Nikka Whisky from the Barrel
Nikka Whisky was launched in 1940. Nikka is short for Nippon Kaju, slightly shortened from Dai Nippon Kaju or “The Great Japanese Juice Company”, the name of the corporation Masataka Taketsuru founded in 1934 after returning to Japan from Scotland and leaving Suntory after a decade to form his own business. This company sold apple products at first, while the whisky aged. Today, the brands produced under the Nikka umbrella come from the Miyagikyo and Yoichi distilleries primarily if they are made in Japan. The Nikka Whisky from the Barrel is made from a blend of 100 different batches of malt and grain whiskies to integrate the flavors and bottled at what is believed to be an ideal proofage.
Cowboy Country Gold Spur
We are in a renaissance of whiskey right now in almost any country, sometimes on multiple levels at once. For an example of this, one need look no further than Cowboy Country Distilling. When Tim Trites began distilling in 2015 and opened to the public on Valentine’s Day 2018, he did so as someone who had already spent decades in the industry at a major spirits company, after obtaining a master’s in chemical engineering. Whiskey, the magic of mixing science and art. Cowboy Country is a second act of sorts for Tim, as he is able to specifically make exactly the kind of spirits and liqueurs he’s always wanted to using narrow cuts to get the exact expression he’s looking for. The Gold Spur is a corn whiskey with a mash bill of corn, oats and millet. Like all Cowboy Country spirits, all the ingredients are from Wyoming and it is gluten free.
Jura 10 Year
Jura distillery is a seeming cat of a distillery, founded in 1810 and possessed of nine lives, or at least a timeline of eight owners. The last major rebuild of the distillery was in 1963, from whence it has been producing a variety of single malts. The island of Jura is very difficult to reach, with the distillery being one of the few actual businesses on it (one road, one pub, one distillery). With approximately 200 Diurachs – the Gaelic name for the inhabitants – living on the island, most everyone there knows someone who works at Jura. In 2018, the complete core line of Jura was retired as the distillery decided to move in a new flavor direction. The Jura 10 is the cornerstone of that relaunch, aging in ex-bourbon barrels before being finished for an undisclosed time in ex-Oloroso sherry casks.