This man is goals

Private equity hits scotch. (There may already be PE interests in the industry; I haven't tracked this closely. Anyone know?) www.thespiritsbusiness.com/2025/11/equi...

New way to recycle bourbon barrels just dropped

BTW I'm officially on maternity leave but I will carve out the time to write an editorial about why this move sucks for whisky drinkers, and the broader industry, if anyone wants to commission it.

Just saw that Compass Box launched an AI to make whisky recommendations, apparently trained by the company's whisky makers. So now we know the direction of the post-Glaser era, and it's a total bummer.

In Raleigh...

resources re: ICE presence in North Carolina, distribute widely if you feel like it. all love to my community, no love to the people who said "but what is fascism really? historically, blah blah, name-calling gets us nowhere" when we were all saying "these people are fascists" linktr.ee/apply_heat

Co-sign

So! What’s everyone doing tomorrow to observe the 50th anniversary of the sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald?

An interesting development. Bid does not include any of the aging stock.

Bébé’s first (mandated voter ID, municipal) election

This, and nothing else, has inspired me to visit Laurinburg

"When a bartender at Elizabeth City’s standout cocktail bar, Juniper[...] heard The Food Section was making site visits to 97 ABC stores, she nodded vigorously in approval. 'Let’s see AI do that shit!' she hollered."

Contenders for acquiring Four Roses: go! www.ft.com/content/9ef3...

I just love the idea of drinking Colt 45 from a glass

It wouldn’t have been coke in that neighborhood but man, I bet the drugs were way cheaper back then too. (Back then = 2009)

There was a time when I could go to the C Town off Walton Avenue in the Bronx and get 16 lines for a dollar. SIX. TEEN.

If you want to believe it, check it twice ::clap clap:: If you want to believe it, check it twice ::clap clap:: Doesn’t matter if it’s awful Doesn’t matter if it’s nice If it confirms just what you thought, check it twice! ::clap clap::

Including a substantial portion of the 10th anniversary Garryana 😢 www.seattletimes.com/life/food-dr...

Yeah, this is not a surprise. If Balcones restarts production again under Diageo ownership that WILL be a surprise.

Fascinating thread about the evolution of alcohol metabolism in primates.

[tapping the sign] vinepair.com/articles/hop...

Can confirm, we had lunch once and i he went deep into talking about his grandfather who was into the occult and how that influenced Dan’s artistic career and other endeavors. Fascinating, cool, kind man.

As an American whiskey writer who’s gone on weird press trips/to OTT events, some of the details in here are all too familiar. Others made my eyes pop. Kudos to Claire for recognizing in advance what a shitshow this was bound to be and declining to be part of it.

This is my go to podcast for when I can’t fall asleep—I call it “soothing British academics”—but it is unfortunately often too interesting, thus prolonging my insomnia. Lovely tribute from @brandyjensen.bsky.social

On aging whiskey in unusual woods, by @whattastesgood.bsky.social: imbibemagazine.com/distillers-l...

If you've ever had an amburana whiskey and thought, "Huh?" you'll want to read my latest piece for Imbibe. Whiskey distillers and blenders weigh in on using non-oak woods for aging. imbibemagazine.com/distillers-l...

News I didn't expect to see in 2025: Another historic Scottish distillery revival, Coleburn, closed in 1985. Most American drinkers will never have had a chance to try the old stuff because v little seems to have made it to the 21st century. I tasted it once, iirc around 25 yo, & it was tremendous.

Nice look at an aspect of the booze-o-sphere I knew nothing about!

I've been wanting to write about the weird world of military liquor sales for years and @theassemblync.bsky.social gave me the chance. Please read for the insane quote about how overthrowing a country was easier than getting placement on base: www.theassemblync.com/culture/food...

Whiskey from Tennessee =/= Tennessee whiskey. Let me 'splain it to you. vinepair.com/articles/whi...

Time to re-up this article from a couple years ago. Currently considering my options for that first post-partum pour. www.businessinsider.com/professional...

Constellation selling a brand is always good for that brand.

Constellation has sold off Copper & Kings to a newly formed spirits company called Bourdon (not a typo, the founder's surname). Maybe a positive move considering the brand has languished since Constellation bought it five years ago, though I don't see ppl flocking to American brandy en masse.

I suspect this is just one domino

James Saxon is out at Compass Box, marking the end of the Glaser era for good. However, Angela D'Orazio, formerly of Mackmyra, has been named creative director of whisky making. She's supremely gifted and will bring a lot to the role. I look forward to tasting whatever she creates!

What can today's distillers learn from the last bourbon bust? I try to answer that question, with the help of some folks who actually lived through it (ahem Eddie Russell) in my latest article for @vinepair.com vinepair.com/articles/bou...

That should have said Four CORNERS gin. Perils of the similar naming conventions. Don’t ask me how many times I’ve had to pause and double check whether I’m talking about Westland or Westward (also, incidentally, the fruit of Christian Krogstad’s skills).

Irish Distillers has offloaded the Knappogue Castle and Clontarf brands to the fairly new spirits company Cobblestone Brands, which also owns Star & Key rum and Four Pillars gin (made by the superbly gifted Christian Krogstad).

Independent bottlers are well-regarded in the UK but still an enigma in the American whiskey space. A few pioneering companies are trying to change that, even developing standards of identity to help people understand IBs better. www.unicornauctions.com/unicorn-revi...

Well this is fascinating!

After Trump announced 25% tariffs on Canadian goods back in February, many of the country's liquor authorities pulled American spirits off the shelf in retaliation. Numbers on the damage from March 5 through April are in and woof: American spirits sales down by 66.3% across Canada.

If you want to feel some faith in the justice system, visit your local family court. I've accompanied a friend several times in the past six months and always come away with respect and admiration for the way the judge handles thorny situations (the kind that make *me* want to scream) fairly.

Full lawsuit against Diageo for allegedly selling adulterated tequila as 100% agave is up and boy does it look bad. Kudos to Mezcalistas for their ongoing reporting on this. www.mezcalistas.com/casamigos-la...

The silver lining of bourbon oversupply: Castle & Key's updated flagship bourbon is 6 years old and $40, compared to its debut at 4 years and $50.

Fawaffle is so brilliant that I’m feeling glimmers of hope

Re-upping this since I got a press release about "the first ever double bonded rye, meaning a blend of two bottled-in-bond ryes from two different distilleries." There's a reason that THIS IS NOT A THING. Stop the madness, y'all!

Essential reading for everyone who has ever been frustrated by the crappy selections and surly ignorance on display in their local ABC store

Since I have a 1-year-old I’ve been listening to a lot of Raffi, and I’ve come to believe he should be considered one of the biggest influences on elder millennial indie folk.

I've had a couple big scotch stories publish recently. First, for The Unicorn Review, my picks for the "new scotch canon"—the bottles that everyone needs to try as part of their scotch journey, beyond the same-old recommendations. www.unicornauctions.com/unicorn-revi...