NIGHTCAP : January
Well, was that a MONTH. New Orleans didn’t just have snow, it had historic snow. 11” in most places. For two days the city just shut down and we all had some collective joy and respite from our troubles. The city didn’t have time to mourn and grieve from the tragedy of January 1, we had to be resilient (also fuck this word) and get back to it, so the momentary pause was rejuvenating. SNOLA forced everyone to stay home in a way that Covid never did. We couldn’t go anywhere, because there wasn’t anywhere to go but outside in our winter wonderland.
Welcome everyone who took part in their own form of dry January. Whether you “succeeded” or not is irrelevant, the fact that you are working on ways to drink responsibly is admirable. Over the next few months we will be exploring and sharing some No and Low brands with you, so stay tuned.
Let’s grab a glass of our favorite Rye, or coffee if you’re up early reading this, and recap. We’ve got lots of quick takes on the way, here we GEAUX.
I had the unofficial cocktail of Mardi Gras, made with Ojen, and frankly I’d rather have an espresso martini made with pineapple Taaka, served in an old leather shoe. My pal Garreth will love this black licorice fat man and little boy atomic bomb.
Overholt 114’s retirement is a true loss. It’s been awhile, but I miss it.
Sazerac should be releasing their 100pf Bottled in Bond Rye this year. Finally a Sazerac made with their Rye won’t suck.
Sazerac House here in New Orleans (an absolute MUST DO on any visit here) should be releasing their first barrels they distilled in 2019 sometime later this year. These were distilled in New Orleans, and shipped to Kentucky for aging, and are going to be sent back down the river for sale in the gift shop.
Here are some things I’m not going to do in 2025-
I’m no longer going to use the term “daily drinker.” I get why it came into the whiskey community, but this term is probably better served by just using the words “standard, benchmark, or well.”
I’m no longer going to tag brands or brand reps in stories or posts. I cannot even imagine their notifications or DM’s. Yikes.
As I’m preparing for the year, and planning what bottles I’m going to buy, I’m not going to be spending as much on a lot of major brands in 2025. The amount of new labels is obnoxious and no wallet can keep up.
Things I plan on doing in 2025-
I will be spending FAR more time on small producers than I did in 2024. I feel like I got away from some things I really enjoyed exploring and it’s time to get back to that.
I’m going to refer to “pop-up” restaurants as residencies. Daddy Hot Bird residency at Barrel Proof is much more reflective of what is happening.
I’m revamping my entire media portfolio. Instagram grid will feature bottles I’m exploring. IG Stories will be food/places/cocktails. Threads will have a heavy New Orleans focus, and other random thoughts. This website will feature deeper dives on things that interest me in the world of spirits.
Things that I loved about 2024-
Jim Beam Rye 80pf release. So freaking terrific in a whisky highball and yeah, I know Beam is promoting Beam Black for their highballs.
Jim Beam 7yr 90pf release. Yeah it lost a year, but gained proof. A fabulous and under appreciated improvement from the House of Beam.
Redwood Empire came of age. Lauren Patz is doing phenomenal work there, as is her team of creative folks. I think it was my favorite micro-distillery last year.
Chicken Cock really raised the bar for special releases for events. A true custom LABEL for the New Orleans Bourbon Festival. Not a sticker, a LABEL. The bottle was pretty, and so was the liquid inside.
I finally embraced gin cocktails and it’s helped me appreciate whiskey even more. I also don’t do whiskey cocktails anymore, outside of the inimitable La Louisiane made by the fine folks at The Will and the Way in New Orleans.
Things that I outright despised about 2024-
This really began late in 2023, but rapidly picked up pace in 2024. The Layoff Apocalypse. A lot of folks are actively rooting for the Bourbon boom to bust, but I’m not sure they’re seeing beyond their own wallets here. People are losing their jobs and that’s not a good thing.
Things I cannot wait for in 2025-
FINALLY Bookers Rye 2. Yeah, yeah, I know I said that last year. Sue me.
The not yet released Overholt 12yr is reportedly the best of the aged Overholts. What I know is, it has been consistently one of my favorite major Rye releases since the reinvigoration of the brand.
Pinhook Tiz Rye Time 9yr Rye vertical series.
Auction Action-
Knob Creek cask strength Rye is heating up on auction sites. It’s been a slow crawl but it’s now routinely over $150.
Heaven Hill 27yr broke $2000 on Unicorn, not once, but twice, and the third missing by a hair.. I think this price is here to stay, and then some. One of the truly limited, limited editions. No false scarcity because of hoarding going on here.
Remember when Knob Creek put out a twice barreled Rye? Yeah, people caught on that it’s “toasted” and the auction price continues to climb.
Predictions for 2025-
There will be even MORE weird finishes. Frankly I’m exhausted by them all, but the brands aren’t.
There will be continued contraction in the industry. More closures, more acquisitions, more bankruptcies, more insolvency, and more barrel investors underwater on their loans/value. Expect some sell offs to the barrel markets, and some great opportunities for brands with cash on hand (and there are more than a few that have cash!).
There will be MORE, not less, premium priced limited edition releases from ALL brands. This is a growth area right now, and one of the few levers they can move to juice profits.
There will also be more accessible older age stated whiskey from NDP’s like Redemption, and Templeton, at a fair price.
Whiskey social media will become even less interesting than it was in 2024. We lost so much character in the community over the last two years. We continue to see the spotlight shift from curious exploration, creativity, and actual art, to “expertise” which has led to gatekeeping and repetition. It’s so stale. We lost the novelty of wide eyed discovery, for the sake of being cute, or having a shtick. We lost the oddballs doing oddball things and sharing what they learned along the way. A recent episode of Bourbon Pursuit (which is barely listenable anymore) mentioned Crazy Naz of all people and they too noticed the loss of characters in the community. Everyone is a reviewer, everyone an expert, the takes are soft and weak for fear of alienating a marketing team and losing the “access.” People aren’t trustworthy anymore, because they’re being paid and you don’t know it, because they don’t disclose.
That’s it for January, hopefully February is a good month!
- Mickey Pinstripe