Dedicated to all things drinking well in the South
Herewith, a new feature on Thirsty South – Bourbon Bottle Porn. Photos of bourbon bottles that will make you thirsty. That’s it. For our inaugural release – a few bottles of Evan Williams Single Barrel, 2000 and 2004 vintages. Outside. In the cold winter air. Consider yourself warned.
Intrigued? Check out BOURBONPORN.COM. (99.9% completely safe for work)
I was living in Manhattan, but didn’t know a thing about Manhattans. This was back in the late nineties, when I was in my late twenties. My drink of choice tended towards inexpensive wines that had been given a “best value” stamp of approval by whatever wine magazine was doing that type of thing back then. Or early craft beers like Sam Adams or Pete’s Wicked Ale (remember that???). The closest to a classic cocktail I got was a few rounds of caipirinhas at the all-you-can-eat Brazilian rodizio down on West Broadway, strong and sugary mint alcohol. Actually, I did once try another classic-ish cocktail – I ordered a sloe gin fizz as my mandatory drink at a dark jazz bar down in the Village. It seemed like an appropriately artsy thing to do, but it looked and tasted like a Shirley Temple. I never ordered a sloe gin fizz again.
My liquor cabinet at the time consisted of a bottle of Absolut. That’s it. But then I read a little blurb extolling the virtues of Evan Williams Single Barrel bourbon. I can’t recall where I read it, maybe the Times, maybe a magazine, definitely not on the internet which was still subject to the confoundingly glacial pace of dial-up connections. The key thing that drew me to the Evan Williams was that the article said it was an amazing bargain – probably $17 or so at the time. Ahh, value. Important to me now, even more important to my younger self. Actually, $17 felt like a big splurge at the time, next to the $10 1.5 liters of bourbon all around the Evan Williams Single Barrel at the liquor store. But I made the purchase, then pretty much relegated the bottle to a dark cabinet somewhere in my apartment.
I guess you could say my whiskey enthusiasm has come a long way (as has the whiskey industry, and whiskey pricing, and whiskey fanaticism). But Evan Williams Single Barrel was my first seriously considered bourbon purchase, and it’s held a soft spot in my heart ever since. It seems somewhat pedestrian today – a (roughly) ten year old single barrel bourbon – but Evan Williams Single Barrel was pretty rare when it came out with its first “vintage” in the mid 1990’s. Heaven Hill likely had the competition in mind when they launched it. Over at the rival George T. Stagg Distillery, master distiller Elmer T. Lee had paved the way for a top-notch single barrel bourbon a decade before with Blanton’s, then got his own brand later in the ’80’s. But Evan Williams came in at a much lower price point, with a unique vintage notion – all the barrels selected for a given release were put in barrel the same year many moons ago. The bottles got slopped with a barreled-on date and a bottled-on date to provide a bit of insight into what made each bottle unique. Even now, I wish putting the barreling and bottling dates on bottles were a more commonplace practice. And I’m thankful that Evan Williams keeps up the practice.
All along, Evan Williams Single Barrel has been about great bourbon value. The fact that each year’s release is a little bit different (and the fact that there’s variation from barrel to barrel within each year’s release) keeps up the intrigue over time. Some vintages get a reputation for excellence, some get a bum rap. Heaven Hill tries to find a slightly different personality for each release, but they all tend to share a core house flavor profile that I find to be about as bourbon-y as bourbon can be. Not too hot, not too thin, plenty of rich brown sugar, just enough spice.
The 2004 vintage of Evan Williams Single Barrel is hitting stores now. I just got my first bottle (thank you Heaven Hill). In fact, it’s labeled as coming from “barrel no. 1” of this release. I’m eager to give it a try, as I’m sure it will spark fond memories and help create some new ones as well. I’ll share some tasting notes in a few weeks once I’ve had a chance to sit with this one a bit and reminisce. Now where did I put my caipirinha?
Cold rain outside, dark gray skies, I needed something warm and rich and mellow to ease me into a good night. And I thought of this cocktail recipe from Greg Best called Rhythm and Soul, a drink that’s as smooth as Otis Redding, as rapturous as Al Green, as… OK, I hate the forced metaphors, too… it’s just a damn great cocktail. He calls it halfway between a Sazerac and a Manhattan, which captures the taste pretty well.
Best’s version calls for French absinthe, rye whiskey, Averna, and Carpano Antica. My retread this night went with Herbsaint instead of the absinthe, Sazerac rye, Amaro CioCiaro instead of the Averna, and Coccchi Vermouth di Torino instead of the Carpano Antica. It’s amazing either way.
