“THERE ARE FEW THINGS as beautiful as a glass bottle filled with deep amber whiskey. Liquor shines when the light hits it, reminiscent of precious things like jewels and gold. But whiskey is better than some lifeless bracelet or coronet. Whiskey is a living thing capable of any emotion that you are. It’s love and deep laughter and brotherhood of the type that bonds nations together. Whiskey is your friend when nobody else comes around. And whiskey is solace that holds you tighter than most lovers can.”
―Black Betty
Happy Friday!
As we turn the page on Pappy Hunting Season 2018, it’s time to get ready for Spring and discover what’s worth a Bourbon hunters time and dollars. Buffalo Trace and Four Roses (two of my favorite distilleries) plan to release some interesting rare and continuing releases over the next few months.
Check out this weeks 4 Shots for more details — plus a Valentine’s gift-giving guide. Why give candies and flowers when you can woo and wow your belle or beau with a Bourbon that has a prominent tasting note they love? Hell, Bourbon’s a lot more fun than a box of candies or bouquet of flowers anyway.
If you still want that elusive bottle of Pappy, you can enter or buy more chances to the Pappy 15 Giveaway on February 20. Or check out Pappy Events and Raffles, etc. via the links below. You can also shoot me an email or check out the private listings page for bottles of Pappy that others are selling.
Buy Single Pappy Giveaway Tickets
More Pappy Resources
The Pappy Raffle/Lotteries/Auctions Page (Keeps you in the know about Statewide, Store-Specific or other opportunities to locate a bottle of Pappy.)
The Pappy Events Page (Makes you aware of Tasting Events, Whiskey Festivals, etc. that offer and opportunity to taste some Pappy Van Winkle.)
Also, the Pappy List is now categorized by State. (Bars and restaurants do run out so it’s always a good idea to call and ask if that’s the only reason you’re going.)
4 Shots
Double Eagle Very Rare has Landed from Buffalo Trace
Buffalo Trace has announced the oldest release yet of their popular Eagle Rare bourbon. Double Eagle Very Rare is 20 years old – three years older than the 17-year version found in the Buffalo Trace Antique Collection, and double the age of the 10-year bottle commonly found on shelves.The Double Eagle Very Rare name has a dual meaning, referring to both the age of the bourbon and the two crystal eagles in the packaging. One sits atop the bottle as a stopper, and one is found inside the hand-blown bottle. Only 299 of these decanters were ever produced, each with their own letter of authenticity. The sliding doors of the silver box open to trigger spotlights above and below each gorgeous decanter.
Watch above to see the production of this bottle. Video courtesy Buffalo Trace.
“We’ve been waiting for this whiskey to mature for years. Even after two decades, these barrel are surprisingly balanced. Hints of vanilla, toasted oak and caramel lead to a gracefully aged oaky flavor,” said Kris Comstock, senior marketing director for Eagle Rare.
“We worked on the packaging for more than two years, and finally settled on what we think is a beautiful decanter inside an eye catching, yet tastefully decorated box. Something that anyone would be proud to display on their bar. And it tastes even better than it looks.”
Double Eagle Very Rare is distilled with Buffalo Trace’s high rye mashbill and bottled at a sippable 90 proof. If you’re lucky enough to find one of these very special bottles on shelves this spring, it will cost you $2,000. If you don’t score one this year, don’t worry – the distillery expects to release another bottling in spring of 2020.
Four Roses Adds A New Permanent Bourbon To Its Line Up
The Four Roses distillery in Kentucky is a favorite among bourbon lovers, there is no doubt. To date they’ve had just three expressions in their permanent line up, including Four Roses Single Barrel, Four Roses Small Batch and Four Roses Bourbon. It is thus quite fascinating to see that, after 12 years, they’ve decided to add a new bottling to this grouping. Get ready for Four Roses Small Batch Select.
Four Roses Small Batch Select, according to those behind it, is the first permanent addition to the distillery’s line up in well over a decade. It is non-chill filtered in nature and bottled at 104 proof. There’s little more to be said on it at this point, as details as to which of Four Roses’ famous recipes were selected for it won’t be unveiled until this spring. It is known though each will be a six and seven year old bourbon.
Four Roses Small Batch Select (image via Four Roses)
“We wanted to add something to our lineup that brings that pure experience you get with a non-chill filtered Bourbon, while also showcasing some of our recipes and flavors that aren’t as forward facing in our other existing bottles,” said Four Roses Master Distiller Brent Elliott in a prepared statement. “Small Batch Select certainly can be one of your special occasion Bourbons, but we want it to be more accessible so you don’t hesitate to open up that bottle and enjoy it any time. I am particularly proud of this Bourbon, as it is the biggest addition to the storied history of Four Roses since I became Master Distiller.”
