Spoiler Alert: Fall Whiskeys Revealed

Fall is the big whiskey season when all the special release whiskeys come out, but because of the TTB label approval process, we get a preview of them in spring and summer.  Here are some of what awaits us this fall (other than Zachory Boone):

• Four Roses Limited Edition Small Batch.  Last years Four Roses Limited Edition Small Batch Bourbon was one of the best bourbons of the year.  This year's will be composed of 18 year old OBSV, 13 year old OBSK and 13 year old OESK, the same recipes in last year's edition but at different ages.
• Woodford Reserve Master's Collection.  It looks like this year's Woodford Master's Collection will be a repeat of the Woodford Rye Whiskey experiment of two years ago, except with barley malt.  There will be a single malt whiskey aged in used barrels in the Scotch style and a straight malt with corn as a secondary grain aged in new charred oak in the American style.
• Masterson's.  35 Maple, the bottler of Masterson's Rye will be importing a 12 year old straight wheat whiskey and a ten year old straight barley whiskey from Canada.
• Redbreast 21.  A 21 year old version of Redbreast Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey.

Stay tuned for more new releases as I find them.

Tennessee Whiskey: A New Definition

Most whiskey drinkers know Tennessee Whiskey as a particular style of whiskey made by Jack Daniel's and George Dickel which is essentially bourbon in which the spirit undergoes filtering through sugar-maple charcoal, known as the Lincoln County Process.  For years, that process distinguished Tennessee Whiskey from other whiskeys.

Despite that widespread understanding, Tennessee Whiskey is not a legally defined term in the federal regulations that define other whiskey classifications such as bourbon and rye whiskey.  Therefore, when new distilleries started popping up, there was nothing stopping them from making a "Tennessee Whiskey" that did not use the Lincoln County filtering process.

Now, Tennessee has stepped in to fill the gap.  The state legislature has passed a bill which would set out a formal definition of Tennessee Whiskey.  Sponsored by the state house member who represents Lynchburg, the home of Jack Daniel's, the new bill requires that:

 An intoxicating liquor may not be advertised, described, labeled, named, sold or referred to for marketing or sales purposes as"Tennessee Whiskey", "Tennessee Whisky", "Tennessee Sour Mash Whiskey" or "Tennessee Sour Mash Whisky" unless the intoxicating liquor is:

(1) Manufactured in Tennessee;
(2) Made of a grain mixture that is at least fifty-one percent (51%) corn;
(3) Distilled to no more than 160 proof or eighty percent (80%) alchol by volume;
(4) Aged in new, charred oak barrels in Tennessee;
(5) Filtered through maple charcoal prior to aging;
(6) Placed in the barrel at no more than 125 proof or sixty-two and one-half percent (62.5%) alcohol by volume; and
(7) Bottled at not less than 80 proof or forty percent (40%) alcohol by volume.

This definition mirrors the federal definition of bourbon except for the requirement that it must be manufactured in Tennessee and filtered through maple charcoal.

Prichard's Distillery, in Kelso, Tennessee, received a specially tailored exemption from the law, which grandfathers in distilleries licensed in the year 2000, which apparently covers only Prichard's.  The exemption for Prichard's is permanent, so under the law, it will be the only distillery allowed to sell a non-charcoal filtered Tennessee Whiskey.  Other distilleries have three years to comply.

William T. Cheek is an alcoholic beverage law specialist at the law firm of Bone McAllester Norton in Nashville.  In an article he posted on the firm's website, Cheek wrote that the new law "favors a local giant at the expense of Tennessee entrepreneurs."  I followed up with Cheek, who represents several small distilleries which will be directly impacted by the bill.  He said the bill originally regulated distilleries' transferring of whiskey between counties and that this amendment was added at the behest of Jack Daniel's.  He also noted that, since it is a state law, the law will not affect companies that sell "Tennessee Whiskey" outside of the state.

Others have speculated that the major focus of the law is Popcorn Sutton's Tennessee White Whiskey, an unaged, unfiltered whiskey utilizing the name of legendary Tennessee moonshiner Popcorn Sutton.  It's not clear, however, if Sutton's use of the term "Tennessee White Whiskey" on the label would conflict with this law.  Given that the penalty for violating the law, however, is a suspension of the manufacturer's license for a period of at least one year, most producers will likely comply rather than risk being shut down. 

At the very least, this law provides a somewhat clearer answer for the question of what "Tennessee Whiskey" is, at least within the confines of the state of Tennessee.

The bill is headed for the Governor's desk, where he is expected to sign it.

UPDATE:  The Governor signed the bill on May 13.

Some Interesting Whiskey Blogs

In compiling my complete list of whiskey blogs, I stumbled on more than a few that I hadn't seen before and was reminded of others that I really enjoy.  I'm always looking for whiskey blogs that provide an alternative perspective, and here are a few I've been reading lately that I find particularly interesting. 

