Bourbon Dork

Bourbon Influx

2012-01-20T20:01:00.016-05:00

As I've mentioned in previous posts, I belong to a group of like minded enthusiasts and in our passion for all things bourbon, we also buy barrels; making bi-annual pilgrimages to Kentucky to taste and pick our way through what we feel are honey barrels.

Selections picked last September have been slowly rolling in over the last couple of months with the latest arrival just this week (Old Weller Antique).

Willett 8 Year 128.5 proof - This bottle is the 4th installment of a series of barrels over the last couple of years that have turned out some outstanding bourbon. Big flavor, low heat and long finish is the profile we typically shoot for and this has it all in spades. This bourbon is almost insidious in the way it drinks. Big flavors of caramel, vanilla, oak with an underlying creaminess. Finish is long and delicious. Even at barrel proof, this bourbon is too easy to drink right out of the bottle.

Willett 18 year 140.8 proof - This is the second 18 year I've picked up of this particular bourbon which is a wheat mashbill. This is a big whiskey and bold because of its age. This bourbon rolls over the palate in layers exhibiting creme brulee on entry with molasses, dark fruit and semi-bitter chocolate. Complex, gripping and all around top shelf. The wood influence is completely in check and adds to the overall balance of this bourbon. This bourbon cut down to around 110 proof opens up nicely and brings out the more subtle qualities of this bourbon. Superb.

Four Roses (OESO) 10 year 8 month 112.2 proof - It wasn't too long ago I'd tell you I don't like Four Roses. With the help of the fine folks at Four Roses they've converted me to a fan. This is the fourth barrel pick I've been involved with and to date, this one is my favorite. Four Roses uses 10 different recipes that are a combination of various grain and yeast to achieve this. The OESO is a 75% corn mashbill using the "O" yeast. The profile is described as fruit (red berries), medium body. Fruit indeed and lots of it. This is a silky smooth bourbon and at the barrel proof of 112, devoid of heat but plenty of flavor. The nose exhibits traces of floral, caramel and a hint of mint. This particular recipe is far outside the flavor bounds of the normal OBSV recipe which is why I like it.

Old Weller Antique 8 year 107 proof #5 - I've been a fan of Old Weller Antique for many years. A couple years back Buffalo Trace made the decision to change the bottle design and remove the age statement of 7 years. It's a real shame they did that. So, since I couldn't purchase the age stated OWA, the next best thing is buy my own. During the pick in September, the tasting panel could not decide between barrel 5 or 6 so we did the logical thing, bought both. #5 is the crowd pleaser with an essence similar to a younger Pappy Van Winkle 15 with big flavor of caramel sweetness; a candied profile with a long warming finish. I could drink this all day long and not lose interest. To me, one of the best OWA I've had from the BT barrels.

Old Weller Antique 8 year 107 proof #6 - This barrel and #5 came from the same distillate run yet the flavor profile could not be more different. This selection has a little more heat than #5 and exhibits a baking spice profile layered with dark chocolate, wood, fruit and a heat pop on the finish. My lips were tingling as I sipped on this bourbon. If bourbon had emotions, this one would be introspective and slightly brooding while 5 would be cheery and tranquil.

I spent a number of years chasing down limited release whiskey such as Buffalo Trace Antique Collection, Parkers Heritage and others. That practice has stopped as my focus is now on these personal barrel picks. To me, this gives me the opportunity to zero in on what we, as a group, truly believe is some of the best bourbon out there.

Exam-o-Dram - Abraham Bowman 18 year barrel strength bourbon

2011-12-18T11:18:00.004-05:00

I posted recently about a group trip down to A. Smith Bowman Distillery in Fredericksburg, VA. During the tour, Master Distiller Truman Cox brought out three bottles of Bowman bourbon; Bowman Brothers Small Batch, John J. Bowman Single Barrel and Abraham Bowman Limited Edition 18 year exhibiting a whopping 138.6 proof.

The Bowman Brothers was a nice pour but average overall and not very captivating. The John J. was more appealing and overall an above average bourbon and I ended up purchasing two bottles. The Abraham Bowman was fantastic. To quote a friend after trying it "Big, huge, sweet, delicious!!!"

The color is golden amber and in the glass is viscous producing slow, well placed legs. The nose is very inviting showing little heat, dark fruit, caramel, cooking spice (clove, cinnamon). What's lacking that I fully expected is a woody profile, at least in some fashion, but it's not there. For a bourbon this old, this is unusual.

The entry is big on flavor, showing minimal heat, no oak or woodiness at all which reinforces the nose. The mouthfeel is very nice, thick with a syrup quality showing flavors is caramel, spice, sweet fruits of plum, dark berries with some barrel char popping up at the back of the palate. The finish is long, long, long. Transitions on the back of the palate start with those dark fruits and moves on to dark chocolate like quality and then very slowly diminishes. At the very tail end, the barrel strength heat numbs the palate ever so slightly. A full two minutes after the last sip, the finish is still present.

If you let the bourbon sit in the glass for a period of time, say 20 mins or so, the spice and berry flavors come forward a bit and the nose opens up and exhibits age like an old leather bound book.

Truman was asked about the various provenance of Bowman bourbons and he succinctly stated "Kentucky". Well, that doesn't narrow it down very much. At 18 years old, this bourbon pre-dates the purchase of Bowman by Buffalo Trace so where this bourbon came from is a bit of a mystery. It could be Ancient Age but who knows where Bowman was sourcing their bourbon from in the early 1990's.

This bourbon is fantastic. At barrel strength, it's way too easy to drink right out of the bottle and it does handle water very well and right around 107 proof, it opens up very nicely exhibiting a flavor profile that includes burnt brown sugar and dark chocolate.

I know that The Party Source has done two barrel picks of the 18 year making both of those single barrels over this bourbon which is a small batch. If you're traveling through Virginia and near Fredericksburg, stop off a ASB and pick up a bottle or three.

Q&A #8 with Four Roses Master Distiller - Jim Rutledge

2011-12-17T23:06:00.004-05:00

Q: I've been able to enjoy the various "standard" expressions -- Yellow Label, Black Label and Platinum/Superpremium -- in Japan even before the reintroduction to the States. I understand that they are made of various combinations of the 10 recipes. Did those come from Seagram's days or were they introduced under Kirin? Are the ratios fixed, or are there some batch-by-batch adjustments similar to those of a Scotch whiskey blender?

JR: Seagram introduced the black label and super premium in ~1990 to increase our Borubon market share in the major growth market in the world. We were already #1, but these news brands opened the market to various, and premium, price ranges of our brands.

Super Premium uses several of our recipes and 80% of the Bourbon must have been aged a minimum of 8 years while 20% aged 10 years or greater. Like our YL the formula can be tweaked to hit the target flavor profile as close as possilbe. Black Label uses both mashbills but only "K" yeast to create a full-bodied Bourbon with more spice. The mashbills are used at a 50:50 ratio so there is less variability and ability to tweak the formula - only different ages and different barrels.

Seagram always looked at quality as a "conformance to standard." We maintain that philosophy today. Conformance to standard is the reason Seagram started distilling and aging 10 recipes (and flavor profiles) of Kentucky Bourbon. This was started well before the time I began my career with Seagram's R&D in 1966. Since there are no two barrels a like it is impossible from bottling run to bottling run to consistently bottle the Same flavor.... The theory behind the 10 recipes was that prior to a bottling run we would sample the barrels, tweak the target formula and bottle the same flavor time after time. Well, it still wasn't possible, but the bonus behind the efforts was the variable lables we can now bottle and each will taste different because each labels blend formula will be different. For example, OBSV used for Single Barrel is not one of the four recipes used for Small Batch - OESK, OBSK, OESO AND OBSO. Note the yeast "V" yeast culture is not used in Small Batch and even a whiskey expert - that was not familar with FR - could not identify in a blind taste test that both were produced by the same distiller.

Q&A #7 with Four Roses Master Distiller - Jim Rutledge

2011-12-08T22:41:00.009-05:00

Q: With all the attention the ultra aged Bourbons are getting (15 to 20 yrs old) It stands out that Four Roses does not offer an "older" age stated bourbon. I would have guessed that the lighter char on the barrel, and the lower proof in the barrel, would be great conditions to pruduce a great "aged" bourbon. Why is it you don't have one? Any plans to release one?

JR: I know older Bourbons have gathered more interest in recent years, yet I am not a fan of older Bourbons as a general rule, but I have seen some nice ones. As a norm, Bourbon peaks in performance between 5 to 8 years age, but there are exceptions. Most of the flavor and color during maturation are developed during the first year in a barrel, but continues at a far slower rate up to the time the natural sugars present in the white oak have dissapated. Then the Bourbon begins to take on too much woody characters and harshness.

I've had debates over the years with our marketing people who tell me we NEED an Older Bourbon with an age claim on the label. My response is always - "not as long as I'm around." The reason is we never know when the sugars will be depleted and once that happens we need to use the barrel within about 6 months. IF we must wait on "Birthdays" of barrels to attain say a specified age we could have a few barrels that have "gone south" in quality which would destroy the target flavor profile. And, if we can't be assured we're doing our best to fill bottles with only great Bourbon it's just not worth it to me. However, I also know (as mentioned) that there are some really good older Bourbons and that's what we use for our Limited Edition renderings.

I talked about our LE series previously and there were questions regarding our 2008 and 2009 Mariage offerings. I liked 2008 better than I did 2009, but in lab analyses I preferred the 2009. When I tasted the finished product I Knew something was not right. We were to use ~9.3% of a 19 year old OESK in the recipe. (We also used a 12 YO OESK at a far higher percentage.) When the barrels were dumped the 19 YO barrels were dumped first, but the average proof gallon yield was greater than anticipated and we ended up with about 20% of the 19 YO in the Mariage. 9.3% of the 19 YO complemented the flavor profile, but at the higher percentage the end product was a bit too woody (with a touch of harshness) BECAUSE of the Older Bourbon. Some people told me that was the best LE we've ever bottled, but in asking questions everyone that told me that were also Scotch drinkers and the `09 Mariage had less sweetness.... But, I'm an old-timer and a traditionalist and prefer the targted sweetness of Bourbon.

It is correct in saying that most of our better aged Bourbons are found in the bottom two tiers of our 6 tier high single story warehouses, but there are exceptions even here. I've seen some really good older Bourbon in which the barrels were aged in the top tiers. I don't "think" that would happen too often in a multi-story warehouse - from the 2nd floor up.

The vast majority of our barrels are heavy (4) char, but we use ~15% medium (3) char. We fill our barrels with 120 proof distillate. We've run experiments at 105, 110, 115 and 125 proof. We continue to run experiments, but I have been amazed that in blind taste tests the 120 proof filled barrels (with a little more age) has faired as well as the lower proofs. The taste tests were so close it was not worth changing our entry strength - even if we have to age the barrels 6 mos. to a year longer at 120 proof. Plus, at a lower proof the age in the bottle could be lowered and as discussed earlier the perception is that more age is a good thing. Lowering the age of Bourbon for bottling might be an economic plus on the production end of business but totally offset in the market. (I'm just talking out-loud and theorizing as I go along.)

Our single story warehouses benefit us via conformance to standard flavor profiles and consistency and could be beneficial IF we had an older Bourbon (including an age claim) on the market.

I think most Bourbons on the market (> 15 years age) are limited editions -even if it is not stated on the labels. That's all we will ever have LE older Bourbons - at least until the time I retire. I hope someday we can have a really old LE Bourbon, but in all honesty it's doubtful.

High West coming to town.....

2011-12-06T18:18:00.005-05:00

David Perkins from High West Distillery will be here in the Washington DC area December 6th for a whiskey dinner at the Granville Moore, a Gastropub featuring gourmet bar food and ales.

Tomorrow evening, David will be traveling to Northern Virginia where we will meet at a local enthusiasts home for pulled pork and fixins. After dinner we'll be enjoying a wide selection of High West products as David talks through his various offerings. I plan on asking questions and taking notes so look for posts about this event.

Q&A #5/6 with Four Roses Master Distiller - Jim Rutledge

2011-12-02T22:39:00.004-05:00

Q1: A lot of folks want a FR Rye but how about a wheated FR bourbon? Have you ever experimented to see how your five yeasts would work with a wheated mash bill?

Q2: I'm not certain if Q1 is asking you to make a Straight Wheat...or using wheat as the second grain?? If you could...answer for both. Is working with wheat any different than working with rye, as the second grain? How would you change the amount of malt...if you changed from rye to wheat as the second grain?

JR: No, we have not used wheat as a small flavoring grain. We use more small flavoring grain in our mashbills than any other Bourbon. We use rye grain to generate a little more spiciness than found in Bourbon brands. Wheated Bourbons are sweeter than rye, and that's not because wheat itself is sweet. Rather it lacks flavor in comparison to rye grain; i.e., rye bread versus wheat or white bread. Sweet flavors in Bourbon are actually generated via the natural sugars present in the white oak and the flavorful rye will mask some of the sugar/sweetness that the wheat will allow to show in the finished Bourbon. That doesn't make one better than another - just different. With our unique 10 Bourbon recipes we distill and age separately we have an infinite number of blend formulas to create a different flavor with each of our labels/expressions. (The 10 recipes are created via two mashbills and 5 proprietary yeast cultures. I don't know of another distillery using more than one yeast culture.)

We have no plans of using as a small flavoring grain or as a straight wheat whiskey. If we made another straight whiskey it would be a straight rye, which I've been advocating for a number of years. Hopefully, one day my efforts will come to fruition. We'd have so many options with the 5 yeast cultures. For instance, we could replace 16% corn used in our "B" mashbill with rye and have a straight rye. Using our "K" yeast, which generates spiciness the resulting straight rye would taste like a straight rye that was made with a mashbill far greater than the minimum 51%.... We could also use a mashbill using 80% to 95% rye in combination with our "O" yeast and have a spicy straight rye with a lot of rich fruitiness. There are so many options available to Four Roses. I wish I knew the secret to be more convincing to our owners of the potential of Staight Rye....

Our regular FR Single Barrel (OBSV) averages greater than 9 years age. Most master distillers will tell you Bourbon peaks between 5 and 8 years age. There are some really good older exceptions to the norm. We don't put age claims on our labels (and never will as long as I'm around, despite pressure from marketing and sales people for obvious reasons.) We try to use our Bourbon barrels at the peak of their maturity and flavor. When the natural sugars in a white oak has been depleted the barrel needs to be used very soon else the Bourbon will begin to take on too much of a woody taste and character. We do hold barrels that are maturing slowly and creating good flavors. These barrels are used for our Limited Edition Single Barrel and Small Batch annual renderings.

