20071027

Sampling Wisconsin now legal

If you're wandering through the aisles of a grocery store in Wisconsin, you might be offered more than fish sticks or cupcakes at a sampling stand.

State lawmakers have included in the budget a provision that allows liquor and grocery stores to hand out free samples of liquor.

Each customer could have up to three samples of a half-ounce or less, or about 1 1/2 shots, between 11 a.m. and 7 p.m.

The change wasn't widely expected although the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States (DISCUS) pushed for the change after legislators previously allowed samples of beer and wine at stores. Extending the privilege to liquor was included in a 581-page summary of the budget that both houses approved.

There still is a possibility the change could be vetoed by Gov. Jim Doyle, who already is being pressured by Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) whose executive state director, Kari Kinnard, called on Doyle to veto the provision on the grounds it would encourage drinking and driving.

She told the Associated Press she didn't believe 1.5 ounces of liquor would be enough to put drivers over the legal limit but "We are sending the message that it's OK to drink and then get behind the wheel of your car."

Patrick Essie, a Wisconsin lobbyist for the spirits council, called the samples "a natural progression." He noted that 22 other states have similar laws and DISCUS is not aware of problems involving the samples elsewhere. He said 1.5 ounces of liquor is about the same amount of alcohol in the wine samples.

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Do you know this man?

The Teacher's Scotch people hope you will. It's the image of William Teacher and is part of the distiller's new “Symbol of Authority” advertising campaign.

Teacher’s was first blended in Glasgow in the 1830s and continues to use traditional distillation methods. The whisky is aged in wooden barrels, including used sherry casks. Its signature malt, Ardmore, is a peated malt, and the remaining flavor comes from a combination of Lowland, Highland and Speyside single malts. Overall, it has an unusually high percentage of malt, 45.

Teacher’s won a bronze medal in the blended Scotch whisky category in recent International Spirits Challenge 2007.

The company is owned by Beam Global Spirits and Wine. It has had a wide range of interesting advertising campaigns over the years. For a fun look at some of them, go to the Teacher's Web site, click on "Our History" and then on "Advertising."

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20071026

A celebri-quote: Emmy Rossum

• From Emmy Rossum, the angel-voiced actress-singer who co-starred with Gerard Butler in "Phantom of the Opera" and who has a pop album called "Inside Out" about to debut:

Q: You just turned 21 on Sept. 12. Do you have a favorite cocktail yet?

A: I love a whiskey sour, and I know most people can't believe a small-framed girl like me can drink a whiskey sour, but I can. And I like Bellinis.

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Canadians remain loyal to the spirit

Canadians are nothing if not loyal spirits consumers. According to a report from Statistics Canada, nearly 70% of spirits sold in the country last year were Canadian products, although imported spirits rose 6.4%.

However, Canada remains a "beer town." Canadians bought 2.2 billion liters of beer, worth $8.4 billion, last year. They also purchased 378.7 million liters of wine, worth $4.6 billion, and 202.6 million liters of spirits, worth $4.3 billion, according to Statistics Canada.

While sales of beer and spirits in liquor stores were up 2.9% by volume from 2004-05, wine sales, including those by wineries themselves, were up 5.9%. Overall, sales of wine, beer and spirits hit the $17.3 billion mark.

A few other findings:

• Whiskies, including scotch and bourbon, accounted for nearly 30% of all spirits sales.

• Red wines accounted for 60% of wine sales. Three-quarters of reds and half of all whites were imports.

• Quebec consumers bought 35% of all wine, and 42% of the reds, sold in the nation.

• White wines outsold reds in Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick.

• Imported beer grew in popularity last year from 9.9% to 11.1%.

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20071025

Letters: Walker worth; Boodles peddler

Sir:

In 1990 I was fortunate to win the grand prize, a Johnnie Walker 150th anniversary Scotch, at a scotch tasting party in London.

It came complete in a presentation box with a Brierley crystal decanter. I can get very little information on this scotch. Can you provide any information (rarity or value)?

Keith Ruddy, Canada

Dear Keith:

What you have is a specially-packaged bottle of whisky marking the 1970 celebration of John Walker & Sons' founding in 1820. The whisky originally was called Walker's Kilmarnock Whisky, and sold in Walker's grocery store in Ayrshire, Scotland.

Unopened, mint condition bottles of the limited-edition anniversary variety you mention have been valued as high as $2,000. That makes it the second most expensive Walker scotch ever produced. The No. 1 was the Blue Label 200th Anniversary, a special release of cask strength in a Baccarat crystal decanter, which has sold for as much as $3,000.

