dcbourbon73

Not trying to be skeptical or negative with this question, I ask it sincerely. Whiskey is sometimes described as a rare industry where corporate giants offer truly superior quality than the craft side, due to the complexities/time requirements/high costs associated with aging, batch control, etc. As a craft distiller, what do you see as the endgame for the consumer who may buy your bottle? Is the goal competing with the big guys and taking on corporate hegemony? Is it representing an area, in this case NE, through spirits? Is it being unique? Is it a sincere belief that craft bourbon can be as good as something like Booker's, since they are usually in that price range? I'd like to try more craft whiskeys, including yours, but I have never met one that wasn't young, hot, and weak, and in the words of the great George Dubya, fool me once....sorry if this question is too direct and abrasive.

Thanks for the honest and interesting answer. One of the most disturbing things about bourbon is when you find out that the hundreds of brands all come from about 6 main distilleries. I would love nothing more than the craft explosion to indeed come to fruition with maturation in the coming years as you describe so that store shelves get a bit more interesting. It's an interesting predicament for educated consumers to be in: you don't want to buy inferior products, but you also want to enable the future of the spirit and address this gaping hole between huge corporations and startups, so that maybe there are some high quality options in between. But indeed that will take a while....so in the meantime I'll do my small part by trying yours when I see it. Thanks again.

Thanks for doing this. Visited the distillery last summer and had a blast.

1) How closely does HH follow r/bourbon, if at all? Are you aware of how highly regarded Elijah Craig Barrel Proof is there?

2) What is one recent, readily available bourbon or rye (i.e. not secondary market or super $$) from a different distillery that made you say "Damn, that's good"?

If you answer, I commit to 3 fingers of Pikesville tonight in your honor.