Waterford Distillery’s Post

Thankyou Rosemary Gallagher for your excellent piece. Producing a Scottish Rye Whisky as our first brand, RyeLaw, was a clear statement of intent. InchDairnie Distillery is all about flavour, something that I think is often lost when people talk about Scotch Whisky. Now that whisky is produced globally we need to get back to the basics, flavour and provenance. RyeLaw is a Scottish Rye Whisky which does not fit into the current legal definition and for that reason we have to put Grain Whisky on the front of the bottle. This is not very helpful when a Rye Whisky has a different flavour profile to a traditional Grain Whisky. This achieves the exact opposite of why the whisky categories were first developed. They were developed to better inform the consumer, we are now confusing the customer. InchDairnie is a Fife distillery producing a Fife Whisky from Fife cereals. InchDairnie will always be Fife and never just Lowland, another challenge for us.

Good overview from the ACSA perspective--pointing out some top-of-thought issues like the fervent campaign to prevent small-business distilleries from connecting with consumers, the general headwinds faced by small- and mid-sized distilleries (as with many industries), and the need for legislative changes that provide distilleries in restrictive states the same opportunities as those in more supportive states. A couple quick notes: ➡ Prevention of DTC enactment has dragged on because one set of business owners are ready and willing to adapt to a changing marketplace, and another set of businesses is not. It is not any more complicated than that. The results of foot-dragging are far more complex, but know that *not a single consequence* is of benefit to the industry and its consumers. ➡ Distilleries are not alone in facing economic headwinds, but the industry is young enough that its players--as a whole--have limited to no experience with building strategy for an inhospitable market. There is little experience in opportunity determination and creation beyond "We make good spirits." Survival through the coming two to five years will be based on developing unified and fact-based strategies that drive tactics and execution. (Note: the most detrimental pattern I see is management's presumption that tactics are strategy, alas!) ➡ Hell, yeah, legislative changes need to be made in many states. But after now watching changes happen in three states, I'll be honest: The distilleries that complain make zero progress, but the distilleries that show legislators how to succeed get the job done. If you want legislative changes, step up. Research what has worked elsewhere, write the proposed legislation, show the benefit to the state, and make it easy for lawmakers to execute. Change isn't driven by complaint. It is achieved by action, investment, and collective understanding. Survival doesn't happen through hard work. It is achieved by focused assessment, planning, and targeted execution.

Proposed guidelines for American Single Malt Whisky require that the whisky be matured in oak casks of a capacity not exceeding 700 liters. When creating our releases, members of our team travel far and wide to hand-select and acquire the right barrels to partner with our uncompromising climate. Every barrel helps us impart a world of flavor into our whisky that gives every expression its own distinctive character, which is why we take such great care in their curation. Our barrels range in various use levels, from brand new to used, first fill, second fill, third fill, fourth fill and beyond. Because of the dynamic nature of the Texas climate, pot distillation and the variety of our casks, we do not have a fixed entry proof. Instead, casks are closely monitored before and throughout our process and tasted at various stages to determine the entry proof for specific barrels. By focusing in on these details, we are doing our part to bring the American Single Malt category to its fullest potential. Read more about the American Single Malt Whiskey Commission: https://lnkd.in/gg3djnmq #whisky #texaswhiskey #americansinglemalt

Bourbon is one of those spirits that seems to be constantly growing in popularity over the years, with many distilleries experiencing both rise and fall. Antique Bourbon was one of the most popular bourbons produced by the Frankfort Distilling Company. Founded in 1902, the distillery was one of six authorized to continue making medicinal whiskey during Prohibition. After changing ownership several times, the distillery closed in the 1960s under the Seagram banner. This page-a-day calendar represents one of our earlier works, created seven years into our ongoing 68-year (and counting) journey. Like the train depicted on this display, we keep on chugging. #AntiqueBourbon #DisplayManufacturing #PlasticManufacturing #TBT #MercuryPlastics