Royal Brierley Crystal, incidentally, is a 300-year-old maker of fine crystal products, so obviously the decanter boosts the overall worth to that $2,000 figure. The company was called Stevens and Williams until the1930s when it was changed to Royal Brierley Crystal to indicate its appointment as the Royal British Glassmakers.


Hello Bill:

I found your blog in researching Boodles British Gin. I moved from New Hampshire to North Carolina two years ago. NC is like NH in that we have ABC stores but, unfortunately, NC does not stock Boodles.

I have found a internet retailer and was able to order three bottles, but I'm curious as to who the U.S. distributor might be. Any info on my favorite but hard to find libation is appreciated.

Richard S. Blake, Apex, NC

Dear Richard:

Thanks for the inquiry.

Boodles is produced by Chivas Brothers for Pernod Ricard USA which is the national distributor.

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True North points to new flavor

Right on schedule, Grand Traverse Distillery has come up with the second offering in its True North Vodka line: cherry.

The difference between the new product and other cherry-infused vodka products is that this one includes a hint of chocolate.

The new distillery, which was founded in 2005 and had a target of autumn '08 for its first flavored product, is located in Michigan's renowned cherry-growing region that labels ityself the Cherry Capital of the World. Thus, using that essence as its first flavored vodfka makes perfect sense.

“Flavoring vodka is a popular tradition almost as old as the beverage itself,” said Kent Rabish, who began the distillery. “We couldn’t create world-class vodka in the world’s largest cherry production region without capitalizing on the fruit that makes this area famous.”

Ingredients in the True North Vodka originate from the Grand Traverse region, known for its rich soil and clean glacial waters, used to produce the triple-distilled rye vodka.

True North, first released last June, is hand-crafted in small batches. The first run included 2,700 bottles sent out in Michigan, and another 2,700 bottles were sent out in July.

“True North is the fastest growing vodka in the premium vodka class,” Rabish said. “In only four months, we have shipped out more than 900 cases – some 10,800 bottles – and that is better than expected for a new product.”

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20071024

Tequila enlivens Day of the Dead

Tequila's profile is never higher in Mexico than during Dia de los Muertos, literally the Day of the Dead but in reality a longer event that this year will begin on Sunday and end the following Friday.

There is nothing as quintessentially Mexican as El Dia de los Muertos, a festival that has been part of the culture since before the Spanish invaders. Originally held in July, but moved closer to All Saint's Eve in November by Catholic priests brought in by the conquistadors, it is anything but a morbid or frivolous event.

Families construct tiny temporary altars, festooned with large, colorful marigolds and chrysanthemums, near the doorways to their homes to welcome back the departed. Crowds stroll throughout the towns and cities to see and be seen. Vendors line both sides of many streets, selling foods, trinkets and crafts.

In the city of Guanajuato last year, I joined a stream of walkers headed for a large cemetery where they visited the graves of their loved ones, replacing wilted flowers with fresh, often washing down the stone or metal markers with pails of water purchased from entrepreneurial youngsters who set up shop at the cemetery gates.

Artwork for the Day of the Dead features skeletons involved in all sorts of earthly pursuits, playing instruments, dancing, eating and -- most important to some -- drinking.

This year, noted San Francisco mixologist Duggan McDonnell -- whose Cantina restaurant-bar has a great drinks menu -- came up with a lineup of tequila-based cocktails to celebrate the holiday for the Don Julio line that is Mexico's top-selling high-end tequila. Most include agave nectar, a non-alcoholic sweetener made from the same blue agave plant used to create tequila. It is widely available online and in some specialty shops.

One is the Smoky Diablo that blends limoncello, grapefruit juice, agave nectar and tequila with a sprinkle of chili powder. Another is the Jalisco Sidecar, named for the Mexican state where most tequila is produced, made with aged tequila, Grand Marnier, fresh lemon juice and orange bitters.

But my favorite is the Black Widow (shown above) with a superb contrast of berries and herbs. The recipe:

1 1/2 oz. tequila blanco
1 oz. fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon agave nectar
3 blackberries
4 basil leaves
Ice cubes

Muddle 2 blackberries and 3 basil leaves in a Boston shaker. Add the tequila, lime juice, agave nectar and ice to the shaker. Shake well. Strain contents into a stemless martini glass or similar glass over ice and garnish with a blackberry and basil leaf on a toothpick. Serves one.

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20071023

Patron purchases vodka line

The Patron Spirits Co. has purchased the Ultimat vodka line for an undisclosed price.

