What exactly a "small batch" brand could mean is anyone's guess, but people have been guessing about it ever since they started lining up in stores to buy a bottle. What people think they know is that smaller batches require more care than larger batches and that the distiller takes more time to write descriptions and come up with names.
Although associated with blended whiskey, Canadian whiskey maintained a stranglehold on the American whiskey market for decades thanks to its popularity during Prohibition. In fact, Canadian whiskey was the best-selling bourbon in the United States from the Civil War right up to 2010.
Today its client roster ranges from Apple CEO Tim Cook, actor Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, footballer David Beckham and fashion designer Ralph Lauren, to name a few.
Cigars are increasingly recognized as artisanal products. The profit potential is huge, making this niche too enticing for many corporations to ignore. As cigar smoking becomes more familiar to this new demographic, so does the demand for novel blends. All of this is good news for the premium cigar industry...
Any long-time whisky enthusiast has witnessed the whisky boom pick up steam over the past 2-3 decades. The tried and true offerings from years past are still very popular. At the same time, a flood of new bottles from start-up distillers hit the market every year. In such a landscape, it's not surprising that many high-quality whiskeys are underappreciated. To help some of them out, we have scoured the internet for whiskies that deserve more attention, according to the most informed whisky pundits like....