Plans call for this new bourbon to initially launch this spring in Kentucky, New York, California, Texas and Georgia. Additional locations will follow in the future. Some official tasting notes released by Four Roses indicate that, on the nose it offers “raspberries, clove and nutmeg. As it hits the palate, it opens into flavors of apricot, ripe berries, vanilla and light oak. The finish lingers with notes of spearmint and a touch of cinnamon.”
Valentine’s Day Gift Guide: Best Bourbons for Lovers
Let’s face it: Valentine’s Day’s gotten boring over the years.
Woodford Reserve Double Oak is an enticing Valentine’s gift for the chocolate lover.WOODFORD RESERVE
Oh, sure, the florists and chocolatiers make mad bank during the week leading up to February 14. But as a consumer, are you not tired of the same old same old?
Most of the store-bought chocolates have likely been sitting in the aisle for months and nobody wants the same card 5,698 other people received—unless, of course, it has a cute puppy dog.
Puppies aside, let’s dip into what your lover really wants to receive this Valentine’s Day—bourbon.
However, don’t mail it in and buy any old bourbon off the shelf. Be thoughtful and select one based on your significant other’s taste buds. Unfortunately, while there are kits to test for DNA and food allergies, you can’t swab your lover’s cheek and send to the lab. So, you’ll need to figure out what your loved one likes. The guide below will light the way to his or her heart.
THE CHOCOLATE LOVER
Chocolate is a note we can all agree is fantastic. Unfortunately, it’s on the rare side in bourbon. But those who’ve had the luscious, stupendous chocolate note typically utilize a secondary finish, meaning the bourbon enters a second, often previously used, barrel. These two are homers for the chocolate lover.
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Angel’s Envy’s flagship product is for the chocolate lover. ANGEL’S ENVY
Angel’s Envy, 86.6 proof
First of all, the Angel’s Envy bottle screams love. Its near heart-shaped design with angel wing etching gives ya the lovey dovey feels. In addition, Angel’s Envy skews to the sweeter side of things. Finished in a port barrel, prominent chocolate and nutty notes just jump out. So, if your loved one likes chocolate- covered nuts, this is the bourbon for them.
Woodford Reserve Double Oak, 90.4 proof
If there was ever a dessert bourbon, Woodford Reserve Double Oak is it. Finished in a secondary toasted oak barrel, the bourbon interacts with the wood sugars and turns them into powerful and complex desserts. While there are many notes, chocolate stands out the most, followed by bursts of nutmeg and maple.
CINNAMON FANATIC
Cinnamon is one of the most obvious notes in bourbon. It hits the back palate and lingers. This baking spice is usually a result of high rye content or the introduction of a tannic acid-yielding barrel wood.
Four Roses Small Batch, 90 proof
Like Angel’s Envy, Four Roses’ packaging screams love. But you can’t lick the bottle—or, I suppose you could, but don’t—so the bottle can only get you so far as a solid Valentine’s gift. But once the contents of that bottle touches your lips, it will tingle and dance with cinnamon, a patented Four Roses note born from its luscious high rye content.
Maker’s 46 is finished with French oak staves.MAKER’S MARK
Maker’s 46, 94 proof
France is the country of love, and Maker’s 46 packs a little French oak kiss in its whiskey. Once Maker’s Mark hits full maturation, French oak staves are inserted into the barrel to create Maker’s 46, a spicier style bourbon than the softer Maker’s Mark. See, French oak has nine times the tannic acid than American oak, the most common species used in bourbon barrels. And that French oak puts out a wonderful cinnamon note for the ages.
Wild Turkey Rare Breed
Wild Turkey Rare Breed is an at-home go- to. I just love the stuff, especially for the way it walks the line between spice and sweet. But it’s a slightly new addition to my list of cinnamon forward bourbons. When I reviewed the 2017 release for Whisky Advocate, I didn’t even list cinnamon in the notes, but more recent releases definitely offer cinnamon in a big way. So, think of this as a warm apple pie with a little cinnamon and nutmeg dusting. Yummy.
CARAMEL FAN
Most bourbon drinkers recognize caramel as the patented bourbon note. But let’s face it, not all caramel is created equal.
