Bourbon Heritage Month

Sorry...it's been busy, and I'll tell you about it soon. Did some tasting, went to Prague and Plzn, you know, the usual stuff. Meanwhile, it's Bourbon Heritage Month, and I'm about to leave for Tennessee and Kentucky for the Kentucky Bourbon Festival, so this bourbon infographic (from Wild Turkey, in case you didn't guess) seemed appropriate:

I'm not dead, and neither is privatization

Thanks to the readers who asked where the hell I was the past three weeks... I've been really tied up with Malt Advocate. My duties have expanded there, and I've been getting that settled. I think we're on-track now.

I was also in Kentucky and Ohio for four days, visiting with new A.Smith Bowman distiller Truman Cox (he was just finishing up work at Buffalo Trace; I think he starts in Virginia this week, and best of luck to him!), Heaven Hill icon Parker Beam, and Wild Turkey legend Jimmy Russell...who was hosting a little shindig for Wild Turkey's brand-new distillery, and it's a beaut, as I wrote here. (You'll notice that John hasn't posted much either, lately: it's just a slow time of year, folks!)

I also dropped in on Athens, Ohio on my way home. I'm going to be hosting Ohio Brew Week there, starting this Saturday, so since I've never been there, I thought I'd take a look around. Well, there was a great brewpub -- Jackie O's -- where I had a delish pizza and several guest beers (had to leave before they opened, but I did get a quick tour of their barrel-aging room...good God, it's amazing!), and a bunch of fun bars up and down the block. I also made a quick visit to Salaam, the Mid-East restaurant where I'll be doing a beer dinner Monday night, and wound up in a press conference that resulted in this piece.

After that, well, had a lot of writing to do, a lot of family stuff, my mom's 80th birthday to celebrate, a trip to upstate NY for a graduation party and a gathering of my wife's clan for a graduation party and a 4th of July celebration (that included a sixtel of Walt Wit that we kicked, and thanks to the low session-type ABV, no one got silly). We toured Syracuse University on the way home -- first of Nora's campus visits, and an impressive one -- and lunched at Dinosaur Barbeque: the Big Ass Pork Plate has a hypnotic effect on me.

About that pork...I also got in almost 50 miles on the bike over the weekend, riding the Erie Canalway with Cathy and her brothers. I'm recording my mileage here to benefit bike charities; if anyone wants to sign up, please do so! (I think you can guess which silly username is mine...)

Anyway...I said privatization (as in Pennsylvania wine and liquor retail privatization) isn't dead, and I meant it. Check this out. Since then, I've been in touch with several NGOs about participation in strategy sessions on privatization. I know there are whiskey and even wine drinkers reading this blog, but the lion's share are beer drinkers. Get interested: beer is going to be very much a part of this.

It's my firm belief, borne up by experience in other states, that wine and liquor sales are a key component to beer sale success in a fully-privatized retail system. Ideally: private wholesale operations feeding private retail operations that sell "all-alcohol": beer, wine, and spirits. The supermarket sales genie has already been let out of the bottle, for better or worse, so we're going to have to deal with that.

There will be bills popping up. We need to read them carefully, and make our voices heard. I plan to have a bullet list of what I want to see in a privatization bill and what I really don't want to see in one. Look for that soon. In the meantime, check out the ridiculous amounts of taxes Pennsylvanians pay for wine and spirits, and how that's going to sink privatization...if we let it.

Congratulations, Parker Beam!

I'm currently in Louisville, on a beautiful fall day. I'm out here with John Hansell, Gary Regan, and other whiskey writers to help celebrate Parker Beam's 50 years of working at Heaven Hill.

We went down to Bardstown last night in a limo -- nine of us, passing around a bottle of Parker's Golden Anniversary, and it was fun, and Larry Kass told some great stories, and we all agreed that what gets said in the limo stays in the limo (and believe me, that's for the best!) -- and toasted Parker with a bunch of Heaven Hill folks, other distillers (at one point I was drinking with Jim Rutledge (Four Roses), Greg Davis (Tom Moore), and Craig Beam (Parker's son and co-master distiller), and Bardstown friends. Parker was called "a Rembrandt," "a genius," "brilliant," and I have to say, he was honest enough to simply smile and nod. Lots of laughs, and lots and lots of great bourbon. That's Bourbon Heritage Center director Lynne Grant with the cake, BTW...really, that's the cake. It even has the stencil on the head. Awesome.

Tonight is more Parkermania: the launch of this year's Evan Williams Single Barrel Vintage. I just had a bottle delivered to my room, and I'm not opening it. I'm waiting till the official launch. That's how it's done.

And because that's how it's done: I am Heaven Hill's guest on this trip. Because you should know that.

Bluegrass Brewing Company Jefferson Reserve Bourbon Barrel Stout

August 31, and it's what? 55 freakin' degrees out there? The beer for the last post of this very bloggy day is going to be cold weather beer: Bluegrass Brewing's Jefferson Reserve Bourbon Barrel Stout. This is one of a four-pack my bro-in-law Chris and his wife KD got me for my birthday; tip of the hat to you, guys, and thanks again.

