Small Brand America V Special Bourbon Edition: A Look at 20 Craft Distilleries (The latest entry into author Steve Akley’s Small Brand America series.) Bourbon. You could say it’s as American as apple pie, but that would be a disservice to America’s distilled spirit. That’s right, apple pie is a fraud. English and Dutch recipes go back centuries before the Pilgrims landed on Plymouth Rock. You can literally make apple pie anywhere in the world. (A little French apple pie anyone… the horror!) Bourbon, on the other hand, is uniquely American. It’s our contribution to the rich history to the world of whiskey making. Our corn-based whiskey, aged in oak barrels, made only in the good old U.S. of A., is the perfect blend for mixing into your favorite cocktail or simply enjoying by sipping away at it on its own. The industry of bourbon making is dominated by some of the behemoths of the distilling world. As such, most consumers experience with bourbon over the last century has been with a relatively few number of companies. With consumers becoming more keenly aware of the fact the big guys tend to cut corners in production to save money, the industry leaders began to rebrand themselves in different ways to recapture lost market share. They offered lower production run products, amped up quality on certain offerings in their catalog and pretended to be small by funding small divisions or buyouts of tiny companies to look like stand alones competing with the big guys. Despite the evolution of the large well-known companies domiciled in Kentucky, the educated consumer has still been seeking out the smaller, local brands sprinkled throughout the United States. Over the last decade, there has been a renaissance for bourbon drinking and smaller brands have been able to carve out a niche for consumer seeking unique tastes and a firm commitment to delivering a quality product without cutting costs. In this book, author Steve Akley explores some of these small companies making a name for themselves with their take on a truly American original. (Sorry apple pie!) Each has a little bit of a different take on making bourbon and a compelling story which will draw you in. Inevitably, you find yourself wanting to learn more about the company and try their product. So pour yourself a rocks glass (neat) of your favorite bourbon and enjoy getting to know some different bourbon craft distillers this edition of Small Brand America! The following companies are profiled in Small Brand America V - Special Bourbon Edition: 2bar Spirits (2barspirits.com) * 10th Mountain Whiskey & Spirit Company (10thwhiskey.com) * Barrel House Distilling Co. (barrelhousedistillery.com) * Black Dirt Distillery (blackdirtdistillery.com) * Cedar Ridge Vineyards and Distillery (crwine.com) * Colorado Gold Distillery (coloradogolddistillers.com) * Coulter & Payne Farm Distillery (coulterandpaynefarmdistillery.com) * Dark Corner Distillery (darkcornerdistillery.com) * Grand Traverse Distillery (grandtraversedistillery.com) * Heritage Distilling Co. (heritagedistilling.com) * Journeyman Distillery (journeymandistillery.com) * Mississippi River Distilling Company (mrdistilling.com) * New Holland Artisan Spirits (newhollandbrew.com) * Oregon Spirit Distillers (oregonspiritdistillers.com) * Ozark Distillery (ozarkdistillery.com) * Peach Street Distillers (peachstreetdistillers.com) * Silver Back Distillery (sbdistillery.com) * Syntax Spirits (syntaxspirits.com) * Thumb Butte Distillery (thumbbuttedistillery.com) * Woodstone Creek Artisan Winery & Distillery (woodstonecreek.com)