THE BOURBON RESOURCE: JUNE 2022
A blow for Old Forester, Beam's expensive new bourbon, Rare Perfection 15
BIG BOURBON NEWS
Jackie Zykan, who revitalized the Old Forester brand and reintroduced Castle and Key for Brown Foreman, has announced she’s leaving the company as its master taster effective July 1. That’s a big deal for us Forester fans who have come to appreciate the subtle differences in the whiskey. A taster makes all the difference in the world (taste pre-and post-2018 Widow Jane, for example) so it will be interesting to see how Brown Foreman makes this transition.
Angel’s Envy in Louisville has unveiled is $8.2 million, 13,000 square foot expansion to its Main Street headquarters. Features include five new tasting rooms, a catering kitchen, and a “bottle your own” experience. For $99, you get 40 minutes to bottle your own Angel’s Envy from a single barrel and you get other goodies. The single bottle experience is temporarily unavailable.
Jim Beam is dipping its toe in the high-end bourbon market with the release of Hardin’s Creek, a new premium brand. Hardin’s Creek’s Jacobs Well, a blend of 16-year-old bourbon and 15-year-old rye, costs $150 retail. The Col. James B. Beam bourbon has been aged just two years and costs $80. Both clock in at 108 proof. Will be interesting to see how Jacob’s Well competes with Booker’s and Little Book, both higher-end Beam products.
OTHER NEWS
The North American Bourbon and Whiskey competition will be July 23-34, with entries open until July 8. Prepare for a price increase for whoever wins.
Another new bourbon hits the shelf. Holladay Distillery in Weston, Missouri has released the Ben Holladay bourbon, a bottled-in-bond whiskey at $60.
The San Francisco World Spirits Competition has named its 11 finalists for the best bourbon in the world. You’ll know some (Old Ezra 7, Weller 12) and be puzzled by others (Penelope Private Selection? Doc Whiskey?) You can see the entire list here.
THE SECONDARY MARKET (FINALLY) TAKES A HIT
I don’t know if it’s the economy or people coming to their senses, but the local and national bourbon secondary markets seem to be taking a hit. That’s good news for consumers.
I’ve purchased an opened bottle of Blood Oath Pact 6 (75% full), which had been going for about $350 on the secondary, for $75. I paid $140 for an open bottle of Old Carter, again 75% full. That’s a $400 buy. (Note: I don’t recommend buying opens from people who don’t know. Too much fraud out there).
Those bottles of Old Rip Van Winkle 10 and 12 have dropped from $1K and $1,200, respectively, to about $800 and $950. The Russell’s Reserve 13, which had skyrocketed to $650, has corrected to about $400 (delicious stuff but still too much in my opinion). You can hardly find Booker’s on the shelf, but there’s plenty of it available just above retail on the secondary.
I think a few things are happening here.
1. Those buying are being a little more selective. I can’t tell you how often I hear, “I have xxx hundreds of bottles and it’s time for me to pare back. I just can’t drink it all.” Lots of younger buyers, who started purchasing at the height of the bourbon craze, how other family responsibilities and spending $250 on a bottle of Rhetoric 21 years because it’s there isn’t a priority anymore.
2. Those who have been stocking up on bourbon over the last few years have really been stocking up, either buying high-end, hard-to-get bottles (any of the BTAC collections, Rock Hill Farms, Parker Heritage, etc) or stocking up on the less expensive bottles that had become scarce (Buffalo Trace, Wild Turkey Kentucky Spirit, Old Ezra 7). The thrill of the chase may be wearing off.
3. There are simply fewer high-end buyers, driving down costs at the top of the market. Everywhere you look stores and secondary sellers are having a harder time moving a William Larue Weller for $2,000, which it fetched at the top of the market. You can now find one --- easily --- for $1,700. Still expensive but 15% cheaper than just a few months ago. That John E. Fitzgerald 20-year I’ve been eyeing is nearly 50% cheaper, down from $4,750 to $2,500.
That’s my speculation. A faltering economy with people being more selective, fewer high-end buyers, and some not as excited anymore has led to the current state of buying. There will always be more buyers. Will they pay the prices of the recent past? The answer seems to be no, not for now at least. That’s a good thing. Prices have needed to come down for a while.
WHAT’S NEW IN MY COLLECTION
Rare Perfection 15 yr, Canadian Whiskey(?) $199 retail
I had been seeking a Rare Perfection for a while. I couldn’t find one anywhere --- until I went to St, Maarten, and my favorite bourbon store in the world (literally), Gulmohar’s Whiskey Paradise, which had a bottle on the shelf. I get there every 12-18 months and I never come away disappointed.
This is a strange and exquisite drink. It’s a four-grain mash bill that claims to be at least 51% corn sourced out of Canada and bottled at the Preservation Distillery in Bardstown. It’s also supposed to be one of the bourbons “found” in the back of some warehouse, like the Orphan Barrell products, which, amazingly, keep being mysteriously found.
I don’t believe in any of those marketing gimmicks but let’s see. Sourced in Canada means it should be Canadian whiskey, as the label says. 51% corn means it should be bourbon. Otherwise, why would someone contract with a Kentucky distiller for the bottling?
I have no idea. I just know this stuff is amazing.
First, it has no Canadian whiskey properties that I can discern. It doesn’t have Crown Royal’s candy corn taste and distilled alcohol smell and taste. The nose contains sweet cheery, cardamom with a hint of root beer. That cherry carries through on the palate as if you’re taking a bite of fresh cherry pie, followed by thick maple on the end. It had a long, deep, pleasant finish with that lingering maple.
I’ve already consumed a good bit of the bottle and will slow down on this one --- until I can find another.
THIS MONTH’S BOURBON COCKTAIL
THE TORONTO
(Courtesy of Angel’s Envy)
2 oz rye
.25 oz fernet brance
,25 oz 2:1 demerara sugar
2 dashes angostura bitters
Stir well in a glass and strain into a chilled coupe glass. Garnish with an orange peel
That’s all. If you see typos, remember, I’m tasting bourbon for the benefit of my readers (!!!!) so my fingers might not work right, See you in July!!!!!!!