Triple-distilled 80-proof Ultimat is available in plain, black cherry and chocolate vanilla flavors in handcrafted Polish crystal decanters.

The base vodka is a blend of wheat, potatoes and grain and sells for a suggested retail price of $50 for a 750ml bottle. It was introduced to the market in 2002.

"In a short time we have seen remarkable gains in its popularity," said Adam Bak, president of Adamba Imports which sold tyhe line to Patron. "Over the past five years, sales of Ultimat have increased at about 20% annually and are forecasting to continue this climb. ... To take it to this exceedingly competitive level, the people to do it are the highly experienced and committed industry experts at Patron."

In addition to Ultimat vodka and Patron tequila, The Patron Spirits Co.'s portfolio includes Pyrat, an ultra-premium Caribbean rum blended on the British West Indies island of Anguilla.

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Jack D's global sales may top domestic numbers

PHOTO BY WILLIAM M. DOWD
(Double-click to enlarge image.)


THE MAIN BUILDING AT JACK DANIEL'S DISTILLERY IN LYNCHBURG, TN.


Jack Daniel's Tennessee whiskey may see its non-U.S. sales accounting for more than half its global sales by the 2009 fiscal year.

The company began positioning the whiskey as a global brand in 1994 after U.S. sales remained flat through the 1980s. U.S. whiskey exports will reach $970 million by the end of the year, double the 2000 figure.

As Business Week magazine sees the situation,"In general, overseas markets have been good to all American whiskey. Fortune Brands' Jim Beam Kentucky Bourbon, Jack Daniel's nearest rival, saw global sales reach nearly 6 million cases, with 45% of that consumed abroad. Fortune's Maker's Mark premium bourbon has shown double-digit growth for 13 straight years, with a growing following outside the U.S. But Jack Daniel's is the first major brand to become a majority exporter."

A weak U.S. dollar has helped make American whiskey a good buy abroad. A key growth feeder for Jack Daniel's, says the magazine, "is the consistency of the brand's story" as reflected in Jack Daniel's marketing of its small-town roots, says Allyson Stewart-Allen, a director of International Marketing Partners, who studies international brand performance.

That, says, Stewart-Allen, is also one of the reasons Jack Daniel's has ducked overseas backlash against brands that are overtly American: "Jack Daniel's is less likely to experience boycotting from overseas markets because of the way it has played on the values of craftsmanship and intimacy via its use of small-town America visuals, in other words, the heartland of the U.S."

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20071021

A rum go at $53,000

A bottle of a rare and elusive rum from Wray and Nephew has been put on display in London at RumFest, Europe's first rum festival.

It is one of only four unopened bottles of the vintage rum known to exist, and is valued at $53,000.

What makes this particular rum so special is that it was made before the company changed its distilling methods to fill a sudden upsurge in consumer demand fueld by the wide popularity of the Mai Tai cocktail which was invented in 1944. It was bottled in the 1940s using different blends, and some of the content dates to 1915.

"Mai Tais became so popular that, over two years, the entire supply of Wray and Nephew Rum was exhausted," said Paul McFadyen, managing director of IP Bartenders, which co-owns the rum festival, told the BBC.

"At that time, Wray and Nephew had changed their methods of production at the distillery so that they could make much faster batches of rum. This meant that they could not reproduce rum of the same quality meaning that the true Mai Tai could not been recreated."

Although it was thought that no more of this particular rum existed, 12 unmarked bottles of it were found in their Jamaican warehouse during a worldwide inventory of its stock by Wray and Nephew three years ago. Eight have been opened since then and, for the most part, been consumed.

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20071020

Jameson adds to its lineup

Jameson this week unveiled the latest whiskey in its lineup: Jameson Rarest Vintage Reserve.

The recently reshuffled Jameson high-end portfolio now includes the 12-year-old Special Reserve, the Gold Reserve, the 18-year-old Limited Reserve and the new whiskey.

The Rarest Vintage reserve is a blend, like all Jamesons, of aged grain whiskey and pure pot still whiskey, some aged in port casks and some aged in used bourbon barrels. It's a 92-proof product.

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20071017

An Old Fashioned guy

Classic cocktails have, to some extent, taken a backseat to fad concoctions in the past decade or so. Luckily for those who like variety, some are rebounding -- for example, the Bourbon Manhattan, the Sidecar, the Gimlet and the Rusty Nail.

I was enjoying a comforting Belvedere vodka martini (thereby betraying the classic martini recipe) at a favorite restaurant the other evening when Tommy Doyle -- 43 years and counting as a bartender par excellence -- picked up his muddler and began working up a cocktail that looked vaguely familiar.

