Distillery Tour: Lazy Guy Distillery

/ / Distillery Tours, Other Spirits, Other Whisk(e)ys

Did you know that there is a legal distillery making craft spirits right outside of Atlanta in Kennesaw? Yeah, I didn’t either. It seems like every other day new distilleries are popping up and is a giant undertaking. That said this one is about 15 minutes from my house so I really should’ve been a little more on top of it. Luckily for me, I have friends that are just as obsessed with all things whiskey as I am. A fellow Georgia Bourbon Society member put the word out on the Lazy Guy Distillery a couple of months ago and another member was industrious enough to organize a little tour for us.

It’s best to plan in advance if you want to visit Lazy Guy. It’s damn near a one man operation and that one man, Mark Allen can’t be making spirit if he’s got people randomly knocking on the front door. Also, he has a day job in consulting too. He will schedule tours for small groups and periodically he has open house events. We at met the distillery before the August Georgia Bourbon Society meeting in a torrential downpour. This is an extremely small operation and I drove past it twice before getting to the right place.

The distillery is two buildings near historic downtown Kennesaw dating back to the 1800’s. The front is an old house that serves as the office, tasting bar, and gift shop. Out back is an old barn right above the railroad tracks that serves as the distillery and aging warehouse. The tour comprises a walk out back for a very detailed walkthrough of the operations and a tasting of the four products Mark is bottling right now. You go into the barn and front and center you see the still, column, condenser and mash tun. image

Off to the right are the fermenting tubs, off to the left is the bottling line, and around the left corner in a little nook is the “warehouse” where the aging spirit is held. image3

When I say small, this is small. However, right now it is a one man operation. Mark is quick to tell you about his efficiency yields and how all of this is set up to allow him to produce spirit by himself. Right now his only help in product production are volunteers helping with the bottling.

Mark is a very enthusiast and knowledgeable distiller and he is more than happy to keep the tour at the newbie level or dive into all the geek detail you could want. He is a very technical and practical distiller. He’s more the mad chemist out back in the shed than the romantic idea of distillers that some hold on to. Mark’s background is information technology and consulting. Distilling is new to him and he is self taught through voracious reading, visits to other distilleries, and good old trial and error. He’s very forthcoming with how he does what he does and why he’s made the decisions he made that led up to now. As examples of this he uses enzyme, not malted barley to kick start fermentation and how his “fermenting tubs” are giant plastic container that allow him to (relatively) easily monitor and adjust temperature and maintain sanitation. image2

It may not be as romantic of a notion as those 50 year old wooden fermentation tubs and germinated malted barley for fermentation but it gets the job done in a way he likes and can manage. I have to respect that.

Currently, Lazy Guy has four products on the market that you would probably call white whiskey or white dog with plans for a straight bourbon (aged 2 years) in 2015. Here’s a rundown of each one:

Threesome Whiskey
The mashbill is 60% corn, 30% wheat, and 20% unmalted barley and it is bottled at 40% ABV. The distillate for this product is essentially bourbon distillate. It’s aged very briefly in used barrels. Lazy Guy uses used barrels for everything except the new bourbon they plan for next year. The reason is that Mark can’t get anymore barrels. You’ve heard of the dreaded bourbon shortage, which doesn’t actually exist to the extent you may think? Well the real concern is a true barrel shortage. There just isn’t enough production to keep up with demand so small guys like Mark can’t even get on the list. The barrels he does use were toasted rather than charred. Mark’s reasoning is that it gives more of a smoky and floral note rather than the typical coconut and vanilla. It was nice for a white whiskey. Better than most for sure.

Cold Heart Whiskey
This is essentially a high proof version of the Threesome coming in at 60% ABV with the same distillate but it spends a little less time in the wood. It’s a similar profile to Threesome but it drinks surprisingly well at the higher proof.

Kennesaw Lightning
This is Lazy Guy’s corn whiskey. The mash is 80% corn and 20% barley and clocks in at 50% ABV. It is a solid vodka replacement for sure. Maybe in a bloody mary?

