Happy Friday spirit lovers! Welcome to your weekly pour of bar and spirits industry news. Have you ever wished you could relive the blissful nostalgia of summer camp as an adult? Have you ever wanted to taste an ancient Egyptian mummy? Well then this is the newsletter for you.

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A Special Day Camp For Bourbon Lovers

Buffalo Trace is running an online sweepstakes for what it is calling “Camp Buffalo Trace”. The camp will run on two dates: August 29th and September 5th and will have spots for day camp only and overnight ‘luxury’ camping.

So what does one do at adult summer camp? Don’t worry, there’s lots of fun to be had. The program is designed to be fun, nostalgic, and educational. Guests will craft a muddler out of barrel staves in the camp’s arts and crafts segment. While doing so they will learn about the importance of white oak to the bourbon making process.

Since the adult summer camp selects guests randomly from a sweepstakes it gives bourbon lovers an opportunity to experience a luxury program without the full luxury price tag. It also shows that Buffalo Trace isn’t just using this event as a way to make tons of money off of wealthy bourbon enthusiasts even though they totally could.

Would You Buy a Bottle That Claims to Emulate the Flavors of Ancient Embalming?

Some trends just don’t seem to die, and that seems to be true for amaro loyalists. Amaro, and drinks emulating the key elements of it, tends to be classed as ‘herbal’ and ‘botanical’ with many flavors bordering on ‘earthy’. People often liken the experience of certain amaro flavors to “licking a forest floor”. You might think that sounds terrible but for those who enjoy it that is certainly not the insult it might sound to be.

One brand is going so far as to emulate the ancient Egyptian ritual of embalming mummies with their amaro. Akhenaten Amaro by Atheras Spirits uses over 40 different elements inspired by the botanicals and spices used in the ancient death ritual. My initial reaction was 😬 but it quickly became genuine curiosity. Head bartender Bruce Schultz at Amor y Amargo in New York, NY built a drink around Akhenaten Amaro in order to capture the intrigue of the spirit itself and the experience he himself had running the Egyptian Marathon in Luxor. He named it Pyramid Scheme.

The complex and unique flavors that come from spirits like amaro are so often the inspiration for creative drink minds, it is no wonder this trend doesn’t seem to be going away. With constant innovation and creation in the bar scene sometimes a spirit with so many layers is just what a bartender needs to inspire the kind of creativity and flavor awareness to make the next modern classic.

Legislation Proposed to Investigate Canadian Ban On US Spirits

The impact of the Canadian boycott on American spirits has been felt since the moment it started. We wrote about why the Canadians have been able to make such a huge impact on the American spirits market in our newsletter from May 29th: American Spirits Still Suffering: How Is One Boycott This Powerful? And the short answer is that in Canada provincial governments largely control the alcohol market. Eight out of the ten Canadian provinces have banned the purchase and sale of US spirits inside their borders.

With no relief in sight for American spirits makers one member of congress has taken it upon herself to propose legislation to punish Canada for what many see as an unfair act. Claudia Tenney (R-NY) has introduced the Combating Attacks on our National Alcoholic Drinks by Allies (CANADA) Act in response. The Act seeks to enact a Section 301 investigation by a US Trade representative. I personally had no idea what a Section 301 investigation was so to summarize: “Title III of the Trade Act of 1974 (Sections 301-310, 19 U.S.C. §§2411-2420), titled "Relief from Unfair Trade Practices," is often collectively referred to as "Section 301." Under Section 301, Congress grants the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) a range of responsibilities and authorities to investigate and take action (e.g., impose a tariff) to enforce U.S. rights under trade agreements or respond to certain foreign trade practices.”

Tenney is quoted as saying: “Canadian provinces cannot be allowed to hold American wineries, breweries, and distilleries hostage and attempt to ransom them.”

The boycott was initiated largely in response to US tariffs on Canadian goods with Canadian’s citing a want to become less dependent on the United States in general. So far the proposed CANADA Act has the support of a few trade associations such as the Wine Institute, American Craft Spirits Association (ACSA), and Wine America.

Tequila lovers: the 2026 Agavos Awards winners have been announced! Okay, so we are a little late posting this, after some technical difficulties I was finally able to get this video to embed into the newsletter for you all. Check out the award winners for some serious high proof tequilas to sip on this summer.

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