• Clay Risen is a staff editor at the New York Times who writes the Mash Notes blog.  He also writes whiskey articles for the Times, and unlike most whiskey articles in the mainstream press, Risen makes sure his articles are accurate and not always about Pappy Van Winkle.  He's not the most prolific blogger, but he's an engaging and honest writer which makes his blog a real pleasure.  He's also working on a book about American whiskey.
• Linh Do is the Los Angeles based blogger who writes Bliss in a Barrel.  Her posts tend to revolve around some of the local whiskey clubs and on-line networks she's involved in, but she also works in the industry, and has some fascinating posts about working as a liquor company representative.  I'm hoping she'll continue to blog in that direction.
• If you're looking for something a bit different, check out Rob Gard's The Whisky Guy. Rob is another LA based blogger who previously worked at Bruichladdich.  Rob's blog is not as much about whiskey as it uses whiskey as a background to examine human nature.  Rob is also working on a book about his experiences working at a distillery.

There's lots of good whiskey stuff to read out there (in fact, there are 259 whiskey blogs at present count), and these are just a few of them, but they're good ones so check them out.

And the Award for Label BS goes to... Zachory Boone

In the past, I've poked fun at some of the questionable claims on whiskey labels, but occasionally, I see a real one that out does my parodies.  A case in point is the newly registered label for Zachory Boone Bourbon.  This label comes to us from Levecke Corporation a distributor/rectifier (i.e., not a distiller) in Mira Loma, California.

Here is the excellent label description for this Kentucky Straight Bourbon:

From legend long ago...At the age of 21 years, Zachory T. Boone cooked up his first batch of bourbon whiskey using the same distilling techniques used by his great grandfather. At the heart of the recipe was a wonderful blend of premium American grains and pure Kentucky mountain water used to create the perfect sour mash for fermentation. The sour mash was distilled in a multi-column still and the patiently laid to rest for over 3 years in charred oak barrels.

Today our modern distillery still uses Zachory Boone's same quality ingredients, same Kentucky mountain water and the same care in aging the whiskey to achieve the full bourbon character that makes Zachory Boone one of Kentucky's finest bourbon whiskeys.

If there were an award for whiskey label bullshit, this would clearly get it.  It does a great job of saying a lot without telling us anything.  Zachory Boone was such an innovator that he used  "American grains" and "Kentucky mountain water" to make his bourbon.  He then distilled it in a "multi-column still" and "patiently" laid it to rest in charred oak barrels (well, not that patiently given that it's only three years old).  So based on this detailed description, we now know that this is a bourbon that was made like pretty much every other bourbon in the world.  Wow, that's helpful.

In the second paragraph we learn that "our modern distillery" (I'm sorry, whose modern distillery?  I'm not aware that Levecke Corporation has a distillery) uses the same quality ingredients.  Imagine that, just like old Zachory used grain and water, so does the distillery that makes it now.  It's like a bourbon time machine to bring you back to a time when bourbon was made with grain and water (which of course, have always been the ingredients).  Speaking of which, the label never mentions when the alleged Zachory Boone allegedly made his first bourbon.  Was it in 1875? 1908? 1972?  Last week?

But it gets stranger.  The bottom line on the label says "Distilled from barley and malt mash."  Er, what?  A "whiskey distilled from malt mash" is defined as distilled from not less than 51% barley and aged in used barrels whereas bourbon is composed of at least 51% corn and aged in new barrels.  I guess old Zachory really was an innovator; he made a Kentucky bourbon that isn't even a bourbon.  (Oh, and note to the TTB who are supposed to be making sure that labels comply with their classifications before approving them:  Wake the fuck up!)

But hey, the proof is in how it tastes, and this guy liked it (Seriously, watch the whole video.  It's almost as funny as the label).

DC Whiskey: Jack Rose

I've been to whiskey bars, but Jack Rose is beyond a whiskey bar; it's a temple.  Located on the edge of the hip Adams Morgan neighborhood of Washington DC, the walls of this spacious "dining saloon" are stacked high with bottles.

The pickings are broad and deep.  Malt whisky advisor Roberto Cofino has done an amazing job of stocking the single malt selection with over 1,000 malts.  It's one of the few drinking establishments in the US that offers Scotch Malt Whisky Society bottlings (of which it has many), and there are countless rare independent bottlings from every region of Scotland.

The American whiskey selection is equally impressive, as could be expected given that the Saloon has two sister establishments that specialize in bourbon.  Among the 500 or so American whiskeys on the shelf, of particular interest to the true geeks are the proprietary bottlings of Willett's from KBD, including the vaunted 1983/1984 rye whiskeys from the old Bernheim distillery.  They had some of the renowned Doug Phillips bottlings, the Red Hook Rye from LeNell's and their own bottling, known as the Iron Fist (they also have a corresponding Velvet Glove but were out of it the night I visited).

