AMERICAN
Most distilleries have programs in place to create new products that won ’ t be ready for years . At Heaven Hill , for example , an innovation team meets every month to discuss what ’ s in the pipeline , what ’ s special enough to be considered for high-profile limited releases ( like the annual Parker ’ s Collection ), and what might be available as long as a dozen years away .
“ Innovation for us in this industry isn ’ t something you decide today ,” says Heaven Hill master distiller Denny Potter . “ It is a process that for one project could span decades - we ’ ve got a 27-year-old coming out this year that I doubt anyone really planned on , for example .”
Long gone are the days when distillers offered one or two expressions of a single brand , and the pace of innovation isn ’ t likely to change soon . Current American whiskey innovation evolves from a variety of steps , but the significant developments come from changes related to time , wood , ingredients , locations and blends .
The number of new American whiskey expressions has increase dramatically in recent years .
TIME IN A BARREL Most whiskey producers have long used length of time in the barrel as a way to innovate and extend interest in their brands . Lately , producers have been testing the limits of the age bourbon and other whiskies can reach and still be palatable , both from a drinkability and financial standpoint .
“ Experimenting with different age ranges tends to be a big draw for our diehard customers and whiskey collectors ,” says Wild Turkey master distiller Eddie Russell . “ With our Master ’ s Keep series , I ’ ve been able to play with whiskeys as old as 20 years . We ’ ve also released two Russell ’ s Reserve Vintages – 1998 and 2002 . Both have been extremely limited and we ’ ve already seen their retail value go up exponentially .”
Heaven Hill ’ s Elijah Craig Single Barrel , with 12- , 18- and 23-years expressions , have done well , and now the distiller is releasing a 27-year-old Heaven Hill bourbon , unusual in that the namesake brand has long been considered a value whiskey ( generally selling for around $ 10- 14 per 750-ml .). But as Heaven Hill ’ s Potter says , “ People have become disassociated from our distillery , who we are and what we make , so we wanted to educate people about who we are as a company .”
American whiskey tends to age out fast , with most distillers saying 6 to 12 years is the sweet spot . So unlike with single malt Scotch , it ’ s rare to find many over 12 years old . Beam now offers Jim Beam Signature Craft 12-year-old . But with American whiskey selling out so fast , don ’ t look for many older expressions anytime soon .
IT ’ S THE WOOD The oak barrels used to age spirits rarely receive the credit they deserve for the creation of spirit flavors , but most whiskey professionals are quick to point out that without wood , there is no whiskey as we know it .
Single barrel whiskeys were the first of the contemporary distiller ’ s innovation tools . “ To me , the single barrel style of
StateWays | www . stateways . com | September / October 2018 33