Though I knew much of the history of bourbon, and have read Bernie's book Bourbon Whiskey: Our Native Spirit, there were things I learned. Though I knew George Washington was once the #1 distiller in the country, I wasn't aware that his primary customer was the U.S. Cavalry. Washington produced a rye whiskey, though it was only known then as "whiskey" and there were two versions, one distilled twice, costing 50 cents a gallon, and the other distilled four times, costing $1 a gallon. On the jug, there would be either "XX" or "XXXX" to indicate the number of distillations. Unfortunately, when Washington died, he had no children to take over his distillery so it ended up closing.
After World War II, gin started gaining in popularity so numerous bourbon producers decided to change their products to make them lighter, more gin-like in some respects. Bourbon started to be watered down from 100 proof to 86 proof. Coincidentally, to "86" something is slang for "getting rid of something." They got rid of some of the bourbon, substituting water, and they may have lost some bourbon lovers who were not pleased with the change, preferring the higher proof bottles.
The next major step in bourbon was the Bottled In Bond Act of 1897, which helped to protect straight whiskey. Nowadays, very little Bottled in Bond whiskey is produced, though we tried the Evan Williams Bottled in Bond, a 100 proof bourbon that was aged for four years. This is the type of bourbon they were drinking around 1897, and it was smooth and sweet, with notes of vanilla, caramel and spicy notes on the finish.
In the modern age, the emergence of small batch and single barrel bourbon was a big innovation. We tasted the Larceny Small Batch Bourbon, which was aged for 6 years and is 92 proof. It is a "wheated bourbon" meaning that the secondary grain is wheat rather than rye. It is a nice sipping bourbon, with sweet corn notes, honey, caramel, mild spice, and a lengthy finish.
Kudos to Bernie for a fun and informative seminar.
Joining Fred as a presenter was Joy Richard (pictured on the left), aka “Bourbon Belle” and the Bar & Beverage Manager of Franklin Restaurant Group. Joy has long worked in restaurants and ended up working as a bartender at a dive bar in the Hamptons, acquiring a love for mixology. She is a member of Ladies United for the Preservation of Endangered Cocktails (LUPEC) and acquired her nickname from the name of a whiskey cocktail she created. The Bourbon Belle is made with bourbon, peach liqueur, bitters, and sweet vermouth, and was made to be an approachable cocktail.
The third presenter was Allisa Henley (pictured on the right) who is the Dickel Distillery Marketing Director and the Dickel Barrel Program Director. Allisa was born about five miles from the distillery and she has worked for Dickel for about 9 1/2 years. The distillery is located in Tennessee, in the Bible Belt, with poses some challenges, though matters have improved over time.
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His presentation was compelling, providing lots of fascinating historical tidbits, and enticing attendees to want to read his book. In fact, each attendee received a hardcover copy of his book as part of their ticket, and the seminar didn't cost anymore than the other seminars. After his presentation, Joy and Allisa spoke about their own experiences in whiskey and spirits, and later Fred asked them both a series of questions about women and whiskey. It was compelling to hear their viewpoints, and the stories of their lives with whiskey. The overall presentation gave plenty of evidence of the significant role women have played in whiskey both historically and in the present. It isn't a man's world, and hasn't ever really been so.
Next up were three Dickel Whiskies. The Dickel Rye, which has only been out for about a year, is made from 94% Rye, is about 5-6 years old, and undergoes cold filtration, making it taste smoother and mellowing some of the spice notes. I was impressed with this Rye, especially as it is priced around $25 or so. The Dickel #8, is made from a blend of 84% corn, 8% rye, & 8% malted barley, is 5-7 years old and is 80 proof. It has an intriguing smoky finish, and those who enjoy Scotch were said to like this whiskey. The Dickel #12 uses the same mashbill, is 7-9 years old and is 90 proof. It didn't seem as sweet and lacked the smokiness of the #8. The additional age and higher proof definitely create a different tasting product.
Kudos to Fred, Joy, Allisa and all the women who have contributed to the history of whiskey.
I was eager to attend the seminar, Japanese Whisky: Pride. Perfection. Passion, as the Japanese Whisky industry has been producing so much excellent whisky, which has won some of the top international whisky awards. However, in the local area, only a few Japanese whiskies are available and it is always interesting when a new product hits the shelves, such as Nikka Whisky
. Brought in by the Anchor Distilling Company, this seminar was an excellent introduction to their whisky.
The presenters included Alyssa DiPasquale, advanced Sake professional and manager at O Ya, and Nick Korn, a bartender and Japanese whisky enthusiast. The presenters did a good job of providing a brief history of Japanese whisky production, background on Nikka, and some general information on Japanese alcohol. There would also be a tasting of Nikka whisky accompanied by a couple snacks from O Ya.
One of the initial ideas presented was the Japanese concept of Shokunin, which roughly translates as "craftsman" or "artisan" but it goes beyond mere technical skill. It also comes with a social obligation to work for the general good of the community. How many Western artisans, such as whiskey makers, see their work through this lens? I have seen some wineries,distilleries and breweries (and also chefs) who possess a strong social consciousness. They may not know the concept of Shokunin, but they are still adherents without even knowing it.
