Virginia’s whiskey distillers are raising a glass tonight after welcome news from Europe. Although it may be too little, too late for some.

Here’s the backstory: in 2018, the Trump administration imposed tariffs on European steel and aluminum. Then, the E.U. hit back, levying taxes on several American products, including a 25 percent tariff on whiskey.

That tariff was ultimately suspended in 2022. However, it was set to come back – and double, to 50 percent – at the beginning of 2024.

Lawmakers like Virginia senator Tim Kaine urged the Biden Administration to act, and just this week, the E.U. announced they were extending the suspension of tariffs at least until March 2025.

“Why not good news about whiskey at year end?,” Kaine asked on Wednesday.

However, some aren’t finding the good news as comforting.

“We lost all of our European business due to tariffs,” Scott Harris shared, co-founder of Catoctin Creek Distillery in Purcellville with his wife, Becky.

Before the introduction of tariffs, 11 percent of their business was in Europe and they had plans to extend it to 25 percent. But, the tariffs essentially made their European business disappear.

“A bottle of our stuff for 75 euros went to 100 euros, and so people would simply shop for something else,” Scott said.

“We’re just collateral damage,” added Becky.

Nevertheless, the Harris’ said they’re happy about the recent news and are now hoping for a permanent solution.

“The problem with trade wars is they introduce uncertainty,” Scott said, “and they make our products uncompetitive overseas.”

(Note: No changes were made as the supplied text was already in compliance with the guidelines provided)

Police reported that the driver, Scott Farmer, holds four previous convictions for operating a vehicle under the influence of alcohol.

Go Fund Me

Just a few days before Christmas, a family from Wisconsin has been devastated after an alleged drunk driver crashed directly into their car, resulting in the death of four siblings, as reported by the authorities.

The victims were identified by the Waupaca County Sheriff’s Office as 25-year-old Daniel Gonzalez, the driver, his 23-year-old brother, Fabian Gonzalez, and their younger sisters Lilian Gonzalez, 14, and Daniela Gonzalez, 9.

Lilian was in her first year of high school and aspired to be a teacher in the future, whereas nine-year-old Daniela aimed to be a cheerleader. Their mother, Paulina, shared these details with local WLUK. Daniel and Fabian, both whom had a shared interest in music, worked under the same shift regime. They spent a significant chunk of their day together, Paulina added.

Waupaca County Jail

According to a criminal complaint issued by the sheriff’s office, they asserted that Scott Farmer, aged 47, was driving his pick-up truck in the wrong direction on Highway 10 in Waupaca County. The incident occurred close to 9 p.m. last Saturday night, and resulted in a head-on collision with an SUV carrying four siblings.

The Gonzalez family conveyed to WLUK that when the accident happened, the siblings were just about three miles away from their home, after having spent the evening together.

Waupaca County’s first responding officer, Capt. Todd G. Rasmussen, noted in the crimianl complaint inspected by PEOPLE, “All were beyond lifesaving measures and were pronounced dead at the scene.”

Shelby Strahl, a driver who stopped along the road immediately after the crash, told WLUK that it was “heart wrenching” when she found out all the victims were siblings.

“We just wanted to hug everybody and offer our condolences and let them know that we were there holding their hands whether they were helped or not,” Strahl told the outlet, choking up.

Farmer faces four charges of homicide by intoxicated use of a motor vehicle and has remained in custody since early Sunday morning, according to the latest Waupaca County jail records. It’s not immediately clear if he has entered a plea or retained an attorney.

Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for 

‘s free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases.

Farmer had four previous charges for driving under the influence, as stated in the criminal complaint document. According to Capt. Rasmussen, he discovered an unsealed bottle of vodka close to Farmer after inspecting the scene of the accident. The Captain revealed that Farmer allegedly expressed to officers that he thought he had merely skidded and hadn’t collided with anyone.

In his account, Capt. Rasmussen claimed that Farmer’s speech was often unclear and his sentences would ramble, making them hard to comprehend. He added that Farmer refused to adhere to his instructions and even attempted to crawl to the truck’s passenger side at one point. The criminal complaint went on to state that Farmer showed signs of agitation and reportedly threatened to physically engage with firefighters who were trying to extract him from his truck.

Upon calming down and responding to the officers’ inquiry, Farmer allegedly thought it was February 12 when asked about the date. He also confessed he had consumed a substantial amount of alcohol prior to the accident, according to the complaint.

Despite prosecutor Veronica Isherwood’s suggestion for the bail to be set at $4 million—an equivalent of $1 million for each of the deceased Gonzalez family members in the accident—a judge decided on a bail amount of $750,000. This was reported byLocal Fox 6 on Tuesday.

