A Look Back at 2019
(L-R) Alcohol Professor founder Adam Levy with Editor-in-Chief Amanda Schuster at Bar Convent Brooklyn in June
The professors thank our staff, community, and our readers, and look forward to 2020!
2019 seemed to go by faster than you can say “CBD-infused hard seltzer”! As the beverage industry continues to evolve as quickly as our news cycle, it’s been exciting for us to be a part of it, to say the least—whether tasting new releases from our home bases, or sipping our way around the globe.
This year was the 50th anniversary of the moon landing. Can’t say our professors traveled quite that far afield, but we did visit Ireland, South Africa’s Western Cape, Honolulu, New Zealand, Italy, Islay, the Scottish Highlands, Armagnac, Kentucky, Washington State, Texas, Virginia, Mexico and many other destinations, while also taking a tour closer to our New York City home in Crown Heights, Brooklyn. Speaking of Brooklyn, it was a milestone second outing for Bar Convent Brooklyn and a blast at Bar Convent Berlin for its final year at its familiar location (also, here’s where to drink whisky if you happen to be visiting that city). We also gave handy lists of some of our favorite microbreweries by state, and Adam reflected on Whiskyfest New York through the years. Earlier in December, it was a special honor for me to round out the year by taking part with New York Cocktails at the inaugural Bookstock at Copper & Kings in Louisville, and thanks to our own whiskey professor Maggie Kimberl for covering the event for American Whiskey!
When we’re not on the road, we investigate the world around us. Is it true that IPA doesn’t go with hot sauce? We looked into that. We defended the much maligned zinfandel for the modern age, and made a case for flavored vodka (yes, there are good ones). We explored the range of cocktail variations using calvados, pisco, American brandy, Scotch alternative single malts, barrel aged gin and the possibilities for using salt, lavender and even carrots in drink recipes. We kept you cool with summer highballs, warm with wintry coffee concoctions, and made sure there was punch, eggnog and cheese pairings (with spirits too!) for all your holiday needs.
Continuing with our music and cocktail pairing series, bartenders around the world paid tribute to David Bowie, Prince, and Tina Turner. We also sipped along to the songs of summer, and if you ever had trouble describing wine, now you can use popular Christmas songs as tasting notes!
Speaking of rock stars, we sadly lost many greats of the beverage industry this year, and three of the most cherished just in the past few weeks alone: Al Young of Four Roses, consultant and educator Rocky Yeh and the one and only Gaz Regan. Their contributions are beyond measure and they will be deeply missed.
The past decade has brought a lot of changes to the way we receive information. When Alcohol Professor began in 2013, Instagram wasn’t even a thing yet, and we were a mere puddle in a big ocean of boozy blogs, some of which have already come and gone. I’m so proud of what we’ve accomplished in the seven years since we began, what our incredibly talented team of professors has contributed, and the voice we’ve found to tell the stories that matter, not to mention the talented folks at Digitalimit, who keep the site up and running with style. Sure, at the end of the day it’s just booze. But that booze didn’t make (or pour) itself. Thanks to our readers and everyone who has supported and welcomed us along the way.
What will the next decade bring? For an early Hanumas (Christmukkah?) present this year, I was very pleased to see positive steps forward for the Craft Beverage Modernization Tax Reform Act (CMBTRA). As part of a larger tax bill signed into law a couple of weeks ago, the Federal Excise Tax break was extended another year, which keeps the lights on for many independent breweries and distilleries, and gives representatives of the American Craft Spirits Association (ACSA) and others until the end of 2020 to fight for a longer extension.
These are uncertain times to be sure. Though it’s not nearly as dire as the situation 100 years ago on New Year’s Eve, 1919, at the dawn of 2020, because of different political pressures like more proposed tariffs on European goods, or a possible fallout from Brexit, through no fault of our own, or the fault of any of the people involved in bringing the products to market, we are facing what could become a curtailment on certain products we’re used to enjoying, or learning to enjoy.
The thing is, we don’t know yet. There’s no sense in writing panic headlines about what to drink instead of this. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again—drinking is supposed to be fun. So let’s support one another, support our favorite products, visit our locals, tip our bartenders, drink what we like. Life is too short for substitutions, especially when the shelves are still full.
No matter what happens, I look forward to meeting you, 2020! Until then, I’ll pour some bubbly or settle in with a winter warmer.
Cheers!
Amanda Schuster
Editor-in-Chief