Elijah Craig Small Batch Barrel Strength is a delicious treat, perfect for the caramel lover.HEAVEN HILL BRANDS
Elijah Craig Batch Barrel Proof Small Batch 2019-A119, 135.2 proof
Score: 94
The latest Elijah Craig Barrel Proof is a caramel bomb, somewhat similar to its predecessors. But following the caramel comes a wave of coconut, roasted almonds, pecan pie, maple, cocoa, butter and saltwater taffy. Despite its high proof, the 12-year-old cask strength bourbon just coats the mouth like melted warm butter, with all that caramel covering every inch. It finishes long and strong with a hint of—you guessed it—caramel. I believe we’ve found an American whiskey of the year contender. It’s delicious!
Weller 107 is a caramel lover’s dream.BUFFALO TRACE DISTILLERY
Weller Antique, 107 Proof
Weller Antique is the bourbon we used to find just sitting on the shelves, when only the bourbon geeks knew of its caramel-laden beauty. Once the public became aware it shares the same recipe DNA as the illustrious Pappy Van Winkle, Weller Antique became much harder to find. But if you can find it, your Valentine will be pleased.
Knob Creek, 100 Proof
Probably the most readily available of this entire list, Knob Creek offers a plethora of flavors from cornbread to nutmeg. But through them all, an underpinning of caramel lingers. This bourbon is my go- to for a Manhattan, because the bourbon is never overpowered by the Vermouth and the caramel flavor just stands out.
MYSTERIOUS MARZIPAN
Marzipan is a flavor that folks who love French confectionary will know and love. But it’s not the most common dessert in the United States. The confection of honey and almond meal comes from ‘honey barrels,’ an industry term for the really good stuff, but how that note gets there nobody truly knows… yet.
Barrell Bourbon Batch 17 is scored a 91 by Fred MinnickBARRELL BOURBON
Barrell Bourbon Batch 17, 122 proof
Score: 91
Hello, marzipan. Barrell, which made my pick forAmerican whiskey of the year in 2018, seems to have the marzipan note quite often. Here, it’s on the nose, palate and finish. But it’s so much more than marzipan. Notes of honey, apple, caramel and jalapeño hit here and there, but it’s the raw cookie dough note that I love the most–after the marzipan, of course. Very nice finish.
Booker’s 2018-04, 128 Proof
Score: 86
While cornbread, brown sugar and oats begin this journey, marzipan is laying just underneath. But this one is a beast and you really should open up with water, with which you find much more nuance appears, including a mouthfull of marzipan. So, on your Valentine’s date, with this bottle, just add water.
Fred Minnick is the author of Bourbon, editor-in-chief of Bourbon+ and host of the Amazon Prime show Bourbon Up. Follow him on Instagram and subscribe to his upcoming YouTube Series.
KENTUCKY DISTILLERS AND RETAILERS AT ODDS OVER “DISTILLERY EXCLUSIVE” WHISKIES
February 8, 2019 – There’s a feud brewing in Kentucky, and it could make the legendary feud between the Hatfields and McCoys look tame. That feud in the years following the Civil War started with a forbidden romance, but this one is all about money – and whiskey.
Wednesday, when the Kentucky Distillers Association released its biennial study of the Bourbon industry’s economic impact on Kentucky, University of Louisville economists cited the multiplier effect of jobs indirectly linked to the industry such as coopers, truck drivers, and even marketing executives in claiming the industry is responsible for 20,100 jobs.
However, that estimate did not include retail employment at the state’s liquor stores. Not all Kentucky liquor retailers have benefitted from the state’s boom in Bourbon-related tourism, which drew an estimated 1.4 million visitors to Kentucky distilleries in 2018 according to the KDA. While no specific statistics are available, anecdotal evidence suggests retailers in Louisville, Lexington, Bardstown, and other areas located near distilleries do benefit from tourist traffic along the Kentucky Bourbon Trail.
As Bourbon-related tourism has grown in recent years, there has been an uneasy truce between the retailers and the distillers. As recently as a few years ago, it was common for distillery shops to price their whiskies slightly higher than local retailers were charging, while emphasizing that they were not trying to take business away from small businesses in the community. In addition, distillers are only allowed to sell a visitor 4.5 liters of whiskey – the equivalent of six 750ml bottles – each day, while retailers have no limit.
That truce may be in its final days, though. The KDA is supporting House Bill 200 in this year’s session of Kentucky’s General Assembly, and the bill would remove one long-standing restriction that ensured parity between the distillery shops and retailers. Kentucky law requires that so-called “souvenir” bottles sold at distillery shops be made available to any licensed retailer in the state, making it impossible for distilleries to offer the “fill your own bottle from a cask” exclusive whiskies common at distilleries in Scotland and Ireland.
According to KDA President Eric Gregory, the legislation would create parity between distillers and Kentucky’s brewers and wineries, both of which can offer exclusive products in their shops. “It also keeps Kentucky competitive with other states, and distillers around the world, who have enjoyed this privilege for years,” he said in an email to WhiskyCast. “Visitors expect that they can buy something at one of our innovative and immersive visitor centers that they can’t get anywhere else, and they’re disappointed when they find that’s not the case,” he said.
