Last week the Tuesday tasting took on an interesting mix: Basil Hayden’s 8 YO (80 proof), Jefferson’s Very Small Batch (83 proof), Four Roses Small Batch (90 proof), and Knob Creek Small Batch 9 YO (100 proof). The theme was “small batch” apparently, but I don’t think we planned it that way. The nose and flavors ran the gamut here from butter and lemons and bananas and candy corn to bbq and leather. Not in the same whiskey, of course, but each of these excellent drinks had something to offer. Not a dog in the race. 

Four high test whiskies made the scene at our Tuesday tasting: Fighting Cock [we’re not kidding] (103 proof), Baker’s 7 year old (107 proof), Noah’s Mill (114.3 proof), and Booker’s 7 years 4 months old (129.1 proof). 

Some background: By law, American whiskey must have the “proof” printed on its label. It’s a statement of what percentage of the liquid contains alcohol. For example, an 80 proof whiskey is 40 percent alcohol by volume (often abbreviated as ABV). Simply put, the ABV is half the proof statement.

So, why use the term “proof” at all and not just state the ABV? Tradition, I suppose. If you know better, please tell us. In the USA, whiskey must be a minimum of 80 proof (40 percent ABV) and less than 160 proof (80 percent ABV). Some makers dilute their whiskey with water after aging, some sell their hooch as cask strength at the proof it comes out of the barrel. 

Most brands print both the proof and the ABV, so you don’t need to figure out the math after a glass or two. Whiskey helps most things in life, but definitely not others. Arithmetic and surgery come to mind. 

The whiskies at the tasting last night were definitely all on the upper high end for proof, and it so happens that a few were absolutely delicious. Concentrated fruit and wood mixed with honey, butter, and toffee. Very spicy, too. Cut with a little cool water, they shined even more. Value for money. More delicious complex booze needing less water for less cash. What’s not to like?

We really hit the good stuff this week at our Tuesday tasting: Old Forester Birthday Bourbon Limited Edition (12 YO), Black Maple Hill Red Label Special Edition, Elijah Craig Single Barrel (18 YO), and Hirsch Selection Small Batch Reserve. We also had our largest group of tasters to date—twelve brave souls did their civic whiskey duty (11 men and one intrepid lady).

When the whiskey is exceptional, it can be a struggle to tease out what makes it so appealing. (When the whiskey is bad, it’s just plain fun.) One knows what one likes, of course, but capturing that perfect aspect ain’t easy. Do I smell marzipan and salted peanuts? Is that Cocoa Puffs?  Why is there some sort of bubble gum and banana flavor going on?  Am I drunk?  With half-ounce pours, you’re not drunk (yet), but it’s like that old saw that “writing about music is like dancing about architecture.” Writing about what one tastes and smells, aside from being extremely subjective, is just challenging in and of itself. Another saying comes to mind. Goethe said “Architecture is frozen music.”  Perhaps great whiskey is just music in a bottle?

(Thanks to Roman Mars and the excellent 99percentinvisible Podcast for the inspiration.)

We’ve devoted quite a few of our Tuesday tastings to rye whiskey this year. Turns out there are many rye whiskey brands out there from both large producers and smaller boutique distilleries.

Rye whiskey tends to be much drier and lighter bodied than “bourbon.” We chose four ryes last evening: Old Overholt, Pikesville Supreme, Copper Fox, and Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye.

Most American whiskey is distilled from corn mixed with other grains, such as wheat, malted barley, and, of course, rye. How much the makers use and in what proportion varies a good deal. A few distillers even make a 100 percent rye, like Whistlepig from Vermont or in the case of Copper Fox, they use 75 percent rye and 25 percent malted barley. Hadn’t heard of this proportion before.

Rye can really brings those “high and dry” and floral flavors to whiskey that corn and wheat mixtures can’t on their own. The whiskies last night had a nice range of “rye-ness” to them. 

Our mid-week tasting featured four familiar whiskies at a mellow 80 proof each: Heaven Hill, Early Times, Evan Williams (Green), and Virginia Gentleman. These are all very reasonably priced bottles and I didn’t know what to expect when stacked against one another. Clay said, “I think you’ll be surprised.” Smooth. Classic mash flavor profiles: a little citrus, wood, honey sweetness, even barley. Each quite different…and good. Clay called one “session whiskey”; when you plan to make a whole night of it. I like that.

Last night’s Tuesday tasting brought four rye whiskies to the table—Templeton Rye (80 proof), Masterson’s 10-Year-Old Straight Rye (90 proof), Hudson Manhattan Rye <4-Year-Old (92 proof), and Whistlepig 10-Year-Old Straight Rye (100 proof). A few weeks ago, we tasted another collection of rye whiskies and the group last night was equally diverse.

We always begin our tastings with the lower proof and work our way up to the stronger stuff. The difference between an 80 and a 100 proof drink can be significant, especially when you’re taking a big whiff.  We do a nose without water, write notes, then add some cool delicious NYC tap, nose again, write notes, and then finally get a taste.

The two older bottles last eve were big favorites and full of the qualities you want in a rye whiskey. In the case of Whistlepig, 100% percent rye, a first for many of us. Tons of orange blossom, orchid, very slight woodiness. Delicious stuff.

Pitchaya, one of our regular tasters, makes his own bitters and we plan to do a rye cocktail evening soon. The virtues of this or that rye as a cocktail mixer were pondered a good while. A few of the whiskies are so good (and not cheap), it’s hard to imagine adding anything but a bit of cold water and maybe a nice chunk of fresh ice. But rye is the base of so many classic cocktails, it will be fun to see how they hold up.

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.