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Scotch & Bourbon, While Still Strong, are Inspiring New World Distillers 

By Jeff Cioletti

If the past decade has taught us anything, it’s that consumers have a taste for whisky that’s not likely to disappear any time soon. Overall U.S. volume has settled into a stable pattern of year-on-year growth in the mid-to-high single digits; volume was up more than 4% and revenue was up 6.4% last year, according to the Distilled Spirits Council.

Most of the volume is still coming from countries that have historically been linked with whisky production, but distillers from non-traditional nations whose spirits have been coming into their own—“New World” whiskies, if you will—are banking on drinker curiosity and palate promiscuity to gain a foothold in the market.

Aiming to Stay Fresh & Competitive, Scotch is Awash in Innovation

By W. R. Tish

Scotch is looking and feeling more like the granddaddy of brown spirits these days. Naturally, those who craft the whisky—whether they be of the Highlands, Lowlands, Islay or Speyside—are not too keen on reinventing their spirit; but they are proving more than capable of re-framing Scotch for whisky enthusiasts: 

By tapping their existing reserves and putting on their creative caps, Scotland’s distillers and marketers continue to create “new” malts that they hope will sell at premium prices and solidify Scotch’s claim to reigning as King of Brown Spirits. Here is a look as some recent special releases from the magical land of Scotland:

At home and behind the bar, spritzy and still, bitter amaros are being embraced 

By Jack Robertiello

Nothing illustrates the rise of amaros (aka amari, plural in Italian) in the U.S. better than the dramatic growth of Aperol. At the start of the decade, the carmine-hued, citrusy, lightly bitter brand had even less impact on the U.S. bar world than Campari, which at that time was languishing at about 50,000 cases, a far cry from its own heyday in the 1980s. Aperol was a junior partner in the team, an afterthought, really, until the emergence of the Aperol Sprtiz.

Our military fight to have our flag flying high above free lands. Beverage entrepreneur Don Sessions fought to have the American flag on the bottles of his Ol' Glory-brand vodka, spiced rum, and five other spirits that are taking the Maryland-D.C. markets by storm thanks to a recent distribution deal with Atlantic Wine & Spirits.

The battle waged by Sessions, owner of an Oklahoma-based energy drink company, dates back to 2010 when the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau denied his request to design a can of beer with the flag and Pledge of Allegiance on it.  Sessions contended the design was protected by the First Amendment and decided to sue the agency for millions. Fox News caught wind of his crusade and put Sessions' story on TV.

Country music duo Brian Kelley and Tyler Hubbard  … also known as Florida Georgia Line (FGL) are sharing their Old Camp Peach Pecan Whiskey with the Mid-Atlantic states.  “The ultimate drink to kick-start the party.”  The superstar duo were inspired to make their first whiskey by their own “camp” – a crew of longtime musicians, managers, technicians and friends – which ultimately led to the creation of Old Camp Peach Pecan Whiskey.

“We love to have a good time and we love whiskey, always have,” shared FGL’s Brian Kelley. “It’s a ritual we’ve had since our first shows, toasting and celebrating with our camp before taking the stage.”

Baltimore Beer Week is celebrating all things beer for its 9th consecutive year in the land of pleasant living. “While every Baltimore Beer Week so far has been incredible,” explained Joe Gold, founder and organizing committee chair of Baltimore Beer Week, “this year is shaping up to be fantastic once again!”

This year’s Opening Tap Celebration will take place on Saturday October 14th and will again coincide with the Das Best Oktoberfest held at M&T Bank Stadium Parking Lot H.