Whiskey Market Exploding as Makers Take Chances
Whiskey represents a quickly expanding business with a value of $65B in 2022 with estimated growth to $123B by 2032 (source: Global Market Insights) So, it stands to reason that whiskey makers are taking risks to expand their product lines. All of these new products are driving premiumization creating more options for consumers. Makers are pushing boundaries from sourcing grains to different barrel combinations and aging scenarios.
5 Sources of Flavor
Bourbon makers widely believe in a five sources framework allowing for innovation within the standard identity of bourbon. The sources include grain, water, fermentation, distillation and maturation. The common grains used in Bourbon, rye, malt and wheat whiskies have been recently augmented with oat and other grains. At Sweetens Cove in Tennessee, master blender Marianne Eaves has even combined Kentucky and Tennessee whiskeys for a unique flavor.
Craft Makers Get Crafty
Craft distillery O.H. Ingram offers the River Aged line of whiskeys which age on the mighty Mississippi River. Ingram’s uniquely aged barrels mimic the mythic Big River-aged barrels of the 1700’s which journeyed by flatboat from Kentucky down to New Orleans. The result then offered a mellowed and darker drink that kick-started Bourbon’s early popularity. Today Ingram touts the unique and expressive contact between the charred oak and the spirits yielding distinct flavors directly attributable to the river’s fluctuations in height and temperature. Adventuring further, Louisville-based Angels Envy boasts 17 different bourbon innovation projects including secondary barrel finishes.
Even Scotch Is Whiskey Making Changes
Scotch whisky distillers must abide by strict rules of local fermentation, distillation and maturation (for at least three years) yet they too have started to take chances with new alternatives to peat (e.g., heather smoke), malting, and mashing before the post-distillation process begins. Altering the number of years the selected liquids age in cask and basking in the wood and its indrink afford distinct changes in the final flavors. These manipulations greatly resemble the experiments undertaken centuries ago with madeira, sherry, claret, rum and brandy and port casks. Now the list extends to mizunara, mezcal and beyond.
Tequila Too
According to IWSR (in August 2022) Tequila makers are experimenting across blanco, reposado, añejo and cristalino products with innovative distillation and maturation techniques. These include using red wine barrels, and even a long-lost Hispanic-Peruvian method of distilling with live yeast.
How Brindiamo Works with Brands and Distillers
As experimentation and innovation in the spirits industry continues to drive sales, many distilleries and brands worldwide are turning to Brindiamo Group to source the liquid they seek. We have one of the largest inventories of liquid aging in barrels with dedicated rickhouses in Kentucky and Ireland. Brindiamo provides logistics, and reliable quality in premium liquids which uniquely positions the company to continue to offer its clients the ability to bring new and exciting products to market. Reach out to Brindiamo Group today to learn more.