Jamaica Rum Diary

In January, Jamaican rum producer Appleton Estate officially opened the Joy Spence Rum Experience at its distillery in St. Elizabeth, on Jamaica’s south coast. The new visitor center is named for Appleton Estate’s legendary master blender (who makes a brief cameo in this video). I was fortunate enough to be able to escape the cold…

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Anchor Distilling changes its name to Hotaling & Co.

Last August, Sapporo Holdings Limited acquired Anchor Brewing Company, and although Anchor Distilling was not part of the sale, the company relinquished the rights to the “Anchor” trademark. Anchor Distilling Company has announced its next evolution. As of Jan. 31, 2018, the iconic San Francisco company has taken on a new name: Hotaling & Co….

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Virginia Distillery Co. to release 1st batch of whiskey from craft beer collaboration

Virginia Distillery Company plans to release the first batch of its Brewers Batch Virginia-Highland Whisky this week. Batch #1 was done in collaboration with Three Notch’d Brewing Company, a Central Virginia brewery. Release parties at both the distillery’s Visitors Center as well as the brewery will take place on February 10, 2018. Three Notch’d Brewing created…

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American & Irish whiskey, tequila and Cognac drive spirits industry growth

It’s always a bit like Christmas morning when the Distilled Spirits Council hosts its annual media and analyst briefing in New York. And the haul of goodies was just as bountiful this year as in past years—well, if you’re like me and you consider a year’s worth of category-specific spirits sales figures “goodies.”

The Bitter Truth re-creates the original cocktail bitters brand

The Bitter Truth announces the introduction—well, in a sense, re-introduction—of a new product, more than 150-years-old: Bogart’s Bitters. Bogart’s was the original bitters called for in the first cocktail book ever published, The Bar-Tender’s Guide: How to mix Drinks, or The Bon-Vivant’s Companion penned by Jerry Thomas in 1862. Though in Thomas’s time the brand was sold as…

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Catoctin Creek Distilling Co. expands across the U.S.

Catoctin Creek Distilling Co. announces a major expansion of the brand nationally, adding 10 new states to the distribution map for the company, growing the footprint for the company to 25 states and the District of Columbia. The craft distillery’s growth comes, in part, because of the decision by Total Wine to carry the entire line…

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