Spring is in the air......and so is Bourbon!

Finally....I think the last snow of the season is behind us and warmer weather is moving in.  Spring is an exciting time not just for warmer weather and leisurely episodes on the front porch, but it also means bourbon.

Each April I make my pilgrimage to Kentucky and pay homage to the Master Distillers at various distilleries in and around Bardstown and taste through some fantastic whiskey.  In preparation, advance samples are received to taste through in order to expedite the process.  This last week I had the opportunity to taste through a number of bourbon and rye samples.  Yes, I said rye and the group is pretty stoked about it.  Rye for the most part has been short supply and hard to come by so getting the opportunity to taste through some rye barrels is generating some enthusiasm for next month.

I tasted the rye samples blind and mixed in a couple shelf offerings.  We had 4 distillery samples plus a Van Winkle Family Reserve Rye, Sazerac Rye (Baby Saz), Dickel Rye and a Jefferson 10 year Rye that the ABC in Montgomery County did last year.  Surprisingly, the Jefferson Rye came out on top for me...even beating out the Van Winkle.  Second on my list was one of the distillery samples (we'll call it B52).  The sample had a nice sweet floral nose, creamy sweet entry and a transition to spice and dark bread mid palate with a finish that was moderate to long.  At 94 proof, it was a solid rye whiskey. 

I also tasted through two different sets of bourbon from two different distilleries.  I won't divulge who the distilleries are just yet but will say one set (3 samples) didn't pique my interest while the second set had some stunners.

A new batch of samples just arrived and I'll be tasting through those next Saturday evening.  Prior to that tasting, I'll be hosting a bourbon tasting at my house for some co-workers who want to try bourbon but now nothing about it.

Welcome Spring....the whiskey is flowing!

Go Whiskey Weekend - The Grand Dram

Snow....and a lot of it was falling on Sunday morning.  The flakes were big, fat and sticking to everything which made driving the short distance from our hotel to Julio's somewhat white knuckled. 

Thankfully they organized the line inside the store this year versus last year making everyone queue outside waiting for noon.  We walked inside and I saw Ryan Maloney, owner of Julio's, running around making last minute preparations.  The bagpipers were warming up and a line was already forming through the beer aisle.  I was with a friend and we stood in line for about 30 minutes until it was time to start hitting the tables.

This year the selections were about the same as last numbering around 265 whiskeys from around the world.  My goal this year was focus on world whiskies looking for offerings I don't currently have sitting in the bunker.  Could be I just don't remember but this year there seemed to be a larger presence of craft distillers; some good, some not so good.

Last year a buddy of mine spammed a bunch of us saying he found a store in Texas offering Aberfeldy 21 year (a Scotch) for $65.  Well, most of us jumped on that price even though I myself had never tried it.  I figured the price was decent for a well aged Scotch.  Fast forward to this years Grand Dram and Dewars is offering a couple of Aberfeldy selections including the 21 year at the tasting.  I tried and liked it very much and even more so when I saw the shelf price of $165 knowing I paid a benjy less than that.  Score!

Both last year and this year High West was present but unfortunately this year Dave Perkins was not able to attend instead sending his rep Troy.  Last year Dave pulled a bottle from under the table asking me and another friend to try and give our impression.  The whiskey was malty, sweet, with  peat and more smoke than I cared for.  My opinion was it was too smoke forward but interesting nonetheless.  That bottle was the precursor to Campfire; a blend of Rye, Bourbon and Scotch Whiskies.  The result?  A very approachable and drinkable world whiskey blend so of course, I pulled a bottle aside for purchase as it drank much nicer than the lab bottle I tried previously.  +1

Next up, I headed over to Campari table to try some Suntory Hibiki.  I was very much interested in Japanese whiskies this year and wanted to try all that was available.  The Hibiki did not disappoint.  The profile consisted of honey and summer fruits like pineapple, mango with hints of citrus.  Nice body on the palate and the finish was very satisfying.  Fantastic expression and this bottle joined the HW Campfire to take home. +2

After my experience with Hibiki, I was looking forward to trying Nikka Yoichi 15 year.  This is another fabulous expression from Japan.  One sip and I was hooked.  Profile consisted of sweet and smoke, gingerbread, baking spice and nuts (walnut?) with a stunning finish.+3

