Bourbon

New Releases: March ’11

/ / Bourbon, Other Whisk(e)ys

I’m a little late with the post this month but there are some interesting things coming down the pipe that will hopefully take your attention off of my tardiness.

Buffalo Trace 2011 Experimental
Timeframe: February 2011
Price: $46.35/375ml
ABV: TBD
So the story goes with this year’s experimental release comes from several barrel of stock Buffalo Trace acquired with the Old Charter brand back in 1998. They were poking around in those barrels and came across three groups they thought were worth bottling: 7 barrels from 1989, 8 barrels from 1991, and 8 barrels from 1993.

Heaven Hill Trybox Series
Timeframe: May 2011
Price: $24.99
ABV: 62.5%
This is the first two in a new series Heaven Hill is launching. This is the stuff coming right off the still, unaged. One will be a bourbon new make and the other a rye new make.

Four Roses 2011 Limited Edition Single Barrel
Timeframe: May 2011
Price: TBD
ABV: TBD
This year’s release will use the OBSQ recipe for those Four Roses geeks out there. That translates into a mashbill of 60% corn, 35% rye, 5% barley and a more floral yeast strain. 3,600 bottles will be available. Get yours while you can.

Woodinville Headlong White Dog Whiskey
Timeframe: Now
Price: TBD
ABV: 40%
These guys are a new distillery in Washington that opened last year. Headlong is their first whiskey product and is 80 proof white dog. The folks at Woodinville are also aging whiskey and hopefully some of that will be available by the end of this year but we’ll have to wait a see. Another really cool offering is a “Age Your Own” whiskey kit where you can buy white dog and a miniature barrel and do the aging on your own. The guys over at Woodinville sent me a sample bottle of Headlong so I’ll have a review soon.

Big Bottom Whiskey
Timeframe: Now
Price: Port Cask – $35, 3 Year Old – $28
ABV: 45.5%
Big Bottom is a new independent bottler out of Oregon. They are coming to the market with two whiskeys, a 3 Year Old 36% rye Bourbon and a 2 Year Old Bourbon finished in Port Cask that held 10 Year Old Tawny Port. As of right now you can only get this in Oregon or from K&L Wine but I traded emails with Ted Pappas, the head honcho over at Big Bottom and there is a good chance of it coming to Georgia and Tennessee in the near future. I’ll keep you posted.

That’s it for March. It was an interesting month. Most the stuff is not something you would consider mainstream. Stay tuned for that Headlong review. I should have it up by the end of next week.

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Van Winkle 12 Year Old Lot “B”

/ / Bourbon, Review /

Van Winkle Special Reserve 12 Years Old Lot “B” Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
45.2% ABV/90.4 Proof
$50 to $60
Available in the U.S.

What the Distillery Says:
Van Winkle Special Reserve is the perfect combination of age and proof. This sweet, full bodied whiskey has been described by some as “nectar.” We agree! The 12 years of aging and medium proof of 45.2 ABV (90.4 proof) seem to be just right in creating a very pleasant drink of whiskey. This fine whiskey can compete with any excellent cognac as an after dinner drink. The overall impression is rich and deep.

What Richard Says:
Nose: Very rich with lots of honey and a distilled fruit spirit note similar to cognac.
Palate: Creamy with a lot of oak comes through first. It’s very soft yet big. It is an interesting contrast. I get a few of those cognac notes from the nose too. This could be cognac’s big burly Appalachian cousin.
Finish: Very dry with just a touch of lingering wood.
Comments: I really enjoy this bourbon. It’s one of my favorites of the Van Winkle line. That said, the oak and dryness may not appeal to everyone. I think it definitely stands out and personally it is a must try. However, I can’t put it as a must try to the masses.
Rating: Stands Out

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New Releases – February ’11

/ / Bourbon, Other Whisk(e)ys

February came through with some very interesting new additions to the whiskey world. We got some new remarketers, some line extensions, and some really innovative new spins on whiskey. Here’s the February round up.

Jim Beam Devil’s Cut
Timeframe: May 2011
Price: $24
ABV: 45%
This new product from Jim Beam consists of six year old Jim Beam mixed with sweated bourbon. Sweated bourbon comes from watering, heating, rolling, or some such other agitation to get out those last bits of bourbon deep within the wood of empty barrels. The results are a much older flavor.

Bulleit 95 Rye
Timeframe: March 1, 2011
Price: $27.99
ABV: 45%
This is rye coming out from Diageo under the Bulleit brand. It is between 4 and 7 years old and has a mashbill of 95% rye and 5% malted barley. Rye is really kicking it up a notch through the whole category and I can’t wait to give this one a go.

E.H. Taylor, Jr. Old Fashioned Sour Mash
Timeframe: Mid 2011
Price: $70
ABV: 50% BIB
This new bottled-in-bond bourbon coming from Buffalo Trace is the first limited edition coming out under the relaunched Taylor brand. This particular bottling is a 9 year old made using naturally soured mashed. Unlike normal bourbon mash, this was held in the drop tub for several days to allow the pH to drop naturally instead of using spent mash to lower the pH like most bourbon. BT is experimenting as usual. Let’s see how this one turns out.

Collingwood Canadian Whisky
Timeframe: Early 2011 in FL, KY, LA, & TX
Price: $26.99
ABV: 40%
We already showed you all the details in the press release earlier in February.