First you get the anise/fennel punch in the nose, then a rich, deep, cinnamon and clove whiskey base note, then a bright herbal high note that goes on and on like Whitney Houston digging in hard on the national anthem. It’s rich, complex, multi-layered, all those things that make you sit back and just say… damn that’s good. Like Booker T & the MGs laying down Green Onion, with Al Green and Otis Redding clapping time and crooning along in the background. Whitney’s just taking it in, smiling and nodding. That’s some rhythm and soul.
Rhythm & Soul, Redux
Inspired by Greg Best’s Rhythm & Soul (as in, basically this is the same recipe, with the closest ingredients I had on hand!)
1 bar spoon Herbsaint (or absinthe, or pastis if you must)
2oz rye whiskey
1/2oz Amaro CiaCiaro (or Averna, or similar)
1/2oz Italian sweet vermouth (Cocchi Vermouth di Torino, Carpano Antica or similar)
2 dashes Angostura bitters
Lemon peel for garnish
1. Fill a rocks glass with crushed ice. Let it chill for a bit, then pour in the Herbsaint and roll around to fully coat.
2. In a separate mixing glass with ice cubes, stir the rye, amaro, vermouth, and bitters to mix and chill. Discard Herbsaint and ice from rocks glass, then strain the mixing glass contents into the chilled rocks glass. Twist the lemon peel over the drink to release the lemon oil. Discard lemon peel and enjoy, or toss it in the glass if you’re feeling it.
As I write this in the first few days of January 2014, a bitter cold is making headlines and turning much of the nation into a mean and nasty freezer state. The remnants of the storm they called Hercules are still being felt in the northeast. The thermometers read less than zero in a big swath of the midwest. And a lot of people are struggling to get through this cold snap. They’re worried about getting stuck in their home due to ice or snow, or even finding a warm place to stay the night. Frivolities like limited edition spirits in fancy bottles are decidedly not top of mind.
Me? I’m fortunate enough to say I’ve got it relatively easy. Atlanta is far from the worst of this weather, my heat is keeping things a comfy 72 degrees in my house, and I’ve got plenty of food, water, (bourbon), and friends and family to keep me healthy and happy for the time being. But I can’t help but think about those in need, and ways to help them out (here’s one way – and some helpful hints on dealing with the cold as well).
Which is all a roundabout way to introducing the latest Parker’s Heritage Collection bourbon release from Heaven Hill, dubbed Promise of Hope. This year’s release (out since October 2013) is distinguished by the fact that, for every bottle sold, $20 is being given to the ALS Association to help fund research and patient care for those effected by ALS (also known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease). Parker Beam himself, the master distiller who has worked with Heaven Hill since 1960, was diagnosed with ALS in 2013, so it’s a cause clearly very dear to the Heaven Hill family.
At $90 or so, this is not cheap bourbon, but knowing that it supports a cause like this takes the sting out of the price. Previous Parker’s Heritage Collection releases have run the gamut from an 11 year old cask strength small batch in 2007 (its first year), to a 27 ! year old release, to a cognac-finished release (by the way, Heaven Hill, please update your website, since the last edition shown is from two years ago!). This year’s Promise of Hope is fairly straightforward in its premise – a 10 year old single barrel bourbon that simply hits all the things Parker Beam looks for, from the age, to the location in the rickhouse where it matured, to the proof (96) it was bottled at. It’s basically the very best of the best of what the Evan Williams Single Barrel can be (at a higher proof). Which is to say that it’s very, very good. Prototypical Evan Williams/Elijah Craig excellence.
Amazingly, there’s still some of this stuff to be found if you get lucky. It hasn’t fallen prey to the mania around bourbons like Pappy or the Buffalo Trace Antique Collection. If you do see a bottle, I highly recommend picking it up. It’s a good cause, and a great bourbon. Tasting notes and review below.
Parker’s Heritage Collection, Promise of Hope, Single Barrel, 10 year old Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
96 Proof
Approx. $90 Retail
Tasting Dates: November 2013 – January 2014
I have to admit that I wasn’t fully appreciative of this bottle on the first few tastes back in November. It tasted, well, a bit pedestrian for the price. The fact that I knew it was basically Evan Williams Single Barrel (though hand selected especially for this release by Parker Beam) maybe played with my mind a bit, since EWSB runs for roughly a fourth of the price (a great bargain). But Promise of Hope is a bourbon that has grown on me over time, becoming a regular go-to when I’m in need of something to warm me from the cold or simply bring a slow smile to my face.