Wheat has less enzymes than rye grain and is actually easier to work with than rye relative to fermentation and drying the by-product of distillation.

We would not change the amount of malted barley if we were to make a wheated bourbon or a straight wheat.

Q&A #3/4 with Four Roses Master Distiller - Jim Rutledge

2011-11-28T20:59:00.005-05:00

Q1: Jim, many of the members here are passionate about "dusties".... whiskey that I will describe as being produced pre-1990 for lack of a better description. When one tastes many of these whiskey's, most of which are between 80 and 100 proof, they find a great concentration of flavor, a very creamy and coating mouth feel, little heat from alcohol and overall a very different "style" of whiskey than we find being produced today. One that jumps out for me is the Benchmark bourbon from the "old days". What was different pre-1990 that produced this different style of whiskey? Folks have speculated it is different corn, lower off the still proofs, different distillation techniques, etc, etc, etc. Can you shed some light on what you feel has changed over the years in whiskey style and the reasons for it?

Q2: What has been the most detrimental development or change in the bourbon/rye distilling industry? Examples: Dry yeast instead of liquid, change in water sources(from wells to city water), higher barreling proofs, higher distilling proofs, change in sources of barrel wood, consolidation of factories and therefor styles(range) of products, change to stainless fermenter rather than cypress, etc, etc....

JR: Benchmark was an excellent Bourbon distilled at Seagram's Calvert Distillery in Louisville. Going back further in time Henry McKenna was one of my all time favorites when it was distilled at Seagram's Fairfield distillery in Nelson County, prior to its closing in the late 60's.

I think increasing the barreling strength in 1984 had more of an impact on finished product than the optional higher distillation strength. I only know of one distillery that distills near the maximum 160 proof, and I believe too many good flavors are lost at higher distillation strengths. Most distilleries stayed relatively close to the distillation strengths of pre-1984. However, too much influence was exerted by the finance/accounting people in distilleries relative to barrel entry.... Moving the entry strength from 105 or 110 proof up to 125 proof or there about generated huge annual savings in the cost of barrels.

Distillers, blenders, quality personnel argued and argued with the change but their words and logic fell on deaf ears. In the end it was found that it generally took at least an additional year of maturation for the barrels at higher entry proof to be somewhat equivalent to the barrels in which the entry proof was less. As a result the anticipated savings were nearly off-set by the necessity to age the barrels longer to attain target flavor profiles, but I still think something was lost with the higher entry strengths. Also, since 1990 the focus has been on premium single barrel and small batch Bourbons - many of which are bottled at higher proof.

The additional strength will mask some of the flavors present with lower strength bottling, but the perception is that higher proof means quality. Economics may have an impact on the purchase of grains as well - negotiating lower costs for bulk purchase of millions of bushels of grain. This has had no impact on Four Roses. Since the early '60's - when Seagram opened its own grain division. Mr. Sam (Sam Bronfman) once said "to be the best of the best we must start with the best raw materials." Hence, Seagram's grain division. Since that time we've paid a premium for our corn and we're still purchasing corn from the same small geographic area in Indiana, and from many of the same farmers - or their families.

I can only speak to what we (Seagram > FRD) does today and yesteryear. I don't see much difference in today's distillation process, except we are A Lot better today than years ago. Computer technologies in operations has made us (the industry) a lot more consistent in what we distill today. Another Big influence (perhaps the biggest difference) was the trend to age Bourbon barrels longer. The perception was/is that if Scotch gets better with age the same must be true with Bourbon, but that's not so - if you like sweeter and creamer Bourbons. The sweet flavors of Bourbon are generated by the natural sugars present in the white oak barrels, and the peak of Bourbon maturity is between 5 and 8 years age. Beyond that age too many of those sugars have been depleted and the product is dryer (less sweet) and begins to pick up too much of a woody character.

If you look at those "dusty" Bourbons most of them were aged 4 to 6 years, so the older Bourbons of today are very different in flavor profile. I believe that's the biggest change. (That expression of opinion will probably cause a long-lasting debate.) To me (again a controversial statement) the "perception" that the more age on a barrel the better the Bourbon of rye. The perception is augmented by very high costs of bottled older whiskeys. But, keep in mind that the distilleries are paying ad valorem taxes every day a barrel is in a warehouse and that in combination with the industry average outage factor (angels share) of ~4.4% the cost per bottle must be A Lot higher to re-coop much higher costs that are spread over far fewer proof gallons and we all know if it's expensive it's got to be good. Right? - Not in my opinion. There are some really good older Bourbons, but they're the exception to the norm - 5 to 6.... In addition to recouping tax dollars handling costs are also higher with older Bourbons - more barrels being handled.

We only use dry yeast for distillery start up (one yeast tub) or in an emergency situation. Other than that we propagate our yeast from a test tube slant. I don't like dry yeast. When a distillery uses city water it loses too many of the minerals that create flavor. Most distilleries have their own water source - rivers and wells. I believe today's barrels are better than they were decades ago. In the 1960's and `70's long-term experiments proved that it doesn't make a difference if fermentation takes place in wood or steel or any container. The construction of the fermenter and the materials used have no impact on the chemical process.... These experiments were again confirmed in the `90's. We use both red cypress and stainless steel fermenters, and one's not better than the other. Today's technologies in distillation have come light years since the `60's, `70's and even the early 90's. Distillation has improved, in my opinion, but other influences may have offset enhanced distillation processes.

Q&A #2 with Four Roses Master Distiller - Jim Rutledge

2011-11-26T10:09:00.008-05:00

One question that has rolled around the bourbon sites has to do with chill filtering and the effects it has on the bourbon. I've never been able to get a reasoned answer when asking the enthusiast population but the question was posed to Jim and his response made for some good reading.

Q: Jim, there has been an ongoing debate for some time as to the impact of chill filtering on the flavor and mouth feel of whiskey, Some claim it has little impact others say it has little. Do you feel chill filtering impacts your bourbon and if so in what ways? Does Four Roses chill filter every bourbon that has water added to it

JR: Chill filtering came about in `70's after the minimum strength of bottled distilled spirits was reduced from 86 proof to 80 proof. The more water added to reduce the strength the greater the probability of fatty acids precipitating out and it didn't take long at 80 proof for this to be discovered. The precipate first forms a haze and eventually visible solids floating in the liquid. The solids resembled a small piece of cotton; I call them "puff balls." I was involved with the first incidence of fatty acid precipation with a Seagram shipment, via rail car, to Washington or Oregon. The rail cars were stranded for more than two weeks in Idaho in late January after a blizzard with temperatures well below zero. Soon after R&D finished their studies of he returned bottles Seagram began chill filtering Bourbon that was bottled below 90 proof. Fatty acids are present in nearly all foods and are Absolutely Not a health issue, but when a precipate develops it is definitely an aesthetic and marketing issue. One of the reasons it was difficult to first get a grasp on the seriousness of the issues is when a bottle is disturbed (a little swirl will do it) the fatty acids quickly go back into solution and disappear.

FRD chill filters YL and both Small Batch and Single Barrel, and I've tried to explain the NON-necessity to chill filter both higher strength labels. We don't chill filter any of our Limited Edition offerings or barrel strength private barrel selections.

Chill filtering involves lowering the temperature of product to below 20 degrees F. and letting it set for ~24 hours. After that period of time the fatty acids are not visible to the naked eye, but they have begun to solidify and may be filtered. I'd far prefer Small Batch, and especially Single Barrel were Not chill filtered. With removal of fatty acids some flavor, and body, are lost. In lieu of chill filtering some distillers add a chemical to generate a precipate. Of the two options I prefer chill filtering - even if it is far more costly....

I don't think it makes a difference what type equipment is used to chill the Bourbon, except from an efficiency perspective. The major change we made a few years back was in our filtering media which after changed aided us by not removing as much color in the process. Flavor was not impacted - once the fatty acids are gone they're gone. I'm an advocate of chill filtering Bourbon equal to or less than 86 proof, but when it's not necessary I'd far prefer Not Chill Filtering.

Turkey day drinking......

2011-11-25T22:45:00.003-05:00

Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving with friends and family. Along with the food, I hope you enjoyed something tasty whether it be wine, beer or spirits. For our family get together, I ended up bringing along a number of goodies:

Beer: Green Flash Trippel. This was a new one for me and found it to be somewhat sweet with a moderate hop profile. Not a bad brew and one I would grab again. Second was a Firestone Walker Porter, another great selection from this brewer.

Whiskey: I just grabbed various selections that cross cut whiskey in general. For bourbon I brought along Old Charter Proprietors Reserve at 13 years old, an Old Rip Van Winkle 10 yr 107 and a private selection of Four Roses Single Barrel (OBSK mashbill) 9.5 yrs old. On the Irish front I brought along a Bushmills 21 yr and Jameson 18 yr. I also brought along some darkside selections starting with a Aberlour a'bunadh batch 29, '05 Edradour SFTC Marsala Finish and Arran Cream Sherry Cask which is barrel strength.

Q&A #1 with Four Roses Master Distiller - Jim Rutledge

2011-11-23T16:51:00.008-05:00

Our group recently had the privilege of participating in a Q&A with Jim Rutledge; Master Distiller at Four Roses distillery. I found Jim's answers to be very informative and detailed. I thought it would be interesting to share some of his answer to the questions we posed. Jim brings a long history in the distilling business so I hope you enjoy these posts as much as I enjoyed participating in the Q&A.

Q: Can you tell us what your early years were like? Where did you start at Seagrams? How did they teach you the trade? What is the education process like now for young people getting into the craft of distilling whiskey?

JR: My first day at Seagram was November 14, 1966. I can still recall to this day the emotions I felt as I walked through the gates and headed back to Seagram's R and D Department. Most new hires got their start in the control lab - analyzing fermenters at different ages for sugar and alcohol content, learning the methods to propogate yeast.

My first job was running mini-gin stills. I distilled all the botanicals used in gin production. After distillation I began to learn to use my organoleptic senses to analayze and accept/reject botanicals based on smell and taste. (I think everything back then smelled and tasted the same to me - at first - but it was the beginning.) I later worked under experienced managers and supervisors in various operating departments. In my stints as a distillery shift supervisor I learned under Jules Kahn (distiller) and two of his key supervisors eventually became master distillers - Bill Freil (Barton) and Ed Foote (United.) It was crazy back in those days and I think about 70% of new hires left the business within the first year, and most of them moved directly into supervisory positions at other distilleries. I fell in love with Seagram and the Bourbon business and knew I'd found a home - hopefully for a lifetime. As with most of life a lot of luck and being in the right place at the right time seems to have been my good fortune. I was Very Fortunate when I was transferred back home to Kentucky in 1992 (from New York corporate office) and I've been living a dream come true ever since. Seagram hired numbers of people and hoped to find and keep the ones they believed had potential. Today a "person" is hired based on qualifications to fill a specific position. Often times these people are bogged down in one area. I don't agree with the Seagram philosophy back in the `60's but the ones who survived the initial training and assingments in operating departments generally had a good chance at success. By the early `70's Seagram had slowed down the numbers of people hired to move into training slot.

2011 North Coast Brewing Old Stock Ale

2011-11-19T16:29:00.004-05:00

It was a busy day that ended with fast and furious yard work before the sun went down and I was looking forward to pouring a brew. One that I received for my Birthday back in Sept was North Coast Brewing's Old Stock Ale (2011 release). At 11.9% ABV, it's a heavy weight but doesn't drink like it. This bad boy is fantastic.

Aggressive pour produced a minimal caramel colored head and lacing. Color is opaque and muddled orange. Nosing brings forth big malty goodness and mild hops. There's a lot going on with the entry; big caramel, coffee, chocolate, dark fruit/raisins with a chewy, boozy profile and a perfect amount of hops influence (IMO).

From the North Coast website: "Like a fine port, Old Stock Ale is intended to be laid down. With an original gravity of over 1.100 and a generous hopping rate, Old Stock Ale is well-designed to round-out and mellow with age. It's brewed with classic Maris Otter malt and Fuggles and East Kent Goldings hops, all imported from England."

This is a big drinker and one I'm going after to put down in the beer bunker. A great pour and a must buy.

2010 Parkers Heritage Collection

2011-11-19T00:09:00.012-05:00

We gathered 13 bourbon nuts willing to participate in a double blind tasting and provided samples of last years release of Parkers Heritage Collection which was 10 years old and a wheat mashbill. This is Heaven Hill's yearly premium release with the price being premium as well. I always like the double blind as it it forces the reviewer to focus simply on the sample without any outside influence (label, age, proof, etc.). Here are the results and some feedback from some of the reviewers.

" Really nice mouth feel with caramel trending to burnt sugar right up front followed by oak which was readily apparent, but not overwhelming"

" Nice and thick. Oily with dry oak. The flavor is woodsy heat. Lovely. Really had me chewing"

"Nose which is very forward and sweet, toffee, canned pears, tangerine, honey and threads of spice. The palate shows immediate sweetness of brown sugar and hints of toffee. The mouth feel is a bit thin and seems to clean rather than coat the palate. A bit more heat than expected in the mid-range which wants to hang around for a bit and has a masking impact on flavor. Fruit, fall spices, vanilla, honey and some citrus notes come forward. The finish is OK length wise but the sweetness drops off quite quickly leaving a fairly flat after taste. I will need to revisit this whiskey as it is coming across a bit disjointed. Lots of stuff I like here but just does not seem to come together and a bit hot to boot"

"This deep copper whiskey is a high proofer. You can feel the alcohol when nosing, but it is not overpowering. It smells of sweet candied pear and caramel, toffee and vanilla. This is a huge whiskey it enters very sweet then the proof kicks in. A lot of the pear/apple character from the nose carries through for me on the taste. It is chewy with lots of vanilla. It is evident that this is a barrel proofer but again, the alcohol is not overwhelming. This whiskey finishes forever and is extremely well balanced. You get hints of everything: Vanilla, apple/pear, barrel character, alcohol but none of them take over. Very, very nice pour."