How many bars can you walk into an order a 1960s era Old Fitzgerald from the Stitzel-Weller distillery?  You can at Jack's.

Prices were surprisingly reasonable for what they sell, and best of all, they offer one ounce pours for half the price of regular two ounce pours (those old Willett ryes went for $30 for a one ounce pour).  In addition, if you order your whiskey neat, they offer a choice of glasses:  tumbler, Glencairn or snifter.  This is a bar made for whiskey geeks.

If you are anywhere within 3,000 miles of Jack Rose, you have no excuse not to go there.

Jack Rose Dining Saloon
2007 18th Street NW
Washington, DC  20009
(202) 588-7388

Dusty Thursday: The Real Michter's Original Sour Mash Whiskey

Yesterday, I sampled the new Michter's Original Sour Mash Whiskey.  That one is a Kentucky whiskey from an undisclosed distillery (or distilleries), but long ago, when Michter's was a real distillery, the sour mash whiskey was made in Pennsylvania from a mashbill of 50% bourbon, 38% rye and  12% malted barley and aged in a mixture of new and used barrels.  I was lucky enough to have a generous friend who shared a sample of a miniature bottle of the real stuff with me (pictured, right); I know he likes some char on his bourbon, let's see what it's like.

Michter's Original Sour Mash Whiskey, 43% abv.

The nose is a bit soapy with some of the sandalwood notes that I often get on old Pennsylvania ryes.  The palate too is soapy with a lot of sandalwood.  Spicy notes dominate the finish.  This is much more similar to the old Pennsylvania ryes than it is to any bourbon I've had.  I generally like the sandalwood notes in those old ryes, but the soapy notes in this clashed with them.

This is absolutely nothing like the contemporary version I reviewed yesterday.  Whereas that one tastes pretty much like any current bourbon, the original Michter's tastes nothing like a modern bourbon.  Of course, the original Michter's was not only made in Pennsylvania, it was made in a pot still, which imparts a very different flavor to a whiskey.  The new Michter's was almost certainly made on a continuous still, which probably accounts for some of the differences between the two.  (UPDATE: Sam K. points out in the comments that the pot still was the doubler and the whiskey went through a typical continuous still first).  In addition, soapiness is a characteristic that I have found in a number of dusties, and it can be a result of poor storage or handling over the years, and the small quantity involved in a miniature bottle makes it even more susceptible to the ravages of time.  All this is to say that the current state of this whiskey might not reflect what it tasted like in its prime, but that's always a risk with dusties.

Despite its flaws, I'm intrigued by this old Michter's, particularly the Pennsylvania rye notes.  I'll have to see if I can track down some more of this stuff.

Michter's Original Sour Mash Whiskey

Long ago, Michter's was a distillery near Schafferstown, in Southeastern Pennsylvania.  The distillery shut down in 1989, but as with many American distilleries, the name lived on.  After the original name was abandoned, it was registered by Chatham Imports which used it as a label on sourced whiskey that it had bottled at Kentucky Bourbon Distillers.

The original Michter's is most known today as the source of the A.H. Hirsch bourbon, a series of private bottlings of bourbon distilled in 1974 (For more detail, see Chuck Cowdery's book The Best Bourbon You'll Never Taste).

But A.H. Hirsch was a one-off; Michter's had its own brands, the most known of which was their Original Sour Mash Whiskey.  According to Whiskey Advocate's resident Michter's expert Sam Komlenic, the Original Sour Mash mashbill was 50% corn, 38% rye and 12% malted barley, and it was aged in a combination of new and used cooperage. It couldn't be called bourbon both because it had less than the required 51% corn and because some of it was aged in used barrels.

When Chatham took over the label, they put out bourbon, rye and an "American whiskey" but they didn't use the Original Sour Mash label, until now.  Last December, Chatham released an Original Sour Mash.  They don't give much of a description of it so there's no telling if anything about it is similar to the original version, except they say it is aged in new charred oak and it appears to be distilled in Kentucky, two things that were not true of the original Michter's brand.  Of course, the use of the term "sour mash" tells us nothing since sour mash is the process used by nearly all American whiskeys to keep a consistent environment for their yeast from batch to batch.  But let's see how it tastes.



Michter's Original Sour Mash, 43% abv, Batch 12 LID ($45)

The nose has candy corn and wood.  The palate starts with lots of sweet corn and some grassy notes.  Then wood and spice kick in.  The spice takes over and gets peppery into the finish, then turns to corn flakes.  It certainly tastes like bourbon. The prominence of corn reminds me of one of the Beam Small Batch bourbons, but the way the spice mixes in is more akin to Elijah Craig or another Heaven Hill product. 

The new Michter's isn't bad at all, but there's nothing in it that is at all compelling.  It's a decent whiskey which I would be able to recommend if it were about half the asking price.

How does this new label compare to the original Pennsylvania Michter's Original Sour Mash?  There's only one way to find out.  Tune in tomorrow for Dusty Thursday.