Steve Coomes, Author at The Whiskey Wash

By Steve Coomes / June 2, 2020

If running a craft distillery wasn’t flat-out-friggin’ hard enough, the economic shutdown in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic has made it much worse.

Opinion: Alcohol Has Shifted From Sin To Essential To ‘Essintial’

By Steve Coomes / April 29, 2020

So why, after enduring Prohibition, is beverage alcohol so essential to our nation’s well-being amid a catastrophic health crisis of all things?

Opinion: Coronavirus Tests Resolve Of Kentucky Bourbon Way Of Life

By Steve Coomes / March 19, 2020

The coronavirus pandemic is causing chaos to the Kentucky bourbon way of life as distilleries shutter visitor centers and bars and restaurants shut down.

Opinion: When Nice Bourbon Guys Finish First

By Steve Coomes / February 25, 2020

When news spread that Four Roses’ Brent Elliott was awarded Master Distiller/Blender of the year at the 2020 Icons of Whisky America ceremony on Feb. 11, the industry shared a collective smile.

Opinion: ‘Rapid-Aged’ Whiskey Is A Hard ‘No’ For Me

By Steve Coomes / January 29, 2020

A falsehood embraced by some distillers is the peculiar idea that they can “rapid age” their whiskey using small barrels, oak chunks and/or chips suspended in the maturate, and other secret mechanical processes.

Kentucky Is An Unrivaled Place To Experience Bourbon

By Steve Coomes / October 9, 2019

If you haven’t been to Kentucky for a serious bourbon culture immersion, here’s what you’re missing.

‘Little Book’ Writing Big Chapter In Freddie Noe’s Jim Beam Career

By Steve Coomes / September 3, 2019

For Jim Beam, the nickname Little Book is marketing gold. Coming from a grand sire as well-known as Booker, such a sobriquet is destined to become a brand. In this case, a brand of mingled whiskeys created by his grandson.

Kentucky Whiskey Bar To Feature ‘At Least 1,200-Item’ Whiskey List

Whiskey Bars

By Steve Coomes / August 1, 2019

A small western Kentucky city is set to have a whiskey bar open this fall that will have on its shelves 1,200 to 1,600 unique American whiskey labels ranging from unicorns to dusties to modern rarities and value pours.

Be Kind To The Whiskey Tater, Not A Tater Hater

By Steve Coomes / July 1, 2019

Two words used often in whiskey social media are “hater” and “tater.” What am I talking about?

Doubled Capacity, Infinitely Blendable Maturate Give Four Roses Many Options

Distillery Profiles

By Steve Coomes / April 30, 2019

Make no mistake, Small Batch Select is Four Roses through and through, but at midpalate it delivers herbal notes and spice like no other in the line.

Lots of ‘New to Do’ on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail