PHOTOGRAPH BY JEFF HARRIS
When Whisky Advocate published a cover story on the craft distilling movement back in 2013, there was much to talk about—smaller barrels (to age the whiskey faster), new and exciting grain varieties, experimental distilling techniques, and much more. But most of the whiskeys were still quite young, and many of today’s stars were just getting started. Thus, with some notable exceptions—like Balcones, Clear Creek, Stranahan’s, and Leopold Bros.—the buzz was more about the excitement rather than the whiskey itself. A good number of craft whiskeys simply didn’t live up to the hype, and soon the discussions of craft moved into the future tense—just wait a few years, people would say, and the quality will emerge.
Today, more than a decade later, those craft distilleries have grown to whiskey adulthood. Except for a few pioneers in the 1990s and early 2000s like McCarthy’s, Old Potrero, St. George, and some others, the big wave of openings came around 2008-2010, and so those distillers have now had about 15 years to mature their whiskeys, build inventories, and hone their skills. Creating this new world of American whiskey has required time, investment, and hard work. Not all of the craft distillers have succeeded, but others did, and in the process, they’ve helped to create a new, broader vision of American whiskey, no longer simply confined to Tennessee and Kentucky.
Right now, there are around 3,000 craft distilleries in the U.S., compared to 600 back in 2013, according to the American Craft Spirits Association (ACSA). But the ACSA defines craft distillers as producing fewer than 750,000 proof gallons a year and operating independently. A number of the distillers covered here have outgrown that definition, or were never part of it. Ken Lewis founded New Riff Distilling in Newport, Kentucky in 2014, and has long defined his company as, “an independent mid-sized major” distiller. Other famous names like Westland and Balcones, are similar. Thus, the term “craft” in some sense has become an anachronism, used only because it’s the most compact way of describing the scene.
Many craft distillers today are stocked with whiskeys aged 4-5 years and even older, often in a variety of finishing casks.
Aging and Inventory
It is generally agreed that American whiskey reaches peak maturity at between 4 and 12 years, even if there have been some stellar younger whiskeys, the 2 year old rye from Kentucky Peerless Distilling being just one example. By 2017, only about 20 craft distillers around the country had 4 year old whiskey ready to sell. Washington-based Dry Fly Distilling had six such whiskeys, and fellow Washington distiller Woodinville Whiskey was just starting to release its 5 year old expressions at that time. Kings County Distillery in Brooklyn released its first bottled in bond (4 year old) bourbon in 2016. Others included Dad’s Hat, FEW Spirits, Ohio farm-distiller Tom’s Foolery, and Laws Whiskey House. Rhode Island’s Newport Craft Brewing & Distilling was already offering an 8 year old version of its flagship Sea Fog label. Veterans like St. George Spirits had been releasing aged whiskey for some time. But in most cases, the aged volumes generally were tiny. Those rare bottles were distillery-only limited offerings. Nowadays, that’s no longer the case.
Westland’s new Cask Origin series, introduced last year, is comprised of three whiskeys with ages of 9-10 years, but Westland is similar to most craft distillers in that it doesn’t want it all to be about age. “We don’t talk about age much, because expressions like Garryana (Westland’s garryana oak-finished expression) can be so beautiful at younger ages,” says master blender Shane Armstrong. Balcones, which made its name with its Baby Blue corn whiskey (see sidebar), today has plenty of expressions in the 4-5 year age bracket. Whiskey from Iowa’s Cedar Ridge are often aged 4-5 years with some special releases aged higher at 6 years, and Balcones, which likely won’t go too deep into the aging game because of the Texas heat, released a 15th anniversary whiskey in 2023 with no age statement, but which contained whiskeys aged up to 6 years. Others, like New Riff, made a commitment to bottled in bond whiskeys from its first release in 2018, and Woodinville Whiskey was similar, vowing to age all its whiskeys at least 5 years.
Ultra-Aging, Craft Style
Lately, we’ve seen the craft world move into even older whiskeys, albeit in limited volumes. Last August, Woodinville released an 8 year old straight bourbon, whose actual age is 10.5 years, 3 years older than the flagship bourbon. Last spring, New Riff also offered a limited 8 year old version of its flagship sour mash bourbon. Maryland’s Sagamore Spirit launched a 9 year old straight rye and a bottled in bond 7 year old rye, the former being its oldest to date. In January, Colorado-based Stranahan’s released a 12 year old single malt. Dry Fly, an early investor in aged whiskeys that age-declares all its releases, counts two 9 year olds in its current portfolio—a single malt and triticale. And last year, craft whiskey independent bottler Lost Lantern released a collection of four 10 y ear old single cask whiskeys from Westland, Tom’s Foolery, Spirit Works, and New York Distilling Co.
