Bourbon Review: Abraham Bowman Double Barrel Bourbon

The Sazerac-owned A. Smith Bowman Distillery has released a number of finished whiskies, which have ranged from mediocre to very good. I really enjoyed the port finished bourbon they did a while back, though I did not much care for the gingerbread stout beer cask finish they did last fall. The latest "limited edition" release (and doesn't it feel like everything is a limited edition these days?) is a "Double Barrel" bourbon. For this one, they took six year old bourbon and re-barrelled in in more new charred oak barrels for an additional 11 months. Although the total barrel time is just over seven years, you would expect the re-barreling to impart a lot more wood. Let's see.

Price: $79 (which is a bit over MSRP)

Proof: 50% ABV (100 proof)

Age: 7 years, 2 months

Mashbill: Reportedly Buffalo Trace Mashbill No. 2 (high rye)

Color:  Sweet Tea

Nose: Pronounced wood but balanced by toasted marshmallow, maple syrup, and 'Nilla wafers. There is a lot of alcohol on the nose, even after considerable air time.

Palate:  Dry and oak forward, but there is some sweetness to help keep the wood in check. The toasted marshmallow is in the background along with clove and white pepper. 

Finish: Medium length, dry finish that leaves the clove and pepper on the tongue.

Overall:  B

This is a nice enough bourbon, though a bit dry for my taste. It is not an oak bomb, to be sure, but there are several bourbons for half the price that I would prefer. I suppose that in today's market, all you have to do is call something a "limited edition" or "special release" and you can charge $70+ for it. Oh well, I guess I can't blame them when people like me buy these whiskies before they even hit the shelves.

Friday Cocktail: Bufala Negra

Today's cocktail comes to us from Atlanta's own Jerry Slater of H. Harper Station. The Bufala Negra is light and refreshing drink thanks to the addition of ginger beer but picks up a lot of depth from the muddled basil and balsamic syrup. I used real-deal 12 year old balsamic I brought back from Italy, which is totally unnecessary for this drink but worked spectacularly. 

Bufala Negra

Jerry Slater, H. Harper Station, Atlanta

- 1.5 oz. bourbon (I used Old Grand Dad 114)

- 4 fresh basil leaves

- 1 brown sugar cube

- 0.5 oz. balsamic syrup*

- 2 oz. ginger beer

Muddle the balsamic syrup, basil, and sugar cube in a mixing tin. Add bourbon and ice and shake vigorously. Strain over fresh ice cubes into an Old Fashioned glass. Top with ginger beer and garnish with basil leaf.

*For the balsamic syrup, combine equal parts balsamic vinegar and 1:1 simple syrup and bring to a boil. Turn off heat and let cool completely.

Bourbon Review: Barterhouse and Old Blowhard

Capitalizing on the global frenzy for extra-aged bourbon, whiskey juggernaut Diageo recently began releasing products under a fictitious moniker called the Orphan Barrel Whiskey Distilling Co. The idea with these releases is that Diageo will put out whiskies from its many operating and shuttered distilleries under different labels within the Orphan Barrel series. Among others, the company owns the famous Stitzel-Weller distillery, which is now shuttered but houses a ton of aging product, as well as the George Dickel distillery in Tennessee. 

The first two releases in the Orphan Barrel series are the 20 year old Barterhouse and the 26 year old Old Blowhard, both of which are Kentucky straight bourbons. They both have the same mashbill - 86% corn, 6% rye, 8% barley - which means they were probably destined originally for the Berheim brands Old Charter or I.W. Harper.

The presentation on these bourbons is really nice. The Barterhouse bottle features a sly fox that has apparently just made a deal. Old Blowhard has a nautical themed label with a whale spouting water. I will say that in today's environment of ever-climbing prices, both of these whiskies are very reasonably priced for their ages.

Now, to the important stuff.

Barterhouse

Price: $75
Proof: 45.1% (90.2 proof)
Age:  20 years
Mashbill: 86% corn, 6% rye, 8% barley
Color: Deep Amber

Nose: Pleasantly toasted grain with milk chocolate and nuts (like Derby pie). 
Palate: The burnt edges of a brownie pan.  The chocolate sweetness is balanced out by just the right amount of oak.  I would not have guessed this was 20 years old.
Finish: Sweet and pleasant fading into soft, dry oak.

