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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
PENN JENSEN
ADI
penn@distilling.com
(650) 400-9812
FIRST U.S. CRAFT-DISTILLED WHISKEY MEDALS
AWARDED
May 27, 2008
At its 5th Annual Conference held in
Louisville in April, the American Distilling
Institute conducted the first-ever medal
competition for craft-distilled spirits in
the U.S. The theme of the 2008 conference was
"whiskey." The competition delivered 19
medals across 8 categories, from Blended
Canadian Whiskey to Small-Batch Rye Whiskey.
Best of Show was awarded to Stranahan's
Colorado Whiskey.
(See photo above)
The presiding judge was renowned whiskey
critic Jim Murray whose 4-point scoring
system was used to evaluate the entries.
Judging supervisors were Luis Ayala of Rum
Runner Press and Ted Huber owner of Starlight
Distillery. Judges were Charles Cowdery, Gary
Spedding and Bridget Albert.
Judging Results
1. Blended Canadian Whiskey
No Gold
Silver, best in class, Score -85.5: 40 Creek
(40 Creek Distilling)
http://www.fortycreekwhisky.com/splash/
Silver: Score-80: Snake River Stampede (Indio
Spirits)
2. Unpeated Single Malt
Gold, best in class, Best in Show,
Score-91.5: Stranahan's Colorado Whiskey
http://www.stranahans.com/
Gold, Score-90.5: Hogshead Single Malt
(McMenamin's Edgefield Distillery)
http://www.mcmenamins.com/
Silver, Score-87: Zeppelin (New Holland
Distillery)
http://www.newhollandbrewing.com
Silver, Score-85: St. George (St. George
Spirits)
http://www.stgeorgespirits.com
Bronze, Score-72: Wasmund's (Copper Fox
Distillery)
http://www.copperfox.biz/
3. Peated Single Malt
Gold, Score-90.25: McCarthy's Single Malt
(Clear Creek Distillery)
http://www.clearcreekdistillery.com/
Silver, Score-88.5: Peregrine Rock (Saint
James Spirits)
http://www.saintjamesspirits.com/
Silver, Score-85.25: Woodstone Creek
(Woodstone Creek Distillery)
http://www.woodstonecreek.com
4. Wheat Whiskey
Gold, Score-90.5: Bernheim Original Kentucky
Straight Wheat Whiskey (Heaven Hill)
http://www.heaven-hill.com/brands-otherwhiskey.html
5. Small Batch Bourbon
No gold
No silver
Best in class, Score-79.75: High Plains Most
Wanted
http://www.highplainsinc.com/
6. Kentucky Bourbon
Gold, best in class, Score-93.5: Prichard's
Double Barrel Bourbon
http://www.prichardsdistillery.com/
Gold standard, Score-90.5: Buffalo Trace Bourbon
http://www.buffalotrace.com/
Gold standard, Score-90: Maker's Mark Bourbon
http://www.makersmark.com
Silver, Score-85.5: Elijah Craig 12 yr
Bourbon (Heaven Hill)
http://www.heaven-hill.com/brands-bourbon.html
7. Corn Whiskey
Gold, Score-90.25: Mellow Corn (Heaven Hill)
http://www.heaven-hill.com/brands-otherwhiskey.html
8. Small Batch Rye Whiskey
Gold, Score-91: Devil's Bit Rye (McMenamin's
Edgefield Distillery)
http://www.mcmenamins.com/
No silver
Bronze, Score-79.5: Hudson's Rye (Tuthilltown
Spirits)
http://www.tuthilltown.com/
In April 2009, the 6th Annual ADI Conference
will heat up the craft-spirits competition
once again with awards presented in the
categories of Brandies and Eaux de Vie at St.
George's Distillery at Hangar One in Alameda,
California.
For more information about the competition
and the American Distilling Institute, please
go to our website www.distilling.com.
