Provenance, and your choice for favorite distiller/bottler?

[9iron]

Is there LDI rye in that? I thought this bourbon was made here?

how important is provenance going to become in the bourbon/American whisky business? Seems it's already beginning to lean in that direction. Will provenance become as important in bourbon as it is in Scottish barley whiskey? Non genetically engineered corn, non chill filtered, higher proof, age statement, no added colorant or flavorings, all distillates made in house, etc., etc..

if so, what distilleries/bottlers/brands already do this? Which are your favorites and why?

In pouring over some reading and research, I found a lot of blog comments (and elsewhere) that brought up the (apparent) importance of one or more of these issues in present day bourbon and it got me wondering. Are we heading there? Aren't we already there with some makers? (Maker's Mark pun intended).

[sailor22]

It's not a bad trend at all and in the long run should be helpful for the reputation of Bourbon world wide.

IMHO, 4 Roses, High West and to some extent Makers are about the most transparent, but I'm not sure that translates into more sales for them....at the moment.

[GaryT]

If you're talking straight bourbon, there already should be no colorants or flavorings (unless it is CLEARLY marked, like Jim Beam Red Stagg Black Cherry - which I personally don't consider bourbon but rather a liquor that uses bourbon as an ingredient). I believe several of the distilleries use non-GMO grains as well, although not sure they are marketing that to its full potential (yet).

I think the importance of these aspects are in the eye of the beholder. John Q Public doesn't likely care about who is distilling, or even chill filtering. I think they/we have been conditioned that higher age and/or proof means better quality, so higher price (so they care about those!) I haven't seen the non-GMO promoted yet, but it wouldn't surprise me to see that on the label since that seems to be a thing (frankly surprised we don't see "Gluten free!" on labels for that same reason).

My favorite distilleries/brands . . . that changes based on the day of the week I'm a fan of Four Roses because I've never had a FRSB private pick that I didn't think was absolutely worth the retail (and in most cases, thought it was a bargain). And I like what they do there; the 10 recipes gives them opportunities to create some really nice whiskey, and they've done that. If they started using GMO grains - keeping it 100% - I wouldn't give a crap as long as the whiskey tastes just as good. Heaven Hill is another that I'm a big fan of. It would be easier to list the distilleries/bottlers I'm not a fan of, but less classy - so I'll leave that be

[swhitworth77]

I put four roses at the top of my list. I think Jim Rutledge is doing a great job and producing some really tasty stuff.

[chooch714]

I would have to say that BT is my favorite distiller right now if for no other reason than variety of flavor. Rye or wheat they seem to have all the bases covered. I will add that 4R is a close second mainly because I have never been disapointed by Jim Rutledge.