The beer pours damned dark, still brown, not black, but dark. The aroma is not overwhelmingly bourbon barrel; about half barrel, half deeply roasted malt. The hops that I just know are in there aren't coming through in the nose much. Wurgh. That is one sharp stout: a fairly thin opening wedge that expands into a roasty bite with a leathery-lean wrap of bourbon barrel to it. It tastes like BBC didn't keep this one in the barrel too long, and for that, I thank them. Jefferson Reserve is older whiskey, too, so this is a barrel that's had a lot of the vanilla taken from it.

The beer is surprisingly drinkable for what's essentially a light-framed imperial stout with a buffing of barrel; it's almost lively. The barrel really comes through in the finish, curling back to catch you.

The question is, what are you looking for in a bourbon barrel stout? I guess I'm looking for something richer than this. It's good...but if I'm going to get hit in the head with an 8.5% beer, I kinda want to feel it more. This beer needs some more heft to it, and more depth. Might have to let it come up to room temp and try it again.

Elmer T. Lee 90th Birthday Edition

Just unveiled: Elmer T. Lee 90th Birthday Edition bourbon.

Kind of an emotional time. Sorry about the picture quality, but that's a special Elmer commemorative bottle of Maker's in the middle, and the 90th Birthday edition on the right.

The picture below is master distillers at the party: left to right, front row: Harlen Wheatley, Buffalo Trace; Jimmy Russell, Wild Turkey; Elmer T. Lee; Gary Gayheart, Buffalo Trace; and Parker Beam, Heaven Hill. Back row: Craig Beam, Heaven Hill; Greg Davis, Tom Moore; Kevin Smith, Maker's Mark; and Jim Rutledge, Four Roses. Pretty impressive.

Full Day Ahead at Buffalo Trace

Gotta run. Had breakfast at Marshall's in Frankfort -- perfect spot, little place, counter, sausage gravy and biscuits -- and now it's off for Buffalo Trace, where we're going for a boat ride to see the riverside view (?), taste new experimentals, and then whoop it up for Elmer T.'s 90th. Talk to you tonight...maybe.

Happy Birthday, Elmer T. Lee!

I'll be heading out to Kentucky tomorrow to attend Elmer T. Lee's 90th birthday party. Elmer is the master distiller emeritus at Buffalo Trace, and yeah, he's still very lively at 90! He is one of the few living distillers to have a whiskey named for him, and was one of the first; his Elmer T. Lee is a single barrel beauty that is hard to beat for price/value ratio.

I know I've told this story to many of you, but one of my favorite Elmer moments was at WhiskyFest New York, about seven years ago. John Hansell told me to head over to the trace table and ask Elmer for some of the 18 year old rye whiskey they had "under the table." I got right over and did that, and Elmer pulled out an unlabeled bottle, smiled, and poured me some. I went to smell it, and he said, "Now, it is 110 proof..." Oh, I thought, checked, and reached for the water pitcher. But Elmer reached out and grabbed my arm gently, looked at me and smiled beseechingly. "But it is awful smooth!" he said, with a look that told me he took this immensely personal. So I tried it, and by God, he was so right. Next year, that was Sazerac 18.

Elmer's made some of the best whiskeys I've ever had. I'll be happy to toast him with some of them on Friday. Happy birthday, Elmer!

American whiskey for July 4th

I just got this on Facebook from Eric Gregory, president of the Kentucky Distillers' Association. The Kentucky Bourbon Trail will be open for the holiday weekend: a great chance to tour the places where Americans make America's whiskey. (Er, the workers are American, that is...some of the owners of the companies are not: Wild Turkey's owned by Italians, Four Roses is owned by Japanese. But the distilleries are right there in Kentucky.)

Anyway, here are the schedules for tours; all times are Eastern.

Buffalo Trace, Frankfort – open Friday 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., closed Sunday.

Four Roses, Lawrenceburg – open Friday and Saturday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., last tour at 3:00 p.m., closed Sunday.

Heaven Hill, Bardstown – open Friday and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sunday noon to 4 p.m.

Jim Beam, Clermont – open Friday and Saturday, 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Sunday 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Maker’s Mark, Loretto – open Friday and Saturday, 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Sunday tours 1:30, 2:30 and 3:30 p.m.

Wild Turkey, Lawrenceburg – Tours Friday at 9 a.m., 10:30 a.m., 12:30 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. Gift shop will be open from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Closed on Saturday and Sunday.

Woodford Reserve, Versailles – Tours Friday at 10 a.m., 11 a.m., 1 p.m., 2 p.m. and 3 p.m. Closed Saturday. Tours on Sunday at 1 p.m., 2 p.m. and 3 p.m.

Visit www.kybourbontrail.com for more information on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail.

To Think I Once Said Congress Wastes Too Much Time

From Business First of Louisville:

U.S. Reps. John Yarmuth and Brett Guthrie have formed the Congressional Bourbon Caucus, an officially recognized Congressional Member Organization. They will serve as co-chairman of the caucus. Yarmuth, Kentucky's Third District representative, and Guthrie, the state's Second District representative, formed the bipartisan caucus to organize a group of representatives "dedicated to maintaining and strengthening the bourbon industry in the United States and educating other members on the legislative and regulatory issues impacting the industry," the representatives said in a news release.