Although he was making it in a sturdy wine goblet instead of the standard Old Fashioned tumbler, it was indeed an Old Fashioned, the stalwart drink of the 1930s that gave the glass its name.

The Old Fashioned was a regional Bourbon cocktail created in the 1880s by a bartender at the Pendennis Club, a gentlemen's club in Louisville, Ky. Club member Col. James E. Pepper, whose Kentucky family distillery today is known as Woodford Reserve, is said to have introduced the drink to the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel bar in New York. It became so popular it appeared in the ''Old Waldorf-Astoria Bar Book'' in 1931.

Like many drinks, the Old Fashioned can have a few variables -- Doyle's customer preferred Scotch to rye -- but the classic
recipe goes like this:

2 oz. blended whiskey
1 sugar cube
1 dash bitters
1 slice lemon
1 slice orange
1 maraschino cherry

Combine the sugar cube, bitters, and a teaspoon of water in a cocktail tumbler. Muddle well, add whiskey, and stir (or shake vigorously if preferred). Add a twist of lemon peel and ice cubes. Add slices of orange and lemon and top with the cherry. Serve with a swizzle stick.

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Ballantine's 12 gets an overhaul

Chivas Brothers has redesigned its Ballantine’s 12 Year Old packaging.

The catalyst for the change is a plan to reposition it as a global brand during a new international marketing campaign. This is one of several moves Chivas is making with its brands.

Peter Moore, global brand director for Ballantine’s said in a statement:

“Until now, Ballantine’s 12 Year Old has struggled with its identity and had several inconsistent packs which were inherited when Chivas Brothers acquired the brand from Allied Domecq in 2005. We are confident this new look gives (it) the status it rightfully deserves as a key member of the most comprehensive aged range of blended whisky."

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Tequila success breeds fakery

You know tequila has reached unprecedented heights of popularity when the oversight bureau of the industry issues warning about fake tequilas.

"In the last six years, we have begun detecting more cases," Floriberto Miguel Cruz, head of the Tequila Regulatory Council's quality control department, told the Arizona Republic newspaper's Mexico City bureau. "This endangers the consumer, the product and the image of the country."

He said the imitators range from sugarcane moonshine made in Mexican garages to quality spirits made from agave plants in South Africa.

Mexico and 26 other countries, mostly in Europe, have a treaty known as the Lisbon Agreement that says only blue agave liquor from 181 towns in Mexico -- mostly in the Tequila area of Jalisco state -- can carry the name. The liquor must contain at least 51% agave, although the better tequila distillers insist on 100% blue agave, the spiky plant hand-harvested as seen above. (Full disclosure note: That's me working in an agave field owned by the Orendain Distillery in Tequila.)

Mexico recognizes 735 brands of tequila from 118 different companies.

While the U.S. is not part of the treaty, it protects the name "tequila" under the 1994 North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). Likewise, Mexico recognizes Bourbon and Tennessee whiskey as American spirits.

Among the brands of fake tequila are Salvaje ("Savage"), El Valiente ("The Brave One"), El Trailero ("The Trucker") and Monte Alban.

Just as true champagne can only be made in Champagne, France, true tequila can only be produced in the state of Jalisco and a few adjacent areas of Mexico and must meet stringent government regulations. It is made in two general categories:

Tequila 100% Agave -- Must be made only with the juice of the blue agave plant and must be bottled at the distillery in Mexico. It may be Blanco, Reposado, or Añejo.

Tequila -- Must be made with at least 51% blue agave juices. It may be exported in bulk to be bottled in other countries following the NOM standard. It may be Blanco, Gold, Reposado, or Añejo.

NOM, the official Mexican product safety requirements, defines four types of tequila:

Blanco, or Silver -- The traditional tequila. Clear, transparent, fresh from the still. Must be bottled immediately after distillation process. Traditionally served in a two-ounce glass called a "caballito."

Oro, or Gold -- Modified by adding colorings and flavorings, caramel the most common. Widely preferred for frozen Margaritas.

Reposado, or Rested -- Kept in white oak casks or vats called "pipones" for two to 11 months. Much mellower than blanco or oro, pale in color, gentle bouquet.

Añejo, or Aged -- Matured in white oak casks for a year or more. Maximum capacity of the casks should not exceed 159 gallons. Amber color, oak notes.

Reserva -- Not technically a category, but recognized as an Añejo aged in oak up to eight years.

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20071015

Maryland winery gets in the spirit

When it comes to alcoholic beverages, Maryland is best known for beer.

