Professor Cocktail

Ask the Professor: Bourbon Suggestions for a Scotch Fan

Jim M. writes in to ask:

I'm a Scotch fan, but if I wanted to try some bourbons, what should I pick?

Maker's Mark is the bourbon that a lot of people start with. It's one of the best made whiskeys around: balanced, flavorful and very tasty. It's a milder, wheated bourbon, though, and if you're an experienced whiskey drinker it might not have the zing you're looking for. But it's damn good stuff.

Knob Creek is another old standby, considered by many a step up from Maker's Mark – bolder and zestier, without the mellower, sweeter wheat flavor. Like Maker's, it has a classic bourbon profile that most people enjoy.

I asked a friend who's a real bourbon expert (unlike me, a pretend bourbon expert) and he recommended Blanton's or Basil Hayden's. They're both complex and spicy, with flavor profiles that a Scotch fan might enjoy.

If you're an Islay/peat fan, you might want to try a bourbon that has a high rye content, like Old Grand-Dad, Bulleit or Four Roses Single Barrel. Of those, my favorite is Four Roses Single Barrel.

My two favorite bourbons currently are Elijah Craig 18 Year-Old and Eagle Rare Single Barrel. Sadly, the former has been discontinued, although you can still find it on some shelves. Eagle Rare should be easy to find. These were the two winners of the bourbon taste test I conducted a while back.

There are several highly acclaimed bourbons that get all the accolades – e.g., Van Winkle, Parker's Heritage, George T. Stagg, Black Maple Hill – but they're hard-to-find and expensive, and probably not the best place to start.

Let me know how it goes!

Many thanks to Chuck Cowdery and Lew Bryson, whom I consulted before writing this post. Photo is from Bourbons Bistro.

What I Want for Christmas: The Ultimate Tailgate Trailer

 

It's getting to be that time of year again. The time when everyone starts to wonder: what should I get the professor for Christmas? You're in luck -- I have an answer!

Ripped from the pages of the 2012 Neiman Marcus Christmas Book, and costing a mere $150,000, is the Bulleit Frontier Whiskey Woody-Tailgate Trailer.

Bringing tailgating to a whole new level, the Bulleit Frontier Whiskey Woody-Tailgate Trailer includes the following:

• Sleek leather furnishings and details from Moore & Giles
• Rich wood finishings from reclaimed Bulleit Bourbon casks
• Elegant glassware
• Flat-screen TV, Blu-ray Disc player and a state-of-the-art sound system
• One-year supply of Bulleit Bourbon and Rye

I deserve it, right?

Cocktail of the Day: Caramel Apple Cosmo

Caramel Apple Cosmo

1 1/2 oz Van Gogh Wild Appel Vodka
1/2 oz Van Gogh Dutch Caramel Vodka
1/2 oz Licor 43
1/2 oz Lime Juice
1/2 oz Cranberry Juice

Shake with ice, then strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

A lot of cocktail people look down their noses at vodka, especially flavored vodka. I don't get it myself. I've always been a fan of vodka, and I enjoy experimenting with the flavored variety in different drinks. They're certainly not the first thing I reach for, but that doesn't mean they should never be used.

This was based on a recipe I found in Gaz Regan's book. It has delicious fall flavors and has quickly become one of my wife's favorite drinks.

You don't need to use the Van Gogh brand vodkas, although I've found these varieties to be very tasty. The Sobieski Karamel is also good.

If you don't have any Licor 43, you can replace it with a little simple syrup. It's not going to taste quite the same -- the Licor 43 has a very nice sweet vanilla flavor -- but it'll give you the general idea.

Colonel E.H. Taylor, Jr. Small Batch Bourbon Whiskey

I haven't tasted any of the E. H. Taylor bourbons, but this one sounds especially good. I'm going to have to see if I can find a bottle.

Buffalo Trace Distillery pays homage to former Distillery owner E. H. Taylor, Jr. with a small batch, Bottled-In-Bond, 100 proof bourbon whiskey aged in Taylor’s warehouse.

Taylor built his iconic brick warehouse for barrel aging in 1881 and the Warehouse is still in use today. After seven years on the sixth floor, his namesake bourbon whiskey tastes of caramel corn sweetness, mingled with butterscotch and licorice. The aftertaste is a soft mouth-feel that turns into subtle spices of pepper and tobacco.