95-100 Classic Whiskey	1	7.69%
90-94 Excellent Whiskey	5	38.46%
85-89 Very Good, Above Average Whiskey	5	38.46%
80-84 Average Whiskey	2	15.38%
75-79 Fair Whiskey	0	0%
74 and Under - Pass on This Whiskey	0	0%

The PHC release each year has been above average to great over the years. The 2011 release has a Cognac finish. I've had it and I'm not sure the Cognac influence is doing the bourbon any favors. That's my first impressions but I need to go back and revisit this years release to give it a fair shake. If your hunting around and come across the 2010 release, do yourself a favor and bring one home as it's a very decent pour. Retails for about $70 and up.

It's Alive! Pappy!

2011-11-17T22:38:00.004-05:00

Pappy is alive! A local liquor store called me yesterday evening to inform me that they have......(drum roll please).......one bottle with my name on it. Yes, I'm thankful but really? One bottle? Ok, guess they have to make sure everyone on the list gets one. I dropped in last fall and asked to be put on the waiting list so kudos to the store for following through and giving me a call. Now if I can just get the same call from the 6 other stores that have my name.

There's another store that has a small allotment of Van Winkle Family Reserve 12 year (Lot B). This is another wheat bourbon expression but the price is silly; $47. I would like to add a couple bottles to the bunker but for that price, I'm getting slightly younger barrel strength offerings. Guess I'll be passing on those.

Oskar Blues Old Chub....good beer in a can

2011-11-03T18:12:00.003-04:00

I've found a sweet spot in beers and it resides on Scottish Ales such as Founders Dirty Bastard, Bells Scotch Ale and Oskar Blues Old Chub.

From the OB website "This jaw-dropping Scottish strong ale (8% ABV) is brewed with bodacious amounts of malted barley and specialty grains, and a dash of beechwood-smoked malt. Old Chub features a skim-milk mouthfeel, semi-sweet flavors of cocoa and coffee, and a kiss of smoke. A head-turning treat for malt heads and folks who think they don’t dig dark beer."

To me the smoked malt comes through giving it a distinctive character. Color has a dark rudy color similar to a Porter. The flavor profile definitely coincides with the description from the website and includes bittersweet chocolate, dark roast coffee bean and a creamy caramel sweetness and no hops that I can detect. The mouthfeel is a little thin side but that's about the only negative. This is an outstanding Scottish Ale and it comes in a can no less. If you like malty beers leaning toward a dessert profile, check out Old Chub.

Green Spot comes home

2011-11-02T19:16:00.006-04:00

My love of bourbon is no secret but I also love other whisk(e)y including Irish. I've slowly been collecting various offerings over the last year or so and find Irish whiskies to be very inviting to my palate. Last night my wonderful mother-in-law produced a bottle of Green Spot (in a canister no less) and placed it gingerly in my hands. Oh baby! I love this expression.

MIL traveled to Ireland last week and she made the mistake of asking "is there anything you want me to pick up for you?" Well, as a matter of fact....yes. Green Spot. For the first half of the week she looked high and low as they toured various towns and came up empty. Finally, after conversing with a bar manager she asked if he had ever heard of Green Spot. "Best Irish whiskey there is" was his response. He pointed her in the right direction to a local store where she found said bottle. The price was a whopping $67 which has been reimbursed but that's not all it will cost me. She had to walk in the pouring down rain a number of blocks to get the whisky. I know I'm not going to hear the end of it nor will re-payment for her wet adventure be quick and easy.

I'm ok with paybacks as she did me a solid and picked up the one bottle I wanted to add to the bunker (now I have two).

2011 release of Pappy Van Winkle

2011-11-02T19:04:00.003-04:00

Chuck Cowdery's blog as well as other blogs are reporting on the imminent release of Pappy Van Winkle with the most coveted being the 15 year old. I won't belabor the point as others have already done their duty in reporting this. Look for it right after Thanksgiving and move fast as it won't sit on the shelves. I've got my name on multiple lists which I would encourage everyone do in the event you want to grab some PVW. Good luck.

A day at A. Smith Bowman Distillery

2011-10-31T21:35:00.014-04:00

This past Saturday I traveled to Fredericksburg, VA with about a dozen other folks to meet up with Truman Cox, the new Master Distiller at A. Smith Bowman Distillery. The day started off with snow, and plenty of it. I've lived here in the Northern VA area for 26 years and don't ever remember snow in October and that's because maybe it hasn't. The last snowfall in October was 1979. I'm not a lover of snow so clearing my vehicle of about 2 inches of snow wasn't a good start. Thankfully the weather didn't temper the anticipation of the distillery visit as well as the planned barrel tasting.

We arrived shortly before 11:00 a.m. and were met outside by Truman. I'm not sure what a typical Master Distiller is supposed to look like but Truman reminded me more of my brother in law ready to sit down with a beer and watch the Sunday game or maybe grab his bow and spend an afternoon sitting in a tree stand. Truman was affable and polite at first but shortly he realized that our group were a bunch of wiseacres and quickly adjusted his posture to dishing it out which kept us laughing throughout the afternoon.

Sazerac purchased A. Smith Bowman late in 2003. At the time and up until about two months ago the Master Distiller was Joe Dangler who worked for Bowman for about 32 years. Back in 1927 Abram Bowman moved to Virginia and purchased about 4,000 acres in the area now known as Reston and started Sunset Hills Farm establishing a dairy and eventually added cattle where the beef and dairy were sold to the local community as well as the White House. After prohibition Bowman began distilling around 1935 and produced Virginia Gentleman. Reston, VA was the first planned community in the U.S. and as such zoning laws were rather strict so while the reasons for moving the operation to Fredericksburg in 1988 may be multiple, Truman indicated one of the reasons for the move was due to increasing real estate prices which my own speculation would include an increase in personal property taxes.

Sazerac is investing some serious capital into the distillery which interestingly enough, the land is still owed by the Bowman family. Upgrades and renovations are currently underway as the distillery buildings smell of fresh paint and fresh coats of sealer on being applied to the floors in some of the buildings. The bottling operation for the Bowman value bourbons has been moved out of the facility and is now operated out of the Barton-Maryland (formerly Majestic) plant. The visitor center will reside in one of the existing buildings and is currently going through construction.

For the most part, Truman was forthright and answered some aggressive questioning in an honest and open manner. When he couldn't answer the question directly, he made that known.

The tour finished up in the storage warehouse where pallets were stacked one on top of the other with barrels of bourbon stored upright. On the floor in the corner were five barrels of 14 year old bourbon ready for tasting. The particular group I associate with have purchased 15 barrels of bourbon in the last 2 1/2 years so this process was nothing new to us. It was new to Bowman as our group is the first to conduct an on-site pick of the new Bowman barrel selection program. We were thrilled that this tasting included a nicely aged selection. Truman popped the bung on the first barrel (like a pro, bung was out after two hits). He asked for volunteers for the second barrel to which I happily stepped forward and four strikes with the wooden mallet on the barrel next to the bung hole produced the expected result. Each barrel was tasted at proof and again at 100 proof. These barrels would be bottled as John J. Bowman which is labeled at 100 proof. My personal preference would be to take it at barrel proof but at this time (repeat, at this time), that's not an option. After tasting through the barrels, a selection was made and now we'll discuss as a group on how to go forward.

During the tour Truman brought out three Bowman products; Bowman Brothers Small Batch (replaces Virginia Gentleman "The Fox"), John J. Bowman a single barrel and Abraham Bowman barrel strength. John J. and Abraham were both very nice both of which I purchased in the makeshift gift shop. I'll provide reviews in a separate blog entry.

I would like to thank Truman publicly for being a gracious host and taking the time to have lunch with the group after the tour and tasting. In spite of the crappy weather, it was a great day touring the distillery, tasting some great whiskey and socializing with likeminded dorks.

Hey Jack....pay your fair share

2011-10-21T21:37:00.008-04:00

Jack Daniels distillery, located in Lynchburg, TN has been pumping out whiskey goodness for more than a century. Jack Daniels, owed by Brown-Forman Corporation, pays approximately $1.5M in taxes which accounts for a full 1/3 of the Moore County tax base. They are also the largest employer in the county.

The local government sees Jack Daniels as a cash cow and now proposes an increase in taxes on Jack Daniels Tennessee Whiskey. The tax equates to a "pittance" 3.4 cents on each bottle of Jack. Well that pittance adds up to a whopping $4M a year in additional tax revenue as the distillery sells in excess of 100 million bottles a year.

Now, just to do some simple math, this additional revenue would actually add up to MORE than the current county budget to the tune of an extra $1M. A local concerned citizen stated (who of course is cheering on the increased taxes) that the county is "entitled" to more money because the distillery uses the small sleepy town image to sell it's product. Oh, and let's not forget that Jack Daniels attracts over a quarter million visitors to Moore County each year. In fact, the Jack Daniels website features local attractions and eatery's there in Lynchburg. I call that being a good neighbor.

Approximately 60% of the retail price on a bottle of Jack Daniels comes from taxes. Tommy Beam is none too happy about the proposed increase and has stated that the addition of $4-$5M in increased taxes is going to make it harder for them to compete, grow and take on additional staff.

Tommy Beam believes that the idea of taxing due to success is fundamentally unfair. "That's not free enterprise and that's not what this country was built on." he said. "I saw a quote the other day that said that a person used to look at a successful person and say now, what do I have to do to become like that? Whereas now, they might look at him and say, what can I do to get what they've got." What's next? #OccupyLynchburg?

Free Trade, Whiskey, George Washington and Iranian Buffoonery

2011-10-18T22:44:00.003-04:00

Last week an annual event was held at Mount Vernon in Virginia; Spirit of Mount Vernon. This annual dinner sponsored by the Distilled Spirits Council supports the George Washington Library.

After three years of languishing in the White House inbox, there were a number of free trade agreements set to be voted upon with one in particular of interest to the Spirits industry. The free trade agreement with South Korea included a lifting of a 20% tariff on Bourbon and Tennessee Whiskey. To the chagrin of some whiskey enthusiasts, the Pacific Rim has been a growing market for American whiskey. The attendees at the Spirit of Mount Vernon knew the vote for the free trade agreement was happening that evening and there was some anticipation passage was imminent. But then news came of a bizarre Iranian plot to assassinate the Saudi Ambassador in Washington DC as well as attack the Saudi and Israeli Embassies. It was reported that the Senate was being briefed on this late breaking news which had the potential of delaying the vote.......groan goes the crowd.

Many of us already know that Japan consumes a great amount of American Whiskey as does many European countries. Spreading this golden wealth to the world can certainly have an impact to those of us here in the homeland looking for current and limited release labels. Is it a good thing that the world loves our product? Maybe, maybe not. Considering the economics of supply and demand let's hope the increased interest (and lower tariffs) don't make it harder to find the good stuff on our own turf. We've all seen label changes over the last number of years from lower proofs to dropping age statements (e.g. Old Weller Antique) and some labels disappearing altogether. Is it a crazy idea that increased international interest has affected these changes? Hmmm.....let me dig out my tin foil hat and think on that one.

The trade agreement with South Korea did pass later that evening and the Mount Vernon crowd cheered. Should we be cheering? I'm undecided.

Another year is history

2011-09-26T20:46:00.009-04:00

I'm not going to broadcast how old I am but I did celebrate a birthday this past weekend. Now that I have less time on this earth, I decided it was time to open one of my prized semi-vintage bottles.

My bottle of Haller's County Fair Bottled in Bond has been sitting in my bunker for the better part of 4-5 years. A fellow enthusiast found two such bottles in the Northeast sitting on a small liquor store shelf for something around $15. Distilled in 1972 and bottled in 1978, this particular bottle is very unique and comes from a distillery not in operation for some time.

The provenance on this particular bourbon is a little sketchy and some information indicates it came from the old Continental Distillery (Publicker) near Philadelphia PA. The Distilled Plant Number (DSP) on the back indicates distillation took place at DSP-KY-24 and bottled at DSP-PA-12. So if you go strictly by the DSP number, it would stand to reason that this was distilled at the old Glenmore distillery in Owensboro KY and bottled by Continental in PA. Bourbon historian Charles Veach once told me that this was distilled by Charles Medley at Glenmore so all indicators point to KY and Glenmore as the origin.

I enjoyed a moderate pour over the weekend and was captivated by the nose and entry. This bourbon is loaded with fruit like dates, raisins and cherries. There is also hints of chocolate floating around in the background. This is one of those drinks that you savor; never rushing to finish. The Haller's County will be consumed ever so slowly in order to enjoy over the long term.

Finally, my family helped me celebrate and gifted me two bottles I've been eyeballing for some time; Jameson 18 year Irish and Yamazaki 18 year Japanese. Both distinct and outstanding in their own way. The Jameson was buttery smooth and exhibited a degree of complexity I have not typically found in Irish whiskey's.

Finally, I have to give honorable mention to a beer I enjoyed over dinner; Epic Brewery Smoked Oak. For those that enjoy a malty beer with a profile of chewy caramel, this is your beer. Very interesting and one I'll hunt down again to put in the bunker for later enjoyment.

Pumpkin Head to Head

2011-09-03T13:23:00.005-04:00

There was a time I really disliked beer. The mass produced versions found on the shelves really were not to my liking. Having to serve a beer near freezing temperatures to mask any offensiveness isn't my idea of good drinking. Back in the 1990's I did a fare amount of international travel and one of my trips took me to Bonn Germany. As any good wait staff would do in a dining establishment, beer was offered and I declined. When asked by my traveling companions why I didn't like beer my answer was something to the tune of "beer of nasty." Well, undeterred, my companions talked me into ordering a local German Lager and from that night on, I was hooked. I don't remember what it was, but I do remember thinking "where in the world did this stuff come from?"

Fast forward umpteen years and beer is my second love next to whisk(e)y. My profile preferences tend to lean toward a malty beer rather than hoppy. This past week I was visiting a friend who wanted to do a little side by side tasting of 4 different seasonal Pumpkin Ales. I'm not one to turn down an invitation to drink for free but over the years I've avoided the "flavored" beers.

The four beers we lined up were:

New Holland Ichabod Pumpkin Ale: This one poured a light copper color. Nosing this beer didn't produce anything of interest. Upon tasting it, it was even less interesting. To me, it tasted like a standard light Ale, moderate carbonation and nothing in the way of interesting flavor, much less pumpkin. Beer Advocate readers rated this one a B- so I must be missing something here. This one wasn't finished and got dumped in the flower bed.