I next headed over to Dickel as I wanted to try the new Rye expression.  I was skeptical as this is not even distilled by Dickel but in fact is LDI distillate.  Well, I was taken aback at how smooth and flavorful this whiskey was especially at only 90 proof.  Since this a new offering, maybe Dickel is being picky about the barrels used for bottling because this was a very nice pour.  +4

Last up,  I made my way through the crowd to the Compass Box table.  I have wanted to try Flaming Heart but I can't find it in my area and when I mentioned it to my buddy, he said "oh, they're pouring that right now".  Off I went and secured a dram.  Once again, another winner of a whiskey.  The peat/smoke were not over done making this one nicely balanced whiskey.  +5

To cap things off for the day, I pulled a couple beers I can't find in Virginia and ended up bringing home:

Alesmith Speedway Stout
The Bruery Sour in the Rye (fantastic brew....highly recommend)
FiftyFifty Eclipse (beer aged in whiskey barrels)

Even with the crappy weather, this was a great weekend and I tasted through some great, good and mediocre whiskies.  One that I was really looking forward to trying was the Balvenie 12 year First Fill.  This one disappointed me as I found it to be a pretty uneventful dram which is too bad because I've really like most of the Balvenie releases.  I'll make an un-honerable mention; Jim Beam Devils Cut.  I couldn't even finish it as I found it to be just plain bad. 

If you live in the New England area, I would recommend visiting Julio's but especially during Go Whiskey Weekend.  It's a great venue allowing you to try a great variety of world whiskies.

Exam-o-Dram - Concannon Irish Whiskey

As a fan of all things whisk(e)y, I'm always stoked about trying a new expression.  Irish whiskey has recently been seeing a resurgence in popularity.  It wasn't too long ago there were only 4 distilleries operational in Ireland but in recent years that's changed along with some boutique bottlers and blenders.

In the spirit of full disclosure, I was contacted by a PR firm in New York representing Concannon and asked if I would review the whiskey.  I accepted the offer to and they sent me a couple of sample bottles.  I only mention this so it's clear there are no expectations that my review be anything but my own and that's the way this review will be represented.

Concannon is a joint venture between Cooley distillery and Livermore Valley-based Concannon Vineyard and John Concannon is the Brand Ambassador and brain child behind this expression.

Concannon Irish is a blend from Cooley aged for about 4 years and then goes through a second fill in Concannon petit Sirah wine casks for about 4 months.  I'm intrigued.....let's see what it taste like.

The color is a very pale-straw like color.  As I swirl the whiskey, the viscosity is limited not really clinging to the glass.  The nose is light and fruity with a definite presence of wine, almost to the dominant.  The grain aroma is there but the wine influence masks the grain to some extent.

The entry is immediately sweet and then some grain and youth pops up at mid palate and continues toward the finish.  The wine notes are present but not as dominant as the nose.  The wine finish amps up the sweetness of the whiskey a bit and at mid palate oak takes a front seat along with bits of vanilla and essence of spun sugar.  There's an off note on the medium finish that I can't put my finger on that's maybe a combination of oak and tannin. After a few minutes I can taste mild grape on the palate which is a little odd. 

This is an interesting expression but not one I would say is great.  It's an easy drinker, approachable and unassuming. The wine presence may put some people off but I think it's an interesting experiment.  For me, I would prefer less of the wine influence and a little more age on the distillate as it needs more body and maturity.

I like the fact that Concannon is thinking outside the box and not just releasing another blended expression and for about $25 or less a bottle, it's a small investment to give it a try if this interest you.

Go Whiskey Weekend - Meet and Greet

Saturday was cold and eventually, the snow had to come.  Four of us made the trek to Worcester to have lunch at the Armsby Abbey.  This was my second visit and I wrote about it last year so this year I was looking for a repeat visit.  We were not disappointed as the Abbey was featuring a brunch menu with recipes that contained bourbon in some form or fashion. 

We started off brunch with cocktails and I chose the Barbecue Bloody; hands down the best Bloody Mary I've ever had.  Ingredients included charred hickory infused bourbon, house Bloody Mary mix, smoked sea salt rim garnished with dill pickle, pickled carrot, and housemade bacon...that's right bacon. While I ordered one and moved on the the next cocktail; the Bourbon milk punch, my lunch friends continued with the Bloody Mary's to the tune of 4 or 5 apiece.

