They say that if America sneezes then Europe catches a cold. If that applies in the world of whisky prepare yourself for a heavy dose of flu in the coming months.

You could make a very strong argument as to why America is currently the most exciting and dynamic whisky market right now. In fact, you could make about 500 of them. That’s the estimated number of craft distillers which have emerged in recent years and are turning the conventional world of whiskey on its head. They’re using unusual grains and woods, fiddling with distilling and maturation techniques, reassessing and reappraising American drink styles such as corn moonshine and rye whiskey, and are inventing completely new drinks.

Let’s not get too carried away here – much of the new whiskey is young, flabby, badly made and sappy – so much so that there are plenty in America who fear what damage the new guys are inflicting on the nation’s love of whisky. Much of the new whiskey can’t legally bare the name of whiskey in Europe due to the three year maturation laws.

But at the top end there is some very fine new spirit emerging, and the major drinks companies are watching and taking note. William Grant & Sons has already placed its cards on the table by investing in New York’s Tuthilltown. It’s only a matter of time before many more join the international ranks and start targeting Europe for sales – whether with a drink known as whiskey or with something bearing some other new name.

What we’re talking about here is whiskey, Jim, but not as we know it. And you don’t  have to wait for the crafting boom to reach our shores for a new wave of Americana to kick in, and for two very good reasons. First, though, a bit of context.

The biggest American whiskey – indeed, world whiskey – is Jack Daniel’s but because it goes through a process known as charcoal filtering it cannot be classed as a bourbon. Most bourbon is produced in Kentucky, though there’s no legal reason stating that it has to be. And right now Kentucky is a building site as the leading players expand to take advantage of the world boom for quality whisk(e)y. Not only that, but the craft distillers have given the big boys a proverbial kick up the backside and suddenly the giants are innovating.

Not that you’d know it here. Although The Whisky Shop offers a good range of bourbons, America hasn’t targeted Britain greatly in recent years, preferring to concentrate instead on neighbouring markets such as Canada or vibrant and expanding markets such as Australia and China.

That might be set to change, though how quickly is anyone’s guess – and the fresh assault on Britain may come from two separate and diametrically opposed sources – one aimed at the serious whisky drinker, the other at entry level.

The first is the emergence of premium bourbons enriched by special wood finishes. The best of these is Maker’s Mark 46, which receives additional maturation in casks containing staves that have been  toasted to a specific level, Woodford Reserve Double Oaked, which does a similar thing using both charred and toasted staves, and Jim Beam Devil’s Cut, which uses a water agitation process to ‘sweat out’ the bourbon absorbed in to the wood of the barrel.

Meanwhile bourbon is reaching out to younger drinkers and perhaps the cocktail market, with a range of flavoured spirits drinks, which can’t be described as flavoured whiskeys but as one industry person put it, that’s how they’re referred to by bar staff. Very sweet and easy drinking, this range includes Wild Turkey American Honey, Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Honey, Jim Beam Spiced and Jim Beam Red Stag, which is flavoured with black cherries.

I’m not a big fan of the sweeter spirits drinks but horses for courses – and given what’s happening elsewhere, these drinks have the potential to be huge. Jack Daniel’s spent an absolute fortune launching Tennessee Honey in Australia recently.

Are we next? Well watch this space.

But be sure of one thing: one way or another, the Americans are coming.

And while on the subject of American whiskey – do you know your bourbon from your Tennessee whiskey? Do you understand how bourbon’s made and what sour mash is?

If not, then join me from next Friday for a journey through the American south. I travelled through Tennessee and up to Kentucky before ending up in Canada speaking to all the whiskey makers in North America about their wonderful drink. And I filmed them answering questions about their whiskey.

The W Club will be running a nine part series of short interviews featuring the legends of American whiskey. Star names such as Jack Daniels’ master distiller Jeff Arnett, Wild Turkey’s Jimmy Russell and Jim Beam’s Fred Noe will week by week speak about one aspect of American whiskey, covering topics as diverse as charcoal mellowing and virgin oak barrel maturation.

The series starts on Friday July 20 and will run for the rest of the summer, ending with Canadian whiskey genus john Hall at Kittling Ridge just in time for the Kentucky Bourbon Festival.

Don’t miss it!

If you have a love of bourbon like I do, listen up. American whiskey is on the move again – and we could well be the ones to benefit.

We’ve heard a lot in recent months about the excellent performance of Scotch worldwide, and of how Irish whiskey is once more resurgent. There have been articles about the growth in world whisky, and even Canada is on the comeback trail.

But one major whisky market which hasn’t been bathing in the spotlight is American whiskey. My feeling, though, is that is set to change.

If we’re honest, few of us really know very much about American whiskey. We have a vague understanding of bourbon but would struggle to name three bourbon brands – and almost certainly we’d include Jack Daniels even though it isn’t a bourbon at all. If we do know it, it’s as an ingredient for cocktails or for mixing with coke. And it’s because of Jack Daniels’ dominance of the American whiskey market in territories such as the United Kingdom, perhaps coupled with the shadow of the  giant that is Scotch just up the road, that may well account for America’s half-hearted attempts to make inroads in this part of the world.

