It’s that time of year again, no…not President’s Day time of year, when we celebrate a group of old white guys, most of whom screwed things up, with big sales on linens and department store clothing made in other countries. No, it’s the awards time of year. Some of these awards are vapid and downright intolerable like the Grammys (seriously, I’ve never heard of any of those people and they all looked and sounded like crap…how is that awardable?), and some of these awards are actually serious honors. In the case of the James Beard Awards, it truly is special thing to be nominated so congratulations are in order for the whisky-related folks who are in the running:

Clear Creek Distillery, Portland, OR

Old Rip Van Winkle Distillery, , Louisville, KY

St. George Spirits, Alameda, CA

(…same time, next year, eh, boys?)

Plus, congratulations are in order for a few other faves that made the list as well: Shelley Lindgren and A16, Dogfish Head Brewery, Sanford’s Justin Aprahamian, Flour+Water’s Thomas McNaughton, and Nopa’s Laurence Jossel. Congratulations!