Whiskey with Friends: Two very different whiskeys

When my buddy Keith asked if I wanted to get together to catch up on life this week I started thinking about what whiskey I was going to take with me.  When the forecast called for a dry warm spring evening (rare here in Oregon) I knew we would be sitting around the fire. 

I decided on two different whiskeys, one that I had tasted but never reviewed and a new and exciting single malt that says fire pit and barbecue the minute you taste it.  I.W. Harper is an old brand recently relaunched after being pulled from the shelves of U.S. stores in 1980 when Bourbon was losing popularity to scotch and other liquors to preserve it's brand identity in Japan.  Once the most famous bourbon in the world, by 1966 it was available in 110 countries and the best selling bourbon worldwide, becoming immortalized as the drink of 007 in Ian Fleming's 1963 novel "In Her Majesty's Secret Service".  35 years later I.W. Harper is back, and once again being distilled at the old Bernheim Distillery in Louisville, KY.  In contrast we have the Colkegan from Sante Fe Spirits in Sante Fe, NM.  Sante Fe Spirits has a unique process, and it's best to use the information from their website to describe it:

"Like its Scottish single malt cousins, Santa Fe Spirits’ Colkegan Single Malt Whiskey is made entirely from malted barley, carefully distilled, and aged and finished in various oak casks to enhance the complex flavors inherent to true single malt whiskey. But there are key differences that set this remarkable spirit apart from its Scottish relatives.

While peat-smoked malt has always been a key ingredient in many well known Scotch whiskies, Santa Fe Spirits’ Colkegan Single Malt Whiskey’s wonderfully complex flavor profile benefits from a very different type of smoked malt utilized by no other distillery in the world. The result is a smooth, mellow, mysteriously balanced hint of smoky complexity unique to Santa Fe Spirits.

Santa Fe Spirits’ Colkegan Single Malt Whiskey’s unique barrel aging process also separates it from its low-altitude relatives. Santa Fe Spirits is located 7,000 feet above sea level in the high desert and utilizes a climate-controlled barrel warehouse with temperatures ranging from freezing cold to swelteringly hot, and humidities ranging from bone dry to unbelievably damp. A strict regimen of climate changes yields a spirit with amazing complexity unrivaled by more temperate warehouses."

The I.W. Harper is a full bodied and complex whiskey.  The nose is sweet, with strong notes of caramel and honey.  It starts with that same sweetness on the front of the palate, followed quickly by a faint leather and wood flavor, finishing smoothly in sweet honey and green grass bordering on citrus.  A wonderful whiskey to sip any time, and a quick hit with everyone tasting this night.

The Colkegan is an interesting taste.  On the nose it is remarkably sweet.  Caramel and almost butterscotch tempt you to taste.  Once you do you are quickly surprised by the unique smoke that sets Sante Fe's process apart:  rather than smoking the malted barley with peat they use what is available in the desert southwest, mesquite.  The amazingly full flavored smokiness of the whiskey dominates, and quickly fades leaving a vague sweet honey aftertaste that you never fully taste on the palate.  This is the perfect whisky to sip in front of the fireplace or even better around the campfire on a summer night.

The folks at Caskers.com came through again, and I look forward to more time with friends sitting around and sipping great whiskey.

Whisky Review: Lagavulin 16yo Distillers Edition

Tonight a good friend that I don't get to spend much time with due to geography came by to catch up, and we decided to sample a few whiskys while he was here.   

As a big scotch guy Lagavulin is one of his favorites, so when I pulled this off the shelf his eyes bugged out.  Labeled bottle 4/504 and distilled and barreled in 1998 this is a double matured Scotch that was sure to meet our expectations. 

As an "Islay" Single Malt Lagavulin is known for a strong smokey flavor, and this bottle did not disappoint.  Straight from the bottle the nose had notes of dried stone fruit and burnt sugar.  The taste started with smooth but strong smoke, which was quickly joined by leather and mild tobaccos before fading into smooth caramel and vanilla.

As my readers know by now I'm not typically a single malt fan, but this will stay in my cabinet for special occasions. 

Whiskey Review: Tap 357 Canadian Maple Rye Whisky

Another of the new whiskys I just received from Caskers.com is this new Maple Rye from Tap 357.  Canadian Rye is aged 3-7 years before being mixed with fresh maple syrup and being aged an additional 6-12 months.  The process leaves a wonderfully full bodied whisky that actually tastes like maple sugar instead of like someone mixed maple syrup into your shot glass as some other products on the market do.

Maple is the first and strongest note on the palate, followed quickly by a light spice from the Rye and notes of tobacco and leather.  The finish smoothes into the lingering feeling that you have just been drinking with the crew from a maple syrup farm.

Not my favorite drink but I'll hold onto the bottle for the holidays.

Fat Boy Whisky Review: Pendleton 1910 Canadian Rye Whisky

Pendleton Whisky is named after the Pendleton Round-Up, one of the most prestigious rodeo events in the world. The event has been held during the second week of September each year since 1910, and brings over 50,000 tourists to the city of Pendleton, Oregon in the scenic Columbia River Gorge.

Pendleton 1910 12 Year Old Whisky was initially crafted to celebrate the 100 year anniversary of the rodeo. The whisky is made from a mashbill composed entirely of rye grains, which are mashed, fermented and distilled in Canada. Following distillation, the whisky is brought to Hood River Distillers in Oregon, which finishes and the whisky in its own casks before bottling it at 80 proof. This whisky sets itself apart from most Canadian Ryes by being a small batch rather than a blend. This opens up the potential for variety from year to year, but also removes the consistency that large blends are famous for.