However, that puts the distillers into direct conflict with the liquor retailers, who are already marshaling their forces to fight the bill. Karen Lentz is the executive director of the Kentucky Association of Beverage Retailers, and told WhiskyCast that her members already have problems getting access to the limited-edition releases now available at a number of the Commonwealth’s distilleries.
“We have lots of retailers who don’t get a single bottle of some premium products even though those products are sold at the distillery shop. Sometimes it’s just not practical for anyone who wants it to get it,” ” she said in an email while also providing a statement on the association’s behalf arguing the impact on consumers.
“House Bill 200 would allow any distillery, for any reason, to withhold from distribution to Kentucky retailers any product they chose and sell it exclusively at their distillery. There would be no competition to keep prices reasonable because they would be the only place in the Commonwealth where the product would be available for purchase. We certainly want to support our Kentucky distilleries and applaud their success with the Bourbon Trail. However, we do not believe that it is in the best interest of our customers to force them to travel to the distillery location just to purchase a product that today they could get at their local package retailer. Premium bourbon is in such high demand and this bill would allow a distillery to restrict access to their most coveted bourbons, like Old Forester Birthday, Woodford Double Oak, or Pappy Van Winkle, by making it only available to Kentuckians from their distillery. If you live in Paducah or Pikeville and have the good fortune to purchase some of these high-demand bourbons at your neighborhood package retailer, this bill could force you to drive 4 or 5 hours to the distillery and hope you are lucky enough to purchase a bottle. We believe this is not in the best interest of Kentucky bourbon consumers to allow a distillery to withhold from retail shelves some of the world’s best bourbons and force bourbon lovers to drive to the distillery. We do not believe that all distilleries will use this opportunity to drive customers to their own stores, but House Bill 200 in its current form would certainly allow that to happen. We plan to discuss our concerns with the bill sponsor.“
The Jim Beam American Stillhouse in Clermont, Kentucky would be allowed to sell “distillery-exclusive” whiskies under House Bill 200, currently under consideration in the Kentucky General Assembly. File photo: Mark Gillespie/CaskStrength Media.
One example can be found at the Jim Beam American Stillhouse visitors center on the Jim Beam Distillery campus in Clermont. The shop sells souvenir bottles of Old Tub Bourbon as a nod to the Beam family’s heritage dating back to the pre-Prohibition era when the Beams sold it to people by the jug at their distillery. Old Tub doesn’t play any part in the current Jim Beam portfolio, but the Kentucky law requires Beam Suntory’s wholesaler to make the 375ml bottles of Old Tub available to retailers who want to carry it.
Kevin Smith represents Beam Suntory on the KDA board, and argues that a growing number of Kentucky retailers already get an advantage over the distillery shops – with the help of the distillers themselves. “They come in and do these (single) barrel selections, and all we’re trying to do is extend this out a little bit to see how we can have an exclusive program that helps to build tourism at the distilleries just like wine and beer,” he said in a telephone interview. Smith also suggested that a possible compromise would be to create “exclusive” bottlings for sale only at Kentucky retailers. “Exclusive can also mean sometimes that there’s exclusives for retailers, I don’t know…but it could be a win all the way around if it’s done right,” Smith said.
The KDA represents most of the Commonwealth’s distilleries, with the notable exception of Sazerac-owned Buffalo Trace and 1792 Barton. While not taking a direct position on House Bill 200, Sazerac CEO Mark Brown told WhiskyCast in an email that his company’s distilleries would not take advantage of any change in the current law.
“We do not have an interest in creating “distillery exclusive” products for many reasons but in particular we believe it would disadvantage our customers that are not within reach of the distillery nor do we want to disadvantage our retail partners’ product selection,” Brown said. “Although there are many current obstacles in the market which we are working to overcome, we continue to believe and work hard to ensure that our brands are distributed across the country as fairly as possible at fair prices.”
It should be noted that Sazerac employs Frankfort-based Commonwealth Alliances as a political consultant and lobbyist at the state level. Commonwealth Alliances also lists the Kentucky Association of Beverage Retailers as a client, and Karen Lentz is a partner at the firm.
No committee hearing has been scheduled for the bill, which was introduced by House Licensing, Occupations, and Administrative Regulations Committee vice chair Rep. Matthew Koch (R-Paris). This year’s General Assembly session is limited to 30 business days, with action on pending legislation scheduled to be completed by March 7.
Cheers!
-Chris Brantley