Even though I'm on a "diet" (hey, I've lost 12 lbs since January) I decided to splurge, and boy did I go whole hog...so to speak.  I ordered up the Pork and Pancakes; Bourbon honey buttermilk pancakes topped with Bourbon sugar glazed bacon lardons, Bourbon-chocolate vanilla ganache, Bourbon whipped cream and a side of Bourbon-vanilla maple syrup.  I think I put on a pound just typing all that out.  Yes, it was decadent, delicious and a diabetics worst nightmare.  I finished off the 4 hour leisurely lunch with a Bruery Sour in the Rye which topped things off very nicely.

After lunch we decided to hit a local cigar lounge around the corner from the restaurant; Cigar Masters Cigar Lounge.  If you could picture a quintessential New England cigar lounge in your head, this would be it.  Old building, tile floors, brick/wood walls, tin ceiling, great bar stocked with a nice range of whiskies and well worn club chairs.  The four of us purchased cigars and whiskey and sat down for a couple hours before heading back to Westborough.   

At 7:00 that evening we made our way over to Julio's for the Meet and Greet.  This is a smaller, more intimate event where you can taste through a sub-set of whiskies that will be presented on Sunday at the Grand Dram.  Each distiller or rep is present giving you and opportunity to chat it up and ask questions.  I had a very nice conversation with Dan FitzHenry from Virginia Distilling Company.  Dan poured me their latest offering, a Virginia Highland Malt Whiskey.  It was young but rather tasty and I liked it overall.  They source there whiskey at present but have installed two pot stills and have plans to fire them up this year and begin distilling.

Hollis Bulleit was there and it was hard not to miss her.  Her headgear (hat?) was garish and cool at the same time.  It was fun chatting with her as she's animated and fun to talk with.

I tried a number of whiskies that were good but didn't inspire.  One that got me scratching my head was Son's of Liberty Uprising.  This is an unaged whiskey made from a stout beer base and has staves placed into the holding tanks to add influence.  Very young so lots of grain on the nose and palate.  The distiller kept talking about dark chocolate notes which were present if you tried hard enough.  I appreciated the fact that they distilled to 130 proof but then bottle it at 80 proof chill filtered.

Two whiskies got my attention that evening; Suntory Hibiki 12 year and Nikka Yoichi 15 year.  The Hibiki is a blend of three whiskies from different distilleries and then aged in Plum liqueur casks.  I enjoyed both so much that I ended up buying both on Sunday.

Craft distilleries had a good presence on Saturday among the big dogs; Son's of Liberty, Hudson Whiskey, Balcones (shout out to Winston and Chip), Angels Envy and High West.  It's an exciting time for whiskey, especially for those that venture out past bourbon and into world whiskies.  I really enjoyed the evening and for those within driving distance to Westborough, I would encourage a visit next year.  $20 for two hours of drinking great whiskey is a steal.

Go Whiskey Weekend - Compass Box dinner

Well, the whisk(e)y weekend at Julio's Liquor is over.  The only downer was the weather.  As I sit here at Logan Airport waiting for my return flight to Washington DC, I can see snow still falling.  Thankfully flights are still rolling out of here so the weather doesn't seem to be affecting departures to a great extent. 

Go Whiskey Weekend started Friday night at the International Club with a dinner and whisky pairing featuring Compass Box and hosted by John Glaser of the same.  Not knowing John's background I was surprised when he stood up and began to speak in a perfect American accent.  I assumed (incorrectly) that he was from across the pond but John was born and raised in the U.S. and hails from Minnesota.  Much of his career was spent  overseas and prior to starting Compass Box about 12 years ago, he worked for Diageo with a focus on trying to increase slumping sales of Johnny Walker.  Wired magazine did a nice write up here.

John is energetic and clearly passionate about whisky and Compass Box.  Of the four selections lined up I had only tried Spice Tree which I think is a decent pour.  The dinner started off with a smoked Salmon salad paired up with Oak Cross.  The main course of lamb was paired with Spice Tree and the butterscotch torte dessert was paired with Hedonism and after dinner coffee was paired with The Peat Monster (meh....not such a monster).  All were good blends with my least favorite being Oak Cross which I thought was too light in character.  The Hedonism was my favorite of the evening although The Peat Monster surprised me with smoke and peat on the nose but the entry displayed a burst of fruit and moderate peat.  It wasn't overplayed to my palate and while good, not one I would necessarily run out and purchase.

