What better way to channel my fondness for tasting and creating new and different flavors, my passion for telling geographic stories through whiskey and my desire to surprise and delight fellow whiskey enthusiasts than setting an audacious goal?
The Challenge—Source and combine 51 disparate ingredients with their own unique character to synthesize a delicious spirit with a great story to share.
The 50 State Blend Project resonates with me in other meaningful ways too:
Symbolic: The United Spirit: Appreciating difference. Working together.
Brand New: The very first documented 50 State Blend
Discovery: Identify, find and procure exemplary whiskeys from every State
Variety: Highlight the range and depth of American whiskeys
Playfulness: Experimenting with an “imbibable chemistry set”
This passion project showcases craft and explores blending. It scratches that creative itch and tells an awesome story that’s way more fun to talk about than work or the current state of the world. And there’s plenty more to learn.
What is the 50 State Blend?
The 50 State Blend celebrates American craft by sourcing and blending whiskeys distilled in each of the fifty states and Washington DC.
More than eight different types of American whiskeys comprise the 50 State Blend.
The original drafts featured fourteen bourbons, fourteen ryes, twelve single malts, one single malt rye, one Tennessee whiskey (duh!) one millet, one sorghum and six whiskies that didn’t cleanly fit in any of those particular categories. The proportion of Single Malts has grown slightly over time (See the Bottle Gallery for notes on current ingredients and retired bottles).
Each draft of the 50 State Blend keeps the ingredients mostly constant and changes their proportions. I started to barrel-finish the final product beginning with Draft #4. Check out all the ingredients in the Bottle Gallery. Learn about each Draft here.
Geeky side note: The relatively equal distribution of bourbon, rye was largely serendipitous, informed by personal preference and product availability. But the significant proportion of American Single Malt was intentional. I’ve got a soft spot for this as-yet-to-be-official category of spirit and the vast array of flavors and textures it brings to the table.
Why Blending?
Whiskey enthusiasts rarely wax lyrical about blends, myself included. Despite the fact that blends dominate the global Scotch Whisky market, Single Malts, not blends, command the most attention. In the United States, blended American whiskey isn’t even a thing. Don’t get me wrong; creating whiskeys certainly includes blending different barrels, ages, mash bills, and even finishes. But, it is exceedingly rare to see an American whiskey label that touts more than one distillery or lists multiple states of origin. (Collaborations and some notable exceptions aside). I couldn’t help but wonder why.
Several factors may account for the absence of American Whiskey blends on the market, including complex American liquor laws, lack of an established blending tradition, labeling, logistics, distribution and low demand, among others. (Plenty of time to explore these issues in future posts) Given the current range of excellent craft distillers, I venture to say the lack of American blends might also be due to lack of imagination. Regardless, there’s no denying that there’s a pronounced anti-blend bias in the US.
The word “blend” is often pejorative, connoting the use of inferior, adulterated, cheap ingredients, including neutral spirits. The term “craft whiskey” also comes with baggage, including a persistent reputation as immature, unrefined, rushed to market and expensive.
Might perceptions change if transparent blends of superior, unadulterated, craft whiskeys became available?
Geeky side note: A blend of 100% whiskey from more than one distillery would actually be called “vatted” whisky in Scotland, but alas, that’s not a recognized category in the US..
