So a weird debate we had on the road this last trip was which bottle top is better, screw top or cork top? Pointless, right? We thought so too…initially. Then we kept deliberating for a while and actually brought up some valid points and criticisms for both methods of preventing that glorious juice from spilling out of the bottle. Which begs the question, is there really a significant difference between screw top or cork top lids?

This whole debacle originally stemmed from an aesthetics debate. Which of these two methods looks better, more elegant, cheaper etc.? Then we got to thinking about qualities past just purely based on looks like function and sustainability. Ultimately starting from an offhand comment about Weller having both screw and pop tops, it ended up a commentary of our thoughts on environmental sustainability and the je ne sais quoi of design. And to answer the question I’m sure is in your mind right now, yes the consumption of alcohol was involved in this process.

Cork tops or pop tops. Classic, centuries old, and a fixture in every minds eye of the traditional glass alcohol bottle. There’s something undeniable about the aural stimulation you get from popping open the top of a cork cap. It’s supremely satisfying and tickles some peoples fancy down to their very core (looking at you here Greg). This is definitely the biggest pro for me in this completely unnecessary competition of pros and cons. Cork is also a renewable natural resource which is a positive as well. However, it is the more expensive option of the two. Cork can also be a pain to open up if improperly sized and is much easier to break or damage. Aesthetically, cork wins the day most likely hands down in the majority of opinions. Even so, let’s hold off declaring a winner before we’ve even taken a look at screw tops.

Screw tops or twist tops. You know em’. You love em’. found as the primary method for securing damn near anything with a lid on it. A major pro for this is its ubiquity in its field. Take a look around where you are right now. I can almost with 100% certainty guarantee that you’ll find more screw top lids than corks securing contents inside of vessels. A titan of functionality. You know when a screw top is secured and it will hold the contents of your container securely in place. Something you don’t always get with cork as it has the ability to leak, tear or even explode. As someone who has left a corked bottle in their car on a hot summer day, I can vouch for the potential of cork eruption.

As for the aesthetic allure of the screw top…well there isn’t much of it. It’s mainly designed for functional prowess and exceeds in that department. You do get that nice metallic popping sound from breaking the seal on the bottle, but that is a one time deal. It’s nowhere near as satisfying of an experience of the cork pop and non-repeatable.

The most important pro however, comes from the actual creation of the screw top lid. In 1889, Dan Rynalds patented the screw cap lid SPECIFICALLY FOR WHISKEY. C’mon now, if that doesn’t sway your opinion at least a little bit in this dispute I don’t think you’re being very impartial.

So to declare a winner in the debate of screw top or cork top, I think the cork takes it. It’s timeless, aesthetically pleasing and functional. If you have any opinions or think of any features we missed let us know below! Cheers.

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Orion Brader( Production Manager )

Orion has been friends with Greg since their high school days.

His love for whiskey grew as he tried different pours Greg was reviewing for Whiskey Culture. And, when Whiskey Culture began traveling around the country, he went with them to document their whiskey expeditions.

Orion now works full-time for Whiskey Culture managing our production schedule and ensuring the quality of our content. He oversees our contributor program, and can be found alongside Greg during their trips to Kentucky either behind the camera, or behind a glass of fine whiskey after a long day of shooting footage.

We’ve posted plenty of videos of us at distilleries. On the bottling line, in the gift shop, thieving from barrels. And, the one question we get asked most often is “is that bottle available in my market?”

We often will check the website and let people know. Or, sometimes if it’s a really popular video we’ll point them in the direction of the website so they can check. And, on occasion, we are met with some level of frustration that they can’t get their hands on a bottle. However, expanding into new markets and territories isn’t as easy as simply shipping bottles to a new location.

We wanted to take this opportunity to describe the steps it takes to enter a new market, a very real struggle that our partners over at Guidance are tackling now. And, let you all know how you can help get those spirits on shelves near you.

Gauging A New Market

When a distillery decides they want to expand, it begins a long analysis process to determine which markets are viable. I could say “I want to sell my product in New York,” but, if you have no brand awareness in the area, you’re competing with bot nationally recognized brands and local brands. It is difficult to compete as a younger brand with brands that your potential customers are familiar with.

This is even more difficult if you’re trying to enter into a state that has a strong craft distillery presence. Many of these people are familiar with the brands within their own state, making it even more difficult to win precious business.

For example, Guidance Whiskey is trying to enter the Florida market.

