VinePair (@VinePair) | Aguea

4,759 Photos and videos

Tweets

VinePair retweeted

David Thomas Tao

@d_tao

May 13

I was curious about A. Smith Bowman. So I did (what I think) is the deepest dive on the distillery in its current form, including history, distillation, and maturation. Fun fact: There's no mashing/fermentation on site. How do they do it? vinepair.com/articles/small-…

How a Small Virginia Distillery Became Sazerac’s Secret Weapon

We’re almost 20 years into America’s “bourbon boom,” and big producers no longer have a stranglehold on industry awards and recognition. That’s partly a function of time. These days, many small...

3

5

32

2,541

VinePair @VinePair

Apr 21

🚨 Firestone Walker and Duvel USA to Acquire Stone Brewing From Sapporo vinepair.com/booze-news/duve…

Firestone Walker and Duvel USA to Acquire Stone Brewing From Sapporo

Firestone Walker and Duvel Moortgat USA have agreed to acquire the Stone Brewing brand from Sapporo USA for an undisclosed amount, Brewbound reports. The transaction is slated to finalize within the...

1

2

310

VinePair @VinePair

Mar 18

Uncle Nearest Dispute Escalates: Co-Founder Files for Bankruptcy and Sues Lender, as Receiver Calls for Sanctions vinepair.com/booze-news/uncl…

Uncle Nearest Dispute Escalates as Judge Dismisses Co-Founder’s Bankruptcy Case; Lender Fight...

UPDATE 3/19/26: After an expedited hearing this morning, U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Suzanne H. Bauknight granted the motion to dismiss brought by receiver Phillip Young. According to court documents,...

1

1

409

VinePair retweeted

David Thomas Tao

@d_tao

Mar 16

Irish whiskey has undergone momentous change since 2000. Which are the most important bottles? With the help of some great minds, I was able to pinpoint 16. Here are the whiskeys that drove Irish whiskey's 21st century evolution. vinepair.com/articles/21st-c…

The 16 Most Important Irish Whiskeys of the 21st Century So Far

At the turn of the millennium, there were just three operational distilleries in Ireland: New Midleton and Cooley in the Republic of Ireland, and Bushmills in Northern Ireland. Today, there are...

3

3

9

2,248

VinePair retweeted

David Thomas Tao

@d_tao

Mar 10

After spending time around Irish whiskey, I noticed something: There are a lot of Americans in the industry. What about Irish whiskey attracts so much American talent? I went in depth! vinepair.com/articles/americ…

Why American Distillers Are Thriving in Ireland

In 2010, there were four distilleries in Ireland: New Midleton, Cooley, and Kilbeggan in the Republic of Ireland, and Bushmills in Northern Ireland. In 2020, there were 32. And as of late 2025, there...

4

16

1,558

VinePair @VinePair

Mar 6

Expanding Middle-Tier Mega-Deal, RNDC Says Reyes Will Buy Five More Markets vinepair.com/booze-news/rndc…

Expanding Middle-Tier Mega-Deal, RNDC Says Reyes Will Buy Five More Markets

The biggest news in the beverage-alcohol industry’s middle tier is getting bigger: Reyes Beverage Group (RBG) will acquire five additional markets from its rival, Republic National Distributing...

388

VinePair @VinePair

Mar 2

Tilray Brands Buys Brewdog for $44M — a Dramatic Fall From Its $2B Peak Valuation vinepair.com/booze-news/tilr…

Analysis: Tilray Brands Buys Brewdog for $44M — a Dramatic Fall From Its $2B Peak Valuation

Tilray Brands, Inc. acquired BrewDog for £33 million, or $44 million, a sum representing a massive drop from the Scottish craft brewery’s peak $2.7 billion valuation. Tilray, a New York-based...

3

2

6

862

VinePair @VinePair

Feb 24

📉U.S. Census Report Shows Wine and Beer Exports Collapsed by $472 Million in 2025 vinepair.com/booze-news/cens…

U.S. Census Report Shows Wine and Beer Exports Collapsed by $472 Million in 2025

U.S. wine and beer exports plummeted by $472 million in 2025, a 26 percent drop from 2024 figures, a new report from the U.S. Census Bureau shows. The category, which the Census Bureau labels “Wine,...

