tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-840930092789285091.post8637218919043557453..comments2024-03-19T20:31:23.141-05:00Comments on The Chuck Cowdery Blog: Who Makes America's Whiskey?Chuck Cowderyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12191121480961526039noreply@blogger.comBlogger13125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-840930092789285091.post-34770536689778949712017-01-14T15:18:21.217-06:002017-01-14T15:18:21.217-06:00Do you need to add Bardstown Bourbon Co at this po...Do you need to add Bardstown Bourbon Co at this point?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-840930092789285091.post-81226137894817100382016-07-19T17:00:46.422-05:002016-07-19T17:00:46.422-05:00This guy gets it. I might buy craft whiskey when I...This guy gets it. I might buy craft whiskey when I've got money but who can tell me they would rather have a bottle of Hudson baby Bourbon over a bottle of Russels Reserve? It's different. But is it worth so much more for a story? Why? And anyone that believes that "craft" whiskey is better than what's being made at Buffalo Trace is drinking something strong, hot, and young. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12533073474036291219noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-840930092789285091.post-25615501598375138112016-06-14T12:14:30.022-05:002016-06-14T12:14:30.022-05:00Nobody wants the craft whiskey, at least compared ...Nobody wants the craft whiskey, at least compared to the established brands. It's either young and overpriced, or sourced and overpriced. I know a lot of folks who have bought a bottle of craft whiskey. I know very few who have finished that bottle and bought another.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-840930092789285091.post-35755290275930966362016-06-08T17:42:19.429-05:002016-06-08T17:42:19.429-05:00Mark,
You're absolutely right. One fact that...Mark,<br /><br />You're absolutely right. One fact that is often ignored in the craft beer vs. craft whiskey markets is the fact that because of whiskey's aging process, it's often the CRAFT distillers that have to game the system/cut corners to get out a product in a reasonable time and for much more than the big boys are selling their products for. Craft beer was always more than macro beer, but the price difference wasn't so significant that it hampered sales. Aside from saffron and truffles, time is one of the most expensive things you can put in a product, which is why I enjoy a $20 bottle of Wild Turkey as much or more than most $50 bottles craft whiskey.<br /><br />Furthermore, macro brewed beer had gotten very homogenous, and all of the big players were one style of beer. This opened up a huge avenue for craft brewers to bring all kinds of styles to the market largely ignored by the big boys. Since bourbon itself is a fairly narrowly defined product, the craft bourbon distillers (generally speaking) haven't been able to bring as much innovation to the product as craft brewers who brought dozens and dozens of styles of beer to market not being produced. Some of the craft whiskey distillers have brought some innovation to market (e.g. Corsair using non-traditional grains), but it pales in comparison to craft beer, where a single brewery easily makes 20-25 different beers at minimum that are styles completely unrepresented by the big boys.<br /><br />Anonymous, to say that the reason the big distilleries are thriving is completely devoid of reason or knowledge of the history of the Bourbon Renaissance. There would be no huge uptick in bourbon sales without the increase in sales from the big players. Because of the time required to make bourbon, craft distillers would have never gotten into the game if the market was what it was in the 80's & 90's. You don't start making a product that takes a minimum of 6-12 mos. to get to market if there's no money to be made selling it. It also completely ignores the fact that most of these small distilleries got famous selling juice made at the big distilleries, so even the market increase driven by a lot of these producers has been fueled by juice made at the distilleries you're claiming had nothing to do with it. Joenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-840930092789285091.post-16105061775627690922016-06-06T16:01:09.730-05:002016-06-06T16:01:09.730-05:00"...craft distillers... are the only reason b..."...craft distillers... are the only reason big distilleries are thriving..."<br />What?!<br />Try backing up about 15-20 years and you'll see whiskey picking back up before any crafts were operating.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06137567745674385407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-840930092789285091.post-74449116869109268742016-06-04T15:10:11.872-05:002016-06-04T15:10:11.872-05:00Unlike Craft beer, who was replacing a gap left by...Unlike Craft beer, who was replacing a gap left by big Beer in high quality beer, it is not the case in Whiskey. The "Big" distillers were/are winning GLOBAL awards before, during and after the Craft Distillery industry peters out. People who don't understand, that having decades of experience and millions of barrels lets you do all kinds of unique things that are even more unique than a craft distiller. <br /><br />Someon that is just making a rye or bourbon whiskey cannot dream of perfecting it after one try. The jimmy Russell's, Booker's, Beam's, etc. all would admit their first and probably several attempts at new things failed!!!! <br /><br />There is a reason those guys are legends! We use the word Master Distiller to much these days!!!