Caption: Co-Supervising Judge, Luis Ayala,
awards Gold Medal for Best in Class and Best
in Show to Jess Graber of Stranahan's
Colorado Whiskey. Hoisting the hefty medal is
Stranahan's assistant distiller Jake Norris.
==================
Judging Competition Overview
By Luis Ayala, Co-Supervisor
Spirits competitions throughout the world
attempt to pinpoint the "best" products in
each class. Much effort goes into this
selection process and the results affect all
contestants in different ways. Our
competitive spirit is such that it often
blinds us and prevents us from seeing a
subtle reality before our eyes: each and
every product entered into a competition is
already a winner! Craft distillers spend
countless amounts of time (and money they
don't always have) following their dream,
expressing their creativity through their
products.
Owning and operating a distillery, bottling
and entering a product into a competition,
are outstanding achievements whose virtue
should not be clouded by the presence or
absence of a medal. ADI's Whiskey
competition is like a beauty pageant: just
because on a particular night the judges
favored one contestant over the other does
not mean that the "losers" are devoid of
beauty!
I am very happy to have seen the number of
entries in this year's event; it speaks of a
very healthy industry and of very happy craft
distillers. Keep up the good work!
Luis Ayala
http://www.rumshop.net
How Each Whiskey Was Judged and Scored-The
Jim Murray Method
Each whisky was given a rating out of 100.
Twenty-five marks were available to be given
in four categories:
nose (n),
aste
(t),
finish (f),
balance
and
overall complexity (b).
The area of
balance and complexity covers all three
previous factors and a usually hidden one
besides.
Nose: this is simply the aroma. Often
requires more than one inspection as hidden
aromas can sometimes reveal themselves after
time in the glass and increased contact with
air. The nose very often tells much about a
whisky, but equally can be quite misleading.
Taste: this is the immediate arrival on the
palate and involves the flavour profile up
to, and including, the time it reaches
maximum intensity and complexity.
Finish: often the least understood part of a
tasting. This is the tail and flourish of the
whisky's signature, often revealing the
effects of ageing. The better whiskies tend
to finish well and longer without too much
oak excess.
Balance: this is the part it takes a little
experience to appreciate but it can be
mastered by anyone. For a whisky to work well
on the nose and palate, it should not be too
one-sided in its character. If you are
looking for an older whisky, it should have
evidence of oak, but not so much that all
other flavours and aromas are drowned out.
Likewise, a whisky mature or finished in a
sherry butt must offer a lot more than just
wine alone and the greatest Islay malts, for
instance, revel in depth and complexity
beyond the smoky effects of peat.
Aviso: Even if you and I taste the same
whiskies at the same temperature and from
identical glasses - and even share the same
values in whisky - our scores may still be
different. Because a factor that is built
into my evaluation is drawn from expectation
and experience. When I sample a whisky from a
certain distillery at such-and-such an age or
from this type of barrel or that, I would
expect it to offer me certain qualities. It
has taken me 30 years to acquire this
knowledge (which I try to add to day-by-day!)
and an enthusiast cannot be expected to learn
overnight.
Excerpted from Jim Murray's Whiskey
Bible-2008
ABOUT ADI
The American Distilling Institute was founded
in 2001 by Bill Owens with the goal of
creating a collective voice for the new
generation of progressive beverage, medical,
and aromatic distillers. It is dedicated to
the mission of disseminating professional
information on the distilling
process.
====================
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Artisanal Producers / Why Rum is Gone / Spirits and Cocktails |
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Artisanal producers aim to create a spirited new
Vancouver Island has become Spirits Central,
with Winchester and Rick Pipes of Merridale
Estate Cidery already bottling eau de vie and
gin, and several other products, such as the
much-anticipated Shelter Point whisky, still
in the works.
Provincewide, the pioneer of the pack is
Frank Deiter of Okanagan Spirits in Vernon.
He produces a wide range of the fresh fruit
brandy known as eau de vie, as well as an
aged apple brandy he calls "Canados"
(Calvados being a proprietary name in
Normandy) and Taboo, the only authentic
absinthe in Canada.