In 1854, when Commodore Matthew Perry came to Japan to negotiate a treaty to open Japan to the world, he brought a few hundred gallons of American whiskey with him as a gift. The Japanese were quite taken with it and tried to imitate the whisky by adding additives to Sake and Shochu but that was largely a failure. I've read of an incident during World War I, when a couple U.S. transport ships landed in Japan, en route to Russia. At a local bar, the American soldiers drank some Japanese-made "Queen George" whiskey and an American officer stated "I never saw so many get so drunk so fast."
Deliverance finally came in the form of Masataka Taketsuru, whose family had been Sake brewers since 1733 (and still are involved in Sake production). In 1918, Taketsuru traveled to Scotland to learn the secrets of distilling and eventually brought his new knowledge back to Japan. Taketsuru ended up working for Kotobukiya (now Suntory) and helped to establish the first whisky distiller in Yamazaki. In 1934, Taketsuru went out on his own, forming Nikka Whisky and established the Yoichi distillery in Hokkaido. He believed that this location was very similar to Scotland, and he would later establish, in 1969, a second distillery, Miyagikyo, in Sendai. As a follow-up, during World War II, American soldiers in the Pacific were enamored with Japanese whisky.
The presenters included Alyssa DiPasquale, advanced Sake professional and manager at O Ya, and Nick Korn, a bartender and Japanese whisky enthusiast. The presenters did a good job of providing a brief history of Japanese whisky production, background on Nikka, and some general information on Japanese alcohol. There would also be a tasting of Nikka whisky accompanied by a couple snacks from O Ya.
One of the initial ideas presented was the Japanese concept of Shokunin, which roughly translates as "craftsman" or "artisan" but it goes beyond mere technical skill. It also comes with a social obligation to work for the general good of the community. How many Western artisans, such as whiskey makers, see their work through this lens? I have seen some wineries,distilleries and breweries (and also chefs) who possess a strong social consciousness. They may not know the concept of Shokunin, but they are still adherents without even knowing it.
In 1854, when Commodore Matthew Perry came to Japan to negotiate a treaty to open Japan to the world, he brought a few hundred gallons of American whiskey with him as a gift. The Japanese were quite taken with it and tried to imitate the whisky by adding additives to Sake and Shochu but that was largely a failure. I've read of an incident during World War I, when a couple U.S. transport ships landed in Japan, en route to Russia. At a local bar, the American soldiers drank some Japanese-made "Queen George" whiskey and an American officer stated "I never saw so many get so drunk so fast."
Deliverance finally came in the form of Masataka Taketsuru, whose family had been Sake brewers since 1733 (and still are involved in Sake production). In 1918, Taketsuru traveled to Scotland to learn the secrets of distilling and eventually brought his new knowledge back to Japan. Taketsuru ended up working for Kotobukiya (now Suntory) and helped to establish the first whisky distiller in Yamazaki. In 1934, Taketsuru went out on his own, forming Nikka Whisky and established the Yoichi distillery in Hokkaido. He believed that this location was very similar to Scotland, and he would later establish, in 1969, a second distillery, Miyagikyo, in Sendai. As a follow-up, during World War II, American soldiers in the Pacific were enamored with Japanese whisky.
At Nikka, the art of blending is vital to their whiskey production and it is said there are 2000 permutations of whiskey available at any one time. This comes from different peats, 12 different still types, different aged whisky, different barrel types, different parts of the warehouse and more. They also use a special, native oak, Mizunara, which is expensive, difficult to work with, and imparts little flavor to whisky. It actually takes 40-50 years of use to provide flavor. Such a fascinating process, and uniquely Japanese.
We had two cocktails, the first being the Sakura, which means "cherry blossom." It contained Nikka 12 year old, Italian vermouth, a reduction with Moresca cherry wine, Luxardo Maraschino liquer, and a salted cherry blossom. It had a bright cherry flavor, wasn't too sweet, and the whiskey notes weren't hidden behind the cherry flavors. The Mizuwari cocktail is kind of a whiskey soda, containing the Nikka Coffee Grain whiskey, homemade soda water, and sweet green tea. Mixed with water, you bring the alcohol content down by about 20%, making it a less potent alternative.
We finished our tasting with the Taketsuru Pure Malt, a blend of whisky from both the Yoichi and Miyagikyo distilleries. This was a whisky of power and balance, complexity and rich flavors. It was smoky with peaty notes, with elements of autumn baking spices, apples, caramel, cocoa and more. So much going on in this whisky, and the finish just lingers in your mouth. A superb sipping whisky which is going to appeal to any whiskey lover. Definitely my favorite of the seminar. There are also Taketsuru 17 and 21 year old whiskies that I'll have to track down.
Keep an eye out for Nikka whisky.
Domo Arigato and Kanpai to Alyssa and Nick.