Craft Distilleries Pivot Back To Booze After Making Hand Sanitizer
In the early stages of the coronavirus pandemic, hand sanitizer was flying off the shelves as hospitals, medical workers and profiteers bought out the supply. In response, the Food and Drug Administration temporarily eased regulations, allowing distillers and other companies to produce and sell the product. For distillers, making hand sanitizer made perfect sense, especially when sales of booze dropped as bars and restaurants closed. The equipment and proper licensing to handle ethanol were already acquired, leaving only the final steps of actually manufacturing and selling the product. To make hand sanitizer, Jonathan Eagan, a co-owner of the Arizona Distilling Company, spent $50,000 on alcohol this past spring. Shortly afterward, he says the company made enough money to cover two months of lost liquor sales. However, as panic-buying of the disinfectant subsided and larger companies stabilized production, “the business just kind of dried up” in the last few weeks, according to Eagan. Now, many distilleries that made the switch are going back to making booze. “It kept the lights on, it kept the guys working and employed when we were shut down for tours and tasting,” Barry Butler, owner of Tarpon Springs Distillery, said of producing sanitizer. But “as a long-term economic solution for a distillery, it’s not a way to make money,” he added.
Airlines Crack Down On Passengers Drinking Their Own Alcohol Onboard
To maintain social distancing between staff and passengers during the pandemic, airlines have minimized food and drink service and suspended the sale of alcohol on flights. Yet federal rules allow each passenger to bring a quart-size, zip-top bag full of 3.4 ounce containers of booze. Drinking that alcohol on board, however, is prohibited, and airlines have begun to crack down on passengers who do so. Southwest Airlines has seen such an increase in passengers drinking their own booze on board, it prompted the company to add a new line at the end of its in-flight safety announcements: “It is also prohibited to consume alcohol that you’ve brought.” American Airlines has experienced the same difficulties, according to Ross Feinstein, director of AA operations communications.
There is a loophole, however. Flight attendants are allowed to serve alcohol that passengers have carried on board, similar to wait staff uncorking and pouring a bottle of wine you have brought to a BYOB restaurant. While airlines are not required to serve you your own alcohol, standard in-flight practice varies among airlines. JetBlue allows BYOB, and American Airlines does not. Get the full story here at USA Today, or here at Business Insider.
Russia Considers Built-In Breathalyzers To Curb Drunk Driving
Russia is considering implementing breathalyzers in vehicles and encouraging manufacturers to install them before cars can hit the market. The industry ministry hopes to establish a plan by the end of 2020 to put an end to drunk driving, according to Kommersant newspaper. In the past decade, about 40,000 Russian drivers have died on the road as a result of drunk driving, a number high enough to prompt officials to push for alcohol interlocks. The interlocks require drivers to pass a breathalyzer test in order to start the ignition, but the added cost of installing them could be opposed by car manufacturers as the pandemic strains the industry.
12,000 Bottles Of Templeton Rye Spill Onto Missouri Highway
Templeton Rye has developed a reputation as a smooth mixing whiskey, employed by bartenders around the world in countless cocktails. Alas, a truck carrying 12,000 bottles of Templeton 4-Year Rye rolled over last week, causing an estimated loss of $325,000 worth of whiskey. Kevin Boersma, Templeton Rye’s processing manager, says the truckload of whiskey belonged to a distributor and was bound for Fort Smith, Arkansas. But it never made it. Fortunately, no one was hurt in the accident. “It’s definitely the strangest thing I’ve ever had happen with a truckload or shipment,” Boersma said. “You could see on the (news) video that maybe some cases might have made it, but I haven’t heard anything official.” As of now, the truck, trailer, and cargo are considered a total loss. Get the full storyhere at USA Today or here at VinePair.
More Than 1 Million Gallons Of Unsold French Wine Turned Into Hand Sanitizer
The Alsace wine industry has suffered considerable losses this year due to restaurant closures, reduced wine consumption, and a 25% tax on French wines imposed in ongoing the U.S.-European Union trade war. For Jérôme Mader, a 38-year-old winemaker who usually sends his top-rated Rieslings and Gewürztraminers to high-end restaurants and shops around the world, sales have dropped by 50% since December. Without space to stock his unsold wine, Mader is sending away 15% of his inventory to be distilled into ethyl alcohol to make hand sanitizer, a product that is selling briskly during the pandemic. The same is true for Marion Borès’s family business, Domaine Borès, which is sending 30% of its production (19,000 liters) away to a distillery to be converted into flavorless alcohol. In the Alsace region alone, over six million liters (1.5 million gallons) of perfectly delicious yet unsold wine will be distilled down to ethyl alcohol. Francis Backert, head of the Independent Winemakers Association of Alsace, reports that wholesale wine traders are seeing losses of 70% across the industry. In response, the French government is subsidizing the transfer of wine to distilleries for roughly 5,000 French winemakers in an aid effort dubbed “Crisis Distillation.” The last time the French government stepped in with a Crisis Distillation response was during the global economic collapse of 2009.
