Can't get it up here north of the border but, through a wine distributer I am able to order a case. Would like to hear from someone who knows their stuff and has tried it before I order.
Mention "flavored whiskey" to your average scotch or bourbon drinkers, and it'll likely be enough to make them jump out of their seats, find the nearest bottle of root beer vodka and crack you over the head with it.
Bourbon whiskey doesn't play that game. It's not the tarted-up top-shelf celebrity that pineapple gin and whipped cream vodka are. Centuries of tradition provide its flavor. Generations of appreciators make up its entourage.
Bourbon isn't partied with, it's contemplated and enjoyed. That said, Scientific American notes that modern, more experimental distillers are studying the wood in whiskey barrels to see just how much they can toy with bourbon's flavor.
Just about the only simple portion of a bourbon's life is when it's poured into the glass. First it has to sit in American white oak barrels that are cooked, toasted and seasoned to leach a bit of coconut flavor into the mix.
Once distilled, whiskey enters those charred oak barrels to age. Chemical interactions within the barrel gives the whiskey flavors of vanilla, caramel, spice, toast, smoke, coconut, coffee and mocha. Vapor and barometric pressure push the liquid deep inside the wood, bringing out more intense flavor notes, which makes it a really good idea to stack the barrels of the good stuff as high as you can in your multistory warehouse.
Distillers like Buffalo Trace in Frankfort, Ky., and Brown-Forman (BF.A)-owned Woodford Reserve have started messing with the chemistry within those barrels a bit to create new flavors. We're not talking about cheap gimmickry like blueberry whiskey, but enhanced notes of chocolate, nut and dark cherry that Woodford Reserve achieved by aging its 2012 "Four Wood" whiskey in maple barrels that once held fortified wine.
When both Brooklyn hipsters and heritage-minded Southerners feel like "experimenting" with whiskey, they bust out the stills and start making moonshine. But bourbon experimentation is both frowned upon and actively discouraged. Beam's (BEAM) Maker's Mark got a pass when it spiced up its Maker's 46 whiskey by putting it in French oak wine barrels. However, when the company tinkered with Maker's Mark's alcohol content in February, its followers didn't show any appreciation.
According to the Distilled Spirits Council trade association, whiskey made up a whopping 70% of the $1.5 billion in liquor the group estimates the U.S. exported in 2012. That's triple the nation's beer exports and $250 million more than its overseas wine shipments. While that supports distillers who don't want to mess with success, it has also provided Buffalo Trace with motivation to perform more than 1,500 barrel-aging experiments since 1987.
It may have been talked about on here, but the article above made me think of it. What does everyone think of the Beam Devil's Cut? I personally don't like it. I appreciate the idea, but I just don't think it's a particularly tasty whiskey. [Reply]
I'm surprised there's not more love for Four Roses. Their yellow label is my go-to cheap bourbon and I love the single-barrel for special occassions. I've been through most if the Kentucky distilleries and that your was easily the best. [Reply]
Originally Posted by JimNasium:
I'm surprised there's not more love for Four Roses. Their yellow label is my go-to cheap bourbon and I love the single-barrel for special occassions. I've been through most if the Kentucky distilleries and that your was easily the best.
Was surprised at how much I didn't like that one. I wouldn't say I had to choke it down, but it really disagreed with my taste buds... [Reply]
If it ain't from Kentucky , it ain't Bourbon. Whiskey can be made anywhere, but a true Bourbon drinker worth his weight is drinking that sweet and unmistakable elixir from the Bluegrass. Kentucky does a few things right, Horses, Bats, Basketball (minus this year Wildcats team) and Bourbon. [Reply]
Originally Posted by cardken2:
If it ain't from Kentucky , it ain't Bourbon. Whiskey can be made anywhere, but a true Bourbon drinker worth his weight is drinking that sweet and unmistakable elixir from the Bluegrass. Kentucky does a few things right, Horses, Bats, Basketball (minus this year Wildcats team) and Bourbon.
Not true, though I agree in spirit:
Does Bourbon have to come from Bourbon County, Kentucky to be called Bourbon?
Before Kentucky became a state, it was part of Virginia and the eastern third of what became Kentucky was Bourbon County. This is where Bourbon got its start. Bourbon was made in numerous areas around this future home of eastern Kentucky. However, after Kentucky became a state, Bourbon County was split into 34 different counties with only one portion remaining Bourbon County. Bourbons were now being made in different counties but at least in Kentucky. Now the US Standards for Bourbon include: it must be made in the United States (note – not Kentucky), produced from a mash containing at least 51% corn and some other technical requirements. The point is if Bourbon producers follow these standards they can come from any of the 50 states and there are already Bourbons being made in Indiana and other states. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Chest Rockwell:
I drink the occasional bourbon and ginger the same way in the summer but what I really like every so often is a bourbon root beer float.
For real? I love root beer floats and like bourbon. Never thought about combining them but... [Reply]