Uinta Brewing Punk'N Ale: Probably the poorest example of a pumpkin ale among the four as it lacked pretty much any pumpkin flavor whatsoever. Again, the flavor components were pretty much boring and in the end, this one was not finished either and tossed in the flower bed. Beer Advocate rated this a C+ which I think is generous.

Schafly Pumpkin Ale: The color on this one was poured somewhat darker than the rest leading to a slight anticipation of something better than the previous two. The nose did have some mild spice and pumpkin so a better start overall. The entry was good to start but then the finish took a weird turn and had the taste of simple syrup; a very sweet mid-palate. It wasn't bad per se, but didn't balance very well as a beer but I would say at least better than the first two. Beer Advocate rated this an A- as I would have given this a B- at best.

Williamsburg Alewerks Pumpkin Ale: This ale poured an orange bronze color and had moderate carbonation. The nose on this beer was very compelling and smelled of pumpkin pie. Very intriguing. The entry on this one was fantastic with the entry confirming what the nose displayed; a pumpkin pie profile with spices, mild hops and a finish that wasn't overly sweet. This one hands down was my favorite. In fact, I ended up grabbing a case for the beer bunker. Beer Advocate rated this an A-, a rating I agree with (not that that means anything). For fans of pumpkin ale, the WA Pumpkin is very very good.

Four Roses Limited Edition 2011

2011-09-02T21:15:00.004-04:00

About a week ago, Four Roses announced the next Limited Edition release. Considering that Four Roses has only been re-distributing back here in the U.S. since mid 2000's, they've done quite a bit to grab market share. In September 2007, Four Roses released the first of their Limited Release selections with the 40th Anniversary which celebrated Jim Rutledge's tenure with Four Roses. Following on the success of this bottling the 120th Anniversary was released in 2008 along with the first Mariage. In 2009, Four Roses released the first Limited Edition along with another variation of the Mariage. Last year saw another Limited Edition along with a Limited Edition Small Batch at barrel strength and the 100th Anniversary release. So you're not confused, the 120th released in 2008 was the Anniversary of the Four Roses name whereas the 100th Anniversary was celebration of the distillery itself.

I hope that's not too much to take in but as you can see, they've been busy. I'll admit, I've not been a fan over the years of Four Roses with the exception of 120th Anniversary release and a private bottling done in 2007 by The Bourbon Society. In addition to those, I've also had the privilege of traveling to Four Roses with a group of other enthusiasts and picking out a couple of barrels; both of which ended up on my favorites list.

You should begin to see the 2011 LE on the shelves very soon depending on your market. Here is the presser from Four Roses:

Wednesday, August 24th 2011
Four Recipes Artfully Mingled in New Limited Edition Bourbon
Four Roses 2011 Limited Edition Small Batch Blooms

LAWRENCEBURG, Ky. (August 24, 2011) – Four Roses Distillery is adding to its collection of limited edition small batch bourbon expressions this September which mingles four recipes – aged between 11 and 13 years - of the distillery’s 10 unique recipes.

The release of the Four Roses 2011 Limited Edition Small Batch Bourbon will coincide with September’s Kentucky Bourbon Heritage Month and will be officially introduced at the 2011 Kentucky Bourbon Festival. It will include four recipes hand-selected by Master Distiller Jim Rutledge. The bourbon utilizes Four Roses’ recipes coded OBSK and OESQ, both aged 13 years, as well as recipes OESV aged 12 years and OESK aged 11 years.

The 2011 Limited Edition Small Batch Bourbon presents aromas of honeysuckle, toasted oak, almond toffee, and spicy hints of nutmeg and cinnamon, with subtle fruit flavors of dried apricot, ripe plum, plus brown sugar, honey and dark chocolate covered cherries.

“This year’s limited small batch release is a classically refined bourbon that really showcases our ability to utilize the distillery’s 10 distinct recipes,” said Four Roses Master Distiller Jim Rutledge. “The combination of spicy, fruity and floral flavors make this a rich, mellow offering perfect for any occasion.”

The distillery will produce approximately 3,500 bottles of the barrel strength, non-chill filtered bourbon to markets where Four Roses is currently available in the U.S.

Four Roses’ limited edition bourbon offerings have historically sold out quickly and been highly acclaimed by spirits critics. Last year’s 2010 Limited Edition Small Batch Bourbon was rated third by Paul Pacult amongst the top 140 Five-Star Rated Spirits
of the world in his renowned liquor industry publication The Spirit Journal.

Buffalo Trace Antique Collection - 2011

2011-08-30T19:18:00.007-04:00

Well, it's official, the Buffalo Trace Antique Collection (BTAC) for 2011 is on its way. Now it its twelfth year of release, BT today provided some details about this years collection in the following press release:

"FRANKFORT, FRANKLIN COUNTY, KY (August 30, 2011) The long wait is over! Buffalo Trace Distillery will release its 2011 Antique Collection in September. The much anticipated collection will once again feature five limited-release whiskeys of various ages, recipes and proofs. Here’s what ardent fans can expect:

Sazerac Rye 18 Year Old
Last year’s release was given a liquid gold award and a 97.5 rating in Jim Murray’s 2011 Whisky Bible. This 2011 rye whiskey release is described as “intense spice with underlying sweetness and dry finish.” Hopefully critics agree this batch is just as good, or better!

Eagle Rare 17 Year Old
The previous edition of this bourbon was honored with a Gold Medal at the 2011 San Francisco World Spirits Competition. The 2011 edition was distilled in the Spring of 1993 and has been aging on the 2nd, 3rd and 6th floors of Warehouses I and K. After 18 years and 7 months of aging under its belt, it brings to the table notes of leather, vanilla and tobacco.

George T. Stagg
The 2010 release of this long-time favorite was named “Spirit of the Year” by F. Paul Pacult in the 2011 Spirit Journal. The 2011 George T. Stagg was found in Warehouses H, I, and K. This uncut, unfiltered bourbon was distilled back in the winter of 1993 and weighs in at 142.6 proof—some bold stuff! This whiskey tastes of espresso, chocolate and vanilla.

William Larue Weller
William Larue Weller is the Antique Collection’s uncut, unfiltered, wheated recipe bourbon. The previous edition was named “Bourbon of the Year” in Jim Murray’s 2011 Whisky Bible. The 2011 offering was distilled in the summer of 1998 and aged on the fourth and fifth floors of Warehouses N, O, and P. This William Larue Weller release registers in at 133.5 proof – a lot stronger than last year! It tastes of honey, caramel, light toffee and pipe tobacco.

Thomas H. Handy Sazerac Rye
Thomas H. Handy Sazerac Rye is an uncut and unfiltered straight rye whiskey. The 2010 edition was named “Rye Whiskey of the Year” by Jim Murray in his 2011 Whisky Bible. This year’s Handy was distilled in the spring of 2005, aged on the sixth floor of Warehouse K and weighs in at 128.6 proof. The flavor has been described as “Christmas cake and allspice. Bold and yummy.”

In case you didn't notice, I'll point out to you that the Sazerac 18 is the only one that doesn't give a barrel date. That wasn't an oversight as BT has had this 18 year Rye tanked for a number of years. For enthusiasts, this is an exciting time as they wait in anticipation for allocations to reach their respective markets.

In the past, I've collected (and enjoyed) the BTAC releases but as I mentioned elsewhere in this blog, I skipped last year and will most likely do the same this year. For the most part, these whiskies are top shelf with the only caveat being the Eagle Rare 17 which I've found to have wide swings in taste and quality. Collectors typically snatch up GTS and WLW first which is why many times you can still find the Sazerac 18 and the Eagle Rare 17 still on the shelves for a while after release. Now, I may change my mind and pick up a bottle or two, but that would be it. Not purchasing for me has more to do with a saturated bunker of previous years BTAC that I have yet to open and the fact that the taste profile stays fairly consistent year over year for these various offerings (with the exception being ER17).

So, anyone waiting with baited breath for the release? Have you called in your order? Let me know what you plan to do.

Great Quake of 2011!

2011-08-24T19:19:00.004-04:00

Sitting at work yesterday and all of a sudden things start rockin and rollin. Earthquake! Growing up in California I've lived through a number of them. Evacuation commenced and as we're all milling around outside waiting for the "all clear" my thoughts turn to home and all my bottles sitting on open shelves. I get a knot in my stomach thinking about a George T. Stagg or Pappy Van Winkle laying broken on the floor leaking it's contents all over the place. My plan was to work a little late but instead, I made a beeline home to check on things. Thankfully driving up I didn't see any missing bricks or cracks in either of my chimneys. Inside, everything looks normal as I do a quick inspection of multiple bunkers. Whew!

Evidently, there was a 4.2 aftershock last night about 8:00 which I didn't notice. I did notice however another aftershock this morning about 8:15. I just hope the 5.8 rumbler wasn't a pre-shock.

To celebrate surviving the great quake of 2011, I'm enjoying a 1988 Old Forester 86 proof with a Padilla Achilles cigar. The Old Forester is one of my favorite out of production bourbons. I say out of production because this particular bourbon came from DSP414 where current Old Forester come from DSP356. Very different flavor profiles. The 414 is rich, creamy, buttery and uber delicious. The Padilla Achilles is a good value cigar that I picked up from Cigars International for $2 a stick. Good cigar at a great value.

I just hope Hurricane Irene passes well to the East.

Exam-o-dram - High West 12 year Rye

2011-07-31T16:41:00.007-04:00

As a lover of whiskey that would also include Rye. As I mentioned here in the pages of this blog, I have a penchant for wheated bourbons like Old Weller Antique (the age stated one), Pappy Van Winkle and Stitzel Weller Old Fitzgerald Bonded. There are times though that I like a good rye whiskey. There are two predominant rye offerings; American and Canadian. For the purposes of this discussion, I'm focused on good 'ole American Rye.

For American rye the mashbill must be at least 51% rye. The remaining percentage will be corn and malted barley and distilled to not more than 160pf and put into a new charred oak barrel at not more than 125pf. To be called Straight Rye, it must be aged at least two years. Prior to prohibition, rye whiskey was abundant in the Northeast U.S. as there were distilleries in Pennsylvania and Maryland but after Prohibition, those distillery disappeared. Today, rye whiskey is made by the large distillers that includes Jim Beam, Wild Turkey, Heaven Hill and various micro distilleries scattered throughout the U.S. Another large producer of rye whiskey that's far off the radar and one you've probably never heard of is Lawrenceburg Distillery Indiana (LDI) who also produces many other spirits such as bourbon, gin and grain neutral spirits (GNS).

Rye whiskey for many years was the dominant whiskey consumed in the U.S. but then dropped off significantly over time but more recently it's been making a comeback and as a result, we've seen many new labels showing up on the shelves. One such producer is High West Distillery based out of Park City Utah which is where the High West 12 Year Rye comes from. High West offers other whiskies and what's exciting is the variation and quality of the whiskey being distributed.

The 12 Year Rye was tasted blind by 13 participants and they were asked to rate the whiskey based on a 100 point scale and provide tasting comments. My feedback on this particular whiskey is as follows:

Color: Moderate golden hue, medium depth
Nose: More floral profile on this one. Mild yet appealing
Entry: Nice combination of sweet/spice. Reasonably balanced showing a bit of age. Spice kicks in about mid palate. Mouthfeel a little on the thin side.
Finish: Moderately long with spice dominating most of the way and then subsiding giving way to a little sweet rye flavor.
Rating: Compelling and appealing. I like this one. This one gets a 87.

The group ratings were:

95-100 A Classic Whiskey - 1

90-94 Excellent Whiskey - 2

85-89 Very Good, Above Average Whiskey - 7

80-84 Average Whiskey - 4

There were no scores below 80

Additional group comments included:

"A well-balanced rye, probably 5-8yo. The original spirit is still hanging on with the barrel notes add to the experience. Needs a bit more depth though"

"both sweet and bitter, a good combo finish...falls off a little at the end"

"The mint is in check on this one and this strikes me as a good rye, but the taste just falls flat for me and really knocks this one down"

"Hmm… rye and menthol. There is some spice, but it is hidden behind the menthol touches. Not bad juice, just not something I would reach for"

"Nice transition to a long, dry finish. Begs for another sip"

This rye may not be found in many markets but I would at least call your local liquor store or ABC manager and ask them about availability. Bottle is 750ml and priced about $35.

A break in the heat.....

2011-07-26T20:42:00.005-04:00

Two things happened this week that made living a little unbearable. Washington DC heat was hitting some pretty high temps and with the addition of humidity, the heat index was surpassing 100 degrees. The second thing that happened, my AC decided to stop working. Oh joy.

A call to my AC company got me a scheduled appointment for this Friday, the 29th. A call yesterday begging them to come earlier yielded an appointment for this evening. Low coolant was the culprit and since the is unit new in the last two years, the service call was free.

This evening, the heat isn't overbearing and it's actually very comfortable outside. In celebration of a working AC and a pleasant evening, I poured a 1981 Old Grand Dad Bottled in Bond. This particular bourbon I believe is a byproduct of glut whiskey since it's 9 years old (according to the dated tax strip). This particular bourbon is one of those bottles I never want to see empty.

The nose is all brown sugar, vanilla and mild oak. The entry is a burst of bourbon perfection with toasted wood, caramel, and burnt cream. To me, perfection that is not found in many other bottles. I've written extensively about dusty hunting so for those of you that hunt, look for older OGD BIB's that are bottled around 1992 and before as they will contain juice from National Distiller vice Jim Beam who purchased the OGD label in 1989.

Arran, not Bourbon

2011-07-25T22:08:00.003-04:00

I've liked bourbon for a very long time but in the last number of years, I've become distracted by other whiskies and as such, I've begun to dabble in the dark side; Scotch! My bourbon buddies rib me on a regular basis about it but the truth is, whisk(e)y is so diverse that I love to explore new and different selections. A recent acquisition is The Arran Malt, a Single Island Scotch that is finished in cream sherry casks. What's interesting is this bottle is cask strength at 114.8pf. There are only 756 bottles and I managed to snag four of them.

The Arran comes from Isle of Arran Distillery which began production on June 29, 1995. Relatively speaking, this is a very, very young distillery compared to say Bowmore that's been pumping out whisky goodness since 1779. From what I can tell, this particular bottling is from 2006. That may not be exact as there's not much information floating around about these limited edition bottles. What I can tell you is that I think it tastes pretty darn good.

