Trends
UPCOMING WHISKEY TRENDS IN 2019
By : KYLE SWARTZ
N
o question about it: American whiskey is in a new
golden era. Category sales have reached heights
unseen since the 1960s, the last time brown spirits
boomed. But that prior golden period came before the
whiskey swoon of the ‘70s and ‘80s. Should we expect
another decline coming soon?
Not so fast, say the experts.
“For me, I’m of an age that I can remember when brown
spirits were popular a long time ago,” says Pam Heilmann,
master distiller and EVP of production at Michter’s. “I
remember riding in a car with an old mentor in the late ‘80s
or early ‘90s. We saw a funeral go by and my mentor said,
‘Well, there goes another brown spirits drinker’.”
Now? “I think a ‘golden era’ is a great way to put it,”
Heilmann says. “It’s still a growing category, with a lot more
room for growth. It’s a worldwide market now, and we’re
growing overseas and we’re growing in the U.S.”
Part of the reason for this sunny forecast is that whiskey taps
into several key consumer trends: high-quality products,
interesting brand stories, and educational opportunities.
We have not yet reached the ceiling for consumer interest
in whiskey. Nor do we appear close. So expect more good
times for whiskey this year and in those ahead. With that in
mind, here are 8 trends that will help define the category
in 2019.
1) High-Rye and Wheated Bourbons
Flavors that consumers enjoy today trend towards one
spectrum end or the other: bold or approachable. Either can
describe whiskey, as evidenced by the rise of both high-rye
and wheated bourbons.
waking up and thinking, ‘This is delicious, and we’re never
going back’.”
Wheated bourbons became popular thanks to the success
of Makers Mark, and the cult-like followings around Pappy
Van Winkle and W. L. Weller. “The wheat adds a softer,
smoother mouthfeel,” says Old Elk Distillery President Luis
Gonzalez. “It allows newer bourbon drinkers to enter the
category. This is bourbon without the heat that you would
get from a high-rye or high-proof whiskey.”
Accordingly, some distilleries have begun to tame their ryes
and high-rye bourbons, hoping for that balance where bold
flavors exist without the super-spicy bite.
MGP Ingredients in Lawrenceburg, Indiana, produces
approximately 80-85% of the rye on the market. During
recent taste testing, MGP researchers found a common
complaint among consumers was that rye “hurts.” So the
company blended together a house style with less burn on
the back end.
Old Elk has taken a similar tack with their high-rye bourbon.
Which makes sense: the brand’s master distiller is the
legendary Greg Metze, formerly of MGP. To avoid a very spicy
high-rye, Metze slows the spirit’s proofing process. from the
typical 24-48 hours to a multistep method that takes weeks.
This softens the rye heat.
“A lot of people like the flavor of rye without the heat of it,”
Gonzalez says. “This allows them to drink it like they prefer
it: a little bit softer. It’s a little bit more inviting.”
Given the appetite for bolder flavors, it’s no surprise
that spicier high-rye mash bills like Bulleit Bourbon have
exploded in recent time, while rye whiskeys have come
back into fashion.
This trend took off around 2004. That’s when Four Roses
first introduced their single barrel bourbon — a famous
high-rye. It “demonstrated an intensity of flavor heretofore
unseen in Kentucky bourbon,” recalls New Riff Distilling Co-
founder Jay Erisman. “Things haven’t been the same since.”
New Riff, opened in North Kentucky in 2014, goes for
similarly bold bourbon with their 30% rye mash bill. Erisman
sees this style as “part of the zeitgeist now of bourbon
flavors. These are not going away. Our national palate has
changed. It’s like when Julia Child released Mastering the
Art Of French Cooking. It’s a cultural moment of everyone
Drink Asia
8
September-October 2019