THE BOURBON RESOURCE: MARCH 2023

What can you drink if you can't find Pappy? Plus, Bob Dylan, a new Big House and more

BIG NEWS 

Knock, Knock, Knockin’ … in Kentucky. Bob Dylan’s Heaven’s Door whiskey says it will move production from Tennessee to Kentucky. Six-Mile Creek Distillery in Henry County has received a permit to boost production from its current 1,200 barrels a year to accommodate the Dylan-branded product, according to the Henry County Local. The distillery plans to convert an existing building into a visitor’s center containing a small music venue. This is certainly a blow to Tennessee and another boon for Kentucky. I’m not a fan of Heaven’s Door, mostly because it’s not worth $100 for a decent drink.

But Dylan is Dylan, and the name alone will be a draw.

MORE NEWS

• Tickets for Bourbon and Beyond, the annual three-day music and bourbon festival in Louisville, have gone on sale. I mentioned to my wife that, years ago, I wanted to go but was scared away by a crowd expected to top 30,000. Last year, 140,000 people attended, and organizers expect more this year. I should have gone when the crowd was “small.”

• Raj Bhakta has released an unusual new bourbon finished in Armagnac casks. The 10-year-aged whiskey, with a mash bill of 99% corn and 1% malted barley, was sourced from MGP. The $150 retail seems a bit steep, but suppliers will keep pricing them that high as long as customers buy. I find this interesting because it’s Bhakta’s first release since his falling out at Whistlepig, where two board members accused him of fraud and mismanagement and helped boot him from the company.

• After taking a year off, Michter announced it will start releasing Mitcher’s 10 this month. Mitcher didn’t release the 10-year in 2022, opting to let it mature a little more. It’s one of the few bourbons worth the $185 retail price, though it goes for $300 or so secondary.

• Rebel, a LuxCo brand, announced it will release a straight rye whiskey this month. It’s an interesting mash bill of 51% rye, 45% corn, and 4% malt. That leads me to think the whiskey will have a little sweetness. We’ll see. I’ll review it in the April newsletter. 

  FORGET PAPPY TRY THESE

I’ve noted, in previous newsletters, the lunacy of people breaking the law, losing their jobs, and going to all sorts of lengths to snag a bottle of Van Winkle or Pappy Van Winkle, which for brevity, I’ll call the VW line. The entire line produces just 14,000 cases (84,000 bottles) yearly, a pittance compared to the 6.34M cases (or more than 76M bottles) Jim Beam sells yearly.

The chance of scoring a VW bottle at retail is roughly the same as tying a needle to a tree limb 100 feet above the ground with winds blowing at 25 miles an hour and lowering it into the top of an opened beer bottle on the first try. So, not good.

But there are plenty of other bourbons who can drink instead. Of course, nothing approximates the depth and flavor of a VW. They each have their own profile, some carrying more fruit and sweetness and others deeper caramel and maple. 

Before the bourbon craze exploded I, and others, used to buy the VW line off the shelf. I’ve said they’re overrated, not because of the product, but because of the insane prices and how people can equate one Pappy to the Hope Diamond in a bottle.

This exercise was far harder than I thought it would be. Since Pappy is a wheated bourbon, I leaned heavily toward wheateds as an alternative. That limited the brands to select. I also focused on deep flavors that mimic (not approximate) what VW provides. Lastly, after I got to the Pappy 15, I added an alternative and more expensive bourbon that are among the most enjoyable on the market.  

With those caveats, here’s my subjective list.

Van Winkle 10 Year: 107 proof, $70 retail, $850 secondary

Drink instead: 1792 Full Proof, 125 proof, $50

Why: 1792 isn’t as big as the VW 10 ---despite the difference in proof --- but nicely balanced with sweetness, cherry, and just a little heat. It doesn’t have the oak characteristics or big mouth feel the VW line is known for, but it’s a solid alternative. It’s one of my favorite daily drinkers, unsurprising since I love higher-proof products.

Van Winkle 12 Year: 90.4 proof, $99 retail, $1,100 secondary 

Drink instead: Rowan’s Creek, 101.1 proof, $50

Why: The Van Winkle tastes hotter than its proof profile and Rowan’s lighter. Rowan’s sweet fruit makes me believe Willet Distillery uses its wheated mash bill (65/20/15), and its double oak aging gives the bourbon a nice oaky structure. 

