The straight story: distinctly American, straight whiskies continue to grow in popularity

Cheers, Sept, 2002 by Michael Sherer

A number of brands send their master distillers on the road to visit key accounts and talk about whiskey and how it's made. Fred Noe, for example, has taken over the reins from his father Booker as traveling ambassador for Jim Beam's small batch collection. He personally distills Knob Creek and naturally is an expert on Basil Hayden, Booker's and Distiller's Masterpiece as well.

This summer the collection launched a specially designed bourbon-tasting glass exclusively to on-premise operators. Six distilleries worked with the German crystal maker Reidel to design the special glass. Jim Beam's small batch bourbons have the right to sell them this year. They'll be available directly to consumers during the holidays.

Sazerac also sends master distillers from its Buffalo Trace distillery on the road to talk about Blantons, Buffalo Trace and many of its other whiskies. Blantons also will be tailoring programs for key accounts next year. The brand is creating models of the horses associated with each letter in the name "Blantons" for back bar displays. The models will be part of an incentive program that will let accounts earn trips to the distillery.

Small brands also garner attention by trying for awards and recognition at spirits competions. Products like vintag-dated Evan Williams single barrel bourbon leverage "whiskey of the year" awards from magazines and testings to help waitstaffs sell the product to customers.

Michael Sherer writes frequently for Cheers about spirits