This is not a scotch from Islay filled with heavy doses of peat and smoke but from Island; very honeyed and loaded with ripe red fruits, balance of sherry influence with the "cream" cask coming though at the end of mid palate. A very pleasing toastiness comes through with a buttery taste as it flows to the back of the palate. On the finish, the fruit and honey sweetness diminishes and I'm left with a pleasant oak, sherry and burnt sugar aftertaste.

The Arran Single Malt LE can still be found in some stores and internet vendors, you'll just have to hunt for it. I got a fantastic deal on my bottle paying $30 with free shipping but it typically retails for about $80 a 750ml.

Single Barrel Tasting

2011-07-25T20:25:00.002-04:00

Just wanted to alert you bourbon lovers out there that my buddy Don over at Beer and Whiskey Brothers blog is doing a single barrel tasting. First up in the bracket is Wild Turkey Kentucky Spirit vs. Henry McKenna Bottled in Bond. Don does a good job setting this up and providing his thoughts on the bourbons. Check it out....it's a fun read.

Cruisin and Boozin

2011-07-10T14:57:00.002-04:00

Just returned from a week long cruise. Internet access was a ridiculous $35/hour so I bypassed getting online which was good anyway as it felt nice being disconnected for that week. I hunted for some export bourbons but came up dry. It wasn't a total bust as I picked up some other goodies in the whiskey family

1989 Balblair SMSW
Glenmorangie Sonnalta (non chill filtered) SMSW
Aberlour a'bunadh batch 22 SMSW (barrel strength)
Crown Royal XR (a very nice Canadian)
Jack Daniels Silver Select (excellent export JD single barrel at 100pf)

I'm still vacationing in Orlando so will post some thoughts on these purchase sometime in the near future. Pool time......

Barrel-o-Manhattan

2011-06-30T20:26:00.004-04:00

I'll start right off and say this wasn't my idea. The idea originated from a Master Distiller of a micro-distillery who mentioned it to a friend of mine. Fast forward a number of weeks and I'm sitting on friends back patio commenting on how delicious the Manhattan is. He proceeds to show me his barrel which is full of Manhattan deliciousness.

Ok, so not to assume that everyone knows what a Manhattan is, this is a typical classic recipe:

2 oz Bourbon or Rye.5 oz of

Sweet Vermouth

2 shakes of Bitters

Couple Maraschino cherries with a little of the cherry juice to taste.

Pour into rocks glass filled with ice.

I've blogged about my re-barrel projects and it so happens the barrel was sitting empty. I put the barrel in the kitchen sink and proceeded to fill it with water and of course it leaked like a rusty tuna boat. Water was pouring from the seams. Did I panic you say? Nope. The barrel was dry having sit empty for a while so I expected it to leak. I kept refilling the barrel to keep it full and after a couple of hours, the leaking slowed and then stopped altogether. I let it sit overnight full of water to make sure the barrel was well saturated.

For my Manhattan concoction (and that's what it was) I proceed to pull together the following:

1.75L Tom Moore Bottled in Bond (a Barton product)

275ml of various Rye whisky mini's left over from a recent double blind tasting

500ml of all 10 recipes of Four Roses single barrel also left over from a recent blind tasting

These all went into the barrel. I then added approximately 600ml of Sweet Vermouth, a tablespoon of Blood Orange Bitters and Maraschino cherry liquor to taste (approx. 1oz). The stopper went back into the barrel and I proceeded to gently roll the barrel to get the concoction mixed up.

How did it taste? Well, I'm sippin a glass right now as I type and I must say it turned out pretty darn tasty. I think the Maraschino liquor and Blood Orange Bitters gives it a unique taste from the classic Manhattan recipe. The barrel contains about 3L of mix so I'll be enjoying this for a while and also enjoy the benefit of a little barrel aging as I go along.

I'm not content to just sip my whiskey, now I'm playing mad scientist.

Fathers Day – Beer and Whiskey….what else?

2011-06-20T20:39:00.003-04:00

I consider myself exceptionally blessed to have many family members that live close by and as such it makes family events such as Fathers Day a fulfilling event. My dad turned 72 this year but he's slowing down although he will never admit that as he's the first to jump into any project to show he still has "true grit". Yesterday was a day of relaxation and enjoying each other's company. I enjoyed the day with my oldest son, my father, brother and two brother in-laws. There was lots of dead animal flesh cooking away on two grills as well as beer galore. I brought along some Allagash Black, Port City Porter and Optimal Wit as well as a mix of whiskies that included; Bushmills 21 year, Midleton Very Rare Irish, Old Weller Antique (a single barrel done back in 2009), Van Winkle Family Reserve Rye, 1982 Old Fitzgerald Bottled in Bond, Knob Creek Single Barrel and a recently purchased 18 year Willett which is a wheat bourbon that I cut down to 107 pf. My wife asked me what I wanted for Father's Day and I told her sandals. Tomorrow I celebrate 25 years of marriage to my lovely bride and we'll be heading out on a cruise to celebrate and I wanted some new sandals. God bless her, she didn't get me sandals, instead I received a 32" HDTV for my man cave.

Life is good....

4 days in Bourbon Mecca - Thursday

2011-06-20T20:24:00.002-04:00

I made sure I didn't stay up too late on Wednesday as we had an early start to Four Roses on Thursday morning. We were due at Cox Creek, the warehousing facility at 9:00 a.m. The drive to Cox Creek was short from the hotel and we arrived shortly before 9:00. The guard waved us on through and we proceeded to the bottling house. I'll tell you that Four Roses does a magnificent job putting together tastings. They are very attentive to detail and the presentation is very nice. Due to the size of our group, we had to double up and share tasting stations which wasn't a problem; unless you're next to the guy with a fever blister.

In attendance from Four Roses was the warehouse manager, brand ambassador and master distiller Jim Rutledge. Jim did an awesome job hosting the tasting and sampled while he talked to the folks as we worked our way through 9 samples. Three of each recipe was brought out; OBSV, OBSQ and OESK. The three recipes break down as follows:

OBSV – 60% Corn – Delicate, fruity, spicey, medium body

OBSQ – 60% Corn – Floral (rose petal), spicey, medium body

OESK – 75% Corn – Spicy, full body

Tasting through these samples at 9:00 in the morning is an interesting venture. To be honest, probably the best time to taste would be early morning as the palate is at its best, unadulterated condition (I'm not suggesting this become a normal routine). We took our time and after about an hour began to collect the tasting notes and scores in order to rank the 9 barrels.

I think I've mentioned before that Four Roses is not a favorite of mine although a small group of us selected a barrel last year that turned out to be one of my favorites. The standard Four Roses Single Barrel offering is the OBSV recipe and surprisingly, this ended up the being the group pick at 70% of the tasters preferring barrel #3, OBSV recipe. This barrel yielded 126 bottles and came out of the barrel at 116.7 proof. The one thing I do like about Four Roses is the low slung warehouses which allows the whiskey to age at a more graceful pace which many times yields a bourbon at a lower proof.

After we finished up the tasting, we all piled back into our respective rides for the 50 mile trip to the Distillery in Lawrenceburg. It should have been an uneventful ride with the exception of one wiseacre feeling the need to offer the obligatory mooning on the Blue Grass Parkway….nuff said about that.

We arrived at Four Roses and gathered at the Gazebo which overlooks the Distillery and gift shop. The fine folks at Four Roses set up a nice boxed lunch as well as a well stocked bar of various Four Roses products. While the group munched and sipped away, Jim Rutledge provided an oral history of Four Roses and took questions as needed. After lunch, we broke up and the group headed out on a distillery tour….except for a couple of us that cornered Jim for additional conversation. We asked some follow up questions which Jim was more than happy to answer.

All in all, it was a great time and my hat is off to Jim and the fine folks at Four Roses for their graciousness and generosity in spending a whole day with a group of folks who are nothing more than enthusiasts of all things bourbon.

Busy yet again....

2011-05-24T20:21:00.002-04:00

So you don't think I tripped on garden hose and cracked my head on the pavement....I'm alive and well. There are certain times where the business and busyness of life overtakes other activities like drinking, watching a little TV, hitting a bucket of balls at the driving range or updating a blog. My day job has me fully engaged during the day and I have no time for online goofing off during a lunch break that I haven't taken in say two weeks. As many of you may (or may not know) I also own a Franchise that my good brother does a fine job managing while I'm off doing IT work at my paying job. My Franchise work consists of doing all the financial and administrative duties after hours as well as working on getting funding for our next location which I'm knee deep in as I type. On top of that, I also sit on the IT Advisory Committee for the Franchisor. Those duties sometimes take me out of town as it did this last weekend. I spent a glorious weekend walking through McCormick Place in Chicago for the National Restaurant Association annual convention. I was there doing some fact finding and am in the process of writing a report on my findings. So, I say all that to let you fine folks (and dorks) know that I'm not shirking my duties as lead dork but time is not on my side right now. I wanted to write this short posting just to let you know that I do have some stuff in the works and to say thanks for being patient and giving me the opportunity to entertain you about my bourbon musings. I'll have some updates this weekend. Cheers.

4 days in Bourbon Mecca - Wednesday

2011-05-15T23:03:00.006-04:00

About two weeks ago I spent four glorious days in Kentucky doing what a good bourbon enthusiast would do. Drink bourbon. A quick summary of what transpired

Wednesday – Driving 10 hours from Northern Virginia to Bardstown Kentucky. Dumb jokes, cigars and frequent bathrooms stops. Besides the 4 of us were 28 other bourbon dorks from all over the U.S. joining in on the fun with one participant coming all the way from Sweden; now there's dedication for you.

The plan for the evening was a one off tasting of single barrel whiskeys. We had a total of 44 bottles and the criterion for the bottle being included in the tasting was you had to have had a role in the selection process. Amazing that out of 32 participants, we ended up with 44 bottles of pretty darn tasty whiskey (both Rye and Bourbon were represented). I personally had a hand in the selection of 6 out of the 44 which means I bypassed my own stuff and concentrated on selections that up to that evening, I had only heard about. I'll admit that I sampled maybe a third of the bottles as there was just too much to sit and enjoy in one evening, although there were a few brave souls who attempted it. It was a great evening and I was able to meet some folks that I had never met in person yet chatted with many times in various bourbon forums. My two favorite of the evening was a 21 year old Rye and a 12 year Van Winkle Lot B that was Stitzel Weller bourbon.

Next up: Four Roses tasting and luncheon.

Evan Williams Single Barrel 12 Year Vertical – Final 4 years

2011-05-05T21:06:00.007-04:00

Here we are with the final four years of the EWSB tasting. For me, this kind of confirmed how I already felt about this particular bourbon; it's an average bourbon. I find this somewhat interesting since this is a 10 year old bourbon, I would think the variations from year to year would be more extreme but the reality is, among the dozen or so tasters, this bourbon broke to the middle as an average bourbon.

95-100 A Classic Whiskey

90-94 Excellent

85-89 Good, Clearly above average

80-84 Average

75-79 Fair

74 and below - pass

Year: 1996

Year Barreled: 10/18/96

Barrel Number: 723

Bottled on: 11/17/06

Rating and overall impressions: The collective rating for this year was 83.5% which is on the high side of average. One taster stated "The EWSB profile, coupled with the low 86 proof seem to be a very safe, unambitious platform."

"A good bourbon that runs in the middle of the pack"

"This, along with the 1995, is one of the best of them so far"

"Nice average bourbon with no flaws"

"So for this year, looks to be same same"

Year: 1997

Year Barreled: 1/16/97

Barrel Number: 556

Bottled on: 6/8/07

Rating and overall impressions: The bell curve on this one was pretty much non-existent. This year EWSB broke high to low with 40% rating is average or above average by an even split and then 60% rating it fair to pass on this one. Comments included:

"Nothing special….."

"Bitter, young tasting, simple"

"Solid Bourbon"

"Bitter but still thin and watery"

Year: 1998

Year Barreled: 11/23/98

Barrel Number: 827

Bottled on: 10/22/08

Rating and overall impressions: Again, this year lacked a curve whatsoever. In fact, two tasters rated this excellent all the way down to two more rating is as a pass. Overall rating for this year was 81.3%, barely making it into average territory.

"Flawed and I question whether this is drinkable. Worst of the tasting…."

"This is nice stuff. I'd buy a handle"

"I think I'm starting to repeat myself….drinkable but nothing exceptional"

"…the best by far for me, dyno!"

Year: 1999

Year Barreled: 6/21/99

Barrel Number: 234

Bottled on: 3/9/09

Rating and overall impressions: This final year rated a 82%....I know, shocking! This last couple of years I believe were Jim Beam bourbon although it could have been Brown Forman. Some comments…..

"Apple cider meets lemonade…..mild and satisfying"

"….flat, some heat…pedestrian bourbon flavor"

"…this last of the sampling is my favorite. It is a very pleasant pour…"

"Evan Williams has gotten better over the years"

"….nothing there really to enjoy"

So there you have it. The overall score for all 12 years was an astounding 81.7%. 12 years of single barrel bourbons that in the end break to just average overall. To be honest, I really thought there would be some stars in this line up but guess it wasn't to be. I'll say it again; taste is subjective so if you like this particular bourbon, it's a great value at about $24 a 750ml. For the most part it's simple, unassuming and consistent. Not a resounding thumbs up for the EWSB brand. There were a number of years that rated very high with industry reviewers but here among us mere pedestrians, we gave 66% of the years an average rating. Now that this tasting is done, let's drink something better than average.

Port City Porter - Beeralicious

2011-04-22T14:53:00.010-04:00

Residing in my own back yard is Port City Brewing in Alexandria ,VA. Shopping at my local Wegmans the other day, I noticed a large beer display of numerous Port City beers with two catching my eye; Optimal Wit, a Belgian White Ale and the Porter. I decided to grab the Porter since my preference recently has run toward the darker beers.

I had not seen Port City beers before so being a local brewery, I was intrigued. The next day I pulled a chilled bottle and aggressively poured the Porter into a tulip shaped glass which produced a nominal mocha head of about one inch. The beer was dark mahogany in color and the smell coming off the head was malty and toasty. The nose on this beer was somewhat subtle but the aroma profile was noticeable with roasted malt, creamy chocolate and dark coffee.

On entry, those aromas turn into very appealing flavors as with the roasted malt and slight bitter coffee coming to the front with chocolate complementing from the background. Low hop content and virtually no alcohol coming through on the palate. This beer is medium to full bodied with very little carbonation.