True, a chunk of Kentucky's bourbon is shipped to facilities in Maryland for bottling, but beer and a bit of winemaking covers what is produced in the Free State. Until now.

Fiore Winery in Pylesville, Harford County, plans to make grappa and limoncello as well as a spirits-fortified wine.

After two decades of making a name for himself producing wine, owner Michael Fiore told the Baltimore Sun he sees a distillery as a way to expose Maryland wine aficionados to uncommon types of beverages.

"I want to do some new things to bring a little bit of Italy to Maryland," said Fiore, 63.

Fiore told the Sun he is employing a $12,000 copper still for small-scale testing before purchasing a larger system that would cost about $100,000, he said. He makes about 40,000 gallons, or 200,000 bottles, of wine per year, using grapes that he grows in his 13.5-acre vineyard.

Fiore said he plans to distill grappa, the brandy made from wine byproducts; limoncello, a lemon liqueur made from grappa and organic lemon peels, and port wine, a mix of wine and grappa. The grappa and port will cost about $30 a bottle, the limoncello slightly more.

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20071011

Drinkin' good in the neighborhood

Any idea which restaurant chain leads the industry in beverage alcohol sales?

A hint: Its name puts the emphasis on the food part of its service rather than on the drinks.

If you guessed Applebee's Neighborhood Grill & Bar, you get a gold star.

Applebee's 1,942 restaurants had total alcoholic beverage sales of $567,864,000 in 2006, accounting for an average of 12.5% of each guest check. That's according to the Technomic Top 500 Report, published in Cheers magazine.

The rest of the top 10:
(2.) T.G.I. Friday's, $499,380,000.
(3.) Chili's Bar & Grill, $475,116,000.
(4.) Outback Steakhouse, $327,375,000.
(5.) Buffalo Wild Wings Grill & Bar, $252,024,000.
(6.) Olive Garden, $233,177,000.
(7.) Red Lobster, $210,103,000.
(8.) Hooters, $205,875,000.
(9.) The Cheesecake Factory, $167,310,000.
(10.) Ruby Tuesday, $157,950000.
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Chivas' newest is its oldest

Chivas Regal is reaching into its past for a new product.

Chivas 25-year-old Scotch, which launched the brand in 1909 but became extinct after World War I and Prohibition, is being re-launched in a series of major U.S. markets by brand owner Pernod Ricard.

The latest event was held last week in New York, where 25 pipers escorted the whisky into a promotional dinner held at the New York Public Library with an A-list of celebrities on hand and Chivas master blender Colin Scott (seen here) presiding. Previous events were held in Los Angels and Chicago, with a Miami event scheduled for next month.

Chivas officials say the 25-year-old is intended for the super-premium market and will be the brand's highest priced. It is being produced in limited amounts and packaged in individually numbered bottles at a suggested retail price of $299.

Christian Porta, chairman and CEO of Chivas Brothers, speaking in the finest public relations form, declared:

“Thanks to the exceptional Chivas Brothers inventory laid down many years ago, we have been able to create a rare and prestigious blend of the finest aged whiskies which will satisfy today’s thirst for the finest luxury products. Just as the original Chivas Regal was the very first luxury Scotch, Chivas Regal 25 Year Old sets the standard for all others and will ensure we maintain our status as pioneers in the growing super premium category.”

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20071010

Do not try this at home

As reported by the BBC:

Australian doctors have kept an Italian tourist alive by feeding him vodka through a drip for three days, medical staff in Queensland say. The 24-year-old man, who had swallowed a poison in an apparent suicide attempt, was treated while in a coma.

Doctors set up the drip after running out of medicinal alcohol, used as an antidote to the poison. Medical staff said the patient had made a full recovery, and the hangover had worn off by the time he woke up.

He had been taken to hospital in the northern Queensland town of Mackay after swallowing ethylene glycol , a poison contained in anti-freeze.

"The patient was drip-fed about three standard drinks an hour for three days in the intensive care unit," Dr Todd Fraser said in a statement. "Fortunately for him he was in a medically induced coma for a good portion of that. By the time he woke up I think his hangover would have well and truly gone."

He spent 20 days in hospital before being discharged.

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20071008

Extra-aged Scotches crossing boundaries

They're doing very interesting things these days in Scotland's Glen of Tranquility, maturing whiskies in non-traditional ways.

Moet Hennessy, the international conglomerate that owns the Glemorangie distillery, can't be accused of standing pat. Although Glenmorangie -- the Scots Gaelic word for the aforementioned tranquility label -- is the No. 1 single malt in Scotland and one of the top-sellers worldwide, it has introduced a new line of what it is calling "extra matured'' or "extra aged'' whiskies.