“It’s never easy looking to a new market,” says Jason, owner of Guidance Whiskey. “First, you have to see if a new market is even receptive to you. Then there’s regulations, distribution, and then relationships to keep going.”

“One of the things you can do,” he said, “is make sure you’re asking your local stores and bars for the brands you’d like to try that aren’t in your area. Asking for products allows stores, and us, to know theres enough interest to start looking at that area because that’s an investment.”

Regulation

As Jason said, regulations are another big piece of the puzzle, and regulators don’t make it easy.

Each individual state does things differently. There’s not much of a “uniform code” when it comes to the liquor industry. Some make you sign a binding agreement with a distributor. These distributors can swap or relinquish clients amongst one another. When this happens it can throw a wrench in distribution since you have to shift all your accounts to the new distribution company.

And, before you have to worry about a distributor, you have to apply to the state’s liquor control boards.

For example, Guidance, who wants to register in Florida, would have to register and be approved by the Florida Department of State to do business in Florida. Pay for each label and wait for them to be approved, follow Florida-specific laws, regulation, reporting, and compliance procedures (each which vary state-to-state).

Then, after months of filing, payments, and waiting for approval, they are not clear to figure out how and where to sell their spirits. You know, after they find a distributor to pick up their brand and then agree to the distributor’s own list of demands.

Distribution and Branding

There’s a saying in the liquor industry: “you can get any store to buy a label with curb appeal, but you aren’t successful until they order again.”

Essentially, anyone can get a liquor store to take a chance on a case of a well-branded, good price point whiskey. This is because they know, over time, people will eventually buy it because of the marketing. However, there is precious little “extra” space on a liquor store shelf. And, liquor store owners are trying their best to fill those spots with the best-selling products.

Think about it. How many liquor stores have you walked in where there are vast stretches of un-open shelving? Not many, right?

So, your brand is going to be competing with these other brands for a cut of that market and that shelf real estate.

How do you combat that? Branding and building loyalty.

Another expense Guidance would incur, is having to hire brand representatives down here in Florida who do nothing but try and push their brand to new accounts. They’re the people that set up tastings in liquor stores, help develop cocktail programs, and have tables giving away swag at festivals.

“It’s not cheap to expand.” Jason said. “You have all these costs, waiting, logistics, all to get your bottle into someone’s hands. It’s a long process, and not an easy process to get started and be keeping track of all the rules for all the states you’re in. That’s not even including the cost and time promoting and building a community in that state.”

What Can We Do To Help Craft Distillers Enter a New Market?

We can help craft distillers by asking for the products you want to try. That’s the fastest way to help a distillery expand to your area. If they know there’s a demand for it, and you help drive brand awareness by talking about it, that helps make their monolithic job a bit easier.

Next, if you do find a craft brand you enjoy drinking, keep a bottle on your shelf. When it runs low, grab another one. This isn’t just to help with their sales (which is important), but it can also help spread the word. If you have friends over, or need a quick gift for a whiskey fan in your life, use these as opportunities to help spread the name of a brand you enjoy. It’s an easy way to make a big impact.

You can click here to learn more about Guidance Whiskey and their journey. We also did a previous article about Guidance’s community-focused approach you can read by clicking here.

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Greg Sinadinos( CEO / Head Author )

Greg Sinadinos started his spirits journey writing a whiskey periodical for Fine Tobacco NYC Magazine. He began answering review requests under a social media page he named “Whiskey Culture,” which quickly merged with Greg’s passion for connecting with others and his interest in history.

Today, Greg travels the country not just looking for great whiskey, but also exploring the history and individuals that the whiskey community is founded upon. He has authored “Whiskey History From Around The World” and is the host of “The Rickhouse” web series.

Summer has drawn to an end. The kiddos are back in school, and the temperature slowly simmers down from a swelter to a crisp breeze. And, as the seasons change, so do the favorite whiskeys of our ever-evolving palates.

It is always a pleasure knowing that there’s more bottles to try than I’ll ever have. I love the variety that the whiskey scene has fostered. And, with each season, there are five new favorites I’d never tried before. Some for their intense approach to classic notes, some for their delightful uniqueness, each with a well-earned spot on my radar.

1. Rabbit Hole Race King

Rabbit Hole is one of those brands that constantly shows up dressed to impress. All the times we’ve been there, everything feels like it gets the love and care of a craft distillery scaled-up to monolithic proportions.

