Monday, August 17, 2009

Craft distilling...

One of the best outcomes of the renewed interest in rye whiskey (and for that matter, boutique spirits of every sort) is the advent of craft distilling. New companies are cropping up all over the country and starting to make rye (along with brandy, vodka, and gin). The return of local liquor production in America is a welcome one, given the long history of distillates made democratically, by Americans, for Americans, before Prohibition.

To learn more, check out this article from Time Magazine (January 2008) as well as this Malt Advocate essay (February 2009) on some of the most important small craft distillers in the country.

2 comments:

DrDaRyL said...

Did you notice in the Time Mag article mention of "Square One, a California vodka made from certified organic American rye"? So, does this complicate your attitude toward vodka? Maybe we should field test this.

BTW, it's nice to have posting again. We're definitely in need of your brand of patriotism these days.

A rye-drinker said...

No, no complications in my attitude toward vodka. Vodka, because it doesn't require any aging (and because it can be made from nearly any vegetative matter) is quite popular in the craft distilling movement. Whiskey requires more capital and more patience.