Some articles of mine about American whiskey:
Articles in Print (just a list)
Articles Here (full text)
Product Reviews Here (full text)
I regularly write about American whiskey for WHISKY Magazine, Malt Advocate and Nightclub & Bar. I also have a monthly column in Midwest Wine Connection.
On their website, WHISKY will tease you with a few paragraphs from each article in the magazine, but they never post the whole thing. Click here for a directory of my WHISKY articles on the WHISKY Magazine web site. Click here for the WHISKY Magazine home page.
Malt Advocate posts a sampling of full text articles on their web site, but as it happens, none of mine.
Nightclub & Bar has begun to post full text articles on their web site. Where they have posted one of mine, a link is provided. (I haven't written for them recently, so this is more-or-less moot.)
For Midwest Wine Connection I do a monthly column on some distilled spirits subject, not necessarily whiskey. Their current issue and a few back issues are available, in PDF form, on their web site. This publication is based in Minneapolis.
All of the web sites provide information about subscribing and ordering back issues.
If when you look at all these articles you think, "he should write a book," I did.
Here is a list of the most recent articles in reverse publication order (newest first).
"Too Little of a Good Thing: The Buzz Created by the Limited Editions Market." WHISKY Magazine (Issue 70, June, 2008), 48-50.
"La Cocina de Zacatecas con Tequila." Midwest Wine Connection (April, 2008), 16.
"Last Stand on Whiskey Row." Malt Advocate (2nd Quarter 2008 Issue), 36-39.
"Young Guns: The Next Generation of America's Distillers." WHISKY Magazine (Issue 69, April, 2008), 14-18.
"Kentucky Brandy: It's Not What You Think." Midwest Wine Connection (March, 2008), 20.
"The Problem Is Not Enough Dickel." Midwest Wine Connection (February, 2008), 15.
"Why Flavored Malt Beverages Exist." Midwest Wine Connection (January, 2008), 16.
"Punch Is Good." Midwest Wine Connection (December, 2007), 18.
"A Fable of Fancy Food and Free Whiskey." Midwest Wine Connection (November, 2007), 19.
"Jamaica Rum Reveals Its British Roots." Midwest Wine Connection (October, 2007), 15.
"Use the Golden Ratio to Make Better Cocktails." Midwest Wine Connection (September, 2007), 21.
"True Stories of the Names Behind the Labels." Midwest Wine Connection (August, 2007), 8.
"Tips for Making the Perfect Home Bar." Midwest Wine Connection (July, 2007), 6.
"Continuous Respect." (column stills), Malt Advocate (3rd Quarter 2007 Issue), 50-54.
"We Taste and Nose Some of the Finest Gin." Midwest Wine Connection (June, 2007), 6.
"This Is Not Your Crazy Uncle's Tequila." Midwest Wine Connection (May, 2007), 8.
"It's Time to Reach for America's Best." (whiskey), Midwest Wine Connection (April, 2007), 14.
"Back to the Basics: Booze 101." Midwest Wine Connection (February, 2007), 15.
"When to Have That After-Dinner Drink." Midwest Wine Connection (January, 2007), 15.
"Who Knew Burned Wine Could Taste So Good." Midwest Wine Connection (December, 2006), 19.
"A Free Sofa with Every Case." (whiskey advertising), WHISKY Magazine (Issue 59, November 2006), 52-53.
"Back in Business." (George Washington's distillery), WHISKY Magazine (Issue 59, November, 2006), 48-49.
"Yo Ho Ho and You Know What." Midwest Wine Connection (November, 2006), 19.
"Vodka. What It Is, What It Isn't," Midwest Wine Connection (Volume 11, Number 8, October, 2006), 19.
"Whiskey. It's the Water of Life," Midwest Wine Connection (Volume 11, Number 7, September, 2006), 15.
"Gin Up Some Dutch Courage," Midwest Wine Connection (Volume 11, Number 6, August, 2006), 14.
"The Name Game," WHISKY Magazine (Issue 57, July, 2006), 18-22.
"American Idols," WHISKY Magazine (Issue 57, July, 2006), 24-25.
"Exploring the Mysteries of Tequila," Midwest Wine Connection (Volume 11, Number 5, July, 2006), 15.
"Rail Splitter, Emancipator, Whiskey Seller." WHISKY Magazine (Issue 55; April, 2006), 38-40.
"Are We Running Out of Bourbon?" WHISKY Magazine (Issue 54; March, 2006), 56-58
"Recreating History." WHISKY Magazine (Issue 53; January, 2006), 28-29
"Meet Your Whiskeys." Nightclub & Bar (January 2006), 70-71.
"A New Spin: Twists on Classic Bourbon Cocktails." Nightclub & Bar (December 2005), 40.
"Canadian Whisky Today." Nightclub & Bar (November 2005), 28-29.
"From Bardstown to Brooklyn." WHISKY Magazine (Issue 51; October, 2005), 48-50.
"Understanding Winter Spirits." Nightclub & Bar (October 2005), 50-53.
"Beyond Bourbon; A Genius for Diversity." Malt Advocate (4th Quarter 2005 Issue), 32-37.
"American's Shooting Star." WHISKY Magazine (Issue 50; September, 2005), 56-58.
"United Whiskeys of America." WHISKY Magazine (Issue 50; September, 2005), 7.
"Brown-In: A Fresh Look at the State of Whiskey." Nightclub & Bar (September 2005), 30-32.
"A Phoenix from the Flames." WHISKY Magazine (Issue 49; July, 2005), 25-29.
"The Birth of American Whiskey." WHISKY Magazine (Issue 49; July, 2005), 21-24.