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-840930092789285091.post-35294180231156675142016-06-04T15:05:22.390-05:002016-06-04T15:05:22.390-05:00If you add up all the craft guys they don't ad...If you add up all the craft guys they don't add up to the volume of just one of the original 8 on this list. Plus, there is not ONE craft producer that has soon success outside their local area. Or one that is doing it the right way...it takes so much time to perfect your craft and then build up the volume to be meaningful. So Chuck is really stating those producers that have a national influence on the marketplace. I would argue that Riff should not be on this list. <br /><br />Plus, it is funny that Craft guys think they can just start doing this, and perfected the process the first time around. It is impossible for even a seasoned Master Distiller to create the perfect mash bill, know how their yeast will break down those carbohydrates, the perfect tempartures for their stills, and then know exactly how their aging facility will age the whiskey. Almost laughable they claim they can do it....Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-840930092789285091.post-33070679903333030352016-06-04T10:40:54.955-05:002016-06-04T10:40:54.955-05:00Ok, I am confused. how did michters and new riff m...Ok, I am confused. how did michters and new riff make the list? they are certainly no big deal, volume wise....<br /><br />RickRicknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-840930092789285091.post-70389037767670042202016-06-04T10:12:37.335-05:002016-06-04T10:12:37.335-05:00@Anonymous - Chuck is sort of right about most &qu...@Anonymous - Chuck is sort of right about most "craft" operations. The big difference that is there between craft beer and craft whiskey is that the majority of craft whiskey producers game the aging process enough (small barrels, etc., for a very short amount of time) that they simply don't produce a quality product. The big boys in Bourbon never stopped making a quality product (unlike big beer), it was more that people's tastes shifted towards lighter spirits for a while, and have now shifted back. <br /><br />The idea that they'll fail as a result of craft, as you state, is the real hysterical comment here.Marknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-840930092789285091.post-5003836410012687772016-06-03T22:54:48.092-05:002016-06-03T22:54:48.092-05:00Rock Town distills and ages the best bourbon in Li...Rock Town distills and ages the best bourbon in Little Ole Poor Arkansas. Their volume is infintessimal but they are playing as Ralfy Mitchel says a much longer game.kaiserhoghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18214148630816519490noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-840930092789285091.post-75504119945980692432016-06-03T20:34:48.743-05:002016-06-03T20:34:48.743-05:00Oh. I expected KBD to be here. How much are they d...Oh. I expected KBD to be here. How much are they distilling right now?singlemaltplshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17134351516922748427noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-840930092789285091.post-52474226332333645632016-06-03T19:35:28.360-05:002016-06-03T19:35:28.360-05:00Chuck, you're hysterical. You pooh pooh the cr...Chuck, you're hysterical. You pooh pooh the craft distilers, yet they are the only reason the big distilleries are thriving and now multiplying. No-one on the planet earth , except for the alcoholics who make up the majority of profits of big whiskey, (look it up) gives a crap about these same old few distilleries who produced their same old product 10-15 years ago, and have it sitting out back.<br /><br />What they care about is the new brands that craft distilers have created, and in many cases by buying this same old stuff and reworking or relabeling it, plus the Potemkin labels that the big brands are pretending to produce. <br /><br />The public at large is still a little behind the curve in understanding what craft is, so they are currently falling for the game, it will change as time goes on, and much like big beer is dying off, so will big whiskey.<br /><br />The big guys can ride the train for a while longer,but it too shall fail as more real craft come on line, and better articulates their position.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-840930092789285091.post-66842799719023164242016-06-03T18:26:40.119-05:002016-06-03T18:26:40.119-05:00Great post, Chuck. Informative. Succint. But th...Great post, Chuck. Informative. Succint. But the things you DON'T say speak loudest here. You point out that the growth in volume is floating an expansion in the number of major players making Bourbon. That's a sea shift in Bourbon production - and the new players would seem to be the main focus of your piece. But you hardly say anything about the two new distilleries on the list (although you certainly have elsewhere). You give a lot more detail in this piece about the bigger players at the top of the list. Based on column inches your point really seems to be that the list isn't much changed at all. You take some pains to explain why you don't include craft distillers - and I understand the argument based on mathematics. But both of the new distilleries breaking onto your list are recent startups and there are more of those in the pipeline. There are also craft distilleries with projects to ramp up production in the works. Michter's and New Riff are part of a trend where the explosive growth in craft whiskey - and new startups start chopping up your line of inclusion - which makes it look like an increasingly irrelevent observation. <br /><br />The ADI defines "craft" distilling at 100,000 proof gallons per year. But there are a number now producing more - prompting a conversation about how relevent that definition is any more. How many 100,000+ proof gallon craft distilleries does it take to make your line of inclusion move to that level? <br /><br />There are parallels here to the craft brewing movement. There are some good whiskies coming out of craft distilleries. It wouldn't surprise me to see some of them successfully ramp up production and compete successfully in the market. We are beginning to see this happening. That's the real story with the change to the list.Josh Feldmanhttp://www.cooperedtot.comnoreply@blogger.com