Filtering And Finishing Technology Modernizes The Spirits Industry
Next Century Spirits, a liquor technology start up, has introduced augmentations to traditional distilling techniques with a unique filtering and finishing method. “We use automation and predictive analytics to reduce the chaos, control flavor profiles, and scale precision quality control in the finishing process,” said Nick Scarff, Master Blender and vice president of business development. The company uses sensors, gas chromatography, and materials such as copper to detect chemical profiles, reduce risk, and more precisely determine flavor outcomes. “We can remove impurities or compounds like isopropanol, methanol, butyric acid, and certain sulfur-based chemicals using highly specialized, patented filtering, targeting even microscopic amounts,” said Scarff. “Even just a few parts per million of naturally occurring chemicals will completely change the aroma and flavor of the distillate.” The technology reduces the filtration process of distilling from days to hours, and it can maximize desirable flavor components such as vanillin, syringaldehyde, cinnemaldehyde, and whiskey lactones to create flavors such as vanilla, toasted oak, cinnamon, or coconut in the distilled spirit.
Scientists Map Genetic Code Of Grapevine Pest, A Breakthrough For Winemakers
After a decade, scientists have identified the genome of phylloxera, an insect that can wipe out vineyards and winemaker profits. The research team’s findings, published in BMC Biology, identified almost 3,000 genes that allow phylloxera, a type of lice, to colonize and live off grape vines. Paul Nabity, assistant professor of plant-insect ecology at the University of California Riverside, explains that “In effect, phylloxera creates its own refrigerator on the plant that it can feed from whenever it wants.” The structures it creates also protect the insect from attacks by other parasites. Known as galls, these bumpy structures ruin a grapevine’s ability to feed itself, wound the roots, and increase the vine’s vulnerability to pathogens and fungi. Eventually, it stunts the growth of grapevines and can even kill them. Phylloxera was accidentally brought to Europe from the New World in the 1860s and almost ended French viticulture. Native North American grapevines co-evolved with phylloxera, making them resistant to its harmful effects. However, most of grapes grown for food and drink are European varieties. To sell the most marketable wines, North America growers must graft North American roots onto European grapevines to build the vines’ tolerance to phylloxera. The new genome map may simplify things, helping growers prevent phylloxera infestations and reduce pesticide use in both North American and European vineyards.
Johnnie Walker Releases 200th Birthday Bottlings
Johnnie Walker, the world’s bestselling brand of Scotch, began when its namesake John Walker started selling whisky out of his family’s grocery store 200 years ago. This year, Johnnie Walker will release four different spirits in honor of the brand’s 200th anniversary. “Each of these exclusive releases bring a fresh perspective to our 200th anniversary story and are the perfect way to celebrate this huge moment for Johnnie Walker,” says Master Blender Jim Beveridge. “It feels very apt to be announcing them this week to coincide with John Walker’s birthday.”
The new bottlings are named Johnnie Walker Blue Label 200th Anniversary Limited Edition Design; Johnnie Walker Blue Label Legendary Eight; John Walker & Sons Celebratory Blend; and John Walker & Sons Bicentenary Blend. The limited edition bottles will go on sale in October.
Why American Craft Brewers Hunt For Salted Nut Rolls
Craft brewers find flavor inspiration everywhere, and one of the latest is the old-fashioned candy, Pearson’s Salted Nut Rolls. But why would different craft brewers around the country draw inspiration from the same obscure candy? If you know, you know. It all started at the Great American Beer Festival in Denver with Jagged Mountain Brewing and its milk stout brewed with lactose, peanut butter, and salt to conjure the classic flavors of this treat. And now it’s the biggest inside joke among brewers, whose supplier, Brewers Supply Group, would often throw the candy into shipments of barley, rye, and wheat as a bit of a scavenger hunt to break up the monotony of unpacking of bag after bag of these essential brewing ingredients.
“We definitely fight over the Nut Rolls in the shipments,” says Andy Bobst, the Operations and Marketing Manager for Tin Whiskers Brewing in St. Paul Minnesota. “Sometimes you’ll see shorter brewers’ feet sticking out of the top of a pallet, because they dove in head first looking for the candy.” The Brewers Supply Group has dedicated a social media account to the candy, and breweries like Tin Whiskers, Oklahoma’s Prairie Artisan Ales, San Diego’s AleSmith Brewing Company, and Crafty Bastard Brewery in Knoxville have all recently created beers inspired by the candy.
Eonophiles Pick 5 Easygoing, Affordable Summer Wines
“An easygoing wine should be a little bit light and a little bit fruity, and it should taste equally good with or without food,” says wine expert Lettie Teague. “And it should be reasonably priced.” After consulting with other eonophiles (wine lovers), Teague found 5 wines that fit the bill. Her most affordable pick is the 2019 Vinho Verde from Aveleda Fonte for just $7. “It’s for drinking just about anywhere, anytime,” says Teague. Then there’s the 2019 Pino Grigio from renowned Italian winemaker Erste + Neue. At $13, this fresh and somewhat minerally white from the Alto Adige region is a bargain. If you like a bit more acidity in a pale pink wine, Teague recommends the 2019 Mas de Cadenet Côtes de Provence Sainte Victoirie for $17. Or, if prefer melon aromas in a softer white, try the classic Albariño, 2018’s Burgáns Albariño Rias Baixas for just $12. Among reds, Beaujolais is probably the most agreeable summer wine, and the 2018 Pierre-Marie Chermette Poncié Fleurie, at only $24, provides a bit more edge along with the refreshing fruit.