I was very pleased with this beer and am especially pleased it’s a hometown brew. This beer comes in at 7.5% ABV and can be purchased in six packs for around $10.

Bernheim Original Wheat Whiskey – Blind Tasting

2011-04-21T21:30:00.010-04:00

I remember when I first saw Bernheim Wheat Whiskey on the shelves of Virginia's monopoly called Alcohol and Beverage Control. At the time, they charged the premium price of $40 for a 750ml bottle. I thought it must be something special since the bottle is unique and the price is kinda up there. Well, for some it is great and for others, it's not worth a plug nickel.

To be honest, I think the nose of the Bernheim is quite enticing but that's about where it stops for me. The entry is somewhat astringent and the finish is too short. The whiskey does have a nice sweet char component to it about mid palate. This is a whiskey I will likely pass over in the future, but that's just me. For others that are new to bourbon or American whiskey, I would actually encourage someone to pick up a bottle. Various American whiskey's have differing mashbills; e.g. varying percentages of corn (at least 51% for bourbon by law), rye (at least 51% by law), and wheat. So, in the case of Bernheim the dominant grain is wheat, then corn and about 5% barley. This mashbill produces a very sweet, smooth and light whiskey. Some folks don't like the harshness of a rye bourbon like Old Grand Dad so starting off with something like Bernheim or Makers Mark is usually a good place to begin your American whiskey journey.

My tasting panel again consists of 11 participants who tried this whiskey in the blind. This particular whiskey produced no bell curve as tasters loved it, liked it, disliked it or hated it. Some reviewer comments were:

"Very light on the palate. Pay close attention and you'll find some caramel, cinnamon and a hint of cocoa. Clean but not very exciting."

"….a little lackluster overall and could be much more if the flavors were a bit bolder"

"The body was very heavy, but it was more creamy than oily. I don't think it was high alcohol, but it was delicious."

"A short and uninteresting finish. This is a disappointing whiskey"

"A happy balance of oak that makes it very drinkable. Medium-Full body"

As you can see, the experience for the tasters were all over the map ranging from delicious to disappointing.

After the reviewers found out what it was, many were surprised and in some cases stated that they would now buy a bottle based on the revelation. This is how this particular whiskey broke down among the participants

95-100 A Classic Whiskey	0
90-94 Excellent	2
85-89 Good, Clearly above average	2
80-84 Average	1
75-79 Fair	4
74 and below - pass	2

This is how the industry has viewed this whiskey over the last couple of years:

Gold Medal, 2009 International Spirits Challenge

Silver Medal, 2009 and 2010 San Francisco World Spirits Competition

"Great stuff: a superb addition to the American whiskey lexicon … an immediate classic" Jim Murray, Author of Jim Murray's Whiskey Bible

Final note, see that 1 in the 80-84 Average column…..that's mine.

Heaven Hill Bottled in Bond 6 year – Blind Tasting

2011-04-18T22:17:00.014-04:00

As I mentioned I've been participating in or hosting blind tastings. Following on the heels of my (provocative) Industry Reviews posting, I'm going to be posting results from a number of tastings that have been going on for the last number of months.

To set the stage, these participants are spread out across the country and conducted their tasting at their leisure over the course of a week. There was no cross-talk about the samples so each entry was submitted without knowing the brand, proof, mashbill or age. To me, this kind of tasting gives an unadulterated impression of what's being tasted and in the end, provides a more true review of the whiskey.

First up is Heaven Hill Bottled in Bond, a six year old bourbon (there's also the standard 4 year version). This bottle is a good base bourbon from Heaven Hill and is actually quite good in my opinion and for about $15, it's a real value to boot. Feedback from participants included:

"Nice mouthfeel, sumptuous, not overwhelming"

"I like it and would buy it"

"Sweet pumpernickel. Where is the ham, swiss, and mayo? Then a little fruit and maybe chocolate come through" (I told this particular joker that this is a serious bourbon tasting, not a deli counter)

"Sweet with a nice thickness. Caramel and more fruit. A nice balance of both"

This is a bourbon that can serve two purposes; mixer and drinker. First, because it's bonded (100 proof) it provides the zip to mixed drinks like a whiskey sour or Manhattan. Second, this bourbon can be served neat, bourbon and branch or rocks. Don't let the price fool you, at 6 years old, this is a good bourbon at a great price. Another Heaven Hill offering for about the same price is Fighting Cock which is 6 years old at 103 proof. Another one I use for mixing but not to drink neat. For some reason, the Fighting Cock is a little hot. If you have a home bar, this makes a good rail whiskey.

The final results broke down as follows out of 11 participant:

95-100 A Classic Whiskey	1
90-94 Excellent	1
85-89 Good, Clearly above average	6
80-84 Average	2
75-79 Fair	0
74 and below - pass	1

Evan Williams Single Barrel 12 Year Vertical - Second 4 years

2011-04-13T21:28:00.014-04:00

This next set of bourbons really didn't fare any better than the first four years. For reference, I'll be using the same rating scale

95-100 A Classic Whiskey

90-94 Excellent

85-89 Good, Clearly above average

80-84 Average

75-79 Fair

74 and below - pass

Year: 1992

Barreled on 7/22/92
Barrel # 220
Bottled on 6/17/02

This year was not a favorite by a long shot. Average score was only 79.8% and the dominant feedback on the 1992 was "ethanol", "medicinal", "funk" and "bitter". Not a good list of descriptors for any whiskey. The '92 release was named "Spirit of the year" by Food and Wine Magazine and Wine Enthusiast named it "Best Bottling". Moving on.

Year: 1993

Barreled on 12/13/93
Barrel # 449
Bottled on 11/24/03

The 1993 was a step in the right direction with an average score of 82.1%. I liked this one at first but then the finish ruined it for me knocking my score down to an 80 (low end of average). Feedback included "minty" (a HH quality), "oak", "berries", "bitter finish". The 1993 falls right in line with the overall average of the first 4 years. Still waiting for the stand out. Spirit Journal said "SJ Rating * * * * */Highest Recommendation. Next.

Year: 1994

Barreled on: 10/24/94
Barrel No: 464
Bottled on 9/23/04

Ok, now we're headed in the right direction as this year breaks away from the middle with an average score of 85% making this the best of the bunch after 7 years. Feedback on this year included "summer fruit", "vanilla", "menthol", "caramel" and "raisins". The finish was much better on this one than any previous version. Enthusiasts who have enjoyed the EWSB over the years claim 1994 as one of the best. We'll see as we still have the 1995 to talk about.

Year: 1995

Barreled on: 5/19/95
Barrel No: 290
Bottled on: 4/28/05

The last of the second bunch, this year scored just under the 1994 with an average of 84.7%. For me, this one exhibited great potential but still fell a little flat about mid palate. Not totally disappointing but wish there was more of the good qualities that popped out. Some feedback included "vanilla custard", " vanilla bean ice cream", "sweet citrus", "burnt sugar and spice". Everyone agreed this was a good bourbon but just not as good as the 1994.

We have 4 more years to review so I'm still holding out for one bottle to break out as a classic single barrel. These first eight years are all pre-fire distillate. Only the 1996 remains as pre-fire. From 1997 through 1999 they are post-fire and include bourbon from Jim Beam and Brown Forman. We'll see what shakes out. Overall, this second bunch only scored .5% higher than the first batch with an overall average of 82.9%.

Industry reviews –crooked or clean?

2011-04-04T22:41:00.009-04:00

I'll admit in the spirit of full disclosure, I've purchased things based solely on what someone else said about it; e.g. the whiskey experts. I'm not sure the whiskey tasted better because someone else said so and I'm not sure in the end, it was a good buy. In some cases maybe so but I'd have to say I've been disappointed too many times. Whose fault is it? Mine. After years of buying and tasting I've come to one conclusion and that is the worlds best whiskey expert is………me. That's right, when it comes to who I listen to time and again, it's me and me alone. I know what I like and no matter how many taste descriptors an expert puts in their review to jazz up the anticipation, I read every review with a healthy dose of skepticism.

I'm not a conspiracy theory nut job but I have to ask the question. When a distillery or Micro reseller sends a sample/bottle to be reviewed, is it picked blind or are the selections handpicked? Based on some reviews, I'd almost have to assume the latter. Obviously reviewers always know what they are drinking. I would also argue that in some cases there is going to be unwanted influence of marketing dollars. I’ve seen some reviewer’s state emphatically that their reviews are not influenced in any way. Ok, I’ll take your word for it. But there are cases where a whiskey is “highly rated” or “ 4 out of 5 stars” or “Best of class” only to find out that it doesn’t ring my bell and when speaking to other enthusiasts, that’s the going consensus.

Here would be my challenge to any expert reviewer. Receive a blind sample and tell us the following: Approx proof, age and mashbill (Rye, Wheat) and distillery. If you're good at what you do, those 4 questions should be fairly easy to answer. How many comments of a similar nature have you seen in reviews?

"Tastes young" or "spent too much time in wood"

"This bourbon doesn't drink like its stated proof"

"This is classic <fill in the distillery name> taste profile"

"A big high rye whiskey (or bourbon)"

So, my challenge would be this. Reviewer man/woman, take a blind sample and tell us what it is relying solely on your palate, experience and subsequent impressions. I throw down that challenge because I've done this many times and I’m certainly no expert. To get a true impression of what you are drinking, do it without any pre-conceived notions or information of any kind on the sample and see what shakes out. My bet would be nobody would be bold enough to take on that challenge (any takers????).

The title and posting are meant to be somewhat provocative and was done to generate some discussion on industry reviews. So, what's your take on experts’ reviews and how do they influence where you spend your dollars? I'm going to follow up this post with some examples of tastings I've participated in to give you flavor of what it means to taste open and blind and how our group stacked up against the experts. By the way, see here for my last posting with respect to expert reviews.

Evan Williams Single Barrel 12 Year Vertical - First 4 years

2011-03-26T22:16:00.007-04:00

As I mentioned, I'm hosting a vertical tasting with 12 enthusiasts participating. We've completed the first 4 years; 1988 through 1991. So far, there hasn't been a standout bourbon in the lot but I'm hopeful something will pop up as worthy of discussion among the group. I've found this tasting to be interesting for one simple reason. Two of the years we've tasted through received high ratings from industry reviewers. Our rating system used is as follows:

95-100 A Classic Whiskey

90-94 Excellent

85-89 Good, Clearly above average

80-84 Average

75-79 Fair

74 and below - pass

Year: 1988

Year Barreled: 11/16/88

Barrel Number: 263

No Bottling Date

Rating and overall impressions: The collective rating for this year was 81.4 which is average. This bourbon didn't impress the group with some stating is was thin, hot on the finish and uninspiring. Yah, I agree.

Year: 1989

Year Barreled: 10/26/89

Barrel Number: 161

No Bottling Date

Rating and overall impressions: The collective rating for this year was 79.75, fairing worse than 1988. The group indicated the nose being light almost to the point of no aroma at all. One really had to breath in deep to discern anything on this one. The group also indicated this particular year had a cereal or grainy quality to it making this one just fair.

Year: 1990

Year Barreled: 12/20/90

Barrel Number: 140

No Bottling Date

Rating and overall impressions: The collective rating for this year was 80.6. For the first three years, we're within less than a point from lowest to highest rating. The tasting notes had positive things to say about the entry profile containing caramel, floral and orange notes, mint and brown sugar. I thought this was better than the two previous years but the finish was a little drying to me. Here's the kicker, Spirit Journal dubbed this 1990 bourbon "Whiskey Of The Year". Go figure.

Year: 1991

Year Barreled: 10/18/91

Barrel Number: 003

No Bottling Date

Rating and overall impressions: The collective rating for this year was 82.4, the best so far but still just average based on the rating system. Interesting the tasting notes from the group overwhelmingly included notes of citrus. Other qualities included oak, brown sugar and corn. For me, this one was the best second best of the lot as I like the '90 slightly better. From the Heaven Hill Bourbon Heritage Center website "Like a fine wine, each bottle of Evan Williams Single Barrel Vintage Bourbon contains a vintage date telling the exact day it was put in an oak barrel to age. Every year, a new vintage of Evan Williams Single Barrel Vintage is released to critical acclaim. The 1990 Vintage was the first Bourbon to be awarded "Whiskey of the Year" by The Spirit Journal. The 1991 Vintage was awarded "Domestic Whiskey of the Year" by The Malt Advocate and "Spirit of the Year" by Wine & Spirits."

So far nothing has jumped out as worthy to bunker but we still have 8 years to go so let's hope subsequent years are more inviting.

The 12 Year Vertical

2011-03-15T20:20:00.005-04:00

I'm in the middle of hosting a Vertical Tasting Event (VTE) using 12 years of Evan Williams Single Barrels starting with 1988 and going through 1999. These being single barrels, there's going to be variances from bottle to bottle for the same years. The more interesting aspect of this tasting is to determine the differences of the various mashbills throughout this timeframe. Let me explain.

On November 7, 1996, Heaven Hill experienced a devastating fire that destroyed the production plant and several warehouses containing 90,000 gallons of bourbon. In order to continue product releases, Heaven Hill was able to contract with Brown Forman and Jim Beam to distill bourbon to Heaven Hills standards. So, drinking through these 12 samples give's the tasters a variety of masbhills under the same label. Why is this important? Well, the recipe isn't just the grain and yeast, it's also all the equipment involved in the distillation process from the mash tuns to the column stills. As such, the flavor profile will be very different because multiple distilleries were involved in the distillation of this label.

All the Evan Williams Single Barrels are approximately 10 years old and 86.6 proof. When lining up these bottles side by side, the color variances in some bottles were quite remarkable; going from very light to moderately dark. The results aren't in yet as we've only tasted through 1988 and 1989. As we progress, I'll provide updates. Finally, I haven't heard of anyone doing a 12 year vertical tasting of the EWSB so this might be a first, but if you have, let me know, I'd be interested in hearing the results.