It has been a little bit since I last visited with Marcia, and A LOT has been happening in the interim. To say that it has been a crazy, great, busy year for both her and the Ironroot Republic team would be a vast understatement. This dynamo of a human was just awarded the Icons of Whiskey Distillery Manager of the Year award by World of Whiskey. AND, building on a history of award-winning liquids, the Ironroot Republic team and brand have launched and been lauded for their recent creations as well. 2024 World of Whiskey - Ironroot Republic Hubris Straight Corn Whiskey - Gold 2024 World of Whiskey – Ironroot Republic Apotheosis Finished Bourbon – Bronze 2024 World of Whiskey – Ironroot Republic Harbinger Single Barrel Bourbon - Bronze 2023 USA Today 10 Best Craft Whiskey Distilleries - Readers’ Choice Award 2023 World of Whiskey - Icons of Whiskey Master Blender/Master Distiller – Jonathan Likarish - Highly Commended World of Whiskey 2023 - Ironroot Republic Apotheosis - World's Best Finished Bourbon World of Whiskey 2023 - Ironroot Republic Hubris - World's Best American Corn Whiskey Marcia attributes these accomplishments to a strongly held belief that "we do not achieve life's goals alone".  She encourages team building with people from diverse backgrounds and life experiences. She also advocates for the suspension of personal ego in the pursuit of knowledge. Her favorite quote explains her philosophy and it is hard to argue with her when her family’s operation demonstrates the results achieved with the application of it. “Opinion is really the lowest form of human knowledge. It requires no accountability, no understanding. The highest form of knowledge… is empathy, for it requires us to suspend our egos and live in another’s world. It requires profound purpose larger than the self kind of understanding.” ― Bill Bullard Her words of wisdom for us all? Do not underestimate yourself or your teammates. Much can be achieved with the suspension of ego and the drive to achieve. Ironroot Republic Distilling @bourbonbellesandwhiskeywomen https://lnkd.in/g4YMRWnh #whiskeywomen #bourbonwomen #whiskey #bourbon ____ Image Credit: Ironroot Republic Distillery

Ever wondered why spirits aren't just like wine and beer? Unravel the mystery and learn about their unique transportation needs in our guide. Looking for a quote? Dive in here: https://okt.to/UbqmDF #DHLGlobalForwarding #spirits

Whisky Maturation - It is All About the Oak Casks: Coopers and Where to Source https://lnkd.in/edhHHaB7

Our 7th release is from...(drumroll please)...Westward Whiskey What a cask! Limited to just 396 bottles, it's the perfect summertime whiskey - full of juicy passion fruit notes - and is available here: https://lnkd.in/gtsJYhWQ If you’ve not seen Westward Whiskey before, it’s one to add to your radar. Hailing from the American Northwest, an area rich with barley, Westward in Portland, Oregon, crafts an incredibly fruit-forward style of whiskey, and is at the forefront of the American Single Malt Whiskey movement. We always have a bottle of their Pinot Noir cask on our home bar, so picking our Heart Cut cask alongside Miles Munroe, Master Blender, was an absolute dream. As soon as we tasted this cask we knew it was the one. A quick one on American Single Malt Whiskey. In 2016, Westward helped create the American Single Malt Whiskey Commission to establish, promote, and protect the growing category and its legacy. These guidelines are currently waiting for government ratification - in the hope that they become written into law in the not-too-distant future. It's a very exciting and pivotal moment for the category - turning history on its head, craft distillers are setting the rules, and the bigger whiskey companies are following—not the other way around. ONE TO WATCH! Have you tried Westward before? If so, we'd love to know. Cheers! 🥃 #whisky #whiskey #americansinglemaltwhiskey

Have you heard of Auchlossan Whisky? Chances are the answer is no, and the reason is that they have just launched their inaugural release! It's a wonderful dram, launched in collaboration with Lost Loch Spirits Ltd and the Whisky Teuchter. Read my review on this single cask, sherry influenced 10 Year Old from the Miltonduff Distillery. #lostloch #whisky #whiskyreview #auchlossan #singlemalt

Following on from my not very mysterious post yesterday, the news is… (and this is spectacular for whisky fans), that the legendary Port Ellen distillery on the fabled Scottish Isle of Islay is re-opening. In whisky world this is a massive deal. There are so many elements to this tale but it fundamentally revolves around the resurrection of long-closed distilleries, once under-appreciated and now acknowledged as the producers of the most sought after liquid on planet. Re-opening sites like Brora and Port Ellen, the homes of gloriously medicinal peated drams would once have been a bizarre concept. Back in the 1980s, an oversupply of whisky resulted in ‘whisky lochs’, (I can’t help imagining a drunk Nessy floating in pools of Teachers), and dozens of distilleries were closed. Peated whiskies were generally used for blending and so became causalities of the wider decline. Port Ellen was mothballed in 1983 and pretty much forgotten about - and then something happened…. tastes and market conditions changed and whisky became fashionable - and investable (whether for good or bad). And in the back bars of highland hotels people begun to discover the liquid gold produced by what were now termed the ‘ghost’ or ‘silent’ distilleries. As mentioned 12 seconds ago, peated whisky had generally been used as an ingredient in blended products, but now fans begun to develop a taste for peated malts as a standalone drink. And it just so happened that some of the most prized tipples came from the left-over stock of long-gone ghost distilleries. The ultimate finite resource. Probably. If you don’t count oil. And other things. Anyway. Now bottles from Port Ellen will cost you at least £900-1000. And it’s against the backdrop of the renewed interest in the glorious Islay peated malts that Port Ellen, is re-opening after more than 40 years of slumber. The Sleeping Beauty of Booze you might say. And that (will probably not), be the title of the programme I’m making. Chin chin.