“ Anyone who says he can predict what ’ s going to happen in the whiskey industry 20 years from now is crazy ,” says Wesley Henderson , co-founder / chief innovation officer of Angel ’ s Envy . Being able to guess how long the current boom for American whiskey will last and stocking up inventories , he says , is “ like throwing a dart at a wall .” But Henderson adds , “ I don ’ t think there is an end in sight right now .”

Indeed these are boom times for American whiskey makers , a golden age for brown spirits connoisseurs and an ideal opportunity for new customers to delve into the category . Producers have the enviable , yet mixed , blessing of demand outstripping supply . They are ramping up production , building new rickhouses and otherwise aiming to satisfy customers - old and new . Helping to further drive growth is a wave of experimentation with mash bills , batches and barrels .

American Whiskey and Bourbon are still on fi re .

by THOMAS HENRY STRENK

BOOM TIMES “ We ’ re seeing growth in this category like we haven ’ t experienced since the 1970s ,” says Mark Bacon , global brand director for Woodford Reserve . Brown-Forman ’ s American whiskey portfolio also includes Old Forester , Jack Daniel ’ s and Early Times .

American whiskey — bourbon , Tennessee and rye — continues to captivate U . S . consumers , with volumes up 6.8 % to 21.8 million cases and revenues up 7.7 % to $ 3.1 billion in 2016 according to the Distilled Spirits Council ( DISCUS ). “ The American whiskey trend has plenty of room for growth as the country trends back toward historic levels of whiskey consumption ,” says DISCUS chief economist David Ozgo .

“ How long will the boom last ?” is the question on the minds of producers who have to plan to meet future demand . That ’ s a long-term project , given that whiskeys need time in barrel .

“ The vodka boom lasted 30 years — that ’ s a long time

32 StateWays | www . stateways . com | September / October 2017