys, mainly copying the little guys.

I think it is a really tough moment right now, and it is hard to know what it will all look like when this is all over.

What the impact will be on the 3-tier system in some states, that will have a major impact on the entire drink industry.

I think the Glencairn Glass is a super important part of the industry and that it is the best glass I have ever used.  It is iconic! It’s the glass I would want to be drinking from at home because it is the glass that the professionals use. Sure, I went catting with other glasses in the past, but they never measure up to the Glencairn Glass. Also, they are super affordable.

If you would like to find out more about Few spirits or would be interested in purchasing one of their bottles you can check your their website here

We are in the actual historic Pepper distillery that was initially built in 1880 – DSP-KY-5. We have a museum at the distillery that goes over the history of the brand from 1780 til today, and tells the story of uncovering the brand through a decade of historic research, plus the rebuilding of the distillery after it was abandoned for over 50 years.

We have had a great response from our visitors, becoming the #1 rated attraction on Trip Advisor in Lexington. There is so much history that we reincorporated into the distillery, such as using the original limestone well and producing the original Pepper mash bill that was last produced in 1967 when the plant shut down. We also have a beautiful custom copper still built by Vendome which was inspired by the system they built at our distillery in 1934, the year Prohibition was repealed in Kentucky.

Whiskey is the overnight success that took over 1000 years to take flight. And at the end of the day it is such a complex and flavorful spirit, with a very deep level of artistry and nuance across regions, that it simply stands apart from many other spirits objectively on its own.

A shift in consumption from the on-premise to drinking at home. Consumers may also be a bit less willing to experiment on new brands – they want tried & true quality at a reasonable price.

It is also an interesting time to see the next stages of the “craft” whiskey market, as you are starting to see some nice, well-aged products coming out from smaller, independent producers.

I think it is the accumulation of experience & knowledge that has built up in producing whiskey. 

It is really an amazing time to produce whiskey as we have all the knowledge and wisdom of prior generations at our finger tips, coupled with the greatest level of understanding from a technical and informational stand point.  Combined those 2 things are very empowering and exciting.

We use the Glencairn Glasses because, in my opinion, it is the best glass in the business.

It is refined and elegant, yet sturdy.  It is not overly finessed, and can be the glass for the executive as well as the working-class guy or gal. We give each visitor a branded glass on our distillery tours.

If you would like to find out more about James E Pepper or would be interested in purchasing one of their bottles you can check your their website here