To date, 17 members of Congress have joined the caucus and more are expected to join in the coming weeks, according to the release. More than 95 percent of the world's bourbon is distilled and aged in Kentucky by distillers that employ more than 43,000 people. More than $3 billion of Kentucky's gross state product is generated by distilled spirits and more than 500,000 people visit the state's distilleries annually, the release said. "This caucus offers a solid base of bipartisan support for one of Kentucky's most important industries and largest employers," Yarmuth said in the release. "Congressman Guthrie and I both agreed that it was important to create a working group that would advocate for this critical part of the Commonwealth's economy."

You know, Congress is doing important work. Maybe Yarmuth and Guthrie could teach the other reps something about making a good cocktail, too.

Tom Moore/Barton bought by Sazerac: distillery & brands

Big news on John Hansell's blog: Sazerac (better known to most by their Buffalo Trace moniker) has bought the Tom Moore Distillery and the Barton brands of bourbon. Actually, they bought a bunch of brands:

99 schapps (family); Barton (family); Calypso (family); Canadian Host Whisky; Canadian LTD Whisky; Canadian Supreme Whisky; Capitan Tequila; Caravella (family); Chi Chi's (family); Colonel Lee; Crystal Palace (family); Czarina (family); Diamore (family); Effen Vodka (family); El Toro Tequila (family); Fleischmann's (family); Fourth Colony (family); Glenmore (family); Hartley's Brandy, Highland Mist Scotch; House of Stuart Scotch; Imperial Blend Whiskey; Inverhouse Scotch; Jacques Bonet Brandy; Kentucky Gentleman (family); Kentucky Tavern Bourbon; Lauders Scotch; Meukow Cognac; Montaillac Cognac; Monte Alban; Montezuma Tequila (family); Mr. Boston (family); Naked Jay Vodka; Northern Light Canadian Whisky; Old Thompson Blend Whiskey; Olo Rum; Pikeman Gin; Ridgemont Reserve 1792; Royal Award (family); Royal Club Blend Whiskey; Royal Embassy (family); Sabroso (family); Skol (family); Ten High (family); Tom Moore Bourbon; Very Old Barton Bourbon; and Wide Eye Schnapps (family).

There are some names there -- Tom Moore, Kentucky Tavern, VOB, and of course, Ridgemont Reserve -- that I can definitely see a smart bunch of folks like Sazerac doing something great with. Hell, just getting VOB's name out there more would be a good thing. And, as John says about the rest of these brands:

A lot of it is low-end whisky (and whiskey) brands and non-whiskey spirits. But the most significant thing, from a whiskey perspective, is that the Tom Moore Distillery, and the whiskeys made there (Barton, Ridgemont Reserve) are part of the deal.

Whoosh. Seismic, I tell ya.

Charter 101

I was in Kentucky earlier in the week, and as I always do when in Bardstown, I stopped by Toddy's Liquors to pick up stuff I can't get in Pennsylvania. I got a standard bottling of Four Roses (my favorite hot weather, throw in a handful of ice, sip and smile, bourbon), a bottle of Jim Beam Rye (last batch with the old sunflower yellow label, the clerk said; "You might not want to drink that one." As if.), some Russell's Reserve Rye, a Very Old Barton and a Heaven Hill bottled in bond (for my buddy Sam Komlenic), and a bottle of a new bourbon, Charter 101.

A confession: I've been delinquent on what we'll call...legacy bottlings and labels. Old Charter, I.W. Harper, J.W. Dant, T.W. Samuels....I haven't had many of them. I'm trying to remedy that, though, and when I saw the bottle of 101, it was a weird way of doing new and old at the same time: this is a new release, at a new proof. Besides, I'd just been at Buffalo Trace the day before, talking about Charter with the folks there, and I wanted to see if it really was good or if they were just talking (mind, I really like the whiskeys from the Trace).

I came home Wednesday, worked Thursday and Friday, and knocked off about 6:15 Friday. Went and picked up some hoagies for me and the kids (Cathy was out with some friends), lit a fire out back, and thought of the Charter. I popped three cubes of crisply cold ice in that glass, poured in about an inch and a half of liquor, and got down to it, right there on the deck.

No need for more suspense: this is good bourbon. I liked it from the first sweet, mellow sip, a rich taste of barrel-enhanced corn, just a hint of wood spice, and rolling vanilla. There's nothing terribly complex about it, no notes of blackberries or mint or leather, and a very simple label (with no age statement). This is not a contemplative bourbon, and I wouldn't hesitate to use it in a cocktail or a highball. I don't know that I'd reach for it in the heat, but on a cool June evening, it sure hit me in a real good place. I found myself thinking of what Angela Traver at Buffalo Trace had said Tuesday afternoon as we were gossiping about bourbon stuff: "I'm just drinking a lot of Charter 101 lately. It's what I pick up." Yup.

Even if I can't find it at Toddy's price of $19.99 for this 101 proof 750 ml, I can see I'm going to have to find another -- closer -- source for more of this. I sense Christmas present purchases coming on; wonder what kind of price I can get on a case?