The Small Batch Bourbon is the sixth and latest release in the line of the E. H. Taylor, Jr. collection of whiskeys, rounding out the collection of Old Fashioned Sour Mash Bourbon, Single Barrel Bourbon, Warehouse C Tornado Surviving Bourbon, Barrel Proof Bourbon and Straight Rye Whiskey.  The Taylor collection was first released in early 2011.  Like the previous five releases, this whiskey will have very limited availability and will be packaged in a vintage label and canister reminiscent of Taylor’s bottles over one hundred years ago.

“We’ve had a tremendous response to our E. H. Taylor, Jr. whiskeys,” said Kris Comstock, Bourbon marketing director. “We’re honored to pay tribute to a pioneer and legend like Taylor.”

Edmund Haynes Taylor is widely considered one of the founding fathers of the bourbon industry, fighting for the Bottled-in-Bond Act of 1897, nearly three decades after he purchased the distillery that is known today as the Buffalo Trace Distillery. During his time, Taylor implemented several innovative methods still used today by Buffalo Trace, such as climate controlled aging warehouses. In addition to his bourbon interests, Taylor had political ties. He was the great-nephew of President Zachary Taylor and elected the mayor of Frankfort, state representative to the Kentucky General Assembly and a member of the State Senate.

The inaugural bottling of Colonel E.H. Taylor, Jr. Small Batch Bourbon Whiskey will be available in November.  The suggested retail price is $39.99 per 750ml bottle.

Whiskey Review: John J. Bowman Single Barrel Virginia Bourbon

John J. Bowman Single Barrel
Virginia Straight Bourbon Whiskey
Grade: (Above Average)
Price: $50 (750ml)

I've been a resident of the Old Dominion for the past ten years, so I have a particular interest in Virginia spirits. This is especially true when it comes to the products made by A. Smith Bowman, since I lived just a few miles from the site of their old distillery for a big chunk of that decade.

The Bowman distillery was founded shortly after the end of Prohibition in a part of Northern Virginia that at the time was still very rural. Despite being less than twenty miles from Washington, DC, the area consisted mostly of farms and forestland.

Abraham Bowman and his sons began making whiskey there in 1934, and the company continued doing so for over fifty years, most of it sold under the Virginia Gentleman label. Although it is commonly believed that bourbon must be made in the state of Kentucky, this is not true. Bourbon can be made anywhere in the United States. In fact, when settlers first started making bourbon in Kentucky, it was still part of Virginia.

As Northern Virginia became increasingly developed, and property taxes climbed, the Bowman distillery had to move sixty miles south to Fredericksburg. Eventually it was sold to the Sazerac company, owners of Buffalo Trace and many other brands of fine whiskey.

John J. Bowman bourbon is triple-distilled -- the first two times at Buffalo Trace in Kentucky and the last time in a copper pot still at Bowman. It is then aged in barrels in the Bowman rickhouse in Fredericksburg. The climate of Northern Virginia is similar to that of Kentucky, but more variable, which has an effect on the aging of the whiskey. (Although I couldn't tell you what that is.)

This bourbon has a sweet, lively aroma of caramel and chocolate. The taste is dry and bold, more spicy than sweet. It's moderately hot at 100 proof, but not unpleasantly so. John J. Bowman has lots of flavor and a kick that will warm you down to your cockles. The finish is long and oaky with hints of vanilla. The bottle doesn't have an age statement, but it definitely has some years on it, probably north of ten.

I tend to prefer my whiskey a little less dry, but this is a very interesting spirit. It has a big, bourbon taste that I think a lot of whiskey drinkers are going to love, along with elements that remind me of aged Barbados rum like Mount Gay Extra Old. It's great to see the tradition of fine Virginia bourbon continuing, over two centuries after the colonists first began making it.

Cocktail of the Day: Eastern Sour

Eastern Sour

2 oz Bourbon
2 oz Orange Juice
3/4 oz Lemon Juice
1/2 oz Orgeat

Shake with ice, then strain into a double old-fashioned glass filled with crushed ice.

Adapated from a recipe by Jeff "Beachbum" Berry. Originally created by Trader Vic as a Tiki attempt to persuade whiskey drinkers to join the party. 

Van Winkle Bourbon Available Soon

This is great news for bourbon fans -- the Van Winkles are back! Sadly, these are going to be very hard to find. (And if you do find any, it's going to be more expensive than the prices quoted below.) But there's a reason these are the most-hyped bourbons in the world. Whether or not they're worth the effort is something only you can decide. They are almost universally accalimed, though.