I had the opportunity to try two of them at a by-invitation-only tasting at the British Consul General's residence in Manhattan last week. I think Glenmorangie is onto something big.

Three different Scotches 10 years or older are involved in the bold marketing project. Each gets at least an additional two years of maturation in used barrels that once contained bourbon or sauternes wine or port wine. Meanwhile, Glenmorangie is phasing out its Madeira and Burgundy wood finished whiskies.

The extra aging of the new products pushes the usual 43% alcohol by volume (ABV) level to 46, resulting in a trio of 92-proof
whiskies instead of the usual 86.

The names of the new products may sound French or international in scope, but Moet Hennessy USA's director of communications says that's a misperception.

"The names of all three products come from Gaelic words or phrases,'' Jeff Pogash told me. "That way they honor where they come from.''

Lasanta, the sherry cask matured whisky, means "warmth.'' Quinta Ruban, the port cask aged product, comes from "quinta'' for Portugal's wine estates and "ruban,'' Gaelic for "ruby.'' The sauternes product is called Nectar D'Or, with both French and Gaelic using "or'' for "gold.''

The idea of extra-aging spirits in used barrels from other products no longer is unusual in the industry. It has become, instead, a matter of how inventive distillers can be in their combinations.

The Canadian icon Crown Royal, for example, recently introduced Crown Royal Cask No. 16, an ultra-premium blend of more than 50 different individually aged whiskies extra aged in used Limousin oak cognac barrels.

On the other end of the scale, some distillers are making a point of offering high-strength, single-aged uncut whiskies with no tinkering. The most recent examples: Four Roses Barrel Strength Limited Edition Single Barrel Bourbon Whiskey, a 13-year-old offering, and Wild Turkey American Spirits 15-year-old bourbon bottled at 100 proof.

The Glenmorangie Quinta Ruban has been aged in used bourbon barrels, then transferred for extra aging in port barrels. The result is a lovely combination of the essences that make bourbon so unique as well as the additional smoothing from the port-soaked wood.

Quinta Ruban envelops the tongue in a warm, smooth coating then moves on to release notes of chocolate, caramel and even a touch of mint. The complexity of flavors and aromas make this a whisky worth lingering over.

Glenmorangie Nectar D'Or goes from bourbon barrel aging to finishing in used sauternes casks. Sauternes is a sweet, delicate French wine, usually served as a dessert wine, made from Semillon, Sauvignon Blanc and Muscadelle grapes that have been affected by Botrytis cinerea, the "noble rot.'' Thus, the characteristics it imparts to the 10-year-old Scotch during the two-year extra aging process are truly unique.

The Nectar D'Or contains some of the distinct flavor notes of the partially raisined Sauternes wine, with a pleasing golden color. Fruit, honey, a touch of spice and a long, lingering finish make this a desireable whisky.

What we're seeing is the retreat of the traditional smoky Scotch whiskies in the face of emerging blends that cross all category lines. To many consumers, it is not an unwelcome change.

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20071006

Austin Nichols release 2 new whiskies

Austin Nichols master distiller Jimmy Russell and his son, associate distiller Eddie Russell, have created Russell’s Reserve Rye. It's a handcrafted six-year-old, small-batch rye whiskey.

“Rye whiskey is its own animal and rye fans are a special breed," said Jimmy Russell. "Between Eddie and myself, we figured we could come up with something special.”

Rye was the most popular American whiskey until the 1960s and '70s, when other spirits began to take away some of its adherents. However, in recent years it has been making a strong comeback as I noted in the October cover story I wrote for Whisky magazine, the UK publication that is the leading spirits magazine in the world.

Russell's reserve Rye is bottled at 90 proof (45% alcohol by volume), available in a 750ml bottle at a suggested retail price of $24.99.

Also, the Austin Nichols Wild Turkey distillery has released a 15-year-old bourbon called Wild Turkey American Spirit, bottled at 100 proof (50% abv).

The company calls American Spirit "a nod to those early devotees of real 'Straight Whiskey' and to the young country that provided them with the opportunity to hone their craft."

Only 24,000 wood-stoppered bottles are available worldwide. They feature a “strip stamp” replicating the authentic bottled in bond stamps used by the U.S. government.

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20071005

Wild Turkey expanding its coop

PHOTO BY WILLIAM M. DOWD
(Double-click to enlarge image)


Jimmy Russell, the iconic master distiller at the Wild Turkey bourbon distillery, says its latest project is "building inventory for way down the road."

