30th January, 2014 by Melita Kiely

Brown-Forman Travel Retail has added wood to its North American Whiskey initiative, the company’s latest entry into the on-going project.

As a result, the role that wood and barrels play in the whisky-making process is now set to be a focal point for discussion at the IAADFS Show in Orlando this March.

Chris Morris, Brown Forman’s master distiller and spirits historian, will be providing daily hour-long tutorials on whisky barrels at 12pm on the Brow-Forman stand from 10 March to 12 March, on a first-come first-served basis.

His talks will cover discussions on the wood used in barrel making in the US – American White Oak by US law – the range of toasting and charring methods and a sampling of new whiskies during various stages of maturation.

“My take is that the barrel is responsible for 100% of the colour and the overwhelming majority of the taste of American whiskies,” says Morris. “Really good American whiskies simply wouldn’t be the same if it weren’t for wood, specifically American White Oak.”

The company’s North American initiative began several years ago to highlight its history in the development of American whiskies which stemmed from its founding brand, Old Forester – the first whisky to be bottled in the US in 1870.

The Club of the Americas will feature the Brown-Forman portfolio of North American Whiskies nightly, with particular emphasis on cocktail classics.