Pendleton 1910 Whisky has been aged for twelve years and has a slightly sweet aroma, with hints of butterscotch, light oak and tobacco. The aroma gives way to notes of toffee, black pepper, chewy leather, honey, chili peppers and vanilla on the palate. The medium finish is well-balanced, with a touch of spice and sweetness. On the whole this is one of the smoothest Canadian whiskys I have ever tasted.

The whisky earned a score of 90 points from Wine Enthusiast, and earned the Silver Medal at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition in 2012. Here at Fat Boy Heaven we give 1910 a score of 92.

Fat Boy Whiskey Review: Wiser's Legacy Blended Canadian Rye

The folks at Caskers.com sent me a couple of bottles of Wiser's Legacy in my box of Whiskey Love today, so I wanted to give it a try for you.

The nose is all rich vanilla and honey, but it has the rye spice and bite at the front before giving way to light orange and heavy oak and vanilla notes that linger at the back of your palate with a vague hint of a charcoal grill.  Would be a great mixer, but not my favorite rye neat or on the rocks.  Save this for the soda or ginger beer when you want to impress someone who doesnt know any better.

Fat Boy Whiskey Review: Duke - Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey

From John Wayne's son Ethan and the folks at Monument Valley Distillers comes the bourbon The Duke always intended to make during his lifetime but never had the chance to.

Nose has a light citrus note before a solid caramel and vanilla overtake your senses.  A slight burn at the front of the pallete gives way rapidly to caramels and honey, fading into oak and leather. 

A Small Batch bourbon bottled at 88 Proof this is a nice everyday sipper if you can find it.  Thanks to the folks at Caskers.com for another great whiskey.

Thrillist Strikes Again: Portland's 8 Best Whisky Bars

Thrillist today posted their choices for the eight best whiskey bars in Portland, and they took the easy way out in a town known for great food and drink by naming their favorites in eight categories instead of ranking the top eight.

From the article:  

PDX's 8 best whiskey bars

You can drink whiskey pretty much anywhere... except in your car, or at work, or in public, or at the library (unless it's Multnomah Whiskey Library!), but literally almost ANYWHERE else. Portland's best places though, are right here...

Whisky Review: Johnny Drum Private Stock

Johnny Drum is one of those elusive bourbons that we hear about on the west coast but never have a chance to taste, so when I came across this bottle I had to pick it up.

The green label is far more common even on the east coast, this Private Stock bottle I had to get directly from the distillery when we visited the folks at Willett in April of last year.  Now that I've taken the time to taste it I only wish I had brought back a case instead of a single bottle.  This bourbon won double gold at the 2010 San Francisco World Spirits Competition, besting the field with good reason. 

Here are my tasting notes: 

Breaking News: Japanese Suntory buys Beam Global

Just two weeks before the Bourbon Classic, the whisky world caught fire this morning when Beam Global announced that they were being acquired by Suntory Group of Japan, creating the third largest spirits company in the world.  While many in the American whisky market are shocked by the news, it really is just the continuation of a globalization that has been ongoing in the spirits market for quite a while.  
Beam Global had already branched out, and as of the time of this announcement included Jim Beam Bourbon, Maker's Mark Bourbon, Sauza Tequila, Pinnacle Vodka, Canadian Club Whisky, Courvoisier Cognac, Teacher's Scotch Whisky, Skinnygirl Cocktails, Cruzan Rum, Hornitos Tequila, Knob Creek Bourbon, Laphroaig Scotch Whisky, Kilbeggan Irish Whiskey, Larios Gin, Whisky DYC and DeKuyper Cordials.  In recent years we have seen other high-end spirits mergers with acquisitions of Pernod and Diageo bringing other American whiskey brands into their portfolios that had already included premium scotch and blended Canadian whiskey products.
he deal agreed to by both boards in this case gives Beam Global stock holders a 25% premium over last Friday's closing stock price, and comes in at around $16 Billion, making it the second largest single spirits acquisition to the Pernod deal in 2005 that came in at around $17.8 Billion.
While only time will tell what this merger will do to the brands included, the fact that there is almost no overlap between market footprints of the two companies means we should see little change according to market insiders.  Just as Beam's acquisition in 2011 of Maker's Mark did not change the way that great bourbon was produced, the overall impact should simply be one of increasing distribution and marketing reach of great traditional brands.  The greatest fear of most American whisky insiders is that this increased marketing will make already scarce premium Bourbons in even shorter supply domestically, which in the short term is a definite reality.
 

Here is the official Release

Review - Midnight Moon's Cherry Moonshine

With the rise of Whiskey in America, many people have renewed their family traditions in Moonshine.  In May of 2007, moonshine and racing legend Junior Johnson became part owner of Piedmont Distillers and together they introduced Junior Johnson’s Midnight Moon. It is based on the Johnson family’s generations-old moonshine recipe. It is also born in a copper still, made from corn, crafted in small batches and triple distilled.

Midnight Moon's Cherry Moonshine is a nice, smooth whiskey.  The strong cherry flavor comes from cherries not just being used in the distillation, but whole cherries being added to the finished bottling.  This combination brings the most fruit flavor to the drink, in addition to imparting great color.  The taste of cherry layers nicely under the slight carmel flavor of the corn whiskey made to the Johnson Family recipe.

This is a very nice whiskey.  It doesn't have the complexity of an aged bourbon or scotch, but moonshine has a solid place both in American folk lore and drinking history.  It will make a great addition to any liquor cabinet (and any bottle of cola).