Wild Turkey is planning to invest $30 million in the brand’s distillery in Lawrenceburg, KY, on the banks of the Kentucky River. That would more than double its annual production capacity to nearly 11 million gallons.

The first visible step was a groundbreaking ceremony on Thursday, Oct. 4. The target for completion of the work is the fall of 2009. New mash cookers, fermenters and a second copper still will be installed. Consumer won't see the first bourbon produced by the new equipment until it has aged eight years.

The expansion follows expansion efforts by the state's major bourbon makers. For example, Fortune Brands, which owns Maker’s Mark and Jim Beam, is in the midst of a $120 million campaign to upgrade its distilling, aging and bottling operations.

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20071001

Rye on the rebound (magazine version)

“I'd just helped Ed Hickey into a taxi. Ed had been mixing his whiskey with his rye, and I felt he needed conveying. I started to walk down the street when I heard a voice saying: 'Good evening, Mr. Dowd.'

“I turned, and there was this big white rabbit leaning against a lamp post. Well, I thought nothing of that, because when you've lived in a town as long as I've lived in this one, you get used to the fact that everybody knows your name.”


Therein began my curiosity about rye, which in the Pulitzer Prize-winning 1944 stage play “Harvey” seemed to be differentiated from all other whiskies – at least in the mind of main character Elwood P. Dowd, with whom I share both a surname and a fascination with the offbeat.

Back in the dark ages of my occasionally misspent youth, when the legal drinking age in my home state of New York was 18 and minimum wage was less than a dollar an hour, 30 cents would buy you a nice highball. Really.

Highball. Then a common term for a simple mixed cocktail, now a quaint, anachronistic word. The highball of choice for my untrained young palate was rye and ginger. Four ounces of ginger ale and a shot of whatever rye the bartender poured into it. I wasn't into labels in those days. Even for the ginger ale.

Rye went the way of my youth, for the most part, until the past few years when it has become increasingly bandied about and new versions of it have been released by adventurous distillers.

Rye still is well down the list of brown whiskies, peering up longingly at the lofty perches occupied by a sea of bourbons, an ocean of scotches.

However, that isn't stopping every rye distiller. After all, vodka wasn't always wildly popular. Bourbon had its down periods. Thus, an emerging rye rebound.

Sazerac Straight Rye, a Kentucky distillation, won a double gold medal and the title of top North American whiskey in this year‘s prestigious San Francisco World Spirits Competition.

Double golds also went to the Thomas H. Handy Sazerac Rye, the Rittenhouse 21 Year Old Single Barrel Rye, and the Rittenhouse 100 Proof Bottled-in-Bond Rye (which won best North American whiskey in ’06), all in competition with the best of America’s bourbons and Tennessee whiskies (essentially, bourbons that have been run through charcoal filtration systems) and Canada’s blends.

Kirstin Jackson, brand manager for Rittenhouse Rye Whiskey, notes:
"Historically, rye whiskey has been the ultimate expression of classic American whiskey style. We at Heaven Hill Distilleries were one of (the) only … producers to keep the style alive during the lean years when rye was overshadowed by bourbon and Scotch and Irish whiskies."

By statute, rye whiskey is made from a mash of at least 51% rye, a grass that is part of the wheat family. The remainder usually is malted barley and corn.
That makes it unique among North American whiskies. Although much Canadian whiskey is labeled “rye,” modern products use very little of the grain. Bourbon must be made from a mash of at least 51% corn, but most distillers use 70% or more. Tennessee whiskey begins as bourbon, but then is filtered through charcoal devices.

Such star bourbon makers as Jim Beam, Wild Turkey, Old Overholt and Van Winkle have their ryes. Old Potrero, lesser known but a must-have with rye aficionados, has several styles. What all these brands have in common is a strong alcohol nose at first, followed by a spicy richness, then varying degrees of lingering warmth.

Another distiller putting a lot of its money on a rye comeback is Michter's American Whiskey Co., arguably the United States’ oldest existing rye name despite a gap in its lineage. Most historians think it supplied George Washington's Continental Army during its bitter winter encampment at Valley Forge, PA, in the midst of the breakaway from England. Although Michter's distillery today is located in Bardstown, KY, then it was in Schaefferstown, PA.

And, speaking of Washington, his own fondness for rye whiskey made on his Mount Vernon, VA, farms was reborn on a sunny April afternoon this year when his distillery, destroyed by a devastating fire nearly two centuries ago and just rebuilt from descriptions in his diaries, was unveiled. It’s a working distillery, using 18th century techniques to produce rye whiskey of the sort Washington and his Scottish-born distiller, James Anderson, did when they were turning out nearly 11,000 gallons of whiskey a year compared to the average output of 650 gallons from other Virginia distilleries.

