than 1,000 whiskey labels from around the world . What do guests prefer these days ?

“ At [ our ] restaurants — Group Therapy , Dragonfly and Monarch — we focus on offering whiskeys that undergo a second maturation and feature unique finishing barrels ,” says Dakota Marchio , director of food and beverage at Hotel ZaZa . “ Many of these distinctive finishes are limited edition and difficult to find in retail , making our selection something they truly can ’ t experience elsewhere .”

“ For private tastings , my friends enjoy collecting limited annual releases and creating a vertical tasting to compare how different years have developed ,” Marchio adds . “ For on-premise tastings , consumers are often eager to explore a brand ’ s portfolio and taste a wide range of flavors that can come out of a single producer .”

That said , on-premise operators have also noticed a shift in consumer behavior .

Alex Guerra is COO of Breakwater Hospitality Group , which is behind JohnMartin ' s in Coral Gables , FL . JohnMartin ' s has more than 400 whiskeys on the menu . “ You know , the market ’ s still strong , but people are definitely being more thoughtful about what they ’ re buying ,” says Guerra . “ It ’ s like when a regular comes in and knows exactly what they want — there ’ s less impulse and more intention . They might not be buying as much , but when they do , they ’ re going for the good stuff . They want something that ’ s worth their time and money , which I totally respect .”

“ Of course , with the economy being what it is , everyone ’ s keeping an eye on prices , but I wouldn ’ t say folks are cutting back in a big way ,” he adds . “ However , I ’ ve noticed that people aren ’ t experimenting with high-end whiskeys as much as they used to . Instead , they ’ re looking for small-batch , lesser-known whiskeys that offer the same taste profiles as select high-end options but at a more approachable price .”

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Josh Wortman of Distill Ventures , authors Noah Rothbaum , Clay Risen and Aaron Goldfarb , and Holly Seidewand , founder of First Fill Spirits .

Even as consumers have become more selective , many distilleries have increased production . Buffalo Trace and Woodford Reserve both recently doubled their distilling capacities , just to name two leading facilities . What does this mean at retail ?

Speaking on this topic recently during an episode of our beverage magazine group ’ s podcast , On & Off , was Marty Holland , store manager of The Party Source , a 110,000−squarefoot independent beverage alcohol retailer in Bellevue , KY “ Demand is steady , products are starting to become a little bit more abundant ,” Holland says . “ For instance , the Buffalo Trace straight bourbon , that was a product we used to see on allocation once a quarter . And now we ’ re recently we ’ re starting to see it once a month , maybe even twice a month . . . We ’ re certainly seeing a trend where these products are little more widely available .”

“ Obviously every distillery has found ways to increase capacity in the last decade or so ,” he continues , “ whether that may be adding vats , building rickhouses . . . We ’ re beginning to see certainly not an end in demand but maybe an increase in supply , which certainly is welcome .”

While supply has risen , many retail stores are still burdened with an overstocked sales floor , owing to Covid-era challenges .

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