Holiday alcohol edition
Best Bourbons and American Whiskeys I have drunk this year
We are well progressed into the holiday season and last week was my last work-related post. This week I want to focus on another passion: American Whiskey. If you like brown liquors, then this may be an opportunity to compare notes. If you are new to whiskey and fancy trying some out, then I hope this will be helpful. Even if you can’t stand the stuff, hopefully this might still be interesting, and if not then you have my apologies in advance.
I have always loved whiskey, but only really got into American whiskeys when I arrived in Miami. I have a theory that alcohol tastes best when it is consumed close to where it is produced. Whilst living in the UK, Scotch was my drink of choice. There is something right about sipping an Islay single malt when there is a cold drizzle of rain outside, I suspect in Scotland it would taste even better. When you are in a warmer environment this combination of climate and beverage doesn’t pair particularly well. In contrast, the sweetness of bourbon is an excellent compliment to the sticky humidity of a Miami summer.
I am not very good at giving tasting notes. I enjoy wine, but struggle to follow along when people can detect specific fruits and other flavors from the smell and taste. The big-name whiskey reviewers on YouTube (or WhiskeyTube as they like to refer to their community) all offer a similar array of tasting notes for the whiskeys they review. Randy Sullivan at Bourbon Real Talk even sells a 36-scent aroma kit to help develop your tasting skills. I won’t be suggesting any complex notes beyond a few easy flavors. Bourbon’s primary ingredient is corn and therefore it tends to have a caramel sweetness to it which can be more or less pronounced. Rye in contrast often tastes spicy. One of my picks below is blended with scotch which imparts a smokey flavor. Most spirits in the UK cap out at 40% or 80 proof. In contrast, American whiskey is often bottled at a higher proof. In 1897 the Bottled-in-Bond Act was introduced as a designation of quality and a minimum set of standards for whiskey. Any whiskey that is labelled as Bottled-in Bond has a proof of 100 (50% ABV). Cask or barrel strength whiskey can easily have proofs up to 140 (70% ABV). With the additional proof you typically get a stronger flavor profile, a longer finish (i.e. the taste hangs around in your mouth longer) and often more heat. The warming sensation as the whiskey travels down your throat is colloquially known as a Kentucky hug. The heat can be aggressive, which usually isn’t that pleasant or well controlled. My personal sweet spot for proof is usually between 100 and 116 (50% ABV to 58% ABV), but if it is well controlled and doesn’t drink as hot as the proof suggests, I have enjoyed bottles at higher strengths. Another simple tasting note is viscosity. To be honest I have only drunk two bourbons where this was worth noting, but when you get a thick syrupy, great tasting pour, it is a moment to savor. Some whiskeys are finished in a different barrel for the last year of ageing, and this will impart some of the flavors of the original liquor that was in it (e.g. wine, port, sherry or rum). A double-oaked bourbon is one that is put in a second newly charred barrel, and this will tend to further enhance all the natural flavors that are taken from the oak barrel.
Let’s get the educational piece out of the way. A whiskey is any liquor that is distilled from a fermented grain mash. A bourbon must be at least 51% corn. Most bourbons have a mash bill of corn, rye and barley. Some bourbons (Makers Mark, Wellers etc.) replace the rye with wheat. This gives a different flavor profile, some describe it as grassy or bready, I can’t taste grass, but it definitely loses the spicy character of the rye. There are some four grain whiskeys with all four grains in their mash bill. I have never tried one of these. Bourbon does not need to come from Kentucky, although that is the state most closely connected with it and where some of the oldest and most famous distilleries are based. Bourbon does need to be produced in America. Bourbon must be distilled in new charred oak barrels for at least four years if not age stated (and two years if age is stated on the bottle). It must also be at least 40% ABV (80 proof). If you see a bottle that states Kentucky Straight Bourbon, you know that the whiskey was distilled and aged in Kentucky, had no flavors or colors added (and no secondary ageing in different barrels) and fulfils the criteria to be called bourbon. Rye is less restrictive than bourbon, but it must be made from at least 51% rye. Again, if you see Kentucky Straight Rye, it means that it was distilled and aged in Kentucky in new charred oak barrels without any other flavors or colors added.
My list is divided into four categories. Unobtainable, once in a blue moon pours. These aren’t ones that you can easily buy and where they are available, they are usually sold at multiples of their suggested retail price. I include these in this list to determine whether the experience was worth it. The second category is outstanding whiskey that I have enjoyed during the year which is typically straight bourbon or rye. The third category is for unusual pours where something different has been done in the process and the result is fantastic. The final category is for those that want to try some whiskey and includes easy to find, very tasty bottles that probably won’t break the bank.