The nose here hits basically every note you expect it to hit… toasty oak, burnt caramel, cinnamon and vanilla, orange peel, a bit of crisp apple fruit, then a sharp mineral edge at the end. And, yes, the proof is just right for sipping neat. Plenty strong, tongue coating richness, but not at all too hot. Those same elements you get on the nose come out strongly on the palate, the fruit and grain a bit more pronounced, but the spicy cinnamon coming on stronger, too. Cloves and baking spice carry through into a finish that keeps going and going and going. Robust without being domineering, balanced and wholly integrated. It’s enough to keep you happy on a cold winter night, and it also puts you in the mind of thinking about the challenges that others are facing, and the fact that even a little thing like supporting a charity with a purchase (or a donation) can have an impact.
Thirsty South Rating: Excellent*
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I just visited Decatur Package Store for the first time today, and now I’m sad. It wasn’t the somewhat dingy exterior that led to these feelings, nor was it the mark my purchase made on my bank account. I’m sad because it took me so long to step foot in this whiskey wonderstore.
I first heard about Decatur Package Store years ago, from friends who said it was a good spot for wine, whiskey and cocktail geeks (beer geeks, too). For whatever reason, the visit I planned to make never happened. It’s most because Decatur is always a bit out of my way – the store is on Clairemont Avenue just south of North Decatur Road – plus the fact that I’ve found myself far too often at H&F Bottle Shop as my liquor store of choice. But today I finally had my definitive reason to hit Decatur Package Store, as I was going to interview proprietor Herb Chereck for a Creative Loafing feature (coming soon – I’ll add a link once it’s published).
Herb runs the place, and he runs it well. He has the kind of friendly, knowledgable demeanor that’s well-suited to the range of folks that might walk through the door – some looking for a cheap bottle of whatever’ll do the trick, some looking for a hard to find Italian bitter. He can talk you through any section of the store and make it a compelling journey, like a tour guide illuminating the intricate history and character of a city block by block.
The block I found most interesting, among many, was the American whiskey section. Decatur Package Store has gone heavy on single barrel selections – whiskeys Herb and team have chosen specifically from samples they’ve tasted from various distilleries. There was a young rye from Georgia’s own 13th Colony, an Elijah Craig, an Eagle Rare, a Ridgemont 1792, a Henry McKenna, and the one I couldn’t walk out the store without… a 12 year old Four Roses OESV at barrel strength (for those who have been hopelessly looking for this year’s Limited Edition Four Roses Single Barrel, this is a darn good – and available, for now – alternative, though it a different recipe than the national release).
We chatted a bit about the beauty of single barrel offerings – most importantly the fact that it’s been tasted by the store’s proprietor and chosen for its specific character, vs. the standard batched whiskeys that typically fill the shelves (or the standard single barrel offers from distilleries that weren’t selected especially by the store, so may be more of an unknown). When the price is similar for a “private selection” single barrel vs. the standard product, what’s to lose? Well, having the person who chose that barrel there in person to provide notes and thoughts on the whiskey is key, and figuring out if your personal tastes match up well with theirs is important as well. All the more reason to find a store you like (like this one) and make it your regular stop.
On my walk around the store, I couldn’t resist picking up a half bottle of Carpano Antico, another half bottle of Cocchi Vermouth di Torino, and an Italian aperitif called Casoni 1814 (similar to Campari or Aperol) that I haven’t tried before. There were many more tempting items, but I let Herb know that I’d be back another time for more. I’m expecting to get to know Decatur Package Store a lot better. Which makes me happy.
View a map and guide to Atlanta’s best liquor stores (including Decatur Package Store), cocktail bars, and more at the Thirsty Guide to Atlanta.
P.S. As for the Four Roses Single Barrel mentioned above, no tasting notes to share yet, but I really like what David Driscoll at K&L had to say about their similar single barrel selection:
“This barrel, aged 10 years and 6 months at the distillery, is from formula OESV, and it’s the most utilitarian whiskey we’ve yet selected from Four Roses. It’s not the richest, the spiciest, the most esoteric or the sweetest, but I believe it to be the most balanced and delicious. At 59% ABV, you’d expect it to be a monster, but it’s quite restrained, almost brooding in its profile. You expect it to explode at any moment. It never does; it remains in check and keeps its distance. The fruit is there, lush and soft, but it stays in the background. The richness is there, but it’s not obvious. The spice is robust, with hints of cherry and banana struggling to the fore, but still there’s some reluctant force holding it back. The result is dangerously drinkable Bourbon, one that takes three or four sips just to get a grasp of, and then it hits you. There’s no denying that it’s good, even great–but there will be fierce attempts to penetrate its core and understand what its all about. This Bourbon will not cave, however. It just wants to be drunk, not contemplated. It seeks to be enjoyed, not studied. It demands to be appreciated, but it will not beg for your attention. Who knew a Bourbon could be so anthropomorphic?”
