By 2014, the worldwide bourbon boom had become real. Distillers everywhere — and quite a few others, for that matter — were scrambling to scare up enough hooch to stash it in a white-oak barrel for a couple years so they, too, could sell their brown liquor at $50 and up by the fifth.

As a native Kentuckian and long-time bourbon drinker, journalist Michael Lindenberger thrilled to the story of his hometown spirit taking over the tasting rooms and speakeasies all over. But he also knew that for every authentic tale of tradition, innovation and craftsmanship put out by the army of new bourbon marketers, two or more far less reliable and often downright invited lineage were lurking nearby.

It was out of just such a sense that Lindenberger recruited editors in five states to chase down the stories about about bourbon, and to sort the wheat from the rye. Those earlier collaborators were Angela Shah in Houston, Allen Helm in Chicago, Hudson Lindenberger in Boulder, Kevin Hyde in Louisville and Lindenberger in Washington, D.C.

The magazine launched in 2014 and soon developed a loyal following built around stories not seen in other bourbon or whiskey pubs. But when it missed its financial goals, Lindenberger shut the magazine down the following year.

We’re happy to say that in 2019, we’re re-launching Bourbon Story Magazine, this time with a broader focus on whiskey, cocktails and the culture of the places where these products are made.