Only a few months after he received his
distillery licence in October 2004, he won
the "Best Newcomer" title at the World
Spirits Awards in Austria. This year, he was
awarded Master Class status, the top prize at
the event, and took home six gold and three
silver medals as well.
"To be recognized in the same bracket with
some of the best distillers in Europe is just
fantastic for Okanagan Spirits, fantastic for
the Okanagan region and fantastic for the
province," Deiter says.
"I'm just happy that I love what I'm doing,"
he adds.
He will tell you, though, that the process
was anything but easy. That's why he,
Winchester, Pipes and Phillips formed the
B.C. Artisan Distillers Guild so, Pipes says,
"the government knows who to talk to about
artisan distilling."
Artisanal distilling is not a new thing. It
is a natural extension of making cider, beer
and wine, a way to make the most of
everything a farm or orchard grows.
"This is really old science," Pipes says.
"All of the European vintners have been
distilling for hundreds of years. And in
North America, we've just started."
The difficulty is that our laws and
bureaucracy are still haunted by the ghosts
of Prohibition, which has ensured that liquor
is highly regulated and, at least as far as
the government is concerned, highly lucrative.
Even now, distilling licences are designed
for big operations, not small craftsmen.
"About three years ago, there was a
combination of changes in the provincial laws
and changes in the federal laws that made it
possible to do it on a small scale," Pipes
says. "I'm not saying it's profitable, but
it's possible."
Distilling is a relatively simple process. It
starts with an initial fermentation that
transforms natural sugars to a low-strength
alcoholic solution such as beer, cider or
wine.
That solution is placed in a still, where it
is heated until it releases vapour. The
vapour is then cooled, which turns it back
into liquid, only a much stronger, more
flavourful and highly alcoholic liquid.
That liquid is collected and allowed to rest
before bottling. If it is a clear spirit,
such as gin, vodka or eau de vie, it is
bottled right away. If it is a brown spirit,
such as a calvados-style brandy or whisky, it
is aged in oak casks.
It may be a simple process, but it isn't
necessarily easy.
For one thing, artisanal distillers use
something called a pot still, a crazy piece
of equipment that looks like it was concocted
in the laboratory of Dr. Seuss' mind.
(Commercial distillers use a continuous
still, which is a very different type of
machinery.)
Pot stills, needless to say, are not readily
available in North America. While Phillips
made his from his own design, Deiter, Pipes
and Winchester imported handcrafted,
wood-fired copper stills from Germany at a
cost of about $70,000 each.
During the run itself, the process must be
carefully monitored to keep the fire fed and
the temperature consistent. And the spirit
must be tested throughout the run, and not
just to ensure it tastes good.
There are three stages in alcohol
distillation - first the heads (which contain
methanol and acetate), then the hearts
(ethanol) and finally the tails (fusel
alcohols). Only the hearts are actually
drinkable; the rest is discarded.
But making the spirits is the easy part,
especially when compared to the bureaucracy
distillers have to deal with.
"It was a nightmare to get licensed. And it's
a nightmare to get distributed," says
Winchester. "Spirits are a whole different
thing than wine."
There are the Byzantine rules for everything
from where spirits can be made (in a
separate, enclosed space) to how they can be
sold (only at a licensed Liquor Distribution
Branch agency), how often the facilities must
be inspected (twice a year, randomly) and
whether distillers can charge for tastings
(in a word, no).
The insult-to-injury part of it all is that
even though artisanal spirits are a
completely agricultural product, they are
taxed at a significantly higher rate than,
say, wine.
"The LDB makes a whack of money out of
booze," says Pipes, who notes that if he
retails his eau de vie for $42, he'll only
net $14.70. "The rest is all LDB markup.
Markup and taxes and excise together come to
about 176 per cent."
It's especially frustrating, Deiter says,
because fruit spirits are so much more
expensive to produce than either wine or
grain spirits.
