"The world has changed. At Redemption we couldn't make enough but now there's a lot of whiskey out there," said Dave Schmier, with beautiful understatement. "Even when we didn't have to export, we did," he continued which, in retrospect, turns out to have been a wise decision.
"There's a lot of whiskey out there," Dave Schmier, Proof and Wood
I met Schmier at the third edition of The House of U.S. Spirits, a Shoreditch event organised by DISCUS (Distilled Spirits Council of the United States). He was there with independent bottler Proof and Wood, which he founded in 2015 after leaving Redemption Distilling. The event brought together the best in American whiskey, from big names such as Woodford Reserve and Maker's Mark to minnows like Hush & Whisper, whose founder John Clanton was conducting the brand's first ever tasting outside of Texas.
The silver lining to the current oversupply cloud is that Britain is getting a lot more of the very best American whiskey. In 2024 Buffalo Trace opened what they call a ‘distillery’ in Covent Garden though no actual distilling takes place on the premises. I visited last year and was treated to whiskeys I'd only ever seen photos of, like Pappy Van Winkle and George T. Stagg. Americans never had to do this sort of thing before because domestic demand was so strong. As Clanton put it: "except Jack Daniel's, American whiskey is not an export industry."
Joel Matticks from DISCUS is changing that perception. Since 2003 the USDA (the United States Department of Agriculture) has been funding MAP, the Market Access Program, to help push whiskey abroad such as in the EU, “by far the biggest market”, and Britain.
John Clanton from Hush & Whisper - the brand's first tasting outside of Texas
The House of U.S. Spirits event was packed with a young, noisy crowd, so different from the hushed reverence you get at Scotch whisky events. There were western-style hats, including one sported by one bearded backwoodsman who turned out to be the thoroughly English Dave Worthington from Master of Malt. He was representing Brother Bond, nothing to do with 80s boy band Brother Beyond, it's a bourbon brand from Ian Somerhalder and Paul Wesley, the stars of The Vampire Diaries.
Worthington thinks American whiskey is still something of a mystery over here. While most drinkers will have some inkling of what a single malt is, "people don't know what 'straight bourbon' or 'bottled in bond' mean." Then there are the names: while some refer to a distillery, like Jack Daniel's or Woodford Reserve, many are brands that might source their whiskey from somewhere else. It can all be a bit confusing to people brought up on Laphroaig or Balvenie.
Then there's the big orange elephant in the room. Thankfully the threat of a return to the tit-for-tat tariff wars of recent years has receded but anything is possible with Trump in the White House. He single-handedly managed to alienate Canada, formerly a massive market for American spirits. Matticks was diplomatic, as you might expect when I brought up the subject, "politics doesn't change what we do."
Forget the news, America has an ace up its sleeve when it comes to selling whiskey: cocktails. Classic drinks like Manhattans, Old Fashioneds and Boulevardiers were originally made with rye or bourbon. Scots and Irish are doing their best to muscle in but most people associate cocktails with good ol’ American whiskey.
And while there's worry about young people's drinking habits, the younger generations do enjoy a good cocktail of an evening. No wonder Matticks is aiming his work at bartenders, turning them into ambassadors who can do the explaining to the general public. He puts on events around the country in big cities such as Leeds and Bristol. While American whiskey nomenclature can be confusing, it's not hard to understand in the glass. With their big, crackling flavours of spice and sweetness, American whiskeys are very user-friendly.
Andrew Meisner - representing the new official federal standard for American single malt whiskey
There's more to America than just rye and bourbon, however. In December 2024, the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) finalised an official federal standard for American single malt whiskey, which took effect in January 2025. Representing the category was Andrew Meissner, chief commercial officer at Virginia Distillery Co.
The company was founded by an Irishman, using Scottish equipment and a Scottish consultant, the late Jim Swan, but the end product couldn't taste more American. These are Mack trucks of single malts. The extremes of the Virginia climate mean that the standard bottlings, which are six years old, have the flavour of much older whiskies. They say one year in Virginia or Kentucky is worth three in the dreich of Scotland.
Virginia's entry-level Blue Ridge will set you back just £50. Most American whiskey also tends to be good value. Yes, the posh stuff can be silly money and best left to the bourbon bros but lower down the price scale, America offers a remarkable amount of ‘bang for your buck’ or ‘bosh for your dosh’ as they say in the East End. Get stuck in.
Five great American whiskeys to try
The event was very different from the hushed reverence you get at Scotch whisky events!
Angel's Envy Bourbon
This brand from the Louisville Distilling Company pioneered cask finishing in bourbon. It spends 4-6 years in new oak, followed by a minimum of 6 months in a port cask. Bottled at 43.3% ABV.
On the nose you get a varnish note, which to me always screams bourbon, but there's also dark cherries. Take a sip and it's decidedly fruity, with strawberries, orange peel and a fresh floral note. Very graceful.
Rabbit Hole Heigold Straight Bourbon
Part of the Pernod Ricard empire, this is made with 70% maize, 25% malted rye, and 5% malted barley, and bottled at 47.5% ABV.
Using malted rye is unusual and gives it a delicious toasted-cereal edge, combined with toffee, orange peel, cinnamon and black pepper. It's spicy but also smooth as hell. Great sipping, sorry, sippin', whiskey.
Virginia Distillery Co. Cigar Blend
A vatting of malt whiskies aged wholly in a wide variety of casks, including sherry, port, STR (shaved, toasted and re-charred), armagnac, Château Palmer and Islay whisky casks. Bottled at 54% ABV.
The smell is quite something with treacle, molasses, honey and tobacco. But you ain't seen nothing yet until you take a sip. This is a whiskey you can chew on. Jesus H. Christ. You've never had anything like this before. In a good way.
Proof & Wood Tumblin' Dice Single Barrel Rye, Apple Brandy Cask
So called because of the luck of the draw when buying casks. "We don't know what it's going to taste like until we open it," Schmier explained. This was sourced from MGP (Midwestern Grain Products in Lawrenceburg, Indiana), finished in Laird's apple brandy casks and bottled at 59.65% ABV.
Big fruity nose with apples and blackberries, hazelnuts and ginger. Despite its massive alcohol content, this is surprisingly sippable. The sweetness of the apple works beautifully with the big spices. Magnificent!
Hush & Whisper Single Barrel Rye
Distilled in Bryan, north of Houston, this won America's Best Single Barrel Whiskey at the 2026 American Distilling Institute (ADI) awards. It's aged for only two years, which is fine in the US, but in the EU and Britain, whiskey must be aged for at least three years to carry the name. Bottled at 50% ABV.
Cinnamon, ginger and aromatic Dr Pepper-like notes on the nose. On the palate, this is big and hugely spicy, with a lovely balancing sweetness. It's a little young and raw, but all the more appealing for that. Huge fun.
