Bourbon News for December 27, 2024

Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah! Welcome to my biweekly Distillery and Bourbon News Newsletter for December 27, 2024! I am glad you are joining me again, and I hope you had a great holiday! As might be expected, there are not many bourbon and distillery related news stories, nor new releases, this week. However, we still have some things to talk about! Without further ado, let’s get on with the newsletter!

By the way, I also have a podcast version of the newsletter! You can listen to my podcast on Apple Podcasts, YouTube Podcasts, Spotify Podcasts or find it here. The latest edition generally comes out around noon every other Friday.

Distillery & Bourbon News For December 27, 2024

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Distillery & Bourbon News For December 27, 2024

But First, Here’s What’s New on BourbonObsessed.com!

While there may not be much news this week, I do have some new reviews and a useful article about holiday bourbons. Here we go!

• In my article The 10 Best Bourbons Under $50 For Your Holiday Party I take a look at 10 reasonably priced bourbons (and a couple of ryes) that you should be able to easily find, and that your friends will enjoy. Because I focus on affordability and widespread availability, and try to include whiskeys that will be enjoyed by people of all levels of experience, the list includes mainly whiskeys from the larger distilleries. Not to say there aren’t great whiskeys from smaller distillers; there certainly are! They just don’t have as widespread availability, so are not included in this article. Read the full article here.
• Next are reviews of two Lasso Motel whiskeys. The first, Lasso Motel 18-Year American Whiskey, is a light whiskey that was distilled at MGP. It’s bottled at 121 proof, and is an enjoyable pour with the flavors and characteristics that I have come to expect from light whiskeys. The second, Lasso Motel 10-Year Single Barrel Cask Strength Rye, was also distilled at MGP. It is bottled at 122.4 proof and has similarities to MGP’s 95/5 rye. However, because of its age, the flavors are a bit more mellow and have added complexity. (American Whiskey Review, Rye Review)
• While Thomas H. Handy Sazerac Straight Rye Whiskey from the Buffalo Trace Antique Collection is one that is not readily available, it is nonetheless a delicious whiskey. This year’s release comes in at 127.2 proof, and has the bold flavors and spice that we have come to expect from this expression. (Full Review)
• Likewise, the Old Fitzgerald Bottled-in-Bond Bourbon 11 Year (Fall 2024 Release) will likely be a bit difficult to find. Nonetheless, to me, these releases are always worth the effort. This one is a nice mix of fruit, vanilla, caramel, oak and spice, albeit with a bit more oak than I would have expected. In my review, I compare it to the Spring 2024 10 Year release, and the first 11 Year Old release from 2018. (Full Review)
• Casey Jones Distillery is a craft distillery in Hopkinsville, Kentucky. They have a rich history, with their namesake, and current master distiller’s grandfather, being a famous still maker from Prohibition times. They just celebrated their 10th anniversary, and released an interesting blend of their barrel aged moonshine and their bourbon. You can learn all about it in my Casey Jones Founder’s 10th Anniversary Blend Review.

Distillery & Bourbon News For December 27, 2024

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Distillery & Bourbon News For December 27, 2024

Now, on to the news!

We’ve got a few fairly big news stories this week. Read on to learn about them all!

Bourbon and Distillery News:

• The big news is that after nearly 7 years of deliberation, The Standards of Identity For American Single Malt Whiskey were finally established by the TTB (Alcohol Tax and Trade Bureau)! This means that consumers will now know exactly what they are getting when they purchase a bottle labeled American Single Malt Whiskey. It also will lead to increased respect for the category in the rest of the world, now that it is clearly defined. You can read all about the new standards in my full article.
• There are two big lawsuits in the news. The first is that the Federal Trade Commission is suing Southern Glazer’s for illegal price discrimination. This issue has been brewing for quite some time, but the legal action is now official. The gist of the lawsuit is that the FTC claims that Southern Glazer’s gives preferential pricing to large stores and chains, which results in significant selling price differences between the large chains and the smaller local and “mom & pop” stores, putting them at a significant disadvantage. If you aren’t familiar with Southern Glazer’s Wine and Spirits, LLC, they are very large spirits distributer, accounting for up to 1 out of every 3 bottles of wine and spirits sold in the U.S, by some estimates. So, this lawsuit could have tremendous repercussions, if it is successful. Read the full article here.
• The second big lawsuit is a class action lawsuit against MGP. For those not familiar with MGP, they are a significant producer of distilled spirits, supplying a wide variety including bourbon and rye whiskey, vodka, and gin to other distilleries and spirit brands. In addition to producing spirits for others, MGP also owns and markets its own brands, such as George Remus Bourbon and Rossville Union Rye, and owns Lux Row Distillers. The gist of this lawsuit alleges that MGP misrepresented the level of demand for their spirits, as well as the amount of their inventory. They said demand was high and their inventory was appropriate for demand, when in fact there had been a slowdown in consumption and alleged oversupply in their products. MGP also said that it had already taken steps to mitigate the effects of the changing market conditions, and had positioned itself differently than its competitors, when it allegedly had not. You can read all the details in my full article. In related news, MGP has recently announced top leadership changes, as well.

Distillery & Bourbon News For December 27, 2024

Well, that’s it! There really aren’t any new releases this week, so we’ll end a little early. I hope you have enjoyed this week’s Bourbon News! If you would like our bourbon and distillery news delivered directly to your inbox, please sign up for our newsletter here. You can also follow us on Instagram and Facebook. I hope you have a great weekend and a safe and enjoyable rest of the holiday season. We’ll see you again in two weeks! ! Cheers!🥃

If you would like to read some of my other recent newsletters, then check out my Bourbon News for December 13, 2024 and my Bourbon News for November 29, 2024. You can also head over to the Newsletter Archive to see all the prior editions.

Would you like to learn more about distilleries and bourbon? Are you planning a trip to Kentucky Distilleries? Maybe you would like to live the bourbon life vicariously through us? If any of these are true, then check out BourbonObsessed.com today!