Overall: B+

Old Blowhard

Price: $150

Proof: 45.35% (90.7 proof)

Age: 26 years

Mashbill: 86% corn, 6% rye, 8% barley

Color: Copper

Nose: The age is apparent right off the bat. Loads of polished wood with faint hints of vanilla and cinnamon spice.

Palate: Very creamy. Heath bar and vanilla custard quickly gives way to dry pencil shavings.

Finish: Long and warming but dominated by bitter wood.

Overall: C

The Barterhouse wins in a landslide. Old Blowhard has the better mouthfeel of the two but is much too woody. Barterhouse, while light, is a nicely balanced whiskey.  It isn't overly complex by any means, but for half the price, I'd buy two of these before springing for the Old Blowhard. 

The Well-Made Mint Julep

The mint julep still lives, but it is by no means fashionable. Somehow the idea has gotten abroad that the mint ought to be crushed and shaken up with water and whiskey in equal proportions. No man can fall in love with such a mixture. Poor juleps have ruined the reputation of the South’s most famous drink.

- Georgia newspaper, 1860s

As I prepare to leave for my annual Kentucky Derby trip, it seems fitting to do a post on juleps. A properly made mint julep is a thing to behold: ice cold, boozy and fragrant. A poorly made julep, however, is disgustingly sweet. Ironically, Churchill Downs serves one of the worst offenders at the Derby, a pre-bottled Early Times julep. It's not their fault, I suppose. You can't make that many mint juleps to order. But at home, you can experience the full potential of this great drink.

Most don't realize that a julep can be made with anything but bourbon, yet prior to the Civil War, genteel Southerners drank their juleps with brandy. Both versions are incredibly refreshing on a hot day. Whatever the base spirit used, there are a few rules to making a well-made julep.

• Use good bourbon (or brandy). The base spirit is the star of this drink, so use the good stuff.
• Do not over-muddle the mint. Doing so releases bitter chlorophyll in addition to the fragrant oils.
• Use a proper vessel. A silver julep cup is preferable, but any metal cup will work.
• Use the highest proof spirit you can find.  The drink has a lot of ice and will dilute quickly. For bourbon, I recommend high rye and high proof.  Four Roses Single Barrel and Old Grand Dad 114 are my personal favorites.
• Go easy on the simple syrup. You can always add more.
• Smash the ever-loving sh*t out of your ice. Either get a Lewis bag or use a kitchen towel and pulverize the ice with a mallet or rolling pin.  You are looking for ice that resembles gravel.
• Slap a bunch of fresh mint to use for garnish.  The aroma this creates adds tremendously to the drink.

Now, some recipes.

The Classic Bourbon Mint Julep

- 10 mint leaves

- .25 to .5 oz. strong simple syrup (2:1 ratio)

- 3 oz. high rye, high proof bourbon*

- Mint sprig to garnish

Put the mint and simple syrup into the julep cup and lightly muddle the mint with the back of a bar spoon. 5 seconds should be sufficient. Add bourbon and fill with crushed ice. Stir the drink to combine and add more ice. Slap mint sprig and stick into drink for garnish and aroma.

*For a brandy julep, simply substitute good cognac for the bourbon.

The Georgia Mint Julep

Adapted from Professor Jerry Thomas (1862)*

- 10 mint leaves

- 2 oz. Cognac (I prefer Léopold Gourmel VSOP)

- 1 oz. Combier Pêche de Vigne 

- Mint sprig to garnish

Put the Combier peach liqueur into the julep cup with the mint leaves and lightly muddle the mint with the back of a bar spoon. Add the cognac and fill the cup with ice. Stir to combine and top with more ice and a mint sprig.

*Professor Jerry Thomas's recipe from the classic Bar-tenders Guide, Or How To Mix Drinks (1862) calls for peach brandy.  Unfortunately, there are no quality peach brandies in existence, as far as I'm aware. As a result, I prefer to substitute high quality peach liqueur (which contains a lot of sugar) and omit the sugar completely, which yields a superior drink.

And finally, the greatest tutorial (and history lesson) in the known world for making juleps by bartender extraordinaire Chris McMillan, along with a recitation of poetry by Kentucky writer Joshua Soule Smith.

Happy Derby!

Friday Cocktail: Paper Airplane

I love the Paper Airplane for a lot of reasons. It is a tart and refreshing bourbon cocktail that uses one of my favorite amari called Amaro Nonino.  The Nonino has a silky grappa base (not typical) that is flavored with orange peel and saffron among a host of other flavorings, and aged in French oak for five years (not typical). The recipe is also easy to remember on the fly because it contains equal parts of its four ingredients.