Sitting along an unassuming road in Louisville, Rabbit Hole offers four whiskey expressions: Rye, Four-Grain Bourbon, High-Rye Bourbon, and a Sherry Cask Finished Bourbon. Each pass the test with distinction.

However, it’s their Founder’s Collection series that seems to take this to a whole new level.

Rabbit Hole’s new release is a Five-Grain Chocolate-Malt Bourbon. If you’re wondering why five. It’s because the standard four-grain varietals didn’t pack enough flavor complexity for this behemoth.

The flavors are out of this world.

On the nose you get a distinctive bitter-sweet cocoa, torched orange oil, and burnt sugar. The palate is lush and pronounced, with notes of black cherry, allspice, cinnamon, and hazelnut milk chocolate.

It’s a unique and delicious pour that is unlike anything we’ve ever tried.

2. Blue Run Golden Rye

Blue Run has taken the whiskey scene by storm with its delicious bottles of bourbon. The butterfly has become a symbol to search for by bourbon hunters around the country.

But, they have now released a rye whiskey that is a mellow and delicious pour. It combines the earthiness and rye spice profile with an almost wheated mellow mouthfeel. It’s full of flavor, easy to drink, and simply delicious.

The blue run pour will set you back $99 MSRP, but prices have been climbing north as the bottle’s popularity skyrockets. This shouldn’t surprise anyone, but it means if you see it for a good price, it may be worth snagging the bottle if you’re a fan of rye whiskies.

The opening nose is a bit vegetal with some nice floral sweetness before opening into a slight toasted rye and oak note. The palate is baking spice, toasted rye bread, vanilla, burnt sugar, and a light honey-baked plum note right on the back.

Overall, we were excited to run into a bottle on our last trip, and it didn’t disappoint.

3. Michter’s Barrel Strength Rye

Michter’s is one of those companies with a really solid lineup.

Their standard release bottles are good pours, decently priced, and not difficult to find. And, that’s getting more and more rare in the crazy whirlwind that is the whiskey scene today.

However, their special releases are a whole other ballgame.

10 year, 20 year, toasted, Shenk’s, Barrel Strength, the list goes on for the allocated and difficult-to-find releases that slowly drip out of Michter’s Distillery. And, they are great.

But, one of these we hadn’t tried before the summer was the Barrel Strength Rye. And, oh my, is it good.

The barrel strength rye is purportedly the base for their toasted rye, and you can definitely draw similarities between the two. But, we’re pleased to report this rye stands on its own legs. No need to draw comparisons.

The nose is sweeter than the palate, with notes of deep caramel, honeysuckle, and rye spice. The palate is more balanced with familiar notes of baking spice, baked rye, charred oak, and a botanical note that adds a nice depth to the dram.

4. Nashville Barrel Company – Nashville Barrel #282

Nashville Barrel Company has been enjoying the spotlight for a bit. And, well deserved I might add.

They’ve taken a very unique approach to the whiskey industry. One that has been met with some raised eyebrows. But, more so than surprised looks, they’re met with people who are ferociously collecting their vastly growing single barrel releases.

Their program focuses on releasing unique and delicious single barrels, each are unique and some, such as the Lucy release, have garnered an almost cult-like following in the community.

However, we found barrel #282 to be a delicious and well balanced entry that we keep going back to (good thing we bought a few).

The nose is sweet and full of honey, caramel, baked vanilla, and burnt sugar.

Though, the palate balances out. The honey, caramel, and burnt sugar are strong, but they are also met with nice baking spice, black tea, toasted oak, and cinnamon noes.

It’s also surprisingly not an incredibly hot drink, even though it clocks-in at over 117 proof.

5. Bluegrass Blue Corn Limited Edition Bottled-In-Bond

Bluegrass is a distillery in the unassuming outskirts of Lexington. They’re getting ready to make a large transition to a new and awesome location that’ll give them more room to expand and grow.

But, don’t let their size fool you. Their pours are already big on flavor.

They have new single barrel releases that are in the works, like toasted oak and re-finished barrel double-casking, but their regular lineup is great as well.

However, their blue corn bottled-in-bond release really took us for a loop.

It’s the same mash bill as their traditional release. It’s batched the same way. But, the flavors couldn’t be more different. It’s insane how one small tweak like the type of corn you use can so drastically alter the finished product.

I mean, we know that’s why single barrels are so popular (which you can find us discussing in another article by clicking here), but it’s still sometimes shocking when you actually set two bottles side-by-side and blind taste them.