“$750,000 after claiming four innocent lives, our children. How is that justice?” questioned the stepfather of the victims, Kurt Schilling, in an interview with WLUK.

Luis Gonzalez-Quizhpe, a cousin of the four siblings, expressed his disappointment over an unfairly low bond amount in a GoFundMe post. He decried the bond amount as a gross disrespect to the invaluable lives of his cousins, stating that no sum could ever equate the value they held in their family and community.

In a bid to cover funeral costs, several GoFundMe pages have been created in support of the stricken Gonzalez family. Upwards of $132,000 has been raised to date. Gonzalez-Quizhpe mentioned that the family has plans to hold a funeral in Wisconsin, followed by burials in their mother Paulina’s home country, Ecuador.

The siblings’ stepfather, Schilling, expressed to WLUK the ineffable significance his stepchildren held in his life. Addressing those with substance abuse issues, he pleaded for responsibility and consideration for others, underlining the devastating effect their actions had had on his family.

For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!

Read the original article on People.

American whiskey distilleries have something to celebrate this holiday season with the announcement that the suspension of European Union tariffs on their spirits will be extended through 2025. Who knows what the political landscape will look like a year and a half from now, but in the short term this means that U.S. spirits exports will continue to make their way into the European market with less of a financial toll on the producers who distill and age them.

This all started back in 2018 when the Trump administration imposed a tariff on steel and aluminum imports from the E.U. and other nations. In response, the E.U. instituted a 25 percent tariff on American whiskey. This was a very impactful, if not disastrous, blow to the American whiskey industry, and according to the Distilled Spirits Council exports to the E.U. (the biggest American whiskey market) fell by 20 percent in the period from 2018 to 2021, a loss of about $112 million.

More from Robb Report

‘Yellowstone’ Star Cole Hauser Just Launched a New Bourbon Brand

Old Forester Just Dropped a New Bourbon Finished in Scotch Casks

The Secret to Making the Best-Tasting Eggnog: A Robb Report Recipe

Under the Biden administration, however, that tariff was suspended for two years beginning in January of 2022. That pause was set to expire at the end of this year with the tariff then increasing to 50 percent, so this extension is a welcome reprieve. And the numbers don’t lie: Exports of American whiskey to the E.U. have surpassed pre-tariff levels over the past two years, and were up 64 percent from 2022 to 2023. With the recent news that American whiskey sales are being outpaced by agave spirits here in the U.S., key export markets are more important than ever, and the E.U. seems to be thirsty for bourbon and rye whiskey (American single malt still has a long way to go).

“We greatly appreciate the efforts of the Biden administration to secure an extended suspension of the E.U.’s retaliatory tariffs on American whiskeys,” said Distilled Spirits Council president & CEO Chris Swonger in a statement this week. “This agreement is welcome news for U.S. distillers across the country who were facing the reimposition and doubling of the E.U. tariff to 50 percent in the new year.” He went on to urge the Biden administration to permanently end the imposition of tariffs that arise from disputes unrelated to spirits, with the hope that this situation won’t come up again when the new extension ends in March of 2025. There is so much uncertainty about how the next two years will play out, but American distilleries are hopeful that whiskey won’t be a political casualty.

Best of Robb Report

Why a Heritage Turkey Is the Best Thanksgiving Bird—and How to Get One

9 Stellar West Coast Pinot Noirs to Drink Right Now

The 10 Best Wines to Pair With Steak, From Cabernet to Malbec

Sign up for Robb Report’s Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Click here to read the full article.

Before you make your next Daiquiri, make sure you’re using the right rum.

One morning last month, in the rainforest of southern Belize, I started my day by harvesting two different types of organic sugar cane with a machete — not my typical start to a Tuesday, but a truly revealing one.

Initially, they were difficult to tell apart. Both were taller than me and had woody exteriors that reminded me of bamboo. But once we hacked into them, cut off a six-inch piece, and started chewing, their differences became stunningly evident: The black cane had a sweeter, more caramel-like personality with traces of blackberries and plums. The red cane, conversely, was less potent but had a marginally longer finish, with hints of honeydew. It was a stark lesson in the complexity of the world of rum at every phase of its production.

Related: Love a Daiquiri? Here are 15 Rum Drinks To Try Next

I was in Belize to learn more about Copalli Rum, a relatively young brand that is growing its footprint in the United States, and has had a tremendously positive impact on Southern Belize already. They’ve preserved more than 13,000 acres of rainforest there, grow their cane organically, operate a zero-impact distillery for their agricole-style rums, and invest heavily in programs for the local community. What surprised me was just how bright a light my time there threw not just on the raw materials that go into top-quality rum, but also on how barrel aging affects the finished product.

