The future looks bright in America's whiskey country

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August 8, 11:08 AM

by Charles Cowdery, Chicago Spirits Examiner

 

 

As Bruce Schreiner writes, "distillers are expanding their bourbon production and storage, and dispatching sales teams around the world, bullish for a traditionally Southern beverage gaining popularity worldwide. Surging exports, the weak U.S. dollar and rising popularity among younger Americans are driving the boom."

Virtually every producer is increasing capacity. The picture is of Jim Beam's Booker Noe Distillery in Boston, Kentucky. It's the only one of their three Kentucky distilleries that is not open to the public. That's where they're doing most of the expansion. Wild Turkey is building a second distillery exactly like the first, to double their capacity. Maker's Mark already did that, built a second distillery. They're getting started on their third. Jack Daniel's and Heaven Hill are adding fermenters. And so on and so on.

This expansion is literally unprecedented. The last time the industry grew like this is when it was getting back on its feet after World War II. The same sort of expansion is going on in Scotland. Whiskey is notoriously hard to forecast because of the long aging cycle, so at best people are cautiously optimistic.

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