"Your yield is less, your cost is higher, and
now the provincial government comes and adds
a percentage gain on top of that," he says.
"We could do a whole lot more if we had a
similar deal to the wineries.
"The wine industry did have the same
challenge. Political changes were needed to
make it an industry. And you only have to
look around to see what it has become."
British Columbia's artisanal distillers can't
compete with the big multi-nationals in terms
of price, production or marketing, but Deiter
insists, "Quality is where we can stand out.
"The opportunity for the growing number of
B.C. distillers, the beleaguered B.C. fruit
farmers and B.C. agro-tourism is huge, but we
need fundamental changes to be made to our
licence and be given an opportunity to
distribute our products like the B.C.
wineries."
If those changes are made, one day we could
see as many as 20 or 30 artisanal distillers
in Okanagan and Fraser Valley.
But on this particular day, it's all about
one distiller, and one product, and back at
the Bengal Lounge, the guessing game
continues.
"Is it marshmallow root?"
"How about sassafras?
Ken Winchester just smiles mysteriously, and
pours another shot of B.C.
spirit.
====================
By Jessica Braley
GateHouse News Service
Newport, R.I.
There's one thing and one thing alone thirsty
pirates and treasure hunters prefer more than
anything else, and that's rum.
Distilled in Middletown, R.I. by the Newport
Distilling Co. and named after Rhode Island's
most notorious pirate, Thomas Tew Rum is a
solid local alternative to many of the more
commonly known rums.
A dark amber, single barrel rum, Thomas Tew
Rum attempts to recreate the rum of 250 years
ago, using the same blackstrap molasses and
techniques of the time period.
For more information on Thomas Tew Rum visit
the Web site at
www.newportstorm.com/thomastewrums.asp
or call 401-849-5232.
Pour Judgement, 32 Broadway, Newport, is just
one of several establishments in Rhode Island
that serves Thomas Tew Rum.
Newport Pirate
2.5 oz. Thomas Tew Rum
1 oz. triple sec
splash of pinapple juice
garnish with a pineapple wedge or a slice of
lime
Thomas Tew
and cola
5 oz. of your favorite cola
2 oz. Thomas Tew Rum
Don't worry, if you can't find Thomas Tew Rum
at your local bar or liquor store, try
substituting Pyrate rum or even Captain
Morgan's Spiced Rum in any of these recipes
from
www.newportstorm.com.
=================
Spirits & Cocktails: Good reads on the
rocks
There's more to drinks than drinking, judging
by the current crop of cocktail books.
They're a study in culture, history,
literature and style. Sure, there are
recipes, but these books teach you more than
how to mix a drink.
With that, I'll start with what will surely
become one of the most influential: Imbibe!
From Absinthe Cocktail to Whiskey Smash, a
Salute in Stories and Drinks to "Professor"
Jerry Thomas, Pioneer of the American
Bar, by David Wondrich (Perigee, 2007).
Thomas was the 19th century's most famous
bartender, and Wondrich gleefully recounts
his exploits, using period publications,
census records and other sources to sift fact
from fiction.
Why should we care about Thomas?
Because his artistry continues to inspire
modern mixologists. Thomas published the
world's first bartending guide in 1862. More
than a century later, How to Mix Drinksor The
Bon Vivant's Companion remains a roadmap for
pros striving to re-create the classic bar.
But Thomas assumes the reader is completely
familiar with common ingredients and
techniques of the day. Most of us aren't, and
that's where Wondrich comes in. He's
painstakingly researched the evolution of the
cocktail, its precursors and its components.
He interprets Thomas' recipes, providing
exact measurements, substitutions for defunct
spirits and recipes for bygone syrups and
bitters and so on. His easy prose makes it a
fascinating answer to the singular question:
What would Jerry Thomas do?
Drinking well
Eric Felten poses another worthy question
with How's Your Drink? Cocktails, Culture and
the Art of Drinking Well (Agate Surrey,
2007). For Felten, drinks prove a
counterpoint to history, as when the gin and
tonic became the punch line of the 1961
summit between John F. Kennedy and
then-British Prime Minister Harold Macmillan.
