MAGGIE KIMBERL
There is a lot to be hopeful about
A moment of hopeful contemplation
Over the last year, we have brought you stories about how the industry has been coping with the global pandemic, mass unemployment, and the needs of the community. In last year’s issues we explored distilleries making hand sanitizer for the Covid-19 effort, brand ambassadors and bars doing video cocktail classes, how to make cocktails at home, and even whiskey podcasts to listen to while you’re sipping them. But as I write this, the first doses of the Covid vaccine are being administered to healthcare workers in Kentucky and beyond. By the time you read this, you may have been vaccinated, yourself. There’s a great deal to be hopeful about, and it is our most sincere wish that with this issue you will begin to think once again about attending whiskey festivals, meeting up with your friends at a fabulous whiskey bar, and finally planning that distillery tourism trip.
In this issue, we’ve looked at planning your Bourbon country getaway and hosting your next Bourbon-themed party. While it’s probably not quite time to buy the tickets or send invitations, it is our hope that this issue will serve as inspiration to get you back into the Bourbon lifestyle that has been waiting for you these many months.
We’ll also take a look at some of our favorite whiskey bars across the nation in the cocktail section. Great whiskey bars have a lot to offer, and with that whiskey they also make exceptional cocktails. Learn about some of the signature cocktails from some of the most noteworthy whiskey bars in the country, and while you’re at it, start planning a visit to them. They all have distilleries nearby – Jack Rose is 45 minutes from George Washington’s Mount Vernon Distillery, while The Monkey’s Tail in Houston is right on the Texas Whiskey Trail.
The future of the whiskey business, as with all things, depends on how this next year plays out. The economy is in a fragile state because of the pandemic and mass unemployment, and all the fiscal band-aids we’ve been applying to take care of folks are going to be presenting their invoices – with interest. Distilleries and bars have hung on by adapting their business models, but they are going to take some time to undo the financial damage done by halting growth during what was, for many, a critical time. Tax increases for craft distilleries are still looming as I type this, as is the fallout from the trade war.
To top it off, the pandemic has caused shortages in many of the materials needed to get whiskey to market, such as metal and glass. Many bars and restaurants have had to shutter permanently, meaning fewer outlets for whiskey sales in the coming years. Those of us who have had the opportunity to do so have lived by one motto: support the businesses you want to see on the other side.
As the economy regains strength and tourism begins to pick back up, the survival of the American whiskey landscape will be in the hands of the enthusiasts.
We encourage you to go visit your local distillery. In most places in the United States (sorry Alaska and Hawaii) you are within a few hours’ drive at most to a distillery.
Start there. Get to know your local distilling culture and how they are putting their own geographical spin on the distilling landscape.
Plan a visit to your local whiskey bar or even to your bucket list whiskey bar – on the East Coast those are places like Bourbons Bistro, Trouble Bar, and The Silver Dollar in Louisville, Kentucky, Jack Rose in Washington DC, The Flatiron Room, Fine & Rare, and The Brandy Library in New York, The Crunkleton in North Carolina, and the like. On the West Coast there’s The Multnomah Whiskey Library in Portland, Cannon in Seattle, Elixir in San Francisco, Seven Grand in Los Angeles, and the like.
Buy tickets to the whiskey event you’ve always wanted to attend. In Kentucky, the big ones are The Bourbon Classic, The Kentucky Bourbon Festival, Bourbon Women’s Siposium, and Bourbon & Beyond and The Kentucky Bourbon Affair. There’s probably a Whisky Live near you.
The big distilleries have done their best to help the whiskey bars survive, but even they aren’t in the best position. Supporting those businesses, tourism opportunities, and events well into the future is the only way to ensure we have a whiskey community to get back to. See you on the Bourbon Trail?
Distilleries and bars have hung on by adapting...