Pappy Van Winkle 15 year: 107 proof, $119 retail, $2,000 secondary

Drink instead: Larceny Barrel Proof, $59

But this is better: Russell Reserve 13, $119 retail, $350-$400 secondary

Here’s where it gets really hard. The Pappy 15 is my favorite, with tremendous honey, clove, oak, and vanilla. The Larceny BP has similar characteristics, especially the sweet spice, and will not disappoint, especially given the price difference. But the RR13 is one of my favorites and contains the same sweet/oak balance. The price of an RR continues to decrease on the secondary --- it used to be $600 each --- so if I can get one in the $300 range, I’ll pounce.

Pappy Van Winkle 20: 90.4 proof, $169 retail, $3,500 to $4,000 secondary

Drink instead: Old Ezra 7, $70

But this is better: Remus Gatsby Reserve, 97.5 proof, $199 retail, $300-$350 secondary 

The Pappy 20 has a tad, and I mean just a tad, more oak. I find this the most complex Pappy of the bunch, with a much deeper mouth feel and longer finish than anything in the line. Consequently, you won’t find another wheated bourbon on the shelf (Weller Reserve? Jefferson’s Ocean?) that can compare. So I went with Old Ezra 7, a low rye (12%) bourbon with nice oak, caramel, and long heat that doesn’t burn. The Gatsby Reserve should be one of the best bourbons of 2022/23. I wrote a full review when I received a review bottle last October, so you can check that out here. But it’s a special bottle that makes a good substitute.

Pappy Van Winkle 23: 95.6 proof, $269 retails, $4,500-plus secondary

Drink instead: Booker’s, 121-130 proof, $100 retail 

Harder to get: Weller Full Proof, 114 proof, $50 retail, $250 secondary 

The Pappy 23 is an excellent bourbon worth the retail price but not anything above it. Booker’s has the big, bold standard bourbon notes I love but some will need to add ice or water. No biggie. That just makes the flavors pop. The Weller FP is a rich bourbon with the same mash bill as Pappy. It’s also the biggest bargain on the market at the retail price. Buy a case if you see it that cheap.

WHAT’S NEW ON MY SHELF

Big House Straight Bourbon Whiskey

120 proof

Mash bill: 60% corn, 35% rye, 5% malted barley

Aged 4 years

$30

Nose: Charcoal, oak, grain, rye spice

Palate: Rich maple, rye, pepper

Finish: rich maple that quickly turns to pepper, cardamon, rye, cherry licorice

I’ve been a fan of Big House Bourbon for a while. It’s a solid if unspectacular drinker, but the $20 price point makes it a good bargain buy. The bottle says it’s produced and bottled by Sazerac in Louisville, but that really means Buffalo Trace.

At one of my local liquor stores, I saw a bottle of the Big House 120 proof and thought, huh, that could be something. I like high-proof bourbons, and at $30 I figured it was worth a try.

I was right. The 120-proof brand has a strong rye taste that out-ryes some ryes. But it’s balanced by oak, a little maple, and a potpourri of pepper, cardamon, and rye spice. If you’re a rye-forward fan, you’ll love this. It has the same percentage of rye as Four Roses, but a far more pronounced rye feel, which comes through huge on the nose. 

The maple on the palate surprised me because, based on the nose, I expected a rye bomb that didn’t materialize --- for a few seconds. Then, I got slapped across the face with spice. The heat hit next with a beautiful long finish with a little cherry licorice.

As soon as I wrote this, I returned to the store for a second bottle. I’ve never seen this bottle before, and don’t know if I ever will again. If you see a bottle, grab it.

DISTILLERY REVIEW: Manifest Distilling in Jacksonville, Florida

Manifest makes bourbon and rye in the downtown Jacksonville sports district. It sources its product. But it’s a cool craft distillery that’s named the open fermenters “The Professor,” “Mary Ann,” “Ginger,” and “Lovey,” all characters from Gilligan’s Island. Check out the full review from our friends at Bourbon Obsessed. 

BOURBON COCKTAIL 

Bourbon Lemonade

An easy, simple, and delicious cocktail 

1.5 ounces of your favorite bourbon

4 ounces of lemonade 

2 slices of lemon

Pour the bourbon and lemonade over ice. Shakes or stir together. Add two thin slices of lemon to the glass. That’s it!

That’s it for this month! If you’re an NBA fan, take a look at the Knicks Film School newsletter, the smartest commentary, and all things the New York Knicks and NBA basketball.

Ray Marcano writes and publishes the Bourbon Resource monthly. He’s a bourbon lover and long-time journalist who has worked for some of the country’s largest media brands. He’s the former national president of the Society of Professional Journalists, a two-time Pulitzer juror, and a Fulbright fellow.

PHOTO SOURCES:

Haven’s Door: Fabrice Florin via Flickr Creative Commons

Pappy lineup: Flickr Creative Commons

Big House: Ray Marcao

Manifest Distillery: Bourbon Obsessed