Drink the Bottles

  In east central Alabama lies an unassuming distillery that has been slowly and steadily making a name for itself for the past decade.  They're producing whiskeys, rums, vodka, gins and other liquers that you won't find anywhere else in the country.  Today we are taking a look at John's Alabama Single Malt Whiskey , the namesake spirit from John Emerald Distilling Company. This small batch craft distillery honors one of their forefathers, John Emerald Sharp, by offering a 100% malted barley single malt whiskey.  This whiskey speaks volumes of the locale, boasting that it was the first legal whiskey to be produced in Alabama in 100 years.  The malted barley is smoked with local peach and pecan woods, further identifying the uniqueness of this brand while adding to the overall enjoyability of this spirit. Copper color with light hues of chocolate bar, this single malt whiskey has as subdued nose initially that is slightly reminiscent of a single malt Scotch with ...

  We don't get a lot of opportunities to taste rum, but we are so glad we had this chance.  Dread River Distilling Co out of Birmingham, Alabama has been distilling bourbon, rum, vodka, gin and other fine spirits since 2019.  During the Covid pandemic they were also pumping out hand sanitizer.  What started as a dream to create a small craft whiskey distillery has turned into a thriving and impressive destination location that not only produces whiskey but has so much more to offer.  Dread River now has a full-service kitchen, bar, gift shop, even facility....and some damned fine rum! The  Dread River Blackstrap Rum is starts with brown sugar and molasses, which is important to know when tasting this one.  In lieu of sugar cane, the brown sugar plays an important part in the color, aromas and flavors of this unique liquor.  If you pop this open and are thinking you're going to get something similar to a Captain Morgan plonk, you're in for surpris...

  Tucked away in a brick building in the bustling city of Huntsville, Alabama is a small craft distillery that is doing things the old-fashioned way and creating a product that may just blow your mind.  Owner and distiller Jeff Irons is nearly a one-man show, using only the help of his CTO (Chief Tasting Officer) and wife, Vicki Irons.  Irons One Distillery produces about 30 gallons of bourbon per week, give or take.  In fact, when he sent us a bottle for review, he was temporarily out of stock because he just can't keep it on the shelf.  Now we understand why! The philosophy that Jeff Irons uses is to oversee literally every aspect of every batch of bourbon personally, from start to finish, ensuring only the highest quality product.  His "from my hands to yours" business model and the fact that every bottle has his name on it resonates with everyone who has ever tasted his incredible craft.  You won't find a team of seasonal workers or any cut corner...