Cocktails are literary, rising and falling in
step with the characters of Kingsley Amis and
John Updike. They're social commentary,
denoting class and style, and history,
revealing who drank what where and when.
Don't be fooled by the slimness of Felten's
book. It's dense with well-researched
anecdotes, details and recipes, much like his
weekly column of the same name in TheWall
Street Journal. It's not a quick read, but
rather something to sip slowly over time.
Moonshine
One book you can down like a shot is
Moonshine! (Lark Books, 2007), by Kansas City
native Matthew B. Rowley. It's an
entertaining account of American distilling,
peppered with history, quotations, slang,
illustrations and exhortations to always
comply with the law.
The real meat, though, is Rowley's distilling
primer. He explains each component, from
sugar to grain to yeast, and then provides
step-by-step, illustrated instructions for
building and operating a still and recipes
for whiskeys, rum, brandy and other
tipples.
Classics
Rowley clearly enjoys thinking about spirits
as much as he does imbibing them, as does
Mark Kingwell, author of Classic Cocktails: A
Modern Shake (Thomas Dunne Books, 2007).
Kingwell explores his personal classics,
referencing writers from Plato to Walt
Whitman to Raymond Chandler, as well as films
and music. What "recipes" there are come in
conversational tone, and opinions are rife
(no bourbon in Manhattans, please). If you
need a fresh dose of cocktail conversation
fodder, this book is for you.
Whiskey
Looking for something more straightforward?
Two books on whiskey provide just the facts
in familiar formats. The first is Whiskey &
Spirits for Dummies (Wiley, 2008) by Perry
Luntz, which offers a basic overview of
whiskey, gin, vodka, tequila and other
standards and a handful of cocktail and bar
snack recipes. The last chapter is something
you almost never see in a spirits book:
nutrition and health information.
Anne Brockhoff writes from her farmhouse
outside Kansas City. To reach her, send
e-mail to
food-drink-life@hotmail.com.
==================
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Pot Still for Sale / Consultant Avaibable / Distiller Wanted / Distillers looking for job / Wash Available |
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Fully
reconditioned, 240
gallon pot still. Ideal still for whiskey or
rum. I will offer limited consulting
services. Price $70,000 or highest bid call
Bill Owens
510-886-7418
ADI's
hands-on, five day course on How to Distill
Whiskey now has a new date: December 1st -
6th. The course will be held at Sweetwater
Distillery in Petaluma, CA. Students will
actually distill whiskey as part of the
learning experience. Cost will be $3000 for
five days. For more information, contact Bill
Owens: mailto:bill@distilling.com
====================
Consultant Available
Services include research, business planning,
product formulation, plant design, product
evaluation, et al backed by 16 years of
experience. I can take you from idea to
finished product with any level of service
you require.
Keith K. Bodine
Consultant Distiller and Winemaker
347 Carroll Rd
Union ME 04862
207-785-3024
www.sweetgrasswinery.com
=================
Are you interested in getting in on the
ground floor of a brand new microdistillery?
We are a farm distillery located on an
apple orchard in upstate NY, less than half
an hour from Albany. We currently distill one
brand of vodka, but are looking to add
several other spirits within the next year or
so. We would like to hire someone who will be
able to take over much of the distillation
process and assist in our tasting room. We
are looking for someone organized, eager and
willing to learn and grow with us. No
distilling experience is required. Please
forward a letter of interest and your resume
to
harvestspirits@gmail.com.
=================
Dear Mr. Owens
My name is Jeremiah Timm; I am
interested in being an apprentice for a
master distiller who is produces Rums
Brandies Whiskeys, or Eau de Vies. I have
had some experiences in the lab distilling
wine to make extracts for analysis; to make
up for this I have done research to
understand the distilling process better. If
you know of any one please let me know. I
will be available after November, since I am
working a crush at Koasta Brown in Sonoma
this fall.
