The wind blew, and I found myself cast a thousand miles east, having been lifted from the Salt Lake Valley and its sprawling mountain roots beneath the earth, landing among Omaha, Nebraska’s rolling hills. Culture is seeded here in clumps of arbitrary districts where like-minded individuals have gathered, evolving over decades into sects that have…
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After a full day of grocery shopping and running errands, only two things remained on my list to scratch off: Haircut. Whisky. And lo, as if I had summoned a beguiling phantom by invoking its name, I found Scissors and Scotch tucked inside a quaint market where brick shops lay beneath a lucky few apartments.…
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I enjoy fine whisky and stories about fine whisky, especially when they inspire the imagination into spinning tales. Hatozaki is a renowned Japanese fine whisky that’s smooth, uses no food coloring and is pleasantly smoky and sweet. Although Hatozaki leans toward the pricier side for Japanese whisky, the combination of color and delicious flavor are…
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America is the beehive of the world. From this central hub of technology and culture, busy little bees come and go, pollinating the landscape with their talents and ideas. It’s a hive of individuals contributing to the whole. Diversity is what unites the States. Of all the spirits, gin embodies the American ideals of strength…
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Good whisky ages for years. Great whisky ages over the course of millennia. At the western edge of the windswept moors of Scotland, over white-tipped ocean waves that froth with every frigid winter’s wind, the island of Islay catches a salted mist cast by the sea. In its lowlands, primordial fields of dark earth have…
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Time is the rival that my efforts endeavor to overcome. Of the tools against age and decay, tradition is among the most effective. I sometimes view new customs, untested by the destructive rhythm of passing centuries, as a threat to the traditions that have been passed to me from my family. While time marches forward…
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There are times when symbols define who we are. Other times we seek out symbols, and people, and places, that resonate with our current values, attracting certain aspects of our own personalities. For Tyler and Outlaw Distillery, the line between symbol and persona is blurred. The romanticization of outlaws is attractive to many of us…
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King Spirits is both inspired and inspiring. The boutique distiller recently released Hope Town and Walker’s Cay, two new labels with a lot going for them and the communities they support. When I taste the smoke of the Kentucky barrels used in its bourbon, or feel the chill of the South Carolina springs in its…
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Salt Lake City is a pioneer town owing its foundation to the brave men and women who broke the trail to this fertile valley in the 1800s. But, when it comes to spirits, the land has grown into a valley of unrest. In the ides of August 2021, I visited a local distillery about 15…
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Everyone has tried hard ciders, and chances are my impressions of them are shared among many: they are a tasty novelty, and you pick up a six-pack every few months just as a change of pace or to refresh your memory of their delicious sweetness. But perhaps too sweet to consume on a regular basis.…
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