Before we ascend the throne to master taster, this painful test of honor needs to happen. This one is championed by my buddy Lew Bryson and it’s a must. They say a taste for whiskey isn’t acquired, its earned. Very true words in my opinion. Whiskey, or any alcohol for that matter, is very difficult to taste on a professional level.
So, you have a whiskey nerd in your family or circle of friends and it’s your turn to buy them a gift this year. As simple as this may sound, the task can be somewhat daunting. It seems easy on the surface – just hop over to the liquor store and get a bottle of their favorite bourbon. Then you start thinking…
At Independent Stave Company, we feel it is necessary to be on the forefront of barrel innovation. We try our best to deliver new and innovative barrels for our distilling partners on a near constant basis. The process of developing a new type of barrel takes quite a bit of time. Before we release a new type or offer a new variation on an existing barrel, we will test the idea in what we call a commercial barrel experiment.
Sensory evaluation is one of the best parts of my job. It is as enjoyable as it is interesting and most importantly, it is absolutely necessary for quality assurance and new product introduction. Any person or any business involved with food or beverage production, whether it be alcoholic beverage production or not, should have a sensory protocol in place for evaluating experiments.
Peat is one of the more interesting ingredients in the whiskey making process. The use of peat goes back centuries when it was (and still is) used to heat homes and cook food. However, peat has carved out an interesting place for itself in the spirits world as the source of one of the most interesting and versatile flavors in the category of malt whiskey.
Peat is one of the more interesting ingredients in the whiskey making process. The use of peat goes back centuries when it was (and still is) used to heat homes and cook food. However, peat has carved out an interesting place for itself in the spirits world as the source of one of the most interesting and versatile flavors in the category of malt whiskey.
Two years ago, we began developing a new type of barrel to join our Small Batch Series called the Smoked Barrel. Using a proprietary cold smoking process, the barrel is infused with smoke from different wood species.
Here is the the fourth video in our Tasting Kit Series. This video features Chad Spalding and Andrew Wiehebrink discussing our wide variety of Finishing samples.
As coopers, we are often asked about the different char levels. Mainly, “Why are the higher char levels – Char #3 and Char #4 – the industry standard?” Much like the genesis of the charred barrel itself, there isn’t one definitive answer.
Today we bring you the third video in our Tasting Kit Series. This video features Chad Spalding and Andrew Wiehebrink discussing our Char Level samples.
ISC Barrels’ sister company, Oak Solutions Group (OSG), and customer Left Bank Distilled Spirits gave a dual presentation on how to use oak alternatives for finishing at the 2021 American Distilling Institute Conference. Here are the highlights of the presentation from OSG Oak Solutions Specialist, Amy LaHue.
Today we bring you the second video in our Tasting Kit Series. This video features Chad Spalding and Andrew Wiehebrink discussing our American Single Malt samples.
Small Batch Tasting Kitswith Chad Spalding and Andrew WeihebrinkToday we are bringing you a brand new series featuring our ISC Barrels Tasting Kits. Launched a few months ago, our tasting kits come with a variety of experiment samples for current and future customers to taste, blend and learn all about …
ISC Barrels is well known for our traditional spirit barrel, but we offer a multi-dimensional portfolio of products with the assistance of our global cooperage family. Today, we want to give you an inside look at a new, unique line of spirit barrels we can offer through one of our sister cooperages – Tonnellerie Quintessence.
It has been a long year, but here we are preparing for the second annual James B. Beam Institute Industry Conference. This year’s conference will take place March 10-12 and will be a virtual event.
ISC Barrels has recently developed a customizable tasting kit to help our current and future customers easily fine-tune their barrel choices. Through a consultation with Account Manager Chad Spalding, distillers can receive a tasting kit customized to their specific flavor goals.
Join Andrew Wiehebrink, Director of Spirits Research and Innovation, on a video tour of our ISC Research Center in Lebanon, KY.
We all like to be different, to stand out amongst the crowd and be noticed. This sentiment holds true for the beverages we choose to both consume and produce – particularly when it comes to spirits.
In 2019, ISC Barrels officially rolled out four toasted barrels in our Small Batch Series. Named after the characteristics they impart, these barrels are; Smoke 1, Spice 1, Sweet 1 and Sweet 2.
New Visitor Center Now Open at Kentucky Cooperage We have been hard at work the past few months improving our visitor experience at Kentucky Cooperage and are excited to announce that the new Visitor Center is now open. Ann Daugherty, Kentucky Cooperage Tour Guide Each year thousands of people tour …