2

281

VinePair retweeted

David Thomas Tao

@d_tao

Feb 2

What's in the pipeline at Jack Daniel's Distillery? When could we see their 18 and 21 year old whiskeys? And what about...older rye? All that and more in my latest deep dive with Master Distiller Chris Fletcher. vinepair.com/articles/how-ol…

The Jack Daniel’s Age-Stated Releases Are a Hit, but How Old Can the Tennessee Whiskey Get?

When it comes to high-end whiskey, Jack Daniel’s is on a roll. (Or perhaps more appropriately, a heater, based on the ABV of some high-octane releases.) From toasted barrel whiskey to “hazmat” rye,...

4

3

44

2,585

VinePair @VinePair

Jan 28

What Did America’s First Bourbons Taste Like? vinepair.com/articles/bourbo…

What Did America's First Bourbons Taste Like?

I’ll never forget how longtime bar owner and spirits buyer Thad Vogler referred to bourbon in his wonderful 2017 memoir “By the Smoke and the Smell: My Search for the Rare and Sublime on the Spirits...

1

280

VinePair @VinePair

Jan 20

👻 When distilleries fail this is where the whiskey goes...

David Thomas Tao

@d_tao

Jan 20

When a distillery closes down, what happens to the leftover whiskey? It's pretty complicated — but there are generally five potential outcomes for these "ghost barrels." My latest deep dive. vinepair.com/articles/bourbo…

2

697

VinePair @VinePair

Jan 14

🥃 From bourbons to ryes and Scotch to Japanese, these are the best whiskeys to drink in 2026. vinepair.com/buy-this-booze/…

All of the Best Whiskeys to Drink in 2026

As we turn the calendar over on a new year, what actually matters in whiskey at the moment? Some days it seems like nothing much really matters any more, the industry has peaked and become stale....

1

1

345

VinePair retweeted

David Thomas Tao

@d_tao

Jan 12

How do you pick the greatest Scotch whiskies of all time? It's probably an impossible task. But I still gave it a go and spoke to some of the most experienced folks in Scotch, each with decades of experience. Here are the drams that stood apart. vinepair.com/articles/all-ti…

The Greatest Scotch Whiskies of All Time, According to 8 Whisky Pros

It’s tough to narrow down the best Scotches in a given year. To do so, the world’s biggest spirits competitions enlist dozens of judges across multiple rounds — and even they can’t cover each and...

2

5

1,094

VinePair @VinePair

Jan 5

🍻 The 20 Best Non-Alcoholic Beers for 2026 From pilsners and lagers to IPAs, fruited beers, and more, here are the 20 best non-alcoholic beers for 2026...

1

2

6

543

VinePair @VinePair

Jan 5

With stand-outs from... @AthleticBrewing, @SierraNevada, @montaukbrewco, @BitburgerUSA, @oskarblues, @Heineken_US, @ShinerBeer, @DeschutesBeer, and more!

1

1

327

VinePair @VinePair

Jan 5

See the full list here: vinepair.com/buy-this-booze/…

The 20 Best Non-Alcoholic Beers for 2026

In the past decade, the non-alcoholic (NA) drinks category has exploded — and NA beer is leading the charge. According to NielsenIQ, the U.S. market for non-alcoholic beverages is valued at approxi...

1

269

VinePair @VinePair

29 Dec 2025

Heritage producers like Buffalo Trace are household names, but MGP is a lesser-known industry giant supplying hundreds of American whiskeys. vinepair.com/articles/mgp-wh…

What Does ‘MGP’ Mean in American Whiskey?

There are a lot of big names in whiskey. From heritage producers like Jim Beam and Buffalo Trace to relative newcomers like Bardstown Bourbon and Angel’s Envy, multiple bourbon and rye brands have...

1

5

432

VinePair @VinePair

26 Dec 2025

🍻The 7 Stories That Defined the Beer Industry in 2025 vinepair.com/articles/hop-ta…

The 7 Stories That Defined the Beer Industry in 2025

Here we are again, reader. The last column of 2025. I hope you had a lovely holiday, full of good cheer and other things of that nature. But now it’s back to business: one final recap on the biggest...

369

VinePair @VinePair

17 Dec 2025

🍻 The 30 Best Breweries in the Country Right Now, According to Beer Pros (2025)

1

4

451

VinePair @VinePair

17 Dec 2025

🍻 Learn about all of our picks: vinepair.com/articles/best-b…

The 30 Best Breweries in the Country Right Now, According to Beer Pros (2025)

Everyone knows the main characteristic of a good brewery is good beer. But what are the features of the very best breweries? Is innovation more important than reliability? Can a traditional producer...

1

2

229