A Day of Dusty Hunting

2011-03-01T21:05:00.003-05:00

Three weeks ago, responding to a classified ad in the Washington Post I visited a nice retired gentlemen who was selling his vintage Wild Turkey decanters. His collection consisted of about 30 or so decanters from the 1970's through the 1980's. It was a very nice collection but unfortunately most of the decanters were empty. Not because he enjoyed that wonderful bourbon over the years but because he didn't. You see, those older decanters contained cork stoppers and they were notorious for evaporation of the whiskey. Of the decanters he initially showed me, only one contained whiskey. Upon further discussion, the nice gentlemen indicated he had a couple more decanters in his storage. These decanters, having been stored in their original boxes for at least 20 years were in perfect condition and all contained bourbon. I brought home 5 decanters that contains some of the best bourbon ever produced; Wild Turkey 8 year 101.

Last weekend I hooked up with a couple of friends and instead of hunting in Washington D.C., we trekked a little further north to Baltimore. We hit approximately 15 or 20 stores and only scored in about 5 of them (typical). In those 5 stores we were able to secure about 35 bottles of various bourbon and rye whiskey. The bottles originated from various distilleries that are no longer in operation and represent some outstanding whiskey.

One of my personal favorites, and one I've mentioned here on this blog, is Old Fitzgerald Bottled in Bond (BIB). We only found three 500ml bottles of the BIB which was disappointing but to make up for that, we found 2 bottles of Old Fitzgerald Prime 80 proof from 1983 and the more rare Old Fitzgerald 90 proof from 1981. In my years of hunting I've found plenty of Old Grand Dad in the 80 or 86 proof versions but never the Bottled in Bond. Now I know why, they were all in Maryland. I found 2 "handles" which are the larger 1.75L bottles that dated from 1986 and 1987 respectively. In 1987 Jim Beam purchased the Old Grand Dad label but prior to that, it was distilled by National Distillers who did a darn fine job with that whiskey. Too bad, in my opinion, quality suffered under Jim Beam in subsequent years. Brown Foreman has been in the same family for decades and they produce Old Forester. I can say that the Old Forester of today is nothing like the bourbon of yesteryear. I found a 1981 Old Forester Bottled in Bond which to me rivals the Old Fitzgerald of the same timeframe in quality and taste. The last two labels found were new to me; Colonel Lee Bottled in Bond and Pikesville Supreme Rye Whiskey. The Pikesville is a straight rye whiskey and these particular bottles were from 1991. I opened one of the bottles when returning home and it's an excellent whiskey even though only 80 proof. The Colonel Lee is from Barton Distillery which was purchased by Buffalo Trace a year or so ago. We tried the Col. Lee also and found it to be quite viscous and very flavorful. I'm just sorry I found only one bottle.

For those of you who dusty hunt, there's still some great stuff out there just waiting to be found. The bourbons listed above represent some of the best.

Dragon's Milk - It's good to be the King

2011-02-14T11:28:00.009-05:00

In the movie "History of the World Part 1" Mel Brooks proclaimed "It's good to be the king" but I dont' think he was talking about beer. In the 17^th century, beer reserved for royalty was referred to as “Dragon’s Milk”. New Holland Brewing Company’s Dragon’s Milk is a very nice example of a beer aged in used bourbon barrels. There are a number of breweries that use bourbon barrels for aging strong ales; e.g. Goose Island and Founders to name a couple. This particular beer sits in used bourbon barrels from 80-100+ days with the barrel only being used once for Dragon’s Milk. Back in October I was introduced to Founders Backwoods Bastard which was an instant hit with me and I quickly went on the hunt for more bottles. I opened the Dragon’s Milk this past weekend and noted the similarity to Backwoods; caramel, vanilla, malt, chocolate and bourbon. To me, this is a very good beer if you like strong ale aged in bourbon barrels. An aggressive pour produced a caramel colored head about an inch thick and the lacing stayed consistent as I emptied the glass. I’ve only seen this in the 22oz bomber bottle so that may be your only choice. I spread my enjoyment over 2 days since this particular brew comes in at 10% ABV. This is listed as a seasonal beer yet the New Holland website shows Dragon’s Milk shipments ongoing. In any case, if you see it, grab it and enjoy this highly rated brew.

American Spirit in the middle of nowhere

2011-02-08T10:44:00.008-05:00

In 2007 the United States Senate designated September “National Bourbon Heritage Month” emphasizing bourbon as America’s native spirit. Wild Turkey in partnership with the resolution released a 15 year 100 proof bourbon; Wild Turkey American Spirit (WTAS). When this was released, I passed it by considering the opening price tag of around $100 and higher at most retailers. The other reason I passed on this release is I had a fairly deep bunker of Wild Turkey 8 year 101 proof from the 80’s and 90’s that I picked up while dusty hunting in our nations capital. These older bottles cost around $20 or less a 750ml so paying 4 times that amount didn’t seem fiscally prudent at the time.

Fast forward to January of 2011 and I’m sitting in Frederick, MD picking up some Van Winkle Family Reserve Rye; a fantastic 19 year old rye whiskey that is actually labeled 13 year (more on that in another posting). Once you depart Frederick MD, it’s pretty much farm land and older homes on large acreage. As I drive in this “middle of nowhere” heading back into Virginia, I spy a dilapidated building on the side of the road that has a two signs “Motel” and “Liquor”. To be honest, I’ve seen this place before but ignored it based on the rundown, creepy look of the place. I peel off the highway and park in the pot-holed parking apron and go inside. The place smells old but appears to be fairly clean and as I scan the store, I notice a good supply of beer and back to the left, a number of aisles of liquor. I head back and begin to scan the bourbon section and much to my surprise I spy a dusty bottle of Wild Turkey American Spirit. My focus is on the single bottle and I initially miss the other 4 boxes of American Spirit sitting right behind the bottle on display. Looking down at the big orange shelf tag, it’s listed at $65. A small smile crosses my lips as I realize this is a pretty good deal at 35% off normal retail. I grab all five and drop them on the checkout counter. A nice young girl gives a weird glance as I stack them up and begins to ring them up at $75 each. I correct the shown amount and declare the price is $65 and she says “well, it’s coming up as $75”. I show her the shelf tag and she states she has to call the owner who promptly tells hers to sell them at the displayed price. This store turned out to be a very nice establishment as they had a good selection of craft beer (Yeti Chocolate Oak Aged joined the WTAS), Single Malt Scotch and Irish Whisky and the prices were pretty reasonable.

Sometimes, the best finds are in the middle of nowhere.

M.I.A. Pappy Van Winkle 15 Year

2011-02-05T22:13:00.005-05:00

It wasn't too long ago I could walk into a liquor store and see Pappy Van Winkle (PVW) 15 year or the 20 year sitting on the shelves leading to a laissez-faire attitude about future purchases. Snap…..all gone. I've been on the hunt for some time looking for PVW15 and going so far as to call a liquor store in South Carolina that I've purchased from in the past to check on their stock; no luck. A bourbon buddy in Maryland shot me an e-mail and said "I have pappy's for you if and when you need them. I got your back brother." Thank you my brother!

First, let's talk about Pappy Van Winkle just a little. I did a review of the 15 year last April and mentioned in the post that it was difficult to find but now it's near downright impossible. The 20 and 23 year bottling contain Stitzel Weller bourbon but the 15 year may be questionable. Julian Van Winkle posted on a bourbon site that the bottles with Pappy's picture on it are SW bourbon. But then there are conflicting statements that it's a blend of SW and either Bernheim or Buffalo Trace wheat bourbon. In fact, it's been reported that Julian used Buffalo Trace juice around 2007 because of a shortage of SW 15 year. To me it doesn't make a difference because it's tasty bourbon and that's what's important.

So what happened to PVW15? Time, that's what happened. Stitzel Weller stopped production in the summer of 1992. So, do the math and that places the last 15 year at 2007. Julian states that he did a mass bottling of PVW 15 (that contained 15 and 16 year old bourbon) and has slow rolled the release which means he's at the end of that bourbon run. Enter Buffalo Trace wheat bourbon?

Jason over at Sourmashmanifesto reports that Julian has advised the next release of Pappy 15 will be this spring. There are also unconfirmed reports that this will be the last drop and the next release in the fall of this year will be Old Rip Van Winkle (ORVW) 15 year and will more than likely not contain SW bourbon. For those in the know, ORVW 15 is the predecessor to Pappy Van Winkle 15 and also contained SW bourbon. Confused yet? So it appears Buffalo Trace will re-release the ORVW 15 year, but again let me caveat that this is unconfirmed.

Finally, with the absence of PVW15, I went on the hunt for PVW20 and was able to secure 4 bottles. This too is starting to disappear. A store manager at a local liquor store made the comment to a friend of mine that he's had PVW20 sitting on the shelves for months on end and then all of a sudden, it's flying off the shelves and is now almost gone in my state. If you're a lover of PVW15, keep your eyes peeled for spring as that may very well be the last allotment of this label.

Same stuff, new look

2011-02-03T18:43:00.003-05:00

Maybe it was boredom or my creative juices, but I decided to give the blog a makeover. Still playing with fonts and colors. The old configuration didn't allow me to re-size various portions of the layout so I decided to change it up. Hope the new format appeals to the masses. Cheers.

Exam-o-Dram – Knob Creek Single Barrel Reserve

2011-01-31T21:11:00.008-05:00

It's September 2006 and I'm in Kentucky attending the Kentucky Bourbon Festival. On this particular sunny day, I'm at the Jim Beam Distillery enjoying a tour with Fred Noe, the Brand Ambassador and a member of the Beam family (seventh generation). As we tour the facility, we enter the dump house where they are drilling out the bung of bourbon barrels and dumping the contents in troughs. Fred hands out small glasses and advises that if we want a taste, just slip the glass under the flow of bourbon coming from the barrel. You didn't have to ask me twice and I filled up my glass. I still remember nosing and tasting Knob Creek at barrel strength and proclaimed out loud, "I would love it if you would bottle this at barrel strength". It was delicious bourbon. Translated down to the normal Knob Creek 9 year 100 proof, it just didn't capture my attention like the barrel strength version did and since 2006, I've only had one bottle of normal Knob Creek.

The news came out around mid summer of 2010 that Jim Beam was going to release a single barrel version but at the time, we really didn't know it was also going to be a higher proof. In October John Hansell did a review of the new Knob Creek Single Barrel Reserve 120 proof and rated it a 94. This is telling because the difference may not seem like much but it's actually two factors that set this apart from the normal Knob Creek Small Batch. Both version are 9 years old and of the same mashbill. Where they diverge is one being a single barrel and the other being a small batch. The single barrel is 120 proof and the small batch is 100 proof. To me, those are two big factors and the taste tells the rest of the story. Keep in mind, a single barrel of anything will vary from barrel to barrel so you may not get the same experience over multiple bottles. The small batch is supposed to have a more consistent flavor profile.

Color is moderate amber and very inviting to the eye. Nosing this bourbon it definitely has more complexity than the normal Knob Creek offering; aroma's of dried fruit, toffee, rye floral and oak. This bourbon has a very nice nose on it. Entry is bold, sweet with lively spice at mid palate. A nice mingling of flavors transitions to a finish that is actually quite long leaving a slight tingling on the lips. The finish fades to a creamy state with no bitterness. In the spirit of full disclosure, I have not been a fan of Jim Beam bourbon over the years and the only one that I can truly say that I like is a 1982 Jim Beam White. Well, that changed with this offering. The Knob Creek Single Barrel Reserve is a nice bourbon, pleasant to drink and is moderately priced at around $40. I feel the same way about this bourbon's price as I did the Makers 46; a little on the high side but still worth getting at least one bottle and give it a spin.

Global Tippler – Japanese Whisky

2011-01-23T17:31:00.005-05:00

It's 1923 and Shinjiro Torii built the first single malt distillery (Suntory) in the river valley of Yamazaki in Kyoto Japan. This was a unique undertaking as this was the first distillery of its kind outside of Scotland. Using copper pot stills, Torii would have been pleased to know that his whisky would years later be recognized worldwide for its quality and uniqueness. Torii hired Masataka Taketsuru as his first Master Distiller who came to Suntory having learned whisky making skills in Scotland.

Surprisingly, Japan in the second largest producer of Single Malt Whiskey next to Scotland. There are about 10 distilleries in Japan today producing some outstanding examples of various whisky. Besides Yamazaki, a couple other are Yoichi, Hakushu, Nishinomiya, White Oak, and Miyagikyou. There are also a number of fabulous blends that come from various distilleries and companies that produce their own label.

The Yamazaki 12 year Single Malt Whisky comes in an attractive bottle with a screw top lid. The label looks like parchment with brown or dark red lettering.

I was excited to see my state's ABC begin carrying Japanese Whisky so I had to stop and pick up the Yamazaki 12 year, which was on sale for $42. A good price but I had yet to open and try it so my anticipation was running high. This is a medium bodied whisky, very honeyed on the palate with just a hint of peat and smoke on the finish. You all know I love bourbon, but this one really blew me away. It's an exceptional whisky for the money and one that I will keep on the bar or bunker on a regular basis. My curiosity is now piqued and I'll be looking for other Japanese expression throughout this year. My sister in law is travelling to Japan this spring so she'll be departing with shopping list in hand.

Oishii is Japanese for delicious.

Color: Looks like dirty water. Not an attractive color

Nose: Sweet honey and mild peat

Entry: Very nice sweet entry, medium body. I pick up honey and summer fruit about mid palate. Nice balance of oak

Finish: Moderate finish ending in oak and peat; subtle flavors that fades.

As my first Japanese whisky, I'm very impressed. If you're looking for something as an entry Japanese whisky, this is one I would recommend. I'll caveat and say this is the only one I have experience with but this whisky is nicely balanced, great flavor and an overall appealing experience. A good buy for your first Japanese whisky.

Name: The Yamazaki Single Malt Whisky

Distiller: Yamazaki Distillery

Availability: Good

Price: Moderate, $45

Size: 750ml bottle with a twist off cap

Next stop…….home for a bourbon nightcap. Cheers.

Global Tippler – Indian Whisky

2011-01-16T19:37:00.005-05:00

It's the spring of 2010 and I'm visiting with a local friend and fellow whiskey enthusiast. It's a very pleasant day so we plant ourselves on the back patio shaded by a large umbrella to enjoy some libations and a cigar or two. My friend says "I want you to try something. I'm not going to tell you what it is, just see if you can guess". Ok, I'm always up to try some new whiskey, so he goes inside and comes out with a Glencairn filled with some sort of liquid delight. I nose it and can tell it's malted and is very reminiscent of Scotch. I say it's Scotch and he just shakes his head no (with a Cheshire grin on his face). Puzzled, I jump next door and say "Irish". Nope. I continue to nose and taste the whisky and then it hits me. I say "this can't be Indian". Yep. Since when does whisky like this come out of India! Well, now.

