Blog of the Month: Whisky Lassie

Canadian whisky blogger Johanne McInnis started Whisky Lassie in 2012 and has been posting at a solid clip ever since. Whisky Lassie tends to focus on Scotch (especially Tomatin) and Canadian Whisky and brings a unique voice to everything she discusses. The thing I like most about the blog is that it almost never repeats things seen on other blogs. Both feisty and unpredictable, Whisky Lassie isn't afraid to be contrarian, defending NAS whiskies at a time when they are under attack, and she has little use for anything she perceives as snobbishness on the part of whisky geeks. While I don't always agree with her, I always enjoy reading her opinions and the stories she tells.  Check it out!

New Books: Bitters, Shrubs and Smoke

The number of whiskey and cocktail books out there continues to grow. Along with great general works, we now have numerous specialty books that dive into very specific and specialized areas. Today, I review two such works.


Bitters & Shrub Syrup Cocktails by Warren Bobrow

Whiskey and cocktail writer Warren Bobrow takes us back to the medicinal history of cocktails with recipes that hearken back to the days when mixology was a subset of pharmacology.  While the title includes bitters and shrub syrups, the book's emphasis is really on shrub syrups which I had never heard of before reading Bobrow's fascinating book. Not being an advanced mixology buff, the only shrubs I knew of were the kind that grow in the yard which don't seem all that fit for use in cocktails. Shrub syrups, it turns out, are vinegar and sugar concoctions flavored with fruits, vegetables and/or herbs. Historically, they were often paired with rhum agricole, but Bobrow provides recipes for numerous shrubs syrups, shrub syrup cocktails, mocktails and even main dish recipes using shrub syrups.

Bobrow's drinks sound fantastic; who wouldn't want to try a cocktail that combines peated Scotch with a syrup made from tart cherries, honey, mirin and rice wine vinegar or a rum drink that includes a shrub syrup made from grilled peaches and Thai basi?  The only challenge is that making your own shrub syrups requires a fair amount of commitment as many of them have to age for at least three to four weeks (though he does provide some recipes that can be made in much shorter times). On top of that, some of the drink recipes include other syrups or infusions that are also fairly labor intensives.

This book is a huge amount of fun.  The recipes are creative, the text is engaging and I'd love to try pretty much every cocktail listed.  For a bar with a serious mixology program, this would be a fantastic resource.  For all but the most ambitious home-mixologists, though, it would be pretty daunting. That being said, there are a few bottled shrub syrups out there, so I might just take a few of these recipes for a spin with some of those.

Bitters & Shrub Syrup Cocktails by Warren Bobrow
Fair Winds Press ($22)
Releases May 1 but is available for pre-order on Amazon


Fire Water: Experimental Smoked Whiskeys by Darek Bell

Another new book that is even more focused on industry professionals is Darek Bell's Fire Water: Experimental Smoked Whiskeys.  Bell is the owner of the Corsair Distillery and is obsessed with integrating smoke into his whiskeys. Bell goes in depth with instructions about the various ways to make smoked whiskeys and then reviews and analyzes dozens of woods, barks, roots and herbs that can be used impart smoke.

This is a book that should be of great interest to craft distillers. One of the benefits of smoked whiskey, which Bell acknowledges, is that it makes very young whiskey more palatable (think Balcones Brimstone, Bruichladdich PC5, etc.) so it's a perfect fit for craft distillers who are trying to do something innovative but need to get product on the market.

As to the non-distiller, for me, it's always fun to read something by someone so dedicated to their craft, but unless you're a real distilling geek, it's probably more detail than you would want. Hopefully, it will inspire some distillers and in a few years, we will see a new generation of smoked whiskeys.

Fire Water: Experimental Smoked Whiskeys by Darek Bell ($30)


Thanks to Bobrow and Bell for copies of their books.

New Whiskey Labels: Four Roses Small Batch, Brora and More

This week's most interesting new labels from the federal TTB database:

Four Roses cleared a label for this year's Limited Edition Small Batch.  This year's Small Batch will be a blend of  16 year old OBSK, 15 year old OESK, 14 year old OESK and 11 year old OBSV.  That makes its components quite a bit older than last year's release.

Brown Forman cleared a label for this year's Woodford Reserve Master's Collection, a bourbon called "1838 Style White Corn." There are no further details on the label.

You don't see many independently bottled Broras these days, but this week, a label cleared for a 35 year old Brora from Gordon & MacPhail. 

Three labels cleared for Japanese whiskey but not from any of the usual suspects.  They are from distilleries that make shochu, an unaged rice spirit.  Apparently, they are barrel aging their shochu to make rice whiskey. Two are from the Ohishi Distillery, distilled from malted and unmalted rice. The labels include a brandy cask and a sherry cask with no age statements. A third, is from the Fukano Distillery and is made from malted rice. None of them have age statements. Hmm, perhaps Japanese rice whiskey is the next big thing.