The nose is full of a toasted corn-meal, charred oak, baking spice, and lilac tea.

The palate is baked corn muffin, caramel popcorn, charred oak, smoked black currants, baking spice, and cinnamon.

It’s a really unique pour!

Greg Sinadinos( CEO / Head Author )

Greg Sinadinos started his spirits journey writing a whiskey periodical for Fine Tobacco NYC Magazine. He began answering review requests under a social media page he named “Whiskey Culture,” which quickly merged with Greg’s passion for connecting with others and his interest in history.

Today, Greg travels the country not just looking for great whiskey, but also exploring the history and individuals that the whiskey community is founded upon. He has authored “Whiskey History From Around The World” and is the host of “The Rickhouse” web series.

Guidance Whiskey and community are two things that are inseparable. It’s something they can’t go without and it’s something we can’t express enough. The very foundation of Guidance Whiskey is built upon community and it serves as a guideline for the company’s growth.

Whether you’re just now getting into whiskey, or you’re a veteran of the spirit, you should know that this is a spirit to share. Something that inspires a sense of comradery and can bring people together to share some great times and stories. It may be the alcohol kicking in and loosening up the atmosphere and inhibitions but we like to think that there’s some magic that comes along with whiskey. Guidance takes ahold of that magic and harnesses its power for bettering the community.

This month we had the pleasure of holding an event with Guidance Whiskey and seeing that magic happen first-hand.

Guidance and Whiskey Culture held an event together at The Standard in Nashville. We taught their members the standard process on how to taste and assess whiskey, as well as a brief overview of whiskey’s illustrious history.

Jason Brings People Together

The mastermind behind Guidance, Jason Ridgel, was there with his usual force of presence. Jason is a community leader. At this event, it was on full display as Jason had people from all professions and walks of life in attendance. From doctors, to entrepreneurs, to philanthropists, Jason has an incredible group of people surrounding him.

And, who could blame them?

Jason is a larger-than-life individual who constantly has his love of life, people, and community on full-display. And, as our event continued, you could see both old friends and new faces break into smiles around him.

The event participants were each given a dram from the last of our Whiskey Culture Private Pick (Batch 1) for the pre-event social.

After, we gathered everyone in the event space and Jason introduced everyone while pouring out glasses of guidance for everyone to use while we went through our presentation.

As a tradition, Jason has a pre-cheers ritual that truly is emblematic of his approach to life. Summed up, it appreciates the people we love, welcomes new people into our community, tells us to ignore the haters, and have a great time enjoying whiskey with friends.

It’s a pre-libation tradition we can completely empathize with and absolutely love.

Tasting Guidance Whiskey

When it came to the tasting, we discussed the four stages of a whiskey tasting: appearance, nose, palate, and finish.

We walked through the standardized terminology for things like the whiskey’s appearance, taught how to nose the whiskey and shared some common notes and indicators from the whiskey.

We did, however, mess with our audience a bit when it came to the palate.

When we threw a fake tasting note of “green apple” in that none of us had ever gotten, things got funny. When we casually dropped that we tasted green apple and asked everyone to express what they were tasting, many noted the green apple. We used that as a teaching tool to discuss suggestibility in tasting.

Many people will not get certain notes in whiskey until they’re told those flavors are there. Our brain has an incredible ability to place scents and flavors at the mere suggestion of them. When we did that exercise, many said they had been influenced by who they were discussing the notes with.

Whiskey is one of those truly communal things. Not only is it fun to try whiskeys with our friends, but our tasting notes become a culmination of those we’ve drank with. Sometimes there’s notes that can be hard to place, and someone will make that perfect reference we carry with us. These, in turn, become part of our vocabulary and part of our assessments.

Guidance had a common theme with the tasters: bright, sweet, and easy to drink.

It was a great crowd, and we loved meeting so many new friends in the Nashville area. It was awesome to see Guidance’s community pull on full display.

We’re looking forward to doing another event with them soon!

Orion Brader( Production Manager )

Orion has been friends with Greg since their high school days.

His love for whiskey grew as he tried different pours Greg was reviewing for Whiskey Culture. And, when Whiskey Culture began traveling around the country, he went with them to document their whiskey expeditions.

Orion now works full-time for Whiskey Culture managing our production schedule and ensuring the quality of our content. He oversees our contributor program, and can be found alongside Greg during their trips to Kentucky either behind the camera, or behind a glass of fine whiskey after a long day of shooting footage.