Amrut Fusion comes from the Amrut Distillery in Bangalore India and this particular whisky is a marriage of two different barley; Indian and Scottish (which is peated). This "fusion" works so well that Jim Murray awarded this the third best whisky of 2010. I'm no expert but this is an excellent whisky from a country that isn't known for top shelf whisky and my hope and prayer is that Amrut continues to turn out Fusion as well as other unique and distinctive offerings.

Color: Light golden hue

Nose: Whisky exhibits a nice balance of peat, tropical fruit and a honeyed sweetness

Entry: Bold start with a mix of alcohol and sweet, peat, spice, mild pepper and more tropical fruit (e.g. pineapple, mango). Excellent!

Finish: Sweetness drops off and the finish moves toward an earthy peaty profile, with a toasted/smoky oak ending

I'm not one for the smoke and peat flavor profile but Amrut uses these two components just to tease the palate; it's never overstated. This really is an excellent whisky so if you like to venture outside the norm, grab a bottle, it's a wonderful dram and not too harsh on the wallet.

Name: Amrut Fusion

Distiller: Amrut Distillery, Bangalore India

Availability: Limited (somewhat due to popularity)

Price: $60 plus

Size: 750ml

Our final stop; Land of Rising Sun!

Global Tippler – Scotch Whisky

2011-01-08T16:00:00.003-05:00

The sea of Scotch whisky available on the open market is staggering. On our previous trip to Ireland, I mentioned that there were 4 operational distilleries with a 5^th projected to come online sometime in the near future. In Scotland, that number is somewhere around 125 distinct distilleries. With that many stills in operation, you can imagine the amount of hooch being produced year over year. My interest in Scotch is much more recent than my interest in bourbon (which is going on 28 years). My first introduction to Scotch was an Islay. For those that understand what that means, you can also understand what I didn't like; peat and smoke. Ugh. I'm really not interested in drinking something that is defined as having so many PPM of peat phenols. Do I really want to drink something with a name like "Peat Monster" or "The Smokey Peaty One". Maybe you do, but I do not. I'm more interested in definitions that include honey, floral, toffee, citrus, spice, etc. I'm not a big fan of big woody bourbons because the wood flavor dominates the whole experience. Same reason I don't want to drink the Peat Monster. For me, I'm looking for a balanced whisk(e)y so that's why I bypass Islay and focus on the Highlands, Speyside and Lowland.

Scotland is divided into 5 distilling regions; Islay, Highland, Lowland, Speyside and Campbeltown. For many non-Scotch drinkers, when you mention it, they immediately think of smoke or peat or both, I know I did. That is until I was introduced to a Dalwhinnie 15 year which is called "The Gentle Spirit" (yah, that's more my speed). Dalwhinnie is a single Highland Malt and is pretty darn tasty. The problem with Scotch as a whole, it's much more expensive than its bourbon cousin, so for many, Scotch is out of reach financially whereas bourbon is kind to the wallet.

For our stopover in Scotland, we're going to take a look at a unique Scotch that is reasonably priced, cask strength and super delicious. The aberlour a'bunadh is a Speyside Scotch and is released in batches and the one I'm reviewing comes from batch 29. This particular Scotch is big in flavor, has loads of sherry and is proofed at 119.8 which may not sound very high but coming from Scotland where the environment is more cold and damp than Kentucky, it's not a bad proof for an uncut whisky.

Color: Dark ruddy hue.

Nose: Big nose for a Scotch, dark fruit like plum, Sherry, tobacco. Bold in nature

Entry: Earthy, huge flavor. Alcohol plays a moderate part with tobacco, plum, dark berries, dark cherry that feeds the sweetness with the Sherry playing a complimentary role. There's some caramel and chocolate notes playing around there also.

Finish: Fairly long with the alcohol continuing to play a part.

This is not a refined Scotch and I don't mean that in a negative way. It's supposed to be in your face and aggressive. It's similar to a big proof bourbon in that regard. I happen to like this Scotch very much and look forward to adding additional batches to the bunker.

Name: Aberlour a'bunadh

Distiller: Aberlour Glenlivet Distillery, Speyside

Availability: Good

Price: Moderate, $65

Size: 750ml bottle with cork stopper

Next stop, we head to India (I know, whiskey and India are not normally seen the same sentence) to experience a very nice whiskey; Indian style.

Christmas Day

2010-12-27T09:02:00.003-05:00

Assuming you believe in Santa Claus; was he good to you this year? I have no complaints as I received a couple of very nice gifts of bourbon and beer. A couple weeks back I mentioned my Christmas list and what I was looking for on Saturday. For bourbon, I was gifted the newest release of Parkers Heritage Collection along with two bottles of vintage bourbon; early 70’s Ancient Age 86 proof and early 70’s Cream of Kentucky. To say I was excited about these three bottles would be an understatement. Along with the bourbon I was also gifted a Firestone Walker 14^th Anniversary. This beer is a blend of various barrels to achieve a particular flavor profile. I have not opened it yet but I know those that have and the accolades are noteworthy.

Christmas was very nice this year. I can’t say relaxing because I didn’t really take extra time off and having a large family in the area, we had 24 people for Christmas dinner. During and after dinner we enjoyed some very nice libations that included beer; Noel des Geants, Ommegang Three Philosophers, Southern Tier Choklat and La Chouffe. Each beer was unique and delicious. We also enjoyed a 2006 Weller Antique, Cream of Kentucky and a Redbreast 15 year.

If you received or enjoyed something nice this Christmas, let us know what it was. You’ll see the next Global Tippler up sometime this week. I’m over the Flu and Cold and ready to get back on the virtual road.

Global Tippler – accosted by seasonal flu

2010-12-14T17:39:00.002-05:00

I'm down for the count. I usually avoid the flu each season but this year it hit me with a vengeance and I've been laid up for the last 5 days. I think I'm at the tail end and in the hopes of such, I did take a little nip of a 2010 limited release of Old Weller Antique and it was nasty. I then tried a Rock Hill Farms and the same results….nasty. My palate is shot for the time being so the virtual vacation is on hold. More to come……

Global Tippler – Irish Whiskey

2010-12-08T20:26:00.011-05:00

I'm gonna throw you a curve ball and talk about an Irish whiskey that is very hard get. My goal with the Global Tippler was to present some interesting whiskeys whether availability was narrow or broad and in the case of this whiskey, it's pretty stinking narrow. My foray into Irish whiskey started out with a very good example discovered in Redbreast 12 year and I found it to be such an interesting whiskey, I only wanted more. The pot still character of many Irish whiskies makes it a very unique pour which really intrigued to me.

Mitchell and Son is a long standing establishment found in Dublin Ireland that got its start in 1805. Mitchell and Son began purchasing whiskey from Jameson around the 1920's that had been aged in Sherry casks for approximately 5 years, the whiskey was then vatted and aged for an additional five years before being sold as a 10 year bonded whiskey. Originally called Pat Whiskey because the label had a picture an Irish gentleman in a green jacket, the name was eventually changed to Green Spot, as it's sold today. Today's offering is a blend of 7 and 8 year old whiskey with 25% of the distillate aged in Sherry Casks. At 80 proof, it's a light drinker but still exhibits lots of flavor. Jim Murray described it as "unquestionably one of the world's great whiskies". Well, I can't say I've had all of the world's great whiskies but his point is well taken; Green Spot is an excellent example of a pure pot still Irish whiskey that deserves a spot on any top shelf.

Color: Light golden hue. Like the color very much

Nose: A mix of odors ranging from light sherry, honey, menthol and maybe pear

Entry: On entry, there's a burst of flavors that makes me believe the nose fibbed to me. The sherry makes its presence known right up front and then subsides to a honeyed, floral quality. Very slight drying around mid palate

Finish: The mid palate transitions to something reminiscent of Concord grape, turning mildly sour, but not in an unpleasant way. The sourness lingers and then diminishes leaving you with a small smile on your lips.

I shy away from giving whiskies numerical ratings so all I'll say is this particular whiskey is up there on my "gotta have" list. If you like Redbreast or pot still whiskies, the Green Spot will……well, hit the spot.

Name: Green Spot Irish Whiskey

Distillery: Jameson – Midleton

Availability: Very limited. About 500 cases per year and can found in Ireland, the UK and Canada. If there are other locations, let me know.

Price: Around $75 US (not including shipping)

Size: 700ml with TE screw cap

American writer Oliver Herford once said "The Irish gave the bagpipes to the Scotts as a joke, but the Scotts haven't seen the joke yet." Next stop, the land of bagpipes, mens skirts and lots of good Scottish whisky.

Global Tippler – Canadian Whisky

2010-12-05T10:03:00.004-05:00

I have confession to make; I'm no expert on Canadian whisky. Historically, Canadian whiskies are blended and very easy drinkers, e.g. Crown Royal, Canadian Club. A relative of mine gifted me a bottle of Crown Royal, purple felt bag and all. The box, bag and bottle sit in the back of the bunker unopened. I was reading some reviews of drinkers and the theme is smooth and easy……yawn….boring. I don't mean to sound like a snob but a blended whisk(e)y at 80 proof is just too darn light; no wonder it's smooth and easy, it has no chutzpah.

Dave Pickerell's brainchild Whistlepig, while Canadian, is anything but smooth and easy. At 100% unmalted rye and 100 proof it is brazen and vibrant. Aged for 10 years in new oak barrels, this whiskey (which is spelled with the extra "e" even though it's Canadian) is bottled in Vermont. This is a unique product because it's 100% rye which is typically used for blending in Canadian whiskies. American rye by comparison is at least 51% rye with the remaining mashbill made up of corn and about 5% barley. Bottling something like this was a bold move and maybe somewhat risky but Dave hit the ball out of the park on this one.

Color: Moderate golden hue.

Nose: Mint/Wintergreen. Wow! Undertones of honey vanilla, citrus

Entry: Blast of spice and sweetness. Amazing flavor profile. Distinguishing

Finish: Long and lingering. Wonderful

Whistlepig will retail for about $70 and I would typically shy away from something in this price range but I'll go out on a limb and say get a bottle if you're a lover of Rye whiskey. This one will not disappoint. Let's hope that Dave's Whistlepig is not a one hit wonder but will be something that remains an amazing offering.

Name: Whistlepig Straight Rye Whiskey

Distiller: Provenance unknown but listed as Whistlepig Farm Distillery

Availability: Limited markets

Price: High

Size: 750ml bottle with cork stopper

Next stop, we head across the pond and stop off in Ireland. Sláinte!

Holiday (ABV) Bourbon Cake

2010-12-04T09:35:00.005-05:00

Caution: Do not eat and drive!

I made this bourbon cake last year and shared it with other enthusiasts during a Christmas gathering. I think if we had forgone the bourbon and just had cake, it would have been enough alcohol for the evening as this cake is soaked in bourbon……YUM!

Another word of caution, using lots of bourbon while making this cake can lead to tippling during cooking. This is a very dense cake, sort of like fruit cake without the nasty fruit. Johnny Carson once said "The worst gift is a fruitcake. There is only one fruitcake in the entire world, and people keep sending it to each other." This is not that cake. I really enjoyed a slice of this cake in the morning with my coffee, only problem was, I had to have my wife drive me to work.

If you want to impress your friends and neighbors with an awesome holiday cake….give this one a shot.

1 c butter -- softened
2 c sugar
4 c flour -- sifted
4 ea eggs
1 lb pecan pieces
1 1/2 lb white or golden raisins (if you want to get crazy, soak the raisins in bourbon for 48 hrs)
1 c bourbon
1 tbsp ground cinnamon
1 tbsp ground nutmeg
1 tbsp soda
1/2 tsp salt

Heat oven to 275F. Sift 1 cup flour and mix with nuts and raisins. Sift remaining flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, and soda together. Grease a tube pan and coat inside with light coating of flour.

Cream sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, making sure each is incorporated before adding the next one. Alternately add bourbon and flour. Add nuts and raisins.

Pour into tube pan and bake 3 1/2 hours. Remove from oven and cool thoroughly.

Sprinkle generously with additional bourbon and wrap in aluminum foil with a couple of apple wedges to keep it moist. Each weekend leading up to Christmas, unwrap cake and sprinkle again with additional bourbon. You can make this cake 4 weeks in advance, depending on how soaked in bourbon you want it.

When I made this cake, I basted it with Very Old Barton BIB for a full three weeks before serving which made the cake a no smoking zone. If you make it, let me know how it turns out.

Global Tippler – American Whiskey

2010-12-03T16:00:00.007-05:00

Before departing on the virtual whiskey vacation, I'm going to start right here in my own backyard so to speak. Well, actually Kentucky could be my backyard since at one point, it was part of Virginia. I digress. My whiskey introduction started with bourbon many, many years ago and my love of bourbon and rye grew exponentially. My goal is to select an example of good American whiskey that can still be found on retail shelves but also is not a run of the mill, mass produced expression. I wanted an American whiskey that exhibited a degree of quality, craftsmanship and uniqueness. Van Winkle Special Reserve 12 year "Lot B" is a bourbon I've kept in my bunker for many years. To me, it stands out as an above average pour and is unique in its flavor profile as one of its flavoring grains is wheat versus rye, it's moderately aged and is proofed at an easy 90.4.

Color: Dark golden honey with hues of orange

Nose: Caramel, baking spices like cinnamon and cloves, oak

Entry: Sweet with baking spices, tinges of leather and mildly tannic

Finish: Sweetness diminishes with leather and mild char coming through at the end. Moderately long finish

This is not a big bruiser of a bourbon. Its cousin Pappy 15 (one of my favorites) is aged 3 additional years and has about 17 extra proof points on it. The Lot B is more refined and approachable; almost encouraging the drinker to take another sip, and yet another. This is a very pleasing bourbon with no off notes. I wouldn't say this is widely available, but shouldn't be too difficult to find. My only criticism is the price which here in my area runs $50.

Name: Van Winkle Special Reserve 12 year "Lot B"

Distiller: Buffalo Trace Distillery, Frankfort, KY

Availability: Good

Price: Fair

Size: 750ml bottle with cork stopper

Next up, I'll be travelling to Canada (ok, not really) and we'll be trying a whisky that is actually bottled here in the U.S. but is pure Canadian Rye.