In the food and drink world, we tend to assume that small artisanal producers create superior products to the large corporations. And while this assumption is often true for things like beer and cheese, it has not proven true for whiskey. At least not in my experience.
Upstart craft whiskey distilleries have no aged stock to sell. To keep the doors open, many craft distilleries sell unaged white whiskey (gross) or sourced whiskey from the larger producers (not all are upfront about this). Others try to speed up the aging process with technology or by aging their whiskey in small barrels. The results of these time-cheating methods have been less than stellar.
Here's the problem. The craft distilleries cannot compete with the established distillers by offering traditional bourbon and rye. Most of the craft labels sell for around $50 and contain no age statement. I can buy two bottles of Elijah Craig 12 year old (Heaven Hill) for that price. Established whiskey distilleries have a long head start and are operating under far different economies of scale. It's not a fair fight.
I do believe, however, that there is a place for craft producers that are upfront about what they are selling and that try new and interesting things with their whiskey. High West is a great example. David Perkins has taken sourced whiskey -- primarily from MGPI (formerly LDI) in Indiana -- and created different and interesting blends that have been amazingly well received.
Similarly, craft operation Berkshire Mountain Distillers recently partnered with 10 craft breweries across the country to create regional releases of its bourbon finished in beer barrels. The Georgia release is a collaboration with the excellent Terrapin Brewing Co from Athens. This caught my attention, and I will be reviewing this bourbon later in the week. Is it any good? We'll see. But it was unique enough to get me to pay $45 for a bottle, which is more than I can say for most of the craft whiskies on the market.
