December 14th, 2009
John Hansell
Okay everyone, get out your crystal ball. What do you see happening to the whisky (and whiskey) industry in 2010? I’ll start the discussion by making a couple of predictions myself.
More experimental American whiskeys
The American whiskey industry was very slow getting on the experimenting bandwagon (relative to Scotch, Japanese, and Irish whiskey). But with the likes of Woodford Reserve’s Master’s Collection whiskeys, High West’s “Bourye“, The Party Sources “Wheat on Rye” Experimental Whiskey (in association with Buffalo Trace Distillery), and the blossoming small, artisanal distilleries, I think (or at least I hope) 2010 will see more different kinds of experimental bourbons and other American whiskeys on the market than ever before.
More Scotch whiskies without age statements
Across the pond in Scotland, I think more and more distilleries will continue abandoning age statements. It gives them more flexibility in what goes in the bottle. It will also help them blend in younger whiskey coming on the market with existing stocks of older whisky and still command a fair price for it.
Now it’s your turn. Tell us what you think will happen in 2010. We can come back to this one year from now and see how well we did.
Category: Bourbon, Opinions, Rye whiskey, Scotch whisky
Tags: Buffalo Trace, High West Distillery, The Party Source, Woodford Reserve
November 6th, 2009
John Hansell
Both of these whiskeys were re-barreled into new charred oak barrels. The difference is that one is just older than the other (11-plus years versus 16-plus years). Full details on each bottling are here. I love these experiments! They push the extremes, open our eyes, and create excitement.
Buffalo Trace Experimental Collection “Double Barreled,” 1997 Vintage, 45%, $47
Nice effort overall. My gut feeling is that this whiskey might have been better a couple years ago, but I wouldn’t call the second barrel impact excessive. It’s rich and smooth, with sweeter notes of caramel, rich vanilla and subtle candied fruit, underpinned by firm spice (especially cinnamon) which kicks in on the finish. It comes across as very traditional bourbon with perhaps a little extra oak impact on the back end.
Advanced Malt Advocate magazine rating: 88
Buffalo Trace Experimental Collection “Double Barreled,” 1993 Vintage, 45%, $47
A big bourbon in many respects, but this is one whiskey where I would have happily settled for a “Single Barreled.” To be honest, there are some good qualities to this whiskey. The nose is wonderful! (I tasted this whiskey straight from the barrel right before it was bottled and it was more aggressive. I think the lower strength and chill-filtering has helped to tame this beast.) Even the palate starts out fine, with chewy toffee, molasses, dark fruit, raisin and dates. But it is quickly consumed by intensely dry oak spice, gripping resin, and leather which clings to my tongue and won’t let go. In this instance, last impressions are lasting impressions.
Advanced Malt Advocate magazine rating: 71
Category: Bourbon, New Releases, Reviews
Tags: Buffalo Trace
September 19th, 2009
John Hansell
Six different whiskymakers from six different distilleries have agreed to make a unique bottle of whisky (bottle #1 of 1) just for WhiskyFest San Francisco, which takes place on October 16th. Attendees will be able to taste a 1/2 ounce pour for a requested $20 donation to charity (Meals on Wheels).
Here are the six whiskies, along with a description of each, as provided by the whiskymaker.
Isle of Jura- Willie Tait: “I put a hogs head of Jura down on the 23rd Nov 1989, on my daughter’s 13th birthday. This was my legacy for my children, as they have already taken all my money.”
Bruichladdich- Jim McEwan: “The title of my whisky will be “Working on a Dream” it will be a vatting of 46 years of Bruichladdich as that is the time I have been in the business. A single malt made by humble men on the west coast of Islay whereby you can feel and taste their personality, honesty and passion in every sip you take.”
The Dalmore- Richard Paterson: As Neil Armstrong stepped onto the lunar surface for the very first time at 02.56 GMT on 21st July 1969, the new spirit of Dalmore down on Earth on this very same day was being transported onto the circular surface of American White Oak to begin its epic journey too.
The Balvenie- David Stewart: David now has an intimate knowledge of where his personal favorites are within the Balvenie warehouses, many of which he has been carefully nurturing for several years. David’s unique bottling will be a single cask sampling drawn directly from one of this highly personal selections.
Glenfiddich- Brian Kinsman: Cask samples are retained long after the cask has long been bottled and savored. They form a historical archive of Glenfiddich’s greatest and best. Brian will be selecting from these precious remnants to craft a unique and unrepeatable one-bottle “vatting” of Glenfiddich.
Buffalo Trace- Our charity Buffalo Trace bottle contains the very first sample ever drawn from our “Millennium Barrel.” This barrel was filled on December 31, 1999, that’s why we call it our “Millennium Barrel.” It was the very last barrel that we filled on the last day of the last century.
This is about as rare as whisky gets. And you can be sure they are going to taste great. Come to WhiskyFest San Francisco, try one of these rare treats, and help support a good cause.
Category: Bourbon, Charity, Events, Scotch whisky, WhiskyFest
Tags: Balvenie, Bruichladdich, Buffalo Trace, Dalmore, Glenfiddich, Isle of Jura
August 15th, 2009
John Hansell
Yesterday I was at the Buffalo Trace distillery for Elmer T. Lee’s 90th Birthday Party. But, in the afternoon, before the party, I had the chance to taste the new Buffalo Trace Antique Collection.