Later that day, I sat down with the Copalli team to taste not just their excellent white rum, but also a selection of barrel-aged samples of various ages, to explore how wood impacts the final liquid. It was a fascinating experience, and embodied much of what sets white rum and dark rum apart…as well as why that sort of either-or language is often inadequate to fully describe the impact that aging has on the spirit.

“Aging adds amazing complexity to rum, but timing is everything,” explained master distiller Eligio Rivas Fromherz. “As with other spirits, there is seasonality and artistry to aging. Aging adds and enhances rum’s natural flavor notes, taking on characteristics of the wood: The oakiness, caramels, vanillas, and of course color. Over time, the wood has less impact, and the rum starts developing an enhanced sweetness of its own.”

Related: Black Manhattan

But rum, similar to whiskey, doesn’t age in a predictable progression. As Rivas Fromherz explained, often you’ll encounter high points and low points in the aging process where the balance exerted by the aging either fits your taste perfectly or, in contrary, presents an unpleasant sharpness. What’s more crucial than the age of the rum is the timing the master distiller uses in the process. Considering the timing and technique of moving rum from the barrels at the exact instance where the balance between the base rum, barrel flavors, and a gentle sweetness hits peak is integral.

Through a tasting that I personally experienced, I found out the substantial differences that lie between the white rum and the two-, three-, four-, and five-year samples. I observed, the interaction between the spirit and the wood didn’t seem to be taking place at a uniform pace. Deciding when to put an end to the barrel aging involves a skilled hand and continuous tasting from the master distiller, this also accentuates the external conditions that impact aging rum.

For more Food & Wine updates, don’t forget to sign up for our newsletter!

Read the original article on Food & Wine.

Whiskey cocktails are timeless classics that blend the warm, earthy taste of whiskey with versatile ingredients such as citrus and herbs. The choice between two popular whiskey cocktails, namely the whiskey sour and the whiskey smash, might pose a dilemma. While the ingredients and proportions quite similar, the minor changes made between the two result in distinct beverages.

The shared elements between these drinks include the balance struck between the acidity introduced by the lemon, the sweetness courtesy of the simple syrup, and the burning sensation and texture from the whiskey. It’s fantastic how the essence of these simple ingredients transforms with slight modifications. The central differentiating factor is the lemon’s integration: only its juice is used in the whiskey sour, while the lemon is muddled for the whiskey smash, along with a sprig of fresh mint.

Find more information here: The 25 Best Bourbon Brands, Ranked.

Generally known as sours, this group of cocktails could be some of the earliest mixes, originating from seafaring days when a mixture of citrus juice, rum, and sugar was utilized as a shield against diseases. The first official recipes surfaced around the mid-1850s and the brew has stayed relatively unchanged since then. Despite the simple nature of the ingredients, crafting the perfect balance of acid and sugar with the type of whiskey chosen requires a certain level of skill.

An essential element of the whiskey sour recipe is derived from the process of shaking the ingredients. The melted ice adds water that slightly waters down the drink, thereby amplifying the flavors. The characteristic shaking also aerates and cools the drink. Some mixologists take an extra step and incorporate an egg white for a foamy finish after shaking that helps to tone down any sharpness from either the whiskey or lemon juice. Modifying the simple syrup to maple syrup, honey, or brown sugar and swapping the lemon juice for other citruses results in a multitude of delightful variations.

The smash is another long-standing drink category, reportedly quite popular in the mid-1800s as well. Mashing the citrus fruit used in the cocktail is a principal feature of the whiskey smash, resulting in the incorporation of all essential citrus oil flavors along with the juices, leading to a richer-tasting beverage. Mint is also a primary flavor element in a whiskey smash, slightly mashed with the other ingredients, and used also as a garnish.

The smash ingredients are shaken over ice and strained, offering a beverage that is more rustic with a bolder flavor than its polished sour counterpart. Mixologists have branched out to other fruits and herbs to produce new taste combinations in this drink category, although some form of citrus is still used to counterbalance sweetness along with fruits that are compatible with whiskey like peach, cherry, seasonal berries, and apple. Thyme and basil might replace the mint in this instance, and sometimes a dash of bitters is added for equilibrium.

It’s appropriate that the pounded version of this whiskey cocktail pair is called a ‘smash’, since the mashing of the fruits and herbs has such a significant impact on the drink’s flavor and texture. The mechanical process of destroying the lemon rind using a

cocktail muddler releases flavorful citrus oil, a little bitterness from the pith, and, of course, the tangy juices.