The term “single barrel” has been thrown around quite frequently in modern whiskey times. It became a huge craze over the past decade and shows no signs of declining in popularity. You may know it by its other monikers such as, “store pick” or “private barrel”. But what does it mean for a whiskey to be a barrel pick?

Defining a Single Barrel

In its simplest terms, it means just what the name implies. Somebody picked that particular barrel out of all the others. People love whiskey and the process of picking a barrel adds a whole new aspect of personalization to the experience. The process of selecting a barrel varies from distillery to distillery. Some have you come into their tasting room and have an elegant display of already poured glasses in a row ready for your tasting. Others take you into the rickhouse, drill a hole in the barrel, hold a glass up to that stream of golden goodness and sample it straight out of the barrel.

To fully realize and express the possibilities and uniqueness of a barrel pick, let’s first take a brief look at the aging process whiskey undergoes.

How Whiskey Changes as It Ages

Aging whiskey is equal parts science and art. It’s something that can be regulated and measured until you’re blue in the face. Even after all that effort you often end up with two completely different finished products. No two barrels of whiskey are identical.

But, why?

Quite simply, it’s all the small variations that take place during the journey a single barrel of whiskey goes through. A barrel may have been charred for just a moment longer, resulting in more carbonized wood. And, fire isn’t uniform, so the heat distribution is different. The barrel could have a different chemical makeup, even if it’s from the same tree since their growth isn’t symmetrical.

When the whiskey is in the barrel, where it’s placed in a rickhouse can drastically change the finished product.

If you’re closer to a window, there’s more fluctuation in the temperature, and wind, rain, and pressure can more readily alter the way the whiskey breathes in the barrel.

As you can see in the picture in this section, these two barrels are from the same warehouse, the same age, and the same kind of whiskey. However, the barrels look very different due to their placement in the warehouse. These changes compound the whiskey’s changes over the years, leading to very different end products.

These differences lead to nearly endless possibilities when selecting one particular barrel. Many brands you’re familiar with may blend hundreds of barrels together to try and mitigate these differences to make their product more consistent. However, whiskey enthusiasts around the world will forego that consistency in search of something truly unique. This is why the single barrel has become so popular as of late, and why most distilleries now offer robust single barrel programs.

One of our partners, Rabbit Hole Distillery is jumping into the mix with their very own barrel pick program.

Rabbit Hole Distillery has just recently launched a very limited single barrel program. Their first release featured the palate of Fred Minnick, one of the most well-known names in whiskey today.

They featured incredible labels with art inspired by “Alice In Wonderland.” A perfect selection as they yet again travel down another rabbit hole, this time in the form of a single barrel program.

These labels were designed by renown watercolorist and fashion illustrator Kasiq Jungwoo Lee. And the labels turned out absolutely amazing.

One of the other amazing things is that these single barrels are at cask strength in all of their high-proof glory.

We absolutely love cask strength expressions here at Whiskey Culture because you get to see exactly what happened to that whiskey right at the end of its journey. You get to see how nature shaped the whiskey without water altering it’s content.

That isn’t to say that proofed-down whiskey isn’t amazing, but there’s just something about cask-strength that we really appreciate.

And, we’ve had some of Rabbit Hole’s expressions right out of the barrel, and they are absolutely phenomenal! One of the things that people may not realize is that some higher-proof expressions can actually be sweeter and easier to drink. Sometimes even more than when they’re watered down (provided you can stomach a more punchy product). Sometimes high proof whiskey can be just as accessible as lower proof entries, and Rabbit Hole’s barrel strength expressions don’t disappoint!

If you find one, run, don’t walk, to the register because you are going to WANT to try these.

You can learn more about Rabbit Hole’s single barrels by clicking here. And, if you want to see Rabbit Hole’s episode of “The Rickhouse,” you can click here!

Orion Brader( Production Manager )

Orion has been friends with Greg since their high school days.

His love for whiskey grew as he tried different pours Greg was reviewing for Whiskey Culture. And, when Whiskey Culture began traveling around the country, he went with them to document their whiskey expeditions.

Orion now works full-time for Whiskey Culture managing our production schedule and ensuring the quality of our content. He oversees our contributor program, and can be found alongside Greg during their trips to Kentucky either behind the camera, or behind a glass of fine whiskey after a long day of shooting footage.