After dinner we retired to the cigar lounge to enjoy some cigars and libations.  Since I was the designated DD, the others ordered up whiskey and I stayed with ice water.  We were joined by Gable Erenzo of Hudson Whiskey and we spent the better part of 3 hours enjoying casual conversation.  The bar happened to have a 2012 George T. Stagg so two of the guys ordered up a Stagg.  I'm not sure if the bartender was paying attention because he served up the largest pour I've ever seen delivering  two snifters with a full 6 oz of barrel proof goodness.  The ride back to the hotel was funny with lots of animated conversation which was fine but I'm just glad there was no singing. 

I'll post two additional blogs about Saturday and Sunday.

Go Whiskey! Again!

Tomorrow I jump on a flight to Boston to attend the Go Whiskey Weekend put on by Julio's Liquor in Westborough Mass.  I attended this event last year and had a good time.  This year we have quite a few more group members attending.  Tomorrow evening will be a Scotch and dinner pairing featuring John Glaser from Compass Box where he'll be paring up 5 CB selections. 

I obviously have a lot of bourbon which is why my focus this weekend will be to secure a couple of non-bourbon whiskies.  Last year I picked up a Redbreast Cask Strength and look to secure another bottle.  I'm also interested in what Compass Box and Springbank whiskies Ryan will have for sale.  Last year Ryan also featured some great selections by Douglas Laing one of which I picked up, a Rosebank 20 year.  Should be a good weekend of hunting for unique additions to the bunker bar.

New - Russell's Reserve Single Barrel

This month Wild Turkey will be releasing a new offering; Russell's Reserve Single Barrel bottled at 110 proof.  For you long time WT drinkers, you probably remember with fondness the Russell's Reserve 10 year 101 proof which to me was an excellent bourbon.  The current iteration is bottled at 90 proof and is still aged 10 years.  This new release is non-aged stated and bottled at 110 proof and will be priced at around $49.  I'm interested in this release and will more than likely pick up a bottle to give it a try.  It will have to be pretty darn good because it will share space in the bunker bar with the original RR101, WT 8 year 101 and WT 12 year 101. 

Here's the contents of the press release I received. 

LAWRENCEBURG, KY (February 20th, 2013) –

When it comes to whiskey making in the United States, Jimmy Russell and his son Eddie are America’s bourbon aristocracy. After an incredible 90 years

combined experience distilling award-winning whiskey, the two are rolling out one of their richest and most flavorful bourbons to date: Russell’s Reserve® Single Barrel Straight Kentucky Bourbon Whiskey.

This much anticipated bottling at a take-no-prisoners 110 proof is nonchill filtered, resulting in an unparalleled burst of flavor in every sip. As the crowning glory of America’s famed Wild Turkey bourbon family, Russell’s Reserve Single Barrel promises to not only be the choice for bourbon connoisseurs, but it will also be what Jimmy and Eddie reach for time and time again. As they say in Lawrenceburg, “Our experience guarantees yours.” What makes Russell’s Reserve Single Barrel unique is not only its high

proof, but the fact that the whiskey bypasses the chill-filtration process. Chill-filtration is a common process whereby the whiskey is chilled at temperatures below freezing and is passed through an absorption filter

thus removing fatty acids and other flavor contributors such as esters and proteins. By avoiding the chill-filtration process, the whiskey is bottled with more flavor compounds and a deeper color which is denoted by an impressive haze when ice or chilled water is added. Every expression of Russell’s Reserve – both the Bourbon and rye Whiskey - is matured in only the deepest number 4 or “alligator” charred American white oak barrels to ensure the richest flavor and color. Jimmy and Eddie insist on this char level and are among only a handful of whiskey distillers who use it. The best aged whiskey barrels are hand selected by this

legendary pair themselves and only from the center cut of the rick house – since that's where the optimal maturation occurs. Adamant about quality, the Russell’s will only use the natural, weather-driven process for maturation – never air conditioned or heated “because it’s the right thing to do.”

“This is Bourbon at its best,” declares Jimmy Russell, Master Distiller. “What is incredibly

special about the Russell’s Reserve Single Barrel is that each barrel has its own personality,

but still captures the rich, creamy toffee vanilla style of Russell’s Reserve. This bottling

celebrates what we love about Russell’s Reserve, but takes it to another level.”

Russell’s Reserve Single Barrel delivers a burst of intense vanilla and hints of burnt orange,

along with tastes licorice and anise seed, on the palate, culminating with a rich and long finish.