"Barton Distillery: Perhaps the Best Kept Secret in Kentucky." Malt Advocate (3rd Quarter 2005 Issue), 33-39.
"Up on Forty Creek, the Whisky Sends Me." WHISKY Magazine (Issue 47; April, 2005), 52-54.
"Pot Stills & Honey Barrels: The Real Story of Woodford Reserve Bourbon." Malt Advocate (2nd Quarter 2005 Issue), 44-49.
"Women of High Spirits." WHISKY Magazine (Issue 46; March, 2005), 66-68.
"How American Whiskey Began (and Bourbon Got Its Name)." Food History News (FHN 63, Vol. XVI, No. III), 1, 6-7.
"Stepping Into Heaven." Heaven Hill inaugurates its Bourbon Heritage Center in Bardstown, KY. WHISKY Magazine (Issue 45; January, 2005), 52-53.
"American Whiskey Made Easy." Basic instruction in American whiskey for bartenders, managers and owners. Nightclub & Bar, January 2005, pp. 57-58.
"1933." How did the American whiskey industry get back on its feet after Prohibition? Read about the companies and individuals who made it happen. Malt Advocate Volume 14, Number 1 (First Quarter 2005 Issue), pp. 45-50.
"Eight Greats: New Bourbons." I talk about eight American whiskies that may well be redefining the segment. Nightclub & Bar, December 2004, pp. 67-68.
"Beam's Dream." A story about a possible future distilling enterprise by members of the Beam family. WHISKY Magazine (Issue 42; September, 2004), 40-42.
"Teaching an Old Distillery New Tricks." A story about Kentucky's Buffalo Trace Distillery. WHISKY Magazine (Issue 40; June, 2004), 38-41.
"Tempting Samson in Chicago." A story about Chicago's premier bourbon bar, Delilah's. WHISKY Magazine (Issue 39; May, 2004), 46-49.
"Welcome to the Bourbon Bunker?" A story about bourbon collecting and collections. WHISKY Magazine (Issue 37; February, 2004), 46-47.
"Who Invented Bourbon?" I break down the perennial debate about who was Kentucky's first distiller and who made the first bourbon. Malt Advocate Volume 11, Number 4 (Fourth Quarter 2002 Issue), pp. 72-75.
"'The Good Stuff,' Once Again? Reconsidering Bottled-in-Bond Bourbon." This article examines what bonded bourbon is and why it is still relevant to bourbon drinkers today? Malt Advocate Volume 11, Number 3 (Third Quarter 2002 Issue), pp. 33-35, 59.
"Do It Yourself Whiskey," Want to create your own bourbon brand? I tell you how. Malt Advocate Volume 10, Number 4 (Fourth Quarter 2001 Issue), pp. 57-60, 74.
"The Beams, America's First Family of Bourbon," about the contributions of the Beam family to bourbon history. (Hint: Jim Beam ain't the half of it.) Malt Advocate Volume 10, Number 2 (Second Quarter 2001 Issue), pp. 40-44.
"Tempest in a Tumbler," about the 'whiskey wars' that established whiskey definitions at the beginning of the 20th century. Malt Advocate Volume 9, Number 4 (Third Quarter 2000 Issue), pp. 40-42.
"e-whisky, Point-Click-Drink" about buying whiskey online. Malt Advocate Volume 9, Number 3 (Second Quarter 2000 Issue), pp. 22-24, 59.
Tasting Suites: Bourbon Tasting with a Purpose. Here are several different suggestions for what to taste at your next bourbon tasting party, and why. This is from the January, 1999 (vol 4, no 1) issue of The Bourbon Country Reader.
All-American Bourbon. Bourbon is America's unique national spirit and it has played a major role in American history and culture since the time of the Pilgrims. A shorter version of this article was published in Private Clubs Magazine in 1994.
Abraham Lincoln in Bourbon Country. Abraham Lincoln, the 16th president of the United States, was born in Kentucky, where his father was a seasonal distillery hand. One of today's better bourbons, Knob Creek, was named after the site of that distillery. As a young man in Illinois, Abe Lincoln applied for and received a state license to sell liquor, and he operated several taverns. As a politician during the period when anti-alcohol forces were gaining strength, Lincoln often straddled the fence on that issue. Here is the story of Abraham Lincoln's connection with bourbon whiskey. From The Bourbon Country Reader.
Booze for Beginners. Here is everything you need to know about drinks and drinking in 731 words or less. Never really published anywhere but here.
Whiskey Basics. This article was originally published in The Bourbon Country Reader. It is a brief overview explaining how whiskey differs from other spirits, how it is made, how it gets its flavor, and how different people (i.e., the Scots, Irish, Canadians, Americans, etc.) make it differently.
How Bourbon Whiskey Really Got Its Famous Name. This is another reprint from The Bourbon Country Reader. It debunks some popular myths about the origin of the name 'bourbon.'
Whiskeymen. This has appeared several places in different forms. It consists of short biographies of the real people, all men, who have been immortalized on whiskey labels, including Jim Beam, Jack Daniel, Evan Williams, etc.
Beyond Beer. Meet America's Other Grain-Based Drink. Published in the May/June 1995 issue of BEER, The Magazine. This is another general-purpose 'all about bourbon' article, but from the perspective of beer drinkers.
Booker, Bill and Mr. Brown. Published in the Summer 1996 issue of BEER, The Magazine which, so far as I know, was also their last issue. Too bad. It was a terrific mag and I was proud to be associated with it. This article is based on interviews with Booker Noe (Jim Beam's grandson), Bill Samuels (president of Maker's Mark) and Owsley Brown (president of Brown-Forman).