The Bourbon Resource
Falls releases are here, a dad stands up for his son, and a 100-year-old bourbon
BOURBON NEWS
Peyton Manning’s Sweetens Cove Tennessee Bourbon gets more raves, this time winning something called the “Best Celebrity Liquor” by Esquire magazine. A contrived award that will still drive up the price even beyond its $200 retail.
Detroit City Spirits is about to introduce a four-grain whiskey. That one’s on my list to go to because I can also visit one of my favorite steak houses, Mancy’s in Toledo. Even if the bourbon isn’t very good I’ll get a great steak out of it.
This is a heartwarming story. A dad whose son has cystic fibrosis is auctioning off his complete Van and Pappy Van Winkle set and donating the money to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. It’s worth a read.
If you know any Denver Bronco fans tell this about this. Breckenridge Distillery has released two bourbons in the team’s honor.
THE FALL RELEASES ARE HERE
It’s the most wonderful time of the year.
When releases are flowing, and my nose is glowing from too much good cheer!
It’s the most wonderful time of the year!
Yes, that was corny but OK. There is some real news here. The fall releases are coming out with a bang beginning in September. I don’t have specific dates (except for Old Forester), and all of these are going to be very hard to find. But maybe you’ll get lucky and see one of these on a retailer shelf. I’ve listed them not in order of release but in order of what I’d like to have.
Old Fitzgerald Bottled in Bond 11-year
Parker Heritage heavy char 11-year
William Larue Weller
Parker Heritage heavy char 11-year
Wild Turkey Master’s Keep (just picked up a bottle of the 2020 on the secondary for an under-market $300. Retail is about $179 and the normal secondary price $450 - $500.)
Old Forester Birthday Bourbon (see below)
Four Roses limited edition small batch
George T. Stagg, Jr.
Eagle Rare 17-yr
Thomas Handy
Sazerac 18-year
There’s more coming October through December and I’ll have those in a later newsletter.
I toyed with the idea of going to Louisville and trying to snag a bottle of the Old Forester Birthday Bourbon, which will be released on September 2. But after some digging, I discovered that people start camping out as much as 48 hours in advance, and Louisville’s oppressive weather forecast (low-to-mid 90s) makes that wholly unappealing. Then, I found out the distillery will have only 100 bottled available and they expect those to be gone by mid-morning.
It's not like the Birthday Bourbon is all that rare. The 2020 version released about 25,000 bottles at $129.99 retail. But it illustrates the craziness of the market, since these start at about $750 on the secondary, with older vintages commanding $2,200. Note: I have the 2007 and 2012 and I wouldn’t spend much more than retail on them.
A 100-year-old bourbon? Yes, please
I picked up two old minis from a contact in Israel. The Mint Springs has a 111 tax strip indicating a date of 1944 to 1960. But I’m most excited about the Waterfill and Frazier (above), a 1927 (!) vintage.
If you wonder how bourbon could be made over 12 months, read on.
The U.S. passed the 18th amendment in 1919, outlawing the sale of alcohol, which was banned from 1920 to 1933. There were 210 distilleries in Kentucky at the time of Prohibition and the U.S. government gave just six licenses to distillers who could make bourbon for “medicinal” purposes. The lucky six --- Brown-Foreman, Glenmore, Frankfort, Schlenley, American Medicinal Spirits, and A. Ph. Stitzel. The only one still around today is Brown-Forman, home to brands that include Woodford, Old Forester, and Cooper Craft.
That put a lot of American distilleries in a bind. How were they going to produce their product and sell it?
Mary Dowling, who owned Waterfill and Frazier, came up with a novel approach. She hired the master distiller Joseph Beam --- a cousin to Jim --- to dismantle her Bardstown distillery and move it Juarez, Mexico. From there, she could produce and sell bourbon in Mexico, central and south America. American tourists who wanted to make the roughly 20-mile trek from the border into Juarez could get a bottle and maybe even sneak a few home.
Waterfill and Frazier’s bourbon comes with a 12-month age statement, which was fine at the time since regulations that govern bourbon production and labeling didn’t take effect until 1964.
Mary Dowling died in 1930, three years before the end of Prohibition, and the Waterfill and Frazier distillery closed in 1974. The Beam company purchased the property for additional warehouse space.
I don’t care if the bourbon is any good. First, it’s a hell of a tale and conversation piece. I plan to hold on to it until 2027 and open it then because how many people can say they’ve had 100-year-old bourbon with a back story like this? Not many. I hope I last that long.
WHAT’S NEW ON MY SHELF
Barrel Bourbon 7 and 10 year
BB 7 yr: 121.8 proof, $89.99
BB 10 yr: 108.86 proof, $84.99
Barrell Bourbon is an interesting concept. They don’t distill bourbon. Rather, they buy product from a number of different sources and blend them to create a flavor profile that varies from batch to batch.
I wasn’t sold until my friend Bob Roalef let me try the 10-year. I was so impressed I got both bottles.
I don’t know where they source their bourbon. Barrell Bourbon says it has received bourbon from more than 60 different sources and never spends more than $3,500 on any barrel, which is a neat trick, given that most well-aged barrels go for three times that and more. Hell, just look at what we spend on barrels.
Regardless, these are both favorites.
Both are a beautiful deep, rich amber in the glass. I find the flavor profiles staggering. The 7 year comes off as very high alcohol on the nose with some brown sugar sweetness. But I get surprisingly little alcohol when tasting. Instead, there’s a sweet, thick licorice quality with hints of vanilla, caramel, and brown sugar. There’s a long finish and after a couple of minutes, I really taste that brown sugar. It’s an easy sipper.
The 10 year, from batch 28, pours even thicker, kind of like a light maple syrup. There’s little alcohol on the nose and not a lot of character. The taste is far more promising. Allspice and oak kick in upfront, followed by pepper and golden raisins. It’s not nearly as complex as the single barrel, but it’s a good pour nonetheless.
Barrell Bourbon releases a number of batches each year and based on these two, I’ll buy more. I’m looking forward to trying their 14 and 15 year.
The Bourbon Culture website has done the most detailed look at Barrell Bourbon that I can find. It’s an excellent read if you have the time.
SHOUT OUT
Here’s a shout-out to Gary Collins, who does terrific woodwork. He made my bourbon cabinet and I’m waiting to pick up this pen he made with bourbon staves. You can reach him at gary.collins56@gmail.com if you’d like to talk about getting a unique gift made.
Bourbon Cocktail: The Billionaire
2 ounces high proof (more than 100 proof) bourbon
1 ounce lemon juice, freshly squeezed
1/2 ounce grenadine
1/2 ounce simple syrup
1/4 ounce absinthe bitters
Garnish: lemon wheel
Until next time!