how four roses is shaping the future without forgetting its past
Iconic brands never tread water. Instead, they make waves. Always in motion, these outfits manage to both honor longstanding tradition and stay ahead of trends via constant innovation.
In the distilling game, Four Roses is one of those brands. The Lawrenceburg label has been at it since 1888, working to help define the American bourbon category. What began as a Kentucky passion project has matured into highly decorated whiskey celebrated by casual consumers and industry types alike.
While some producers chalk up sprawling portfolios, Four Roses has a more calculated approach. The distillery operates under 10 distinct recipes crafted from just five proprietary yeast strains and a pair of mash bills. One of its latest offerings is a 100-proof bourbon — the first of its kind for the label that comes after extensive research and development, including the brand’s customary back-and-forth with mixologists and industry folks. It’s a collective approach that ensures that whenever Four Roses does drop new liquid, it soundly hits the mark.
craft beer, indigenous style
When an industry fails to reflect the community, it falls short. That’s the case for everything from fashion and music to the craft beer movement. Diversity in production honors the diversity in consumers.
In terms of beer, it’s long been a white and male dominated affair. Lately, marginalized folks have made strides and craft beer has partnered up with some organizations doing great work. But so much work is left to do.
When’s the last time you had a beer brewed by an Indigenous community? Chances are good that you haven’t. But it’s not just the fact that the industry could stand to be more inclusive. It stems from some repulsive federal policy first put on the books in the early 19th Century.
Times, they are a-changing. Meet Talking Cedar Brewery & Distillery, the nation’s first Indigenously-run beer and spirits producer. While the label has been around for nearly ten years, it’s really hit its stride as of late and remains a genuine pioneer in the Indigenous beer and spirits realm.
our favorite gear haulers
IT’S MORE THAN a hypothetical for a lot of people: When you’ve got the outdoor gear, where are you going to put it?
This is a question that pertains to all types, from backcountry hikers and car campers to outdoor photographers and skiers. Each pursuit has its own array of toys and those toys ought to be arranged nicely, for the sake of both easy transit and less clutter. An organized home for your gear makes recreating all the easier, as it offers some predictability where you need it most (you know, the part you can actually control).
When considering the many things that help you embrace the outdoors all the better—be it the best camping gear, the gadgets you use for info and safety, the appropriate clothing and footwear—a gear hauler ought to come to mind. They can be employed gainfully for everything from auto organization and water sports to off-season storage and overlanding. And they can bring peace of mind to you and some much-needed discipline to your ever-sprawling piles of useful goods.
Do you have gear? Do you like to travel with it? If you answered yes to these questions, then the answer is yes. Think of the gear hauler as a small portable closet in which you can organize your stuff. These relatively simple but highly effective systems are ideal for road trips as well as keeping your car tidy.