Unobtainable whiskeys
Why is some whiskey unobtainable? This is a reasonably new phenomenon. Had I known about the joys of bourbon in my twenties, I could have walked into any decent liquor store in America and picked up a bottle of something that is now considered rare and sold in strict allocations. The bourbon boom started just over a decade ago and shows no signs of ending. Bourbon has become a sought-after product with a thriving investment and secondary market. My unobtainable list includes whiskeys that trade for $1000s and in each case, I owe a huge thank you to a great friend who lives in Singapore and has sought out these hard-to-find bottles. Just to rub salt in the wound, I didn’t pay anything to try these, although I did arrive with a gift of New York rye to add to his collection. First up is the most famous name in limited release, allocated whiskey, Pappy Van Winkle. There are three versions: 15-year, 20-year and 23-year age-statements. Of these I was lucky enough to try the 20-year-old. I am not going to beat around the bush, it tastes sensational. It does not taste over-oaked despite sitting in a barrel for 20 years. The proof is just 90.4 (45.2% ABV) and it is wonderfully sweet and with a strong taste of caramel. This drink went down very easily, and I think I had about 3 glasses in total with a giant smile on my face.
The second unobtainable pour is part of the Buffalo Trace Antique Collection. Buffalo Trace is probably the most famous distillery in Kentucky and certainly the most venerated with some very well-known brands. They distill Pappy Van Winkle under license, but their own top-line “Antique Collection” includes George T Stagg, William Larue Weller, Eagle Rare 17, Thomas H Handy (rye) and Sazerac Rye 18yr old. I tried George T Stagg in 2021 and 2022 when the Ritz Hotel bar in Coconut Grove, Miami was renovated and they mis-priced it at $25 a pour. It was phenomenal, but it doesn’t make the list as when I returned to Miami in September this year the Ritz Hotel Bar had realized their mistake. However, my friend in Singapore did have William Larue Weller (WLW). WLW is Buffalo Trace’s premium wheated mash bill (contains wheat rather than rye) which is the same as Pappy. WLW has a similar viscosity to George T Stagg, it is thick and warm with plenty of flavor. From memory the proof was about 128 (64% ABV), it doesn’t taste hot and is delicious. George T Stagg and WLW usually rival each other for many reviewers’ whiskey of the year. If you get a chance to try either of them, you will not be disappointed.
Just to demonstrate that not all unobtainable, expensive whiskeys are great, I also tried A H Hirsch Reserve 16 year old straight bourbon. This was distilled in Pennsylvania in 1974 and is a very rare and sought after bottle. It even has a whole book dedicated to it called “The Best Bourbon You’ll Never Taste” by Charles K Cowdrey. I have tasted it, and I thought it was ok, but nothing special. This is one for collectors who focus more on holding rather than drinking whiskey.
Still on the list to try before I die are Eagle Rare 17, Pappy Van Winkle 15 year (both from Buffalo Trace distillery), King of Kentucky and Old Forrester Birthday Bourbon (both from Brown-Forman distillery).
Outstanding Whiskeys
I have four bottles on this list one each from New York, Wyoming, Kentucky and South Carolina.
Bottle number one is Kings County Barrel Strength Empire Rye (121.2 proof 60.6% ABV). Kings was the old county name before the area was incorporated into the city of Brooklyn, later to become one of the five boroughs of New York City. The ingredients are all sourced from New York state. A visit to this distillery was a birthday present last year from my wife. What impressed and surprised me the most about this bottle is that I preferred it to their barrel strength bourbon. Rye often tastes quite spicy and hot, so I never saw the need for barrel strength versions and assumed they would be fiery and undrinkable. But this bottle’s heat is well controlled, and the extra strength gives it an impressive complex tasting profile and long finish. The latest release of this bottle is the one I gifted my friend in Singapore in return for trying his collection. He is usually not keen on rye, but I think this might be the bottle to change his mind.
Bottle number two is Wyoming Whiskey National Parks no.3 which is 105 proof (52.5% ABV). Wyoming Whiskey is delicious and if you visit their tasting room in Jackson Hole, I recommend trying everything they have. The National Park series is a limited annual release and some of the profits are invested back into the local National Parks. Therefore, not only are you drinking a very well-balanced whiskey, sold in a beautiful bottle that features an image of the rugged landscape, you are also contributing to preserving and protecting the natural wilderness. Nothing beats the warm buzz of alcohol mixed with altruism.
Bottle number three is special because it was bought for me by friends who went on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail as a thank you for helping look after their cats. The distillery is called Whiskey Thief, and they have no 3rd party distribution. Visitors get the chance to taste a few whiskeys direct from the barrels and then bottle their favorites to buy and take away with them. Hence the Whiskey Thief name, you are thieving the whiskey straight from the barrel. Every bottle is barrel strength and from a single barrel. No one is blending or proofing down. The whiskey my friends picked is delicious, 110 proof (55% ABV) and I intend to go to Kentucky myself next year to enjoy the full thieving experience.
