Gentlemen, please remove your hats. Everyone bow your heads for a moment of silence. Today marks the 95th anniversary of the ratification of the 18th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. To those not well versed in constitutional history, the 18th Amendment prohibited “manufacture, sale, or transportation of intoxicating liquors for beverage purposes.” Yes, Prohibition. A word so vile that it is three four letter words rolled into one (that’s 12 letters for the mathematically challenged.) For the next 14 years, honest men and women had to sneak into speakeasies, smuggle liquor into the country from abroad, or hide beer-making supplies…
Author: Bill
Bill
Bill is the Co-Founder, Editor-in Chief, and official Bourbon-o-Phile for ModernThirst.com, and Founder and Chief Blending Officer for Four Gate Whiskey Company. He is a native of Louisville, KY in the heart of Bourbon Country. He attended the University of Kentucky in the mid to late 1990s. He has also been published on Liquor.com. He has conducted various bourbon and whiskey tastings in cities across the country, and consulted for multiple national labels. He is married with two daughters, and lives in east Louisville. You can follow him on Facebook and Twitter @BillStraub and email him at [email protected].
Kentucky courts show they’re STILL living in the pastThere are things I love about Kentucky. Then there things like this.
So perhaps you’ve seen the daily toast before and wondered exactly what it is. It’s very simple. Each day, we pick a reason for you to raise a glass of something and have a drink. It’s not that you need a reason, per say, but just in case, we’ll go ahead and give you one. Today is January 15th, and it marks the birthday of several famous athletes and celebrities. I could have picked any Janaury 15th athlete such as Drew Brees of the NFL or Matt Holliday of MLB. I could have toasted twin royal princes Alexander and Philip…
So by now, most of those who follow the spirits business are aware of the impending purchase of Jim Beam Brands by Japanese Spirits Company Suntory Holdings. Throughout, both Suntory representatives and Beam Brands representatives have assured the public that this purchase will not change the business of Beam Brands. The reality is that it very well could have an impact. For Suntory, the Japanese company gets a stake in the US market it currently lacks. For Beam Brands, they gain exposure to the fast growing markets in Asia that they’ve currently only begun to tap into. For Asian…
[amazon_link asins=’B00H143UXW,B016YPDI3A’ template=’ProductCarousel’ store=’modernthirstc-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’5fd76d64-8352-11e7-b4ba-4ba8c9ca927a’] So I was perusing the bourbon section of my local liquor store and lo and behold, I find a new bourbon staring at me from the middle shelf. Black Ridge is a small batch bourbon bottled by Clear Springs in Louisville, KY. After some internet searching, the story behind this is only somewhat clear. Clear Springs was originally a Jim Beam operation, but was recently sold to Buffalo Trace. Some further research revealed that it was produced by the Sazerac family at their Very Old Barton 1792 distillery in Bardstown, KY. Sazerac is the…
The AP is reporting that Jim Beam brands has been sold to Japanese spirits company Suntory Holdings for $16bn. Management is not expected to change, so we’re unclear on what, if any, impact this will have on Beam products.
It’s January 13th, with marks the 15th anniversary of Michael Jordan’s second retirement from the NBA. In honor of #23’s second special day, raise a Glass of one of Chicago’s better known brews, also one of my favorites: Goose Island 312. Describe as an “urban wheat” beer, this beer is crisp and refreshing with that wheat sweetness throughout. .
What are the necessities for a good home bourbon bar? It’s no secret, we’re witnessing an explosive boom in the growth and popularity of American Whiskey, and that boom is being led by Kentucky Bourbon. Bourbon sales increased almost 12% in 2012, and bourbon has become the hottest new “it” liquor worldwide. It’s so popular that distillers are struggling to keep up with demand. A worldwide boom has local implications for a lot of us, particularly when stocking a home bar. Many of the most popular high-end bourbons are difficult to find and rising in cost yearly. But there are…
Need a reason to have a drink today? Let the Daily Toast inspire you to raise a glass! January 9th isn’t a particularly exciting day on world history, so I had to work for this one. On this date in 1905, the first shots of the Russian Revolution were fired against the Czar in St. Petersburg. So I’m tempted to say you should pour a shot of vodka and toast your comrades. But it’s hard to find a real positive in that. So instead, let’s recognize that in 1788, Connecticut officially became the 5th state in the union. Looking over…
If you like your bourbon, or any other drink, on the rocks, give this a shot ( no pun intended.)