Andrew Acomb

It’s hard to find a better deal on Kentucky Bourbon than this. Elijah Craig 12 Year Old was rated 93 by the Beverage Testing Institute and costs just $17.99 US a bottle! It is named after Reverend Elijah Craig who was a Baptist preacher from Kentucky and is widely considered the “Father of Bourbon”. He discovered the method of making true Kentucky Bourbon when he aged his corn whiskey in charred oak barrels back in the late 1700’s.

It is made by the Heaven Hill Distillery. This distillery was founded in 1935 after the repeal of prohibition. It is the nation’s largest independent, family-owned producer and marketer of distilled spirits products. Based in Bardstown, Kentucky, it is the second largest holder of Bourbon whiskey in the world.

From the Beverage Tasting Institute : “Deep copper color. Toasted banana nut bread nose with an acetone
edge. A round dry entry leads to a medium-bodied palate with layers of
sweet maple, charred oak staves, forest underbrush, toffee, and birch
beer. Lingering and evolving dry wood-driven finish with a touch of
sweetness and spiciness. A dash of water opens this over-proof product
up, reduces the oak, and adds further dimension. A very nice, dry,
cigar bourbon.“

Rated 93 by the Beverage Testing Institute.

I picked up a bottle of this on the way home today. Jackson once called Highland Park “the greatest all-rounder in the world of malt whisky.” I had to give it a try. Established by Magnus Eunson in 1798 on Orkney, it is the most northerly Scotch whisky distillery in the world. The name comes from Kirkwall, above Orkney’s capital. It is a rise with great views of the northern isles known back then as “High Park”. This was a great spot with fresh water and plenty of peat. Plus it was an excellent spot to watch out for the excisemen, for in 1798 most distilleries operated outside the law. When the distillery became legal in 1826, the site had already become known as “Highland Park”.

From Jackson’s Complete Guide to Single Malt Scotch: “Colour: Amber. Nose: Smoky, ‘garden bonfire’ sweetness, heathery, malty, hint of sherry. Body: Medium, exceptionally smooth. Palate: Succulent, with smoky dryness, heather-honey sweetness, and maltiness. Finish: Teasing, heathery, delicious.”

Rated 90 by Jackson.

Single Islay Malt Whiskies. Lagavulin, means “the hollow where the mill is”. Its water arrives by way of a fast flowing stream from the Solan Lochs in the hills above the distillery.This water picks up plenty of peat on its way. The barley used is from the nearby Port Ellen, and it too has a strong peat aroma. Lagavulin receives the slowest distillation process of any Islay malt. This gives it a rich, smoky, peaty, character.

From Jackson’s Complete Guide to Single Malt Scotch: “Colour: Full amber. Nose: Sea Spray, peat smoke. Stings the back of the nose. Body: Full, smooth, very firm. Palate: Peaty dryness like gunpowder tea. As the palate develops, oily, grassy, and in particular, salty notes emerge. Finish: Peat fire. Warming. A bear hug.“

Rated 95 by Jackson.

Last night we ate at the Sushi Thai Garden. Afterward, we went to 9 Maple Ave for some after dinner drinks. Here, I tried the A.H. Hirsch Reserve 16 Year Old. It was America’s first 5 star bourbon. It is was made using a Pot Still, which is unique among American whiskey distilleries.

From the Beverage Testing Institute: “Brilliant burnished amber hue. Lush toffee, dried fruit, a rich entry leads to a dense medium-to-full-bodied palate with burnt caramel, mellow brown spices, and deeply toasted American oak flavors. Finishes with a balanced wave of spicy pepper. Wonderfully poised with a distinctly even, round quality.“

Rated 94 by the Beverage Testing Institute.

Today, I stopped at my favorite liquor store, “The Saratoga Wine Exchange“. I picked up a bottle of “Pappy Van Winkle’s Family Reserve 20 Year Old”, a Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey from the Old Rip Van Winkle Distillery. The Van Winkle name dates back to 1935 when Julian P. Van Winkle opened the Stitzel-Weller Distillery in South Louisville, Kentucky. “Pappy”, as he was fondly called, played an active roll in the disterlly until his death in 1965 at the age of 91. As a tribute to him and the family, his grandson Julian Van Winkle III created a special “Family Reserve” line, a small-batch bourbon that includes a 15, 20, and 23 year old malt.

This bourbon, like most other Van Winkle bourbons, includes wheat, not rye, into its corn mash. Wheated bourbon generally gives a sweeter, smoother taste than rye bourbons and allows it to age for loner periods of time. Don’t let this fool you, athough full of sweet flavors like vanilla and toasty oak, Pappy’s bourbon packs heat and expresses itself in a long, spicy finish.

From the bottle: “This is a very special bottling using the same mash formula my grandfather ‘Pappy’ used when he was distilling bourbon. Before now, this particular wheated recipe has never been offered as a 20 year old bourbon. This bourbon whiskey has been aged 20 of our Kentucky summers in new barrels of charred mountain oak. The gentle but frequent variables in our Kentucky climate set up a breathing motion within these barrels which passes the whiskey through the thin caramel layers of resinous oak which lies just beyond the char in the barrel staves. It is this action that mellows and brilliantly colors this fine old whiskey.“

Rated 99 by the Beverage Testing Institute.