(via bluebloodandbourbon)
We did a whiskey Wednesday tasting, this week, as well as our Tuesday night flight. Two tastings in one week? Hard work for us means an excellent book for you next year.
Three uncommon whiskeys hit the dance floor last night: Smooth Ambler Yearling (92 proof), Buck 8-year-old (90 proof), and John B. Stetson Straight (84 proof). They had little in common across the board. One was musky and tasted of Cheerios, one was full of caramel and roses, while the other was somewhat thin and flowery.
Going into this project, we actually wondered sometimes if there would be quite enough b r e a d t h in the variety of American whiskey. Wrong, knuckleheads! We’re 40-odd whiskeys into this thing and the variety is staggering.
This week our whiskey tasting Tuesday evening had a peripatetic theme. We started in Virginia (Bowman Brothers Small Batch), hit Tennessee (George Dickel Barrel Select), lingered in Kentucky (Jefferson’s Reserve Very Small Batch), and jetted west to Texas (Garrison Bothers Straight Whiskey). Then, believe it or not, we soldiered on back to Kentucky to end the night with the excellent Eagle Rare Straight. There was some crazy variety in aroma, finish, palate, and taste. And some serious variety in the tasters, too. Just what you want. AWBAR (American Whiskey, Bourbon, and Rye) rolls on, tasters.
Another AWBAR Tuesday tasting last evening (AWBAR stands for American Whiskey, Bourbon, and Rye, btw).
We all wanted rye again and we got it: Redemption Rye (92 proof), Russell’s Reserve Rye 6YO (90 proof), McKenzie Rye (91 proof), and Rittenhouse Rye (100 proof). Four ryes in about 2.5 hours is a good chunk. We got a chance to smell, muse, and taste all four and compare notes.
Rye has the reputation for being floral, fruity, and full-bodied. That was nearly true for this selection. Hadn’t counted on the intense feinty aromas. These are difficult to describe, but you know it when you smell it. It’s extremely important in many whiskies. I think of it as the “funk factor,” but there’s more to it. (Great stuff about feint and tasting and “nosing” at the excellent Whisky Magazine.)
American rye whiskey must be distilled from a base containing at least 51 percent rye. Some use more. Finding the balance between the rye and the corn and the barrels and the age is the artistry. The four last evening showed good qualities, some quite different than others. It will be fun to have a RYE-A-PALOOZA when we get the highest scoring in for all the ryes covered in the book. I have some candidates in mind already.
In the Rocks – Demerara, Angostura, Bourbon
……an Old Fashioned cocktail infused into an egg shaped ice…….which is cracked open using a metal ring and rubber band…..gimme!
via eatdrinknbmerry
(via bluebloodandbourbon)
This week’s Tuesday AWBAR tasting took on a trio from Michter’s: Small Batch American Whiskey (83.4 proof), Small Batch Bourbon (91.4 proof), and 10 YO Bourbon (94.4 proof). Michter’s makes exceptional whiskies and everyone had a lot to say about these three. In particular, the Small Batch American was extremely aromatic and the flavor profile was huge. Rich, complex, and crowd-pleasing. Every week won’t be as good as this one, but we soldier on…only 160 or so more bottles to go.
Louisville is getting serious about reclaiming its bourbon heritage. Today, Heaven Hill Distilleries, the largest independent family-owned and -operated distilled spirits supplier in the United States, announced plans for a new artisanal pot-still distillery and interactive tourism experience…