Bottle number four was discovered on a road trip my wife and I took from Miami to New York earlier this year. We spent two nights in Charleston and after exploring the old town we visited the Hire Wire Distillery. The bourbon is called Jimmy Red after a local variety of corn that was brought back from the brink of extinction purely for the purpose of making alcohol. My favorite was their barrel strength bourbon (116.3 proof, 58.17% ABV) and I enjoyed it enough to buy a couple of bottles. Aside from the taste, I am easily seduced by local distilleries, using local ingredients to produce something of excellent quality.
Unusual Pours
What is an unusual pour? I use the term for where a distillery has done something different and produced a drink that tastes really good. I am not a fan of gimmicks. Jefferson Ocean for instance loads barrels of whiskey onto ships to allow the sea air and motion of the boat to change the taste of the whiskey. I’m not sure how long the barrels are on the boat for, or what route they take, but at best this feels like a haphazard way of creating bourbon and at worst a bunch of marketing nonsense.
Bottle number one is High West Campfire which is a blend of straight rye, straight bourbon and blended malt Scotch whisky. High West is Utah based and makes delicious whiskey. This one is really satisfying. The first sip usually gives me the smokiness from the scotch, then this quickly gives way to a drink that tastes sweet and caramel. It is very reminiscent of sitting around a campfire toasting marshmallows. At 92 proof (46% ABV) it is not very strong, and I have had a few enjoyable evenings where it slipped down rather too easily and I drank more than I expected.
Bottle number two is Canongate 11 year old whiskey. This whiskey is barreled in Kentucky (Heaven Hill distillery) and then shipped and aged for the last 8 of its 11 years in Scotland. I was dismissive of Jefferson Ocean because it is a mass-produced, low aged, uncontrolled experiment of blended whiskey that is not an expression of a particular place or time. Canongate however is looking to combine the sweetness from a bourbon mash bill with the cool wet climate of Scotland and enough time to produce something unique and very tasty. I sampled this pour at my local whiskey bar in Brooklyn. The owner considers this to be one of his favorites and loved it so much he bought a whole case (which is unusual given the bar favors variety rather than volume of any specific bottle). This whiskey is delicious, smooth and surprisingly strong at 123.2 proof (61.6% ABV)
Easy(ier) to find bottles that are worth trying
You can’t go wrong with most of the commonly found whiskeys, such as Woodford Reserve, Four Roses Small Batch Select, Wild Turkey 101 and Knob Creek 9yr old. But I have a couple more that I think maybe helpful to newbies who want to sample some different styles.
Bottle number one is for those who don’t think they like bourbon or want an easy entry route. Widow Jane is a New York based distillery that sources most of its whiskey from Kentucky and uses water from upstate quarries to proof down the whiskey before bottling. Baby Jane is unusual because it is distilled by Widow Jane in New York. What makes this whiskey approachable is that it is a low 80 proof (40% ABV) and very sweet. There isn’t much complexity to it, but I enjoyed it during a tour of the distillery and the clincher, and why it makes this list, is that my wife drank and enjoyed it too. Just for context, my wife hates bourbon and hated everything else she tried on this tour. This was good news for me as Widow Jane does not have a particularly generous post-tour tasting room, and I was able to double-up and drink all my wife’s samples except this one.
Bottle number two is Old Forrester 1920 Style Prohibition whiskey. During prohibition only a handful of distilleries were able to stay open and produce high strength liquor for industrial and medical use. Old Forrester was one of these distilleries and this whiskey is supposedly similar to the recipe used in the 1920s. What is great about this bottle is that it is easy to find, not too expensive and tastes great. It makes this list as a recommended first foray into higher strength bourbon as this is 115 proof (or 57.5% ABV), so you can find out what the fuss is about without breaking the bank.
Bottle number three is E H Taylor Small Batch from Buffalo Trace. It used to be easy to find, but as demand outstripped supply it takes a bit more effort (I usually use Uber Eats to track it down across liquor stores and to get the best price). But this bottle makes the list because it is my absolute favorite everyday sipping whiskey. I always try to have a bottle in my collection. It is smooth and delicious; I know that this will always hit the spot, and I can offer to friends and guests and know they won’t be disappointed. Its 100 proof (50% ABV) and pretty much perfect.
This post was about the twice the length of what I expected to write. If you got to the end, I want to thank you for indulging me in this whiskey round-up. The best thing about whiskey, aside from the taste, is that it brings people together. I will see you all next week for the final post of the year and the final post of this blog.