The Paper Airplane is actually an adaptation of the Paper Plane, which uses the more subtle Aperol over the Campari. I like both versions but tend to have Campari on hand more often.

Paper Airplane

(Adapted by Toby Maloney, Violet Hour, Chicago, Illinois)

- 3/4 oz. Bourbon (I used Beam Signature)

- 3/4 oz. Amaro Nonino

- 3/4 oz. Campari

- 3/4 oz. Lemon Juice

Combine ingredients in a cocktail shake and add ice. Shake vigorously for 15 seconds and strain into chilled cocktail glass. No garnish.

Tasting 3 Versions of Elijah Craig Barrel Proof

Heaven Hill released Elijah Craig Barrel Proof last year, which was lauded by pretty much everyone, even ordinarily tough critics like Sku. There have now been three retail versions of this barrel strength and non-chill-filtered bourbon, and nearly everyone agrees that the first batch (134.2 Proof) has been the best of the three. I've already been through one of those and recently cracked my second.

Prior to the retail release last year, I acquired two other rarer versions of barrel proof Elijah Craig. The first is a 127.6 proof single barrel bottle I picked up at the distillery for a hefty price (nearly twice that of the retail release). The second was part of of a barrel purchase I was involved in with the Georgia Bourbon Society. That barrel, which was 15 years old at the time it was selected, was dubbed the "Amnesia Barrel" because it took so long for Heaven Hill to bottle it that we nearly forgot about it. At bottling, the Amnesia Barrel was a month shy of 16 years old, making it truly one of a kind. (Heaven Hill barely let us do this, and I'd be surprised if anyone else has a barrel proof Elijah Craig private selection, much less one this old.)

The first batch of the ECBP has long since been drunk or stashed away for safe keeping, and the other two single barrels are not available for purchase. That makes these reviews generally worthless to 99.9% of the folks that might read this. Take heart, though, because Heaven Hill plans to release barrel proof Elijah Craig periodically, which will likely have a good bit in common with these bourbons. 

Retail Bottling (Batch 1)

Price: $40
Proof: 67.1% ABV (134.2 Proof)

Age: 12 Years
Color: Very Dark Brown (like Coca-Cola)

Nose: Sweet candies (think, Smarties) that I absolutely love in bourbon and old polished oak in perfect balance.
Palate: Loads of oak at full strength, but it is balanced by some brown sugar sweetness and red hot candies. With water, the oak subsides some and some caramel and vanilla come out to join the red hots. 
Finish: A full 40 seconds after a small full strength sip, the sweetness is still on my tongue. The finish becomes a bit shorter with water. 

Overall: A- 

Heaven Hill Gift Shop Barrel Strength

Single Barrel

Price: $75 (that is not a typo)
Proof: 63.8% ABV (127.6 Proof)

Age: 12 Years
Color: Dark Amber

Nose: Really nice. Cigar box wood with more candy sweetness (Sweet Tarts this time) and vanilla.
Palate: Black cherries and vanilla and spicy cinnamon at full strength. Water brings out more candy sweetness. 
Finish: Moderate in length and woodier and less sweet than the nose and palate would suggest. Water makes the finish longer and sweeter with a touch of lingering bitterness from the wood and a bit of classic Heaven Hill mintiness I don't get from the other two.

Overall: B+

Georgia Bourbon Society 

"Amnesia Barrel"

Price: $39 
Proof: 64% ABV (128 Proof)

Age: 15 years, 11 months
Color: Deep Amber (Grade B Maple Syrup)

Nose: Kiln dried wood, leather, and tobacco with subtle butterscotch and cherry cough drops. 
Palate: The wood is turned up to 11 on this one. At full strength, the tannic oak is at the forefront with some cherry and cinnamon underneath. With water, the wood subsides in a major way, and a touch of vanilla and caramel come through.
Finish: Very, very long and warm at full strength with lingering bitterness from the wood. With water, the finish becomes a bit more medicinal.

Overall: C+

Conclusions

Tasting these side by side was an eye opening experience, which made me really appreciate retail Batch 1 in a way I had not previously. The amount of oak in Batch 1 would ordinarily overpower a whiskey, but Heaven Hill's blenders managed to balance that woodiness with incredible candy sweetness. The gift shop single barrel had a lot of those same candy flavors, but lacked the depth, punch and finish that the retail bottle had. As for the Amnesia Barrel, I've really enjoyed this whiskey to date, but it falls way short head to head with the other two. This is a great example of older not always being better. If only Heaven Hill had bottled it closer to 15 years! 