W.H. Harrison Straight Bourbon/Govenor’s Reserve Barrel Proof Bourbon
Timeframe: Now
Price: TBD
ABV: 40%/57%
This is a pair of bourbons coming out from Tipton Spirits. They are remarketing some LDI (Lawrenceburg Distiller’s Indiana) bourbon as Indiana bourbon. LDI is a bulk producer that produces bourbon for a number of brands under private label. No word of when this is rolling out outside of Indiana.

That’s it for February. As always, let me know if I missed anything.

Drink wisely my friends,

Richard

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Drinking in Charleston

/ / Bourbon, Cocktails, Irish Whiskey, Richard's Blog, Scottish Whisky

One of the best things about Atlanta is how easy it is to get to great vacation destinations from here. Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport is arguable the busiest in the country and you can fly to almost anywhere from here. Another attraction is the central location in the south. I took advantage of this last weekend and drove over to Charleston, South Carolina with my wife and friends, Sam and Sandra.

My wife’s mother is from Charleston and our friends have been there many times, however it was my first visit. Charleston is a wonderful old southern town. It’s beautiful. The people are friendly. There are plenty of great things to see, do, and eat. We did all of those and packed as much fun into a three day weekend as we could. But what about drinking?

For a beer lover there’s plenty to enjoy. Irish pubs populate a number of streets in Charleston with good selections. The locally made Palmetto Amber is a nice one if you want to go local. Whiskey can be a bit more fickle. There are a lot of 4J bars around the city but there is hope. We found a few bastions of whiskey in the arid sea of beer and cocktails!

First, there are those with small but well chosen selections. These tended to be in the bars of restaurants. High Cotton on East Bay Street and Pearlz Oyster Bar jumped first to mind. Both have great food (High Cotton was hands down the best meal I had in Charleston) and they have a small but well selected whiskey menu.

Second, there is the multitude of Irish pubs all over Charleston. Most are big on beer, light on whiskey. When you go into Tommy Condon’s over on Church St. it looks much the same. However, the secret is to ask what they’ve got behind the bar. Tommy Condon’s has a very respectable selection of Irish whiskey but you can’t see it. It includes favorites from Powers, Paddy’s, Jameson, and even Redbreast. Just ask your server or bartender.

Lastly, if you want to seriously get your drink on there are only two places I found. There is Club Havana on Meeting St. and Husk on Queen St. Husk has a fantastic selection of bourbon, rye, and American whiskey but you will pay for it. They have far and away the highest markup on their liquor. You’ve been warned. For everything else there’s Club Havana. They have a very nice selection of scotch, bourbon, and rums at not astronomical prices. They sit above a Tinder Box and you can bring up the cigars you buy downstairs and smoke up in the bar and lounge. Colleen at the bar was a great bartender and if you want to adventure out beyond the whiskey, give their rum flight a try. It’s a really cool place I wish we had in Atlanta.

That’s my Charleston report. I had a great time and if you go you probably will too.

Drink wisely my friends,

Richard

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Brown-Forman goes north of the border

/ / Bourbon, Other Whisk(e)ys, Richard's Blog

Brown-Forman, makers of Canadian Mist are coming out with a new Canadian whisky. Collingwood is “mellowed” using maple wood. Here is the press release Brown-Forman sent over:

Brown-Forman Releases Collingwood Canadian Whisky
Introducing the only toasted Maplewood mellowed Canadian whisky

February 14, 2011, Louisville, Ky. – Brown-Forman announces the release of Collingwood, a new premium Canadian whisky which is set to hit shelves in February. Collingwood will be the only Maplewood mellowed Canadian whisky available on the market.

Every batch of Collingwood starts with the finest Canadian grains, pure spring water from Ontario’s Georgian Bay and its very own, hand-crafted, Maplewood mellowing process. The whisky is triple distilled for smoothness and then matured in white oak barrels. In Collingwood’s unique finishing step, the whisky rests with toasted Maplewood to complete its smooth character.

“By now, people have figured out fancy bags and bottles don’t make great whisky, it’s what’s inside that counts,” said Brown-Forman Master Distiller Chris Morris. “With passion and perseverance, we set out to create nothing short of the smoothest Canadian whisky ever made. Collingwood has arrived to set the new standard for smoothness and to revolutionize the Canadian whisky category.”

The gentle Maplewood mellowing process Collingwood undergoes is something unique in the Canadian Whisky category. It has a refined character that can be enjoyed on the rocks or mixed in a whisky cocktail.

Collingwood’s unique over-cap, flask shaped package was created by the media & design group at Brown-Forman based in Louisville, Kentucky.

“The brand objective was to communicate and personify smoothness to the discerning whisky drinker,” said Webb Blevins, Global Creative Director at Brown-Forman. “We believe Collingwood is the smoothest whisky ever made, and because of this, we wanted the package to really show off the liquid inside. We tried to immediately communicate premium without shouting or trying to impress, because Collingwood is for those who have nothing to prove to anyone but themselves.”

Collingwood will launch an ad campaign to coincide with the product’s release in several trade magazines and out of home billboards in launch markets. Available in Florida, Kentucky, Louisiana and Texas initially, more markets will be added later in 2011. Each bottle is presented at 80 proof with a suggested retail price of $26.99 for a 750ml bottle.

The good folks at Brown-Forman are sending over review samples of Collingwood and the new Early Times bourbon. I will post reviews as soon as I can.

Drink wisely my friends,

Richard

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