While tasting the whiskeys, I posted my thoughts up on Twitter. For those of you not following me yet, you should (@JohnHansell), as I often post quick thoughts or breaking news on Twitter, in addition to posting lengthier, more formal information later on WDJK, and I don’t plan on making a practice of posting my tweets here. (You can, however, find my tweets on the right margin of WDJK.)
If you missed it, here’s a copy of my tweets on the new BT Antique Collection. (Please note that these are my general thoughts, and my formal reviews will follow later.)
Just tasted the entire new line of Buffalo trace Antique Collection whiskeys, plus 2 new experimental whiskeys. Informal reviews to follow.
William Larue Weller. A CS wheated bourbon whiskey. My favorite of the new lot. They beefed it up with some older whiskeys. Stunning!
George T. Stagg. A CS ryed bourbon whiskey. My #2 of the lot! They beefed this baby up too! Incredible balance! Another “must buy”!
Thomas H. Handy Rye. Sweet, lush, vibrant, and spicy. Perhaps my third favorite. The Rye equivalent to Cask Strength Laphroaig 10 yr old.
Sazerac Rye 18 yr. rye whiskey. The 2001-2005 vintages were the best. Aged in Stainless since 2006. Still nice, but losing some pizazz.
Eagle Rare 17 yr. Sort of got lost in the mix with these other bullies. Need a separate time to review it fairly. Last two years were great.
Category: Bourbon, Distillery Tours, Events, New Releases, Opinions, Reviews, Rye whiskey
Tags: Buffalo Trace
August 13th, 2009
John Hansell
The next two days I’ll be at the Buffalo Trace distillery in Frankfort, KY. The main purpose of my visit is to attend Elmer T. Lee’s (Master Distiller Emeritus) 90th Birthday Party, which is tomorrow (Friday). But there will be some other activities going on too.
Tonight is a dinner at the distillery with fellow writers, including Lew Bryson, Chuck Cowdery, Paul Pacult and Jim Murray. Tomorrow during the day, we’ll be tasting some experimental whiskeys, followed by Elmer’s party later on in the evening.
I might not have enough time blog that much, but I do have Twitter loaded up on my Blackberry. If I discover anything noteworthy to share with you (either informative or humorous), I’ll tweet about it.
How do you follow me on Twitter? It’s easy. You can follow me directly by logging on to twitter to follow me formally (@JohnHansell), or you can just go on to my blog here at WDJK and check my most recent tweets (under “what I’m doing”), which are automatically feed to the right margin below the summary of my recent blog postings.
I’m sure I’ll have a lot to share with you from my trip. And I’ll eventually get it into a blog posting, but you’ll get the info practically real time on Twitter in the interim.
Category: Administrative, Bourbon, Distillery Tours, Events, Rye whiskey
Tags: Buffalo Trace, Elmer T. Lee
August 1st, 2009
John Hansell
As I mentioned in previous postings, a handful of distillery managers and master blenders have each agreed to make one unique bottle of whisky (bottle #1 of 1) for WhiskyFest San Francisco this October 16th. These whiskies will, naturally, be rarer than any other bottle of whisky the ever produced, because there is only one bottle. For a small donation to charity, you will have the opportunity to taste one of these whiskies.
You can read about our first four whiskies here. This is our first bourbon participating. It’s from Buffalo Trace. Here are the details, as described to me by my friends at the distillery.
Our charity Buffalo Trace bottle contains the very first sample ever drawn from our “Millennium Barrel”. This barrel was filled on December 31, 1999, that’s why we call it our “Millennium Barrel”. It was the very last barrel that we filled on the last day of the last century.
This barrel was aged in our one-of-a-kind single barrel warehouse for nearly 10 years. The single barrel warehouse is a very tight warehouse which tends to age bourbon gracefully, so the flavors are nicely balanced. The bourbon has a traditional bourbon flavor with some nice wood flavors, strong, but not overpowering. Hints of caramel are present and the complexity is well balanced. As an added bonus, we’ll fill the charity bottle at barrel proof, uncut and unfiltered.
Very cool! Thanks guys!
Category: Bourbon, Charity, Events, WhiskyFest
Tags: Buffalo Trace
July 28th, 2009
John Hansell
For those of you who don’t know, Elmer T. Lee is Master Distiller Emeritus of the Buffalo Trace Distillery, a true living legend, and man who has his own single barrel bourbon named after him.
He is turning 90 years old in a couple weeks. There will be a small birthday party for him, and I’m flying down to be there for the party.
I thought it would be nice if I we could let him know how much we appreciate all that he’s done for the bourbon industry and wish him a Happy Birthday too. If you would like to say a few words, please post them below. I’ll bring your well wishes with me and give them to him when I see him.
Maybe you tried his bourbon and enjoyed it? Maybe you appreciate what Buffalo Trace has done over the years (even back when it was called Ancient Age Distillery)? Maybe you met him at a WhiskyFest and enjoyed his company?
Go ahead and say a word or two if you feel inclined. I’ll see that he gets your comments. Thanks!
Category: Bourbon, Events, Opinions, Rye whiskey
Tags: Buffalo Trace, Elmer T. Lee
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