American Whiskey Magazine – May 2023
English | 86 pages | pdf | 36.98 MB
Artistic license What defines an art form? WRITTEN BY PHOEBE CALVER
As regular readers will be aware, the editor of this publication is a big fan of taking a bit (or a lot) of artistic license when it comes to the way she discusses the world of whiskey. I’ll stop writing in third person now, I promise. But back to my point: I truly believe, like many, that whiskey making is an art form, on so many levels, that transcends the liquid in the bottle.
An art form can be defined as an activity that is a medium of imaginative or creative self-expression, which
is a lovely sentiment in itself and perfectly sums up the theme of this issue of American Whiskey Magazine he 80-plus pages of whiskey wizardry that follow, the genius team of writers that we house here at the magazine have opened a window into the way that a variety of media can intertwine.
First and foremost, I am a writer, and came into this industry as such, so it makes sense that when approaching the subject of whiskey I see it as a story to be told, or a picture to be painted. Granted, I also see it as a thirst-quenching glass of liquid happiness… I’m only human and we are supposed to enjoy the spirit in all its drinkable glory.
Whether you are new to whiskey, or a may seem like a big name cashing in on a sure thing (and quite frankly, even if that was the case there’s nothing wrong with it), I’d ask you to think of it a different way and many of the articles that follow will support this. During the time that I have been speaking to distillers and co-founders and CEOs of whiskey brands, an overwhelming proportion of them have come to whiskey as their second career. It’s their passion project, something that they feel compelled to create. Do you see where I’m going here? To me, it makes complete sense that, for example, a musician who has always loved whiskey and finally has the opportunity to do something about it would set about making that love a liquid reality.
Now we’ve got that out of the way, I hope you can allow the creative juices to flow as you forge ahead into this issue.
You see, we’ve had a bit of fun here, think experimental thoughts with me. At American Whiskey Magazine we love a pairing, because why wouldn’t you want to find more ways to enjoy your latest purchase?! And with that in mind, Gabby Pharms has gathered the help of industry professionals to create a pairing that spans across the breadth of whiskey, music and film, which is quite frankly heaven if you ask me.Of course, we haven’t stopped there. In this issue Maggie Kimberl has created a virtual whiskey festival for you to enjoy, delving into the world of brands with musicians at the helm that have interwoven their musical prowess with liquid finesse.
(Ooh, she’s getting lyrical today.)
As you will have noted when you picked up this issue, our cover features some rather recognisable names in both film and whiskey: Melissa McCarthy, Ben Falcone, Mel Heim and, of course, Big Nose Kate. The last name on that list is a woman that many would recognize, but may not have heard of. It’s a strange concept, but as the Big Nose Kate Whiskey trio tell her story you will begin to understand. The brand itself was a lockdown baby during the first wave of Covid in 2020, so it is quite something to see how it has developed and how the three of them are working together to tell the story of the woman and the whiskey that united them.
It’s been a true pleasure to bring you down the rabbit hole with me on this whimsical artistic journey; it is my hope that this issue will encourage you to be (or continue to be) open minded in your whiskey journey. We’re so lucky to be in a time that offers up such a bountiful variety when it comes to distilling and the approaches that brands are taking. Similarly to the fact that we can all be more than one thing, so can the spirit in your glass and I think that is certainly something worth celebrating and leaning in to. Cheers to the art of it all.
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