While it might still be too early to tell, this recent spate of aged releases points to a second major phase in the development of American craft whiskey. Right now, these 8-12 year olds are as rare as the 4-5 year olds were back in 2017, but it seems very likely that in a few years, craft whiskey drinkers will see the aged releases become more widespread. The past year’s track record appears to be a look behind the curtain.
All About Revival
Of course, the whole discussion of age seems entirely too normal for this creative band of whiskey makers. From the outset, craft distillers set out not to follow the norms, instead blazing their own path and not just doing what the big guys do. It’s in choosing grains for their mashbills where craft distillers truly have separated themselves from the big distillers and established their own unique identities—often bringing back recipes and methods from long ago.
Last year, New Riff released a limited edition Ol’ New Riff bourbon and rye, voyaging into whiskey history with grains including Blue Clarage and Yellow Leaming corn, and Balboa rye, to create a whiskey that could have been made 120 years ago. This is being done all around the country. Dad’s Hat in eastern Pennsylvania is channeling the Monongahela rye tradition, while Sagamore Spirit has revived the legacy of Maryland rye. Leopold Bros. uses rye types that existed before 1920, and even had a three-chamber still custom-built, which was used to make rye whiskeys of old. Like many craft distillers, co-founder Todd Leopold had no interest in simply producing a whiskey made with modern components and ingredients.
In addition to revival, it’s often about cultivating regional identities. Nowadays nearly all of these distillers focus on bourbon, rye, and for some, single malt. Balcones has a long tradition of breaking the mold with its 59-gallon barrels, its pot distillation, and wide-ranging mashbill choices—not just Baby Blue but also Brimstone (smoked with Texas scrub oak), among others. Certainly, the Texas heat creates Texas-style whiskeys, and Mississippi’s Cathead Distillery can say the same. “We’ve released several age statements over the years that are a testament to what Mississippi heat and humidity can do for maturation, often displaying characteristics beyond their years,” says co-founder Richard Patrick. In the southwest, smoked whiskeys from Del Bac and Santa Fe Spirits unquestionably express regional identities, despite any naysayers’ doubts on the question of terroir.
There are many other examples, including the nation’s farm distillers and heirloom grains. Jimmy Red bourbon is made from a coastal South Carolina red corn variety that had nearly gone extinct, but became sought-after in the culinary world. High Wire Distilling, founded by husband and wife team Scott Blackwell and Ann Marshall, launched in 2013, using Jimmy Red as the corn for the eponymous bourbon. They’ve been part of Jimmy Red’s revival, and today the distillery has fields planted with this corn varietal that yield 1.3 million pounds annually.
Local Heroes
Using the ACSA’s numbers, some 54.5% of total craft distillery sales are accounted for by the 43 biggest distillers. By Whisky Advocate’s yardstick, which doesn’t set the same 750,000-gallon threshold, it’s likely higher than that. Many craft distillers are well on their way to taking a foothold that, if not national, certainly moves in that direction.
In January, New Riff announced that its whiskeys are now available nationwide, while Frey Ranch expanded into Colorado and Illinois, its 14th and 15th states. Watershed of Ohio is now in five states on a limited basis. Other multi-state whiskeys include Rabbit Hole, Balcones, Westward, and others. But that’s not to discount the thousands of smaller, local craft distillers that have become part of their communities, providing destination entertainment and keeping the culture of whiskey making alive across the U.S. And even among the more established players, local loyalties are strong. Ask a whiskey drinker in Arizona about Whiskey Del Bac, for example, and they’ll likely know it.
Wherever the craft movement goes from here, it has already remade the map of American whiskey, as well as its culture. Increasingly, people have learned that bourbon doesn’t have to be made in Kentucky, that single malt can be American, and can be made anywhere. It’s truly a new world of American whiskey.
Small Barrels Live On, A Little Bit
Smaller barrels were an early example of craft distillers doing things differently, the barrels’ size allowing the whiskey to age faster, though at first it was often a practical necessity. Kings County Distillery deployed 30-gallon barrels since its founding in 2010, and it wasn’t until 2019 that it was able to fill whiskey into standard 53-gallon barrels. (It still used some 30-gallon as “bridge the flavor” in the transition, the distillery says, but its inventory of smaller barrels is diminishing.
The issue of smaller barrels is also contentious. Critics say the smaller barrels make the whiskey too woody and lacking in depth. Buffalo Trace famously did some experimental batches back in 2012, using 5, 10, and 15-gallon barrels, and pronounced the results “less than stellar.” Those whiskeys were never released. But that doesn’t explain the success that some craft distillers have had with them—most notably Corsair with its Dark Rye and Triple Smoke expressions, and Balcones with Baby Blue, named for its mashbill (blue corn) and its tiny barrels (5 gallons) and very brief aging time (a year or less). Pennsylvania-based Dad’s Hat also used 15-gallon barrels for its Pennsylvania rye.