Some of America’s most prominent master distillers, usually rivals in business, have been working together for the past year and a half to help re-create Washington’s rye. Among them: Jimmy Russell of Wild Turkey, Jerry Dalton of Jim Beam, Joseph Dengler of Virginia Gentleman, Ken Pierce of Barton Brands, David Pickerell of Maker’s Mark, Chris Morris of Jack Daniel’s and Woodford Reserve, Gerald Webb of I.W. Harper and John Lunn of George Dickel.

I sampled their handiwork during the distillery unveiling and was pleasantly surprised. The whiskey has a remarkable amber color for something only a year in the wood. Obviously, the maturation process had been sped up by using small, 10-gallon casks which surround the raw whiskey with very accessible oak. It has a fine nose, pleasing spiciness and herbal nuances. All in all, a definitely promising young whiskey I'd love to re-taste a year or two from now.

Despite Bardstown, KY, being in the heart of an area that produces 90% of the world's bourbon, Michter's has a line of very nice ryes to complement its bourbon: Michter's Small Batch US 1 Unblended American Whiskey (83.4 proof), a grain alcohol that can be lumped into the rye category, aged in bourbon- soaked white oak barrels (suggested retail price $34.99); Michter's Single Barrel US 1 Straight Rye (84.8 proof), aged at least 36 months in charred white oak barrels (SRP $42.99), and Michter's Single Barrel Straight Rye (92.8 proof), aged 10 years in charred white oak (SRP $57.99).

I don't find, as a matter of course, that a higher alcohol content automatically means a better liquor. Usually quite the opposite, since some distillers tend to let alcohol's kick substitute for distillation subtlety. However, in the case of Michter's ryes, the higher the proof, the smoother and more complex the taste.

In the midst of researching this story I had a birthday. My wife surprised me with a bottle of an elusive distillation, Black Maple Hill 23 Year Old Straight Rye Whiskey.

It is, without doubt, the finest rye I’ve ever experienced. It is stunning at first, then surprising in depth and allure.

While most rye prices are in the same price range -- above $30 are considered premium, above $49 super premium -- heaven, or Heaven Hill, only knows what to call a $150 category.

The Bardstown distiller last fall launched a S150-a-bottle rye. It produced only 32 barrels, or about 3,000 of the 750ml bottles, of Rittenhouse Very Rare 21-Year-Old Single Barrel Straight Rye Whiskey, a 100-proof concoction. The spicy, somewhat bourbon-like rye, was selected by master distillers Parker and Craig Beam.

I doubt George Washington would have approved of the price point. As he wrote to his commissary officer on Aug. 20, 1777, “It is necessary there should always be a sufficient quantity of spirits with the Army, to furnish moderate supplies to the Troops. … I should be happy if the exorbitant price to which it has risen could be reduced.”

TASTING NOTES



Sazerac Straight Rye: Quite different from the average rye, with a sophsticated softness that melds the expected fruit and spice notes of rye whiskey with a soft, oaky topping. Long finish with a distinct cocoa tang.

Rittenhouse 100 Proof Bottled-in-Bond Rye: A fine balance of rye's traditional sweet-and-sour tastes, with a long, crisp finish that lingers as a peppery tingle on the tongue.

Old Potrero 18th Century Style Whiskey: Hits the palate with full force. No wonder, It's aged in uncharred oak and is bottled at barrel strength, so a bit of water or ice is advisable to reduce the heat and open its spicy richness.

Michter's Small Batch US 1 Unblended: This has the distinct sharpness of grain alcohol moderated by aging in bourbon-soaked white oak barrels that take the edge off the initial sharp, robust taste. Relatively short finish.

Van Winkle Family Reserve Rye: This 13-year0old offers a mature combination of flavors -- cocoa, vanilla, pepper and spices. The long finish is subtle, even refreshing without the warm, cloying quality of younger ryes.

Wild Turkey Straight Rye Whiskey: Perfumey quality reminiscent of the distiller's bourbon, but a coffee/leather/spice layering to the nose and taste makes it a distinctive rye.

Black Maple Hill 23 Yeear Old Straight Rye: An initial burst of brown sugar, heat and spice quickly transforms into a mellow, oaky smoothness. Despite the richness there is an ethereal lightness one seldom experiences in hot ryes. Fruit notes such as apple and pear dance around the edges, but the palate responds again and again to the varied spices. Utterly splendid.

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