The General
Don’t let this one confuse you with the recent Compass Box release. The two could not be farther apart. This is also a corn whiskey, although a four grain corn whiskey. The mash is 80% corn, 6% rye, 7% wheat, and 7% barley. It clocks in at an impressive 75.5% ABV. This was something Mark was playing around with when a distributor stopped by and had a taste from the still. It went over so well it became a new product, although reduced to 75.5% from the 90% it was tasted at. It also drinks surprisingly well at high proof.

I’ve got to say that I was impressed with what Mark Allen is doing over at Lazy Guy Distillery. He has a passion for it but he’s not deluded by his passion. He realizes that the whiskey geek isn’t his target market. He has a great business head on his shoulders. He knows his product, market, and distribution and works smartly within those bounds. I’m not rushing out to buy a bottle because it’s not my type of thing but I respect what he’s doing and wish him the best.

You can visit the distillery at 2950 Moon Station Road, Kennesaw, Georgia. Make sure to call (770) 485-0081 or email media@lazyguydistillery.com first.

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Laphroaig Select

/ / Islay, Review, Scottish Whisky /

Laphroaig Select Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky
40% ABV
$55
Website
select
What the Distillery Says:
Laphroaig®, the world’s #1 Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky, proudly introduces its newest expression, Laphroaig® Select Scotch Whisky. This new, innovative expression brings the distinct styles of the Laphroaig portfolio together to create a new expression that stays true to the brand’s heritage with an added layer of complexity and depth brought about by marrying various maturation styles and different oaks.

The liquid is carefully selected by Laphroaig Master Distiller, John Campbell, from the finest casks representing the favorite styles of Laphroaig – Quarter Cask, PX Cask, Triple Wood and Ten-Year Old Casks – creating a subtle blending of peat, oak and sweetness. The true heart of the spirit is then drawn from a final maturation in new American Oak casks, rarely used in Scotch Whisky maturation. During the last six months of aging, Laphroaig Select rests in the highest, warmest reaches of the warehouse throughout the Scottish summer.

The inspiration behind Laphroaig Select Scotch Whisky, and the unique method of aging, comes from the history and family lineage of the Laphroaig brand. Ian Hunter, the last family member to own Laphroaig, was influential in experimenting with new ways of distilling and was one of the first to combine American bourbon casks with traditional European casks to create new flavors, which at the time had not been seen. Laphroaig Select takes inspiration from Ian, creating a new expression with both classic and new flavors.

“Laphroaig Select is a true original and, as always, we have stayed true to our roots, using the fantastic Laphroaig heritage as inspiration for this new innovation,” said John Campbell, Laphroaig Master Distiller. “Laphroaig Select delivers a liquid with a unique marriage of our trademark ‘peat reek’ and a gentle sweetness, which we hope will both surprise and delight you.”

At 80 proof, Laphroaig Select is best enjoyed neat or with a splash of water to release the earthy aroma of blue peat smoke, sweet nuttiness of barley and the heathery perfume of Islay’s streams. Laphroaig Select is available at fine retail locations in select markets nationwide with a suggested retail price of $55.00 per 750ml bottle. Laphroaig Select joins the Laphroaig portfolio of Scotch whiskies that includes Laphroaig 10-Year-Old, 10-Year-Old Cask Strength, Quarter Cask, 18-Year-Old, 25-Year-Old, QA Cask, Triple Wood and Cairdeas 2014 Amontillado Edition.

