George Washington Rye Whiskey named Virginia’s official spirit

Who says the government can’t get anything meaningful accomplished? Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe signed into law this week SB1261, which designates George Washington Rye Whiskey—produced at the restored late-eighteenth-century-style George Washington Distillery at Mount Vernon—as the Commonwealth’s official “state spirit.” Virginia State Senator Adam P Ebbin of Alexandria (my current stomping ground!) sponsored the bill.

Kings County Distillery Releases Bottled-in-Bond Bourbon

Now here’s a pretty pioneering move for a craft spirits outfit. New York City’s Kings County Distillery has become one of the rare craft distillers to join the exclusive Bottled-in-Bond club with the release of its own Bottled-in-Bond Bourbon, available in allocated quantities in New York, New Jersey, Maryland, DC, Delaware, Kentucky and Tennessee.

Brewers Association releases annual Top 50 Breweries list

The Brewers Association (BA) has just released its annual rankings of the Top 50 Craft Breweries and Top 50 Overall Breweries in the U.S. Of the Top 50 Overall Breweries, 40 meet the BA’s definition of “craft brewer.” Not a ton of surprises this year, other than the fact that Duvel Moortgat USA has shot up…

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Eastside Distilling Gets the MotherLode

Some big news coming out of the PDX craft distilling scene today… Portland, Ore.’s Eastside Distilling, Inc. has announced the acquisition of MotherLode Craft Distillery, a Portland-based provider of bottling services and production support to craft distilleries. Since its founding in 2014 by Allen Barteld, the mission of MotherLode has been to enable craft distillers to increase…

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House Spirits taps Lost Lake, Multnomah Whiskey Library vets for national team

Some news from our friends at House Spirits Distillery in Portland… House Spirits Distillery, now celebrating more than a decade as a leader of America’s craft distilling community, welcomes two industry-leading talents to its roster of dedicated brand educators: Erin Hayes, rum aficionado and former Bar Manager of the award-winning tropical bar Lost Lake in…

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