They're Playing Our Song

As a devoted fan of American Whiskey, I've been watching a new trend that purists may find close to blasphemous. Distillers across the country (and the world) are blending different whiskey types to create new hybrid styles.

According to Bloomberg (please don't tell my employer that I read something from Bloomberg), the practice isn't entirely new. In the sober days of Prohibition, boozemakers running low on spirits would mix their stuff to extend their stock. Now, though, distillers are doing it on purpose.

And if I know my audience, I believe I've found the hybrid whiskey that'll soon be gracing bars across the Gheorgheverse.

Japanese spirits house Chichibu is marketing Ichiro's Malt & Grain, a blend of whiskeys from "the big five" whiskey-producing countries: the U.S., Canada, Scotland, Ireland, and Japan. Bloomberg says the $65 bottle (hard to find in the U.S. under $100, apparently) is "silky and elegant, with warming, almond-like tones and a honey-pepper finish".

Bloomberg also touts a three-decade blend from The Hilhaven Lodge (rye from the 1980s, Tennessee whiskey from the 1990s, and bourbon from the 2000s), Wild Turkey's 'Forgiven', which is 78% six year-old bourbon and 22% four year-old rye, and High West's Campfire, which includes rye, bourbon, and a bit of Scotch.

Those all sound tasty, but I think we all know what we'll be looking for at our local packie. First one to find Ichiro needs to report back to the class.