Scotch Whisky / Bourbon Whiskey thread

BarnBuster

BarnBuster

Virtually Unknown Member
Parker Beam Passed Away​

Fred Minnick -January 9, 2017

Whiskey lost its bravest soul. After a six year ALS battle, Parker Beam passed away last night.

He was 75.

The longtime Heaven Hill master distiller was the golden palate of the bourbon industry and beloved by all. At 2013 WhiskyFest, his competing distillers honored him with a special “Unity” bottling that raised more than $10,000 for ALS research. Since his diagnosis, many distillers were brought to tears when publicly talking about Parker. He meant so much to American whiskey.

His life was one of pure joy and these traits showed in his whiskey. Every drop of Evan Williams, Elijah Craig and Heaven Hill’s other brands were Parker’s toil.

In 1960, Parker joined his father Earl, the master distiller. Heaven Hill credits Parker for much of bourbon’s comeback. “It was Parker who saw us through Bourbon’s first golden age in the 1960s, its subsequent decline in the 1970s and who led us to today’s new Golden Age, helping pioneer our first premium small batch and single barrel Bourbons, and paving the way for Heaven Hill to be the category leader we are today. There are no awards Parker has not won—charter member of the Kentucky Bourbon Hall of Fame, Whiskey Advocate Lifetime Achievement Award winner, Whisky Magazine Hall of Fame, they go on and on—but what we will remember most about Parker was the leadership, the can-do attitude, and the kind and selfless mentoring he did to his son Craig and a whole new generation of Bourbon distillers,” the company said in a statement. “At this time, however, our thoughts and prayers first go out to his family.”

Parker cared about you as a person and treated you like family.

When I started covering whiskey in 2006, Parker took an interest in my life and didn’t see me as just another media hit. He really liked the fact I talked about the bloodlines of Angus cattle and my agriculture background.

Like many great distillers, Parker’s passions were whiskey and cattle. Well into his ALS battle, Parker drove his ATV to move cattle, and we talked about cattle prices during my last visit with him in May.

Aside from the occasional mention of the famous bull Sugar Ray, I mostly stuck to whiskey, and he talked about his brands as if they were his children. If you liked one of his whiskeys, well, you were practically family, and he’d sign anything you wanted. Ash tray? Sure, where’s the pen? Somebody else’s barrelhead? Um, you do know, “I’m not with Jim Beam,” he’d say, but he’d sign something else. Parker loved the rockstar status master distillers receive today, something he wished his father, Earl, could have enjoyed.

When I learned of his diagnoses, I knew there were not many medical advances to fight this crippling and horrible disease. For many, they just give up and die months after the ALS diagnosis.

But not Parker.

He fought ALS with the same vigor he had for life. He exercised daily, drove until he lost 100% control in his arms and still assisted Heaven Hill with its distilling duties. Parker was so valued and loved that production workers called him well into his sickness for questions about grains and equipment. He loved the drama with this year’s presidential election and still opined about the state of American whiskey.

One thing that bugged Parker was the term master distiller, a title he believed should be reserved for only the best. “When I came up, you had to be