The muddling process in smash variations integrates the pulp of any popular fruit varieties into the drink, contributing to the mouthfeel as it’s sipped. Both sour and smash drink categories feature these variations, but the introduction of muddled fruit shifts a cocktail from being purely sour to a smash.

One might be curious about drinks that include a combination of muddled ingredients like mint julep, caipirinha, and mojito. The julep differs as it does not contain any fruit, technically excluding it from being a smash – the rest, however, are examples of smashes utilizing different spirits!

All five smashes listed in the 1888 “New and Improved Bartender’s Manual” by Harry Johnson feature mint and seasonal fruit. Therefore, we can conclude that herbs are a hallmark of the smash. The cocktail’s shaking lightly bruises the herb, releasing essential oils into the drink. An additional sprig garnishes the finished beverage, infusing even more aroma.

Understanding that a smash has a strong mint flavor may influence your whiskey choice to a sweeter bourbon, reserving the spicier high-rye whiskies for the sours. Naturally, many tremendous smashes utilize other herbs such as basil and thyme, designed to be in sync with a range of fruits and whiskies. Cocktail bitters are another flavor-rich ingredient included in some smash recipes to enhance the drink’s complexity.

The bitterness acts as a counterbalance, enhancing the overall balance of sweet, sour, and herbal elements in the cocktail. Whether opting for classic aromatic bitters or experimenting with exotic flavors like orange or cherry, each drop introduces a subtle, lingering depth to the whiskey smash. Although neither whiskey sours nor smashes originally included bitters, it’s not uncommon to see a few dashes in either drink these days because they so neatly tie flavors together.

Read the original article on Tasting Table.

Stumbras Premium Organic Vodka takes home the top prize at this year’s New York World Spirits Competition.

Earlier this year a panel of expert judges convened in a nondescript hotel convention hall in Brooklyn to assess merit across all major categories of spirit. It was part of the annual New York World Wine & Spirits Competition, which in just several iterations has already grown into one of the city’s premiere tasting events.

We’ve spent significant time covering the top-rated whiskies from that competition. It included several jaw-dropping surprises, all of which are worthy of exploration—if you fancy aged spirit. Now we’re going to venture into the realm of vodka. But first we must address the elephant in the room: how does one define greatness in a category that is flavorless by design?

Well, for starters, vodka isn’t flavorless, exactly. It is often confused with neutral grain spirit, but that’s a vast oversimplification. And an outdated one. Vodka doesn’t even have to be made from grain at all. It can be distilled from vegetables, fruit, honey, starches—we’ve seen compelling examples come from all sorts of base ingredients. And it certainly doesn’t need to be neutral in flavor or aroma. If you have doubts, you ought to consider cracking open a bottle of the very expression that the New York Wine & Spirits Competition dubbed the best of 2023: Stumbras Premium Organic Vodka.

The inaugural organic vodka from Lithuania is produced adhering to stringent protocols. It commences as wheat cultivated on an organic farm located in the core of the Baltic nation. After the distillation process, the substance traverses through a specialized linen filtration system, attributing a distinguished smoothness and refined viscosity to the vodka.

While there could be a debate about the presence of any gimmick, it is unambiguous that the fundamental wheat element bestows an enjoyable sweetness on the palate. This sweetness persists and is prominent even in the aftertaste, leading to flavor contemplation in vodka.

To ascertain, Stumbras, the producer, isn’t hinting at flavored vodka. In reality, the company is renowned for another variant, notably a cranberry flavor, which was also acknowledged by New York judges for its exceptional bitterness. With over 115 years of expertise, the company exhibits mastery over its craft.

The award-winning organic expression can be easily spotted on American racks, priced approximately at $20 per bottle. The subtle characteristics of its tasting notes stipulate it as a fitting pair with tonic or soda, preferably served over ice. Particularly, the integration of lemon or lime, the bitter and sour elements of citrus, aptly counterbalance the sweetness of wheat in the vodka.

Or do the unthinkable: try the 80-proof spirit neat. Maybe you’ll be able to call out some of the same grassy aromatics in the liquid that won over those contest judges back in Brooklyn. Perhaps you, too, will call it one of the more interesting vodka on shelves today. But what you won’t be able to do is call it flavorless.

LITHUANIA – NOVEMBER 25: Mill, Open air ethnographic museum, Rumsiskes, Dzukija, Lithuania. (Photo … [+] by DeAgostini/Getty Images)