Wine & Spirits - December 2013 - (Page 16)

SPIRITS Four Roses 2013 Limited Edition Small Batch Bourbon Whiskey New Bourbons By Lou Bustamante Of all spirits, Bourbon was my ﬁrst true love. It was the ﬁrst one that I learned to drink alone in a glass with little more than a touch of water or an ice cube. It's also my favorite on cold evenings or after a large meal-a glass of Bourbon by the ﬁreplace is equal parts sophistication and relaxation. Although a sudden spike in demand for the spirit has resulted in shortages of certain brands and caused breathless panic from collectors and shopkeepers (see page 14), I've simply seen this as an opportunity to try new ones. Here are some of my new favorites. Jim Beam Ghost White Whiskey While I've always enjoyed the idea of newmake whiskey, too often it tastes like underseasoned soup to me, but Jim Beam has managed to do something interesting by aging Ghost White Whiskey for a year in American oak barrels. The result is light and clean enough that your vodka-drinking friends might be convinced to give it a try. It shows vanilla fragrance over sweet grain and Asian pear ﬂavors, some white pepper notes giving it zip. James B. Beam Distilling Co., Frankfort, KY; 40% abv, $21/750ml Stagg Jr. Bourbon Whiskey Buffalo Trace's annual release of George T. Stagg Bourbon Whiskey is for those who prefer their liquor older, uncut and unﬁltered, with big, bold ﬂavors from the 15 or so years spent in barrel. Stagg Jr. is younger, with only about eight years in barrel, less intense and more affordable than its pa. But don't let the name fool you: Stagg Jr. is to George T. Stagg what Bam-Bam is to Barney Rubble. This ﬁrst release is higher in proof than senior, and the heritage and personality are there, with a little bit of punk rock: plenty of rye spice from the mashbill, vanilla, less oak yet plenty of dry spice aromas. Cut it with water and take a sip: It ﬂexes with citrus, apple and wood-roasted coffee ﬂavors. A gorgeous Bourbon made even better by the price, this is a great buy for new and old Bourbon fans alike. Buffalo Trace, Frankfort, KY; 67.2% abv, $49/750ml 16 WINE & SPIRITS DECEMBER 2013 The 2013 release of master distiller Jim Rutledge's Limited Edition Single Barrel Bourbon celebrates the distillery's 125th anniversary. It's a marriage of three recipes with three different ages: an 18-year-old whiskey (60% corn, 35% rye, 5% barley), a 13-year-old with the same mashbill and a 13-year-old that is higher in corn, lower in rye. Bottled unﬁltered and uncut, the blend has an exuberance that's unexpected from a whiskey this old. It's very fruity, almost like cantaloupe and berries, with a lush sweetness that is counterbalanced by just enough oak to add vanilla and spice. Concentrated ﬂavors and a high proof necessitate dilution, but with something this nice, go simple: Add a large chunk of ice and enjoy the way the ﬂavors evolve and shift over time. Four Roses, Lawrenceburg, KY; 51.6% abv, $85/750ml Michter's Sour Mash Whiskey There hasn't been a Michter's distillery for some time now, until this new one recently sprang to life. That means the whiskey in the bottle comes from other producers, but it doesn't make the whiskey inside Mitcher's Sour Mash Whiskey any less delicious. Or mysterious. There is no age statement or mashbill to glean an indication of what it's made from, but the taste suggests it's a mix of Bourbon and rye, both of them taking dynamic turns providing ﬂavors and aromas. Spicy and peppery, yet sweet with cherry and an almost mulled-cider quality, it's a thing all its own, blazing its own path, hopefully into a Manhattan cocktail near you. Michter's Whiskey Co., Bardstown, KY; 43% abv, $43/750ml 1776 James E. Pepper Bourbon & Rye Whiskies James E. Pepper is an iconic brand in Bourbon history, one of the most popular until the mid-twentieth century. Now Georgetown Trading Co. has relaunched it, working with Lawrenceburg Distillers Indiana. They've derived their recipe from a letter dated 1887 from James E. Pepper himself, detailing his production methods and grain bills. Straight out of the bottle, it's easy to see that this is a young whiskey, barely pale brown in color. The rye offers plenty of the grain's telltale spice, as well as some nice meadow grass, gingersnap and apple-core qualities. The Bourbon projects more oak than its brother, with coconut, caramel and pepper ﬂavor and a mild woodsy bite. Their high proofs and low prices make these great for Manhattans and Old Fashioneds, where the ice dilution tames the heat, but not the ﬂavor. JAS. E. Pepper & Co., Bardstown, KY; both 50% abv, $27/750ml Hillrock Estate Solera-Aged Bourbon Whiskey This is a unique whiskey all around. Not only is it aged in a solera system, where new-make whiskey is added to a set of barrels at regular intervals, but because the distillery is so new, they had to start off with "seed whiskey," i.e., purchased stocks of aged Bourbon, to which they added their own spirit. The spirits they distill are different too, since the grain is grown and processed on property, making it a ﬁeld-to-glass product. Over time, as they add more of their own distillate to the system, the ﬂavors will slowly transition to something different. As it is now, there is a bewitching mineral quality accented with grassiness, woodsy sweetness and cinnamon-caramel. We can't wait to see how this Bourbon evolves. Hillrock Estate Distillery, Ancram, NY; 46.3% abv, $80/750ml

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Wine & Spirits - December 2013

Wine & Spirits - December 2013
Editor’s Note
Happenings
Contents
Fined & Filtered
Acid Trips
The Great Whiskey Shortage of 2013
Spirits
Gadgets and Gi
New Destinations
Where to Eat & Drink in Seattle
Turning Champagne into Wine
Barolo & Formaggio
Douro, No Apologies
Walla Walla Cabernet
The Best for $10 or Less
Overview
Champagne
US Sparkling Wine
US Cabernet Sauvignon
Alsace
German Riesling
2011 Vintage Port
Barolo & Barbaresco
Rioja
US New Releases
International New Releases
Wine & Spirits Top 100

Wine & Spirits - December 2013