That’s a pity, because if you’re a whisky lover then there are a fair few world class bourbons that you owe yourself to try.

The good news, though, is that we may well be back on America’s radar, and over the next couple of years the USA will watch it up a gear.

Why do I think this? On Monday I was invited to address about 40 people employed by Jack Daniels in the United Kingdom and to talk to them about world whisky trends and where American whiskey fitted in. I can’t reveal any details of their internal musings but listening to them speak it became clear that they are once again viewing the UK as a lucrative market to pursue – and this from the company which already does so well here.

But their thinking didn’t surprise me because a couple of months ago I travelled through Tennessee and Kentucky and was surprised and delighted by what I found. And the JD meeting this week confirmed what I have been thinking for some time: that some time soon we’re going to have an American spirits revolution – but it may be unrecognisable to all that has gone before.

Like the rest of the whisky world, America is gearing up production to take advantage of the demand for whisky from emerging markets. Unlike Europe, though, spirits makers are not bound by rules that limit what they can and can’t do under the American whiskey moniker. For this reason they’re innovating and pushing out the boundaries. There are three distinct strands for them to pursue, and

In tomorrow’s second part of this blog I’ll outline what they are. Suffice to say, though, we’re in for exciting times ahead….

Sunday Kentucky

I admit that before yesterday Tennessee was, for me, no more than a curtain  raiser for the real business up in Kentucky. But wow, what a first day!

Tennessee is stunning. Forestry imposes itself on you like no other place I know, the tall trees lining the roads with an intensity that is almost overwhelming, every hill and valley packed tight with foliage. Rivers cut through the landscape, their banks lined with fishermen,  the waters flowing in to lakes so that you feel you are lost in the heart of Southern America. Everywhere you look nature is in control, and man exists in its grasp, little wooden shacks hugging nature so that even the pick up trucks are dwarfed by the enormity of the woodland. It’s breath taking.

And in the middle of it all is the George Dickel distillery, arguably whisky’s best kept secret. In fact it’s criminal that Diageo hasn’t done more with this brand.

It’s a small distillery – or relatively anyway – and it makes Tennessee whiskey, which is distinct to bourbon, the difference being that the new spirit is dribbled through ten feet of maplewood charcoal, taking seven days to pass though before being collected. And it’s every bit as pretty here as Maker’s or Woodford Reserve is in Kentucky.

Our lunch is superb – deep fried chicken, corn on the cob, green beans. Traditional Southern food served in an ideal Tennessee setting while wild turkeys strut around the estate.

The whole distillery tour’s a treat but the highlight comes when we discuss security of the maturation warehouses high up on the hill.

“We have 24 hour security but anyway you wouldn’t want to go up there off the path once it gets warm,” explains master distiller John Lunn.  “We have a real issue with rattlesnakes.”

Priceless.

I’ve been to Jack Daniel’s three times now but this is the first time I’ve been when it’s producing and it’s the first time I’ve had the delightfully named Chambliss Fewell as a guide. Mr Jack would have been proud. Chambliss and the distillery puts on a metaphorical firestorm for us, and the afternoon and evening turn out to be up there with my best American whiskey experiences.

The tour starts conventionally enough but Chambliss turns out to be in playful mood and boy does he deliver a tour. At Jack they spray the maplewood they burn to make the charcoal for filtering with 140 proof new make Jack ‘white dog’ – so Chambliss takes the cylinder containing the spirit and sprays it on our hands so we can taste it. We’re in money can’t buy territory.

More than 250 bags of charcoal fill each 10 feet deep container and the new spirit is dribbled drop by drop on to it. It’s an incredibly slow drip process and while there may be more than 70 containers doing the job, it defies belief that 100 million litres pass through charcoal this way each year.

And if you want statistics here’s one for you – Jack can produce 120 gallons of spirit a minute. That’s 540 litres. More than 30,000 litres an hour. Which means that in three hours – the time of an average American Football match – Jack produces more than Edradour does in a year.

If that appals you then it shouldn’t. American whiskey has even more exacting standards than Scotland does, and Jack is produced to the exact standards that everyone else in Tennessee and Kentucky does. The fact that they manage to produce, cask and mature 100 million litres a year of spirit should be admired and respected.

Chambliss is as good a tour guide as you’ll find anywhere, but master distiller Jeff Arnett raises the game again with a superb dissection of his distillery’s whiskeys. Single Barrel Jack is great whiskey, by anyone’s standards. The surprise of the night, though, is the new Jack honey liqueur – not my cup of tea at all, but a beautifully crafted product bursting with honey, pecan and hazelnut and not over-cloying at all.