Old Pulteney cleared a label for a 26 year old lightly peated whiskey distilled in 1989.

Lastly, it's always good to see a label honoring one of our great American presidents so thanks to California based Alambic Inc. for Millard Fillmore brandy, a blend of pot distilled brandy from Germain-Robin and a column distilled California brandy. Now I'm looking forward to Franklin Pierce Rum!

Note:  The fact that a label appears on the TTB database does not necessarily mean it will be produced.  In addition, some details on the label, such as proof, can change in the final product.

Glenfarclas 1990 from K&L

This was a 2014 release from K&L composed of a vatting of two first fill Oloroso sherry casks.

Glenfarclas 1990, 24 years old, 50% abv ($170)

The nose has bright fruit and sherry notes with a touch of sulfur. The palate starts with a moderately sweet sherry note; as with the nose, there is very light sulfur and milk chocolate in the late palate. The finish is sweet and fruity on the nose but dry on the palate with some nice spice on the palate.

This stuff is great, balanced and drinkable as hell. I wouldn't call it a sherry monster, but it's one of those malts I just find myself reaching for over and over. If you're a sherry fan and certainly if you're a Glenfarclas fan, I'd definitely recommend it.

The State of American Whiskey Distilleries 2015

Every year, I do a brief summary of the American distilling scene based on my Complete List of American Whiskey Distilleries & Brands.

The rapid growth of distilleries continues. By my count, as of 2015, there are 517 distilleries in the United States that are currently making whiskey, up from 325 just a year ago.

Whiskey is being distilled in 49 states and the District of Columbia. Hawaii is the only no-show, though they do have a rum distillery.

Washington State continues to lead the way with 47 active whiskey distilleries, followed by New York with 43, California with 36 and Colorado with 29.  Four other states have twenty or more whiskey distilleries: Oregon (24), Kentucky (23), Texas (21) and Ohio (20).

The expansion of distilling really is amazing over the years if you look back at my reports from 2014 and 2013.

New Whiskey Labels: Scotch and Garlic

This week's most interesting new labels from the federal TTB database:

Independent Scotch bottler That Boutique-y Whisky Company may be most known for their comic book inspired labels.  Their whiskeys have not previously been available in the U.S., but this week the cleared labels for two blends (#1 and #2), a blended malt and single malts from Alt A Bhainne, Glentauchers, Glenburgie and Tormore.   All labels were for 375 ml bottles and are NAS.

Glenrothes cleared a label for a 1995 vintage whiskey.

How will we know when the flavored whiskey thing has jumped the shark?  Hmm, maybe when people start making garlic flavored whiskey.

Note:  The fact that a label appears on the TTB database does not necessarily mean it will be produced.  In addition, some details on the label, such as proof, can change in the final product.

Jim Beam Gets Some Color: Brown Rice & Red Wheat

Last year, the Jim Beam released two bourbons as part of their Signature Craft series which used alternative mashbills, one with soft red wheat and one with brown rice. They are planning to release more using oats, triticale (a rye/wheat hybrid), six row barley and a high rye recipe.  Of course, these are all bourbons so they all are at least 51% corn, but these alternate grains are used in the mashbill.  The first two are both eleven years old, 90 proof and go for around $50 for a half bottle (375 ml).


Jim Beam Signature Craft Soft Red Wheat, 11 yo, 45% abv ($50)

A Jim Beam bourbon with soft red wheat instead of rye isn't very revolutionary since that's pretty much what Maker's Mark is.  In fact, given that there is no requirement that the distillery be listed on a whiskey label, this could well be 11 year old Maker's Mark, which would be interesting since Maker's has never carried an age statement and is reputed to be much younger than 11 years old.

The nose has sweet caramel with, strawberries, raspberries and red licorice.  The initial palate is intensely fruity with apple candy, then it picks up some spice, but it fades quickly, leaving a sweet, fruit candy finish on the nose and some pepper on the tongue. This definitely has some of the Maker's style candy sweetness, though more fruit comes out than in Maker's. It's a decent bourbon, candy sweet to be sure but not overwhelmingly so, and the spice adds some nice balance. 


Jim Beam Signature Craft Brown Rice, 11 yo, 45% abv ($50)

The only other rice bourbon I'm familiar with is the 2012 Buffalo Trace Experimental Collection "Made with Rice."  Let's see how Beam's version compares.

The nose on this one is pretty traditional bourbon with caramel notes, but it has a sweetness that's reminiscent of old, dusty bourbons.  The palate is very unBeam.  It's got strong mineral notes, almost like a Dickel (and tasting blind, I would definitely have guessed Dickel), which give it a lot more texture and depth than a typical Beam. Those mineral notes really blow up on the finish, which is quite long.  It's quirky, but I like it.


These are well crafted bourbons, and it's nice to see Beam doing something truly innovative, but I wish they were about $20 cheaper. While I'd happily drink either of them, I don't think I'd plop down a US Grant for a half bottle of one of these.


Thanks to John Burlowski for the samples.