Finally, the wait is nearly over! Van Winkle bourbons will be back on shelves in late October.  The popularity of Van Winkle whiskeys remains unmatched, but still in short supply. Known for their smoother and sweeter flavor, Van Winkle bourbons are aged years longer than most others and garner an impeccable reputation among connoisseurs.  “When bourbon ages over 15 years, much is lost to the angel’s share.  Many barrels often yield less than 20 gallons, out of the original 53 gallons produced,” said Julian Van Winkle, president, Old Rip Van Winkle Distillery. “However, our patience creates bourbon with unrivalled flavor.”

Although Van Winkle bourbons have become increasingly popular worldwide in recent years, less is sent overseas than ever to allow more of this coveted bourbon to remain in the United States.  “Because demand has escalated so much here, we’ve decided to scale back exports to help supply our American fan base,” continued Van Winkle.

Furthermore, there will be more Old Rip Van Winkle 10 Year Old Bourbon at 107 proof. “We prefer the taste of our 10 year old bourbon at 107 proof. The rich flavor is compounded by the high proof,” added Van Winkle. “We’ll no longer bottle our 10 year old whiskey at 90 proof. Therefore, there will be more 107 proof available. For those who will miss the 90 proof Old Rip, we suggest adding a little more water to their glass. As Pappy used to say, ‘why ship all that water across the country!’”

The Van Winkle collection consists of several expressions. Suggested retail prices are as follows:

• $39.99 - Old Rip Van Winkle Handmade Bourbon 10 Year Old 107 proof
• $54.99 - Van Winkle Special Reserve Bourbon 12 Year Old
• $69.99 - Van Winkle Family Reserve Rye Whiskey 13 Year Old
• $79.99 - Pappy Van Winkle’s Family Reserve Bourbon 15 Year Old
• $129.99 - Pappy Van Winkle’s Family Reserve Bourbon 20 Year Old
• $249.99 - Pappy Van Winkle’s Family Reserve Bourbon 23 Year Old

The Van Winkle line of whiskeys has won a bevy of awards through the years, including 2010 “Spirit of the Year” from Wine and Spirits Magazine for Pappy Van Winkle 23 Year Old; “Best of Show” and “Best Whiskey” at the 2010 Los Angeles Wine and Spirits Competition; Gold medals at the 2011 and 2012 San Francisco World Spirits Competition; Best of Category, Small Batch Bourbon 11 Years or Older, 2012 Los Angeles International Wine and Spirits Competition; and 2012 Chairman’s Trophy Finalist: Extraordinary, Ultimate Recommendation at the Ultimate Spirits Challenge.

The Van Winkle Whiskeys will be available near the end of October, but please be mindful that supply is quite limited and bottles shall be hard to find in stores, bars and restaurants. They will be packed three bottles per case, rather than traditional 12 bottle cases.

Scotch: A Pronunciation Guide

The names of the various Scotch distilleries are hard for most Americans to pronounce. Thankfully, we have Scottish actor Brian Cox to show us how.

If you visit the website, you can watch a loop of all the scotches, one after another.

Thoughts on Grading Spirits

When I started Professor Cocktail it seemed natural to assign letter grades when reviewing spirits. It just makes sense: the professor gives grades. But as I've written a bunch of reviews over the past year, I've grown to question the usefulness of a grading scale for booze that mirrors the familiar classroom model. I've asked myself more and more about the differences between a B and a B- spirit, and how they differ from a C+.

Are these differences discernible and meaningful? And, even more importantly, are they useful? Do they give the reader valuable information? I'm not so sure -- and if they're not aiding the consumer, what's the point of doing it?

When I write book reviews, something I've done professionally for almost a decade now, I don't assign letter grades or give scores. I just write the review and allow the critique to stand for itself. I don't think it's ever unclear what I think of the book, because the review tells you.

Spirits are a little different, however, because we have to use words to convey flavors and aromas. We're trying to give the reader some guidance on what to expect from a spirit in terms of taste, etc., which is more nebulous than what they can expect from a book or film.

Because of this, I think it makes sense to assign some type of score along with the verbal review for spirits. But I also think it makes sense to use a more streamlined grading scale than what we have been. I think most consumers look to spirits reviews for two kinds of guidance: what to expect, and whether or not they should buy it. A grade can help make the picture clearer.

Out of all the scoring systems I've seen, I like the one used by F. Paul Pacult the best. He awards stars ranging from one to five with no fractional increments. How many stars the spirit receives indicates both its relative quality, and whether or not he recommends it. I like both the simplicity and the utility of this method. So I'm stealing it.

Here is the grading scale that we'll be using from this point on:

Professor Cocktail's Grading Scale

Disappointing: Not recommended

Average: Not recommended

Above Average: Recommended

Superb: Highly Recommended

Classic: Highest Recommendation