Our evening ends with a meal of catfish and pulled pork and music by the excellent Kacey Smith. Years ago I used to watch acts in Northern working men’s clubs and was constantly astounded by the standard there, often unrecognised. Kacey Smith reminded me of those places.  I don’t know how she fits in to the Nashville country picture but she sings like an angel, has her own CD and, accompanied by just one very talented musician who plays guitar and mandolin, performed with aplomb in the most difficult of circumstances. Listening to her while drinking Single Barrel after a totally satisfying day is as good as it gets. Check out her website or her Android app.

Great, great day. Next stop, Kentucky. Yee, and verily ha!

Nashville Tennessee, Saturdsay April 21 8am

The first time I came to Nashville I was with a group of your bartenders  most of whom had never been to America before and were very excited.

So imagine how they felt when they arrived in the Nashville arrivals hall and the first person they saw was the legendary Ron Jeremy.

If at this point you’re saying ‘Ron who?’ then may I suggest that you are female, gay, or a liar.

Ron Jeremy is the stocky and hairy porn star who has appeared in more hardcore sex films than just about anyone else in the world, becoming a superstar more because of,  rather than despite, the fact he is nothing special to look at. The reason? Because through his actions millions of men – and it will be millions – got the idea that if he could pull a stunning leonine Amazon goddess with a figure to die for, there was nothing to stop them doing the same.

Anyway, I digress. Nashville is disappointingly quiet compared to that visit, but still a welcome relief after the soulless three hours I’ve just spent in the airport in Minneapolis St Paul’s. Big, dull and depressing, it’s the epitome of the modern international American airport. In fact it is one of life’s greatest ironies that American airports are lifeless impersonal places where you have to walk half a mile to grab a beer and the only food on offer is a burger or chicken wings with some chill sauce chucked in, or if you’re lucky an Asian bland out, and yet you can go to airports in Arabic and Muslim countries and they have amazing duty free shops, a great choice of restaurants and some kick-ass bars.

Although admittedly, no Ron Jeremy.

I’m here to write about American whiskey and to film the master distillers who make it for a series of short films to run on the The W Club site.

We’re in a very wet Nashville right now, six hours behind the United Kingdom, so it’s breakfast in the next hour and then we’re off to George Dickel and Jack Daniel’s in Tennessee today.

Over  the next few days I’ll be visiting eight distilleries, a cooperage and the Oscar Getz Museum, where the history of bourbon is on display. I’ll be tweeting regularly and blogging here, hopefully on a daily basis, depending on internet connection.

And of course I’ll be reporting back on everything news worthy that happens. Although I’m not expecting any more porn stars.

Sorry.

What I liked this week

The next issue of Whiskeria

We’ve been working hard on a new issue of Whiskeria and it’ll be hitting the stores some time around mid May – and it’s shaping up to be a cracker.

There’s a feature on our trip to Islay with international photographer Colin Prior, an interview with the whisky-loving lead singer of Swedish heavy metal band In Flames, fatherly advice and whisky picks for Father’s Day and what to do in  Britain if you’re not interested in The Olympics. There’s also a review of Ken Loach’s whisky-basd film The Angel’s Share.

The Angel’s Share

I was invited to a press screening of Ken Loach’s new film and attended with national journalists from the likes of Heat, Empire, The Telegraph. Reviews are embargoed at this point – it comes out in June – but suffice to say it will do the whisky industry no harm and it’s a delight seeing a whisky colleague in action – in this case Charlie MacLean. A review will appear here once a date is green-lighted.

New Glenkeir Treasures

One of the great aspects of The Whisky Shop offering is the opportunity to taste exclusive whiskies in store before purchasing and then buy samples in 10cl, 20cl or 50cl bottles, making quite rare whisky accessible to even the modest pocket.

The whiskies are specially selected for us and are filled in to casks in the shop, and they are uniformly excellent. The arrival of a new Treasure is always a special event and doesn’t happen that often.

The latest additions are an Isle of Jura 19 year old and a Highland Park 17 year old. The former is an oddball whisky,a subtle mix of rapier fresh and clean citrus flavours and a surprisingly subtle and sophisticated taste. The Highland Park is a treat but takes there malt in to new territory, dispensing with the balanced all rounder characteristics normally associated with the whisky  and focusing on a gritty Highland taste with grape and gooseberry in the mix.

BenRiach samples

BenRiach continues to delight and amaze and the latest batch of samples are a mix of sherry casks offerings from the mid 70s and light bourbon fresh ones from the 80s. There are a couple of peaty ones there and one or two of the very oldest have a delicious rich menthol flavour …stunning.

And finally…

I’m off to Tennessee and Kentucky for six days to interview the master distillers about American whiskey for a new video W Club series starting in May. The idea is to ask the people who make it to talk about one aspect of Tennessee whiskey and bourbon. I’ll be visiting Jack Daniel’s, Woodford Reserve, and Maker’s Mark, seeing the new facilities at Beam and the new distillery at Wild Turkey, visiting George Dickel for the first time, and going to what is described as the Bulleit Distillery even though there isn’t one.

All will no doubt be revealed. I am flying on the day the great Southern musician Levon Helm of The Band has died. I was a big fan and his death will throw a dark cloud over the visit.

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