Friday Cocktail: The Reengineered Bourbon and Coke

It is your favorite drink from college, all grown up. Featured recently in Garden & Gun, the Reengineered Bourbon and Coke has all of the familiar flavors of the classic, but correctly proportioned. A sweeter wheated bourbon with some wood influence works best here. The recipe calls for Makers 46, but Weller 12 would also do nicely. The Coca-Cola syrup is ridiculously easy to make and keeps nicely in the fridge, and using only a quarter ounce of syrup keeps this drink from being overly sweet. 

This cocktail is probably too fussy to make at a tailgate (or to sneak into a football game), but it will do just fine for the NCAA tournament games on TV this weekend.

Reengineered Bourbon and Coke

Adapted from Garden & Gun and Stephen Dennison

Ingredients

For the syrup:

- 1/4 cup cane sugar Coca-Cola 

- 1/4 cup sugar (caster sugar works best)

For the cocktail:

- 2 oz. Makers 46 or other wheated bourbon

- 1/4 oz. Coca-Cola Syrup

- 2 dashes Angostura Bitters

- Lemon twist (or Maraschino cherry) to garnish

Preparation

For the syrup, put the Coke and sugar in a small saucepan over low heat.  Stir until dissolved. Cool and refrigerate.

For the cocktail, combine the bourbon, syrup, and bitters into a cocktail shaker with ice. Stir for 30 seconds (G&G says to shake but this turns the cocktail cloudy) and strain into a cocktail glass.  Garnish with lemon peel or cherry and serve.

Whiskey Review: Wild Turkey American Spirit

Wild Turkey American Spirit is a limited edition 15 year old bottled-in-bond bourbon released in 2007. There were 12,000 bottles released, and I found one of these in the wild a couple years back at the original $100 price tag. Generally, I am skeptical of Wild Turkey's limited releases, most of which have been fair at best. This one, however, was widely regarded as one of the best (the Tribute being the other), and I keep hoping to taste something from Wild Turkey that comes anywhere close to the 1980s 12 year old split label bottling I've had. My brother and I opened this bottle last Thanksgiving, and I haven't revisited it since. Before I finish it, here is the review for posterity's sake.

Price: $100(ish)

Proof: 50% ABV (100 Proof)

Age: 15 Years

Mashbill: 75% corn, 13% rye, 12% barley.

Color: Dark amber

Nose: Classic bourbon profile. Maple, roasted pecans, stewed cherries, leather, and vanilla . A pleasant mustiness like the smell of old library books.

Palate: Lovely oily quality. Rich corn sweetness at the front with toffee pudding and cinnamon spice, which gives way to loads of dry oak and pepper.

Finish: Dry and warm. Although the finish is long, there is very little sweetness that lingers. A little spearmint at the end.

Overall: B+

American Spirit is not overly complex, but it is a really good sipper. There isn't quite enough sweetness to match the wood, but until Wild Turkey decides to quit screwing around and release a 12 year old bourbon domestically, this is about as good of a Wild Turkey as you'll find. Sadly, that says a lot about the quality of the whiskey Wild Turkey is putting out these days.

Fear and Loathing at the Beer, Bourbon & BBQ Festival

Do you love beer, bourbon, and BBQ? Do you also love fighting through large crowds of 22 year olds attempting to power-drink their weight in Fireball and Four Loko? Yes? Then hopefully you were at Saturday's Beer, Bourbon & BBQ Festival at Atlantic Station.

Lured by the promise of warmer weather and a shared love of all three elements of the event, a group of us decided to check it out. It was an interesting experience, to say the least.

Whiskey Wednesday: Berkshire Mountain Distillers Terrapin Cask Finished Bourbon

Following up on Monday's post about craft whiskey, today's review is of the Berkshire Mountain Distillers Cask Finished Bourbon. BMD partnered with craft breweries around the country to create unique versions of their bourbon aged in recently emptied beer barrels. This particular 600 bottle Georgia-only release is a collaboration with Athens, Georgia brewery Terrapin Beer Co. The bourbon was finished in barrels that previously held Terrapin's Barrel-Aged Monk's Revenge, a hopped Belgian triple aged in Cabernet barrels. So to recap, this is bourbon that was finished in a beer barrel that used to hold wine.

Read my review after the jump.