11 American Whiskey Trends in 2022
" More and more bourbon consumers are making the pilgrimage to Kentucky ." —
Caroline Paulus , Justins ' House of Bourbon
2 ) ‘ Sourced Whiskey ’ is Sought After
Not long ago , words like “ sourced ” and “ MGP ” were vulgar terms . Looked down upon in whiskey culture . Not anymore . In a 180-degree turn , consumers now hunt down brands that source good whiskey . People now know that “ MGP ” and other sourcing houses mean “ quality ,” which in turn has fueled a rise in new brands .
“ Sourced whiskey is a necessity for young brands ,” says Mike Montgomery , CEO and cofounder of Blue Run Spirits , which launched in 2020 with several sourced offerings . “ It fills a void while the distillate we ’ re distilling becomes mature .”
Handled properly with transparency and creativity , sourced whiskey has proven a popular product .
“ There are creative approaches that companies like Blue Run can take on sourced whiskey that the distilleries themselves might not ,” Montgomery says . “ For instance , we launched a 13-year sourced bourbon at 113 proof . You ’ d be hard-pressed to find a distiller proofing those bottles anywhere above 95 proof .”
A big part of the backlash against sourced brands years ago was a distaste for any dishonesty about where the product was distilled . Modern brands now know better .
“ We ’ ll be as transparent as we can legally be ,” says Montgomery . “ We can ’ t disclose the exact distillery it came from , or sometimes even the mash bill . But on our most recent release , we could disclose the mash bill . That was a first for us .”
Penelope Bourbon is another fast-emerging sourced brand . Again , transparency is at the heart of their operations .
“ We only work with MGP , and they ’ re great partners and mentors ,” says Penelope CEO and Co-founder Michael Paladini . “ We ’ ve got nothing to hide . These people make great whiskey . We look at this as an advantage , not a negative .”
Like Blue Run , Penelope is creative with products they source . “ We always wanted to be viewed as blenders ,” Paladini explains .
“ We ’ ve tried to put our own spin on what we ’ re doing with the MGP juice . When you can take good juice and give it a unique profile , that ’ s how you build a strong brand .”
3 ) Whiskey Consumers Grow Smarter
Consumer knowledge of whiskey has never been higher .
For everyone who doesn ’ t understand the difference between “ bourbon ” and “ whiskey ,” there ’ s now another who can name and describe each Four Roses mash bill . Stuck at home during the pandemic , whiskey fans studied like prepping for a final exam in bourbon . Their enthusiasm for fine details is unprecedented .
“ I think it ’ s fantastic . There ’ s so many avenues now for people to learn from : YouTube , podcasts , social media , magazines ,” says Paulus of Justins ’ House of Bourbon . “ More and more bourbon consumers are making the pilgrimage to Kentucky . They come in ready to learn , and they ’ ve already learned so much .”
4 ) Whiskey Tourism Explodes
Want to know how much longer is left in our current whiskey golden age ? Look to Louisville . The number of new distilleries has grown exponentially , while existing producers have enhanced their tourism capabilities considerably . During the lockdowns of 2020 , Buffalo Trace tripled the size of their visitor center . Heaven Hill snipped the opening ribbon on their own $ 19-million visitor center expansion this summer .
Even during these later stages of the pandemic , people have flocked to Kentucky for distillery tourism . Louisville and Bardstown have become the new Napa and Sonoma valleys . The Kentucky Bourbon Trail expands continuously . Visitors pack into buses that stop at nearly every distillery . Bachelor and bachelorette parties crowd Louisville bars . Business is booming .
“ Kentucky is within a day ’ s drive of a huge portion of the U . S .,” Paulus points out . “ Whiskey tourism was exploding for us before the pandemic . We had guests coming from all over the world . And we ’ ve bounced back , stronger than ever . I ’ ve seen huge numbers of people rolling through . It ’ s crazy how many people come to Kentucky and want to buy a bottle of bourbon — or 20 or 30 bottles .”
Of course , American whiskey also attracts strong tourism beyond the meccas of Kentucky , Indiana and Tennessee .
“ Whiskey tourism will continue to grow ,” says Paul Hletko , founder and distiller at craft pioneer Few Spirits , in Evanston , IL . “ Something about whiskey gets people really excited to learn more about it . And there ’ s no better way to learn than to see it firsthand , smell the stills and understand where the products come from .”
“ Whiskey is a story in a glass ,” he adds . “ Whiskey can transport you to a different place , and that inspires people to dive deeper .”
5 ) More Barrel Finishing
With so much demand for American whiskey , brands have expanded their lines through barrel finishing . These different takes on a distillery ’ s core products provide what consumers crave most : variety .
However , many distillers and blenders do urge caution about over-innovation through finishing . You can risk turning away customers with too many different options , as happened in craft beer
26 StateWays | www . stateways . com | Fall 2022