Jeremiah Timm
jeremiah_timm@yahoo.com
===================
Graduate
ADI Membership
I'm a graduate with
honours from the International
Centre for Brewing Distilling and Malting at
Heriot Watt University Edinburgh Scotland
with experience from industry having worked
with amongst others Glenfiddich, Balvenie.
I'm Keen to gain further
knowledge in Brewery, Distillery or related
business. All offers considered.
Matthewpauley@hotmail.co.uk
===================br>Hello
Bill
Hope you have been well - we
are looking for a talented distillery
consultant who can help us train our new
distiller on washes, pot still use, cuts, etc
- do you have a couple names you could
recommend - also I am interested in using the
photo of yours that hangs in my office in a
dogfish ad - it's the one of a naked hippy
walking in a concert crowd - an off-centered
person for sure! - it would run in the beer
mags and we can pay $200 for a high res
version emailed to us - lemme know what you
think - keep on truckin!!! Thanks for the
help
sam@dogfish.com
====================
Distiller Wanted
30 year-old company in the beautiful Pacific
Northwest seeking experienced distiller to
establish a high-end whiskey distillery.
Distiller must have experience and knowledge
of the entire production process. Vodka and
gin to be distilled, however, whiskey is the
primary long-term goal. Responsibilities
include selecting and ordering all
ingredients and equipment, overseeing the
preparation of the facility and producing the
spirits. Applicant must possess a strong work
ethic and be very detail oriented. Salary DOE
/ excellent benefits. Non-smoking
environment. Contact
Jon Combs, PO Box
8000, Spokane, WA 99203.
(509) 534-9000.
jcombs@oldworldchristmas.com
==================
Hello Bill.
My name is John Paul Mereen.
A friend and I are looking into opening a
small batch distillery in Connecticut.
We have been in contact with the folks in
Idaho (DRinc.) for the raw product and hope
to refine it into vodka and gin.
Heidi thought you may be getting into some
sort of consulting if an effort to help
people like us move forward.
What I think we need at this point is a
business plan for this sort endeavor.
Are there any temples for this available that
you may be aware of? Or is this a service you
can help us with?
Any help or guidance you may be able to
provide would be greatly appreciated.
I hope to hear from you soon.
Sincerly, J.P. Mereen
home
jpmereen@comcast.net
===================
Wrestling with the decision to invest in wash
production and fermentation equipment?
Want to reduce the space required to launch
or expand your distillery's capacity? We can
offer a solution that avoids the substantial
investment required to produce washes in
house or to expand your present capacity. We
can provide custom washes for virtually any
need, pre-fermented and ready to charge your
still.
Our washes also provide a major
benefit allowing more yield per still charge
since there will be virtually no solids to
take up fill volumn a reduction of 30% in
most cases.
Minimum volumes as low as 930 gallons.
Shipping via totes or tanker FOB California.
Give us a call or e-mail us to discuss your
needs.
eric@ststans.com or
209.606.2337
===================
|
|
Fresh Whiskey Barrels. |
|
A&J Whiskey Barrels l.l.c. selling freshly
dumped Whiskey Barrels for production.Call
office:513 -678- 9370 Cell:513-253-8591
anytime.
Website is ajwhiskeybarrels.net
Committed to providing quality barrels for
distilleries and
breweries.
===============
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TTB Alcohol Manual / Back issues |
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The DSP Distillery Link / How to get a DSP Permit |
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Join the American Distilling Institute |
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Membership dues are used to support
the American
Distilling Institutes's efforts to educate and
inform
the public about craft distilling.
Members receive the DISTILLER newsletter
and the Distiller's Resource
Directory.
American
Distilling Institute / 2008
Membership(s)
Individuals............................
$300
Winery, Brewery, Distillery........
$300
Additional, 1-3
memberships........$200
Vendor membership....................
$300
Pay by check or use Pay Pal
American
Distiller
Box
577
Hayward
CA
94543
===================
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