What Richard Says:
Nose: A little of the Laphroaig brine and smoke but it starts to get pushed aside by the sherry notes. They don’t seems to be playing well together but rather jockeying for position.
Palate: Very sweet. That’s the initial impression. It’s like an Islay with training wheels. It’s lighter and almost watery in viscosity compared to other Laphroaigs. Seriously, this reminds me of Cloraseptic throat spray.
Finish: Iodine, raisins, a little smoke, and more Cloraseptic.
Comments: I try this and I ask myself…”Are we losing something here?” Granted, taste is VERY subjective. I would never think that my opinions on any whiskey should be your opinions on whiskey. With that caveat out of the way I ask myself why is Laphroaig messing with a great thing? We start off with the classic 10 Year Old Laphroaig. The bourbon casks let the malt shine through. In it’s cask strength version I think it is one of the three best single malt scotches available at 10 years of age (Springbank and Talisker being the other two). So if you’re Laphroaig you say “let’s monkey around with near perfection.” So you dump that ex-bourbon barrel Laphroaig into Quarter Casks. Okay, so the Quarter Cask is pretty good…not as good as the 10 but good. It also helps with the surge in demand because the QC can come out quicker without the age statement. Fine, I understand the nature of business. Next you say “what if we take the QC and dump it into Oloroso sherry wood?” Okay, now you’ve added Triple Wood. To me it’s moving in the wrong direction and I find it lacking next to the 10 and the QC but sherry is big now so some other people may like it. Now, with Select, you take all that came before and throw in some PX wood too before dumping it into new american oak. Why? I have no idea. I love Laphroaig. I really do. But this bottle leaves me asking why? It’s like a remnants batch made of all the leftover stuff in the warehouse. Too may hands (read wood finish) in the pot. On top of that, Laphroaig is monster malt and does well with proof. 80 proof just isn’t’ cutting it.
Rating: Average

I would like to thank the folks at DBC PR & Social Media for sending over a bottle for review.

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Longmorn 21 Year (K&L Wine)

/ / Review, Scottish Whisky, Speyside /

Longmorn Single Malt Scotch Whiskey Vintage 1992, Bottled 2013
52.4% ABV
$114.99
Website
Longmorn21
What the Bottler Says:
Oh Longmorn, you elusive lovely creature. Last year, we bottled a Longmorn from a fresh sherry butt that was arguably our most positively received whisky of 2012. All the whisky geeks went mad and snatched up every bottle moments after it arrived. This year we return with another Longmorn of a similar price and aged, but this time it’s coming from a second fill butt. It’s not the sweet up-front style of last year’s, but instead a powerful whisky filled with fresh vanilla, dark dense fruit, and aromas of toffee and spice. This is a fabulously complex whisky with a roundness that’s undeniably pleasurable. Again don’t expect a redux of last year’s cask, but a special whisky that stands tall on it’s own merit. All lovers of this splendid Speyside distillery, located just south of Elgin, should buy now before the price goes up. A very welcome addition to the Faultline family.

What Richard Says:
Nose: The age and second fill nature of the sherry barrel make for a surprisingly nuanced nose. Dark berries, stewed prunes and raisins, and treacle syrup drizzled over panna cotta.
Palate: Rich, mouth coating, and unctuous. There are layers flavors here running the gamut of herbal, floral, and fruity with a nice viscous non-cloying sweetness to round it all out. All this lays nicely over a rich malty backbone.
Finish: There’s very little wood given the age. What there is seems light like a damp toothpick. It’s a little dry and slightly tannic but very clean.
Comments: How much do I like thing bottle? Well, after trying it a friends house earlier this year I rearranged my travel plans to Napa and Sonoma in June so that I could swing by K&L in San Francisco to get a bottle. Yeah…that much. You don’t see much Longmorn around but when you do it’s usually pretty damn good.  This is in the top three Longmorn’s I’ve ever had.  There’s a half-joke that goes around the scotch industry that Longmorn is every distiller’s second favorite malt. Try it and you’ll see why.
Rating: Must Buy

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Cragganmore 23 Year (K&L Wine)

/ / Review, Scottish Whisky, Speyside /

Cragganmore Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whiskey 23 Years Old
54.8% ABV
$109.99
Website
Cragganmore23
What the Bottle Says:
Finally, the return of Cragganmore to the Faultline line up. One of our first bottlings was a fabulous 20 year old Craggy, from a hogshead. That was three years ago and we haven’t seen another Cragganmore from any of our suppliers since, so when this one popped up as a potential Faultline candidate we jumped on it. We were surprised again by both the quality and the incredible price! Cragganmore is distilled from very lightly peated barley. Over the course of 23+ years in a refill sherry butt, that subtle smokiness has morphed into what can only be described as quintessentially Speyside. Imagine a highland shrub recently in bloom after months of dormancy during the long cold winter. Imagine the honey bee attracted to the tiny purple flowers, returns to her hive, which is situated precariously on the outstretched limb of knobby oak tree. The honey slowly drips out of the dense honeycomb on to the damp reeds below. This tiny florally flecked speck of honey trapped on a blade of grass flutters in the breeze to land on a damp stone on the banks of the river Spey. Droplets from the idly lapping river loosen the blade from its sticky perch on the wet stone, eventually releasing it into the meandering river as it twists toward the north sea. Now imagine yourself with a bottle of Cragganmore. You have a very good imagination…

What Richard Says:
Nose: Heather, vanilla wafers, lavender honey, and a balanced sherry note that plays with a little leather and tobacco typically seen in malts of 30 plus years. Stone fruits and a little eucalyptus come out with a splash of water.
Palate: Damn! This is amazing. Sherry, vanilla cream, stone fruits, cherries jubilee, and oatmeal raisin cookies.
Finish: After 23 years the only place the oak shows up is the long lingering tale of the finish. Not too much. Just a slow steady swan song.
Comments: This is bottled at almost 55% alcohol by volume but it drinks much smoother than that. It’s almost a sin to add the water but not quite. Do so sparingly. This is one of only 270 bottles bottled exclusively for K&L Wine Merchants in California. The malt alone makes this a must buy but the price is a damn steal!
Rating: Must Buy

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Faultline Bourbon

/ / Bourbon, Review /

Faultline Straight Bourbon Whiskey
50% ABV
$39.99
Website
Faultline
What the Bottler Says:
We’ve been doing gin and single malt for years, and now rum, so why not throw our hat in the Bourbon pool? One of the obstacles that kept us from making a Faultline Bourbon earlier was availability: the current demand has made the extra barrel a thing of the past. One of the only distilleries that would sell us a cask for a private label was the old LDI distillery in Indiana, but with the already overcrowded LDI market (Bulleit Rye, Templeton Rye, High West, etc) we didn’t think our product would be different enough, or of the quality we desired, for the Faultline name. That’s when John Little from Smooth Ambler stepped in and said he’d be happy to help us do something special. If we were going to work with LDI casks, then we needed the capability to blend something special to taste – the specs wouldn’t sell this baby. John had some incredible 10 year old low rye formula that we used in conjunction with some 7 year high rye. We kept tasting and tasting until we found the sweet spot at 100 proof. It’s FAR better than I ever thought it would be. I hoped we could provide something fun and different, but the final whiskey is phenomenal. It’s rich, with sweet fruit right on the entry, a full-bodied mid-palate, and a long, rich, spicy finish. It tastes like it came from Four Roses or somewhere fancy and at 50% it pops in all the right places. I hope we can make another batch like this because this Bourbon is the new king of K&L. Taste it if you don’t believe me. (David Driscoll)

What Richard Says:
Nose: Big Red chewing gum and danish butter cookies at first. As the nose gets time to open it turns into rum cake with vanilla cream sauce.
Palate: Seriously rye forward with a heavy dose of butter toffee, peach cobbler, white pepper, and fresh mint.
Finish: Black pepper, mint, and a nice woodiness.
Comments: Wow this is impressive. I must say I’m less than impressed generally with the LDI stuff hitting the market lately. It’s fine bourbon and rye but the market is over saturated with the stuff and every Tom, Dick, and Harry is pretending like they made it. I wasn’t even too impressed with the first bottle of Smooth Ambler Old Scout that John Little sent me a while back. It was his first release and from what I’ve tried from friends his newer releases keep getting better and better. [put me back on that sample list John!] This may be the best thing I’ve had from LDI and Smooth Ambler to date. Kudos to all involved with its development. The only bad thing about this is that it’s a K&L Wine Merchant only bourbon so you’ve got to get your butt to California if you want some. And if you go then let me know. I could use another bottle. 😉
Rating: Must Try

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