New York State’s Burgeoning Whiskey Appellation, Empire Rye

A robust designation of distillery and spirit standards

The concept of Empire Rye solidified in 2015 thanks to the efforts of six New York State craft distilleries. Today, the designation embodies several rigorous standards that aim to elevate an entire regional whiskey style and signify to consumers what’s in a bottle. More than a dozen distilleries have pledged to commit throughout 2019 and 2020, joining nine current producers. And this is just the …

Cloudy Bay’s New Cellar Door, The Shed

The winery recently opened a new visitor center in Central Otago, surrounded by stunning South Island scenery

“Getting the understanding of the landscape and the people in the place—that informs how we make the wines. It’s very much about the place,” says Jim White, Cloudy Bay‘s Technical Director. Unlike wine made in many other places around the world, limited to a specific vineyard or region, Cloudy Bay takes advantage of two of New Zealand‘s famous wine regions: Marlborough (in the northeastern tip …

The Spirit of Experimentation: Westward Whiskey

We tour the brand’s facilities in Oregon

Straight ahead, through the front doors of Westward Whiskey‘s new distillery, there are dozens of bottles in varying shapes and sizes with an assortment of labels tucked into a glass case. These are the Portland brand’s archive bottles, stretching back to when they were originally founded in 2004 as House Spirits Distillery. There’s a small-batch bourbon whiskey, an original version of Krogstad’s Aquavit, an Oregon ouzu, …