Bad news, whiskey lovers. According to the Smithsonian, we've all been drinking more whiskey than distillers can make. Representatives from the highly en vogue Buffalo Trace Bourbon said in the article that the situation isn't likely to be fixed anytime soon either: "The increase in sales, coupled with the aging process and evaporation loss, leads to a shortage with no end in sight."
Here are some ideas on how to get by without whiskey for a while:
See also: Whiskey Cream Gelato from Marrazo That's Amore: 100 Best Dishes
Sure, you can stock up and hope your whiskey stores last before barrels run dry, or you can be proactive and try out one of these suggestions:
1. Use Rum in Place of Whiskey Have you tried a rum Old Fashioned yet? It's just as tasty as its whiskey-based predecessor and its complementary sugary vanilla flavors might have you converting to rum once and for all. Local Arizona distillery Desert Diamond makes four varieties, all aged differently. We suggest the Gold Miner Agave Rum.
2. Go For a Local Brew Fundamentally, whiskey and beer are pretty much the same thing in terms of ingredients. One is brewed, and the other distilled, giving whiskey a boozy egde. However, local breweries are experimenting with aging beer, which might give you some of those tasting notes you crave. Fate Brewing in Scottsdale, Arizona Wilderness Brewing in Gilbert, and Dragoon Brewing in Tucson have all experimented with barrel-aged brews.
3. Switch to Gin With summer heat rapidly approaching, switching to a clear spirit might not be such a bad idea to get you through a few months and give whiskey makers a break. Gin's bright mix of botanical flavors make a great, refreshing summer cocktail base. Plus with varieties ranging from the more piney, juniper-forward London Dry like Beefeater to the more light and citrusy styles like Arizona Distilling's Desert Dry, gins are all vastly different in taste so if you don't like one flavor combination, try switching it up.
