Kentucky Bourbon in Japan & Awkward Business Moments #drinking #bourbon #whiskey #jimbean #suntory #Japan #history #podcast #startup

Suntory Holdings - a large Japanese corporation - purchased Beam Inc, the company behind Jim Bean, in 2014 in order to break out of the Japanese market. WSJ reports the cross-cultural challenges they face, mostly marketing related, in order to change Jim Bean's image as a "cheap" liquor in Japan into something chic to drink.

Our favorite international "oops" moment:

We have to overcome the huge differences in the Japanese mentality and the American mentality," says Takeshi Niinami, a Harvard Business School graduate who last year became the first present of privately owned Suntory from outside the founding family. "It creates misunderstandings." 

Jim Beam master distiller Fred Noe, a seventh-generation Jim Beam family member...caused some to cringe at a recent promotional event in Tokyo when he described Suntory executives as his "buddies" and embraced one of them. Japan frowns on physical contact in a business setting. 

Check out the article here (subscription required).

Visit us at The Drinking Press, where our only awkward moments are endearing.
Serving the Best in Culture, History, and Libations.

Unconventional Ways of Aging Beer #drinking #history #startup #podcast

Beers are traditionally aged in steel - but the WSJ reports that new breweries are aging beer in wooden barrels that often were formerly used to store wine or bourbon, to add complexity to the beers.

Full article here. 

"Select beers can actually soak up the flavors and aromas of the spirit previously housed in the wooden barrel in a way that…makes it highly interesting," 

Visit us at The Drinking Press, and pour your cat a shot.
Serving the Best in Culture, History, and Libations. 

Cheers, Becc

The Types of Men Who Drink Whiskey @heathermgreene #whiskey #drinking #history #podcast #startup

Heather Greene knows whiskey. Her biography is impressive, from writing Whiskey Distilled, a book about whiskey, to teaching classes at the Flatiron in NYC. 

In this post, she writes about the challenge of being asked about being a woman in the whiskey industry. 

I wrote a book about whiskey. So by the tenth woman-and-whiskey-themed interview, I began feeling ornery: 
"What's it like to be a woman in whiskey?"How the hell would I know otherwise.
No one has yet to ask me about men and whiskey, a topic that might be just as interesting.

Fed up with constantly being asked about her gender, she categorizes the men drinking whiskey and how they react to women drinking whiskey. The "Non-Believer" is my favorite because it's closest to my experience:

"Do you really drink that stuff?" the Non-Believer asks women who drink whiskey at the bar. Remind them of the other things women do, like put down-payments on entire buildings and vote.

Visit us at The Drinking Press, and find your whiskey persona.
Serving the Best in Culture, History, and Libations.

 Cheers, Bec

Root Beer Float! @TIME #drinking #startup #beer

Root beer has its roots in Native American culture for culinary and medicinal purposes, and eventually made its way into European culture. And in my opinion, since its marriage with ice cream, the root beer float has and root beer itself has cemented its place in the American palette.

Click --> Enter "Not Your Father's Rootbeer".

The root beer features a familiar blend of sassafras bark, vanilla, anise, wintergreen, and handfuls of additional spices that give it the nostalgic flavor, but with enough alcohol (5.9%) to give you a good buzz.

Visit us at The Drinking Press, and let us know what your favorite way to consume root beer is.
Serving the Best in Culture, History, and Libations. 

Cheers, Char

The In-and-Outs of Whiskey @Eater #drinking #whiskey #startup

In the last several years the whiskey market has exploded. With so many factors contributing to the taste of a whiskey, from the temperature of the locale where it's aged, to the type of barrels it's aged in, you might need decades of experience in a distillery to understand your pour. 

Luckily, Eater's guide, which you can read here, will help you impress any barkeep. 

Our favorite part:

Distilleries today are experimenting with everything from oats to triticale, quinoa to millet, and a range of other grains to produce new whiskey riffs.

Visit us at The Drinking Press, and let us know what your favorite whiskey is.
Serving the Best in Culture, History, and Libations. 

Cheers, Char

Women Drinking Whiskey for the First Time. As to be Expected, Good Times Ensue @BuzzFeed #women #whiskey #firsttime #drinking #startup #history

Buzzfeed had some of its ladies try whiskey for the first time. They were timid at first, but most of them changed their minds pretty quickly. As a woman who likes whiskey, it's nice to see some new converts.

HERE is the video. 

Some favorite quotes:

I might cry, and then I think that I'm going to throw up for like an hour afterward.

Smells like an old man, like really strong grandpa. 

I would take whiskey over vodka any day.

Visit us at The Drinking Press, and [pour your cat a shot.] Serving the Best in Culture, History and Libations. 

Cheers, Bec

Beer and a Pancake @FortuneMagazine #drinking #startup #breakfast

What's your favorite breakfast beverage? Coffee, orange juice, or tea?

Maybe next time you'll choose beer instead. Several craft breweries have breakfast food inspired beers, drawing inspiration from Wheaties, Pop-Tarts, and even Count Chocula.

THIS article has it all.

For most craft beer lovers, though, it’s nuanced, layered ‘breakfast beers’ that are in high demand. 

Visit us at The Drinking Press, and let us know what your favorite breakfast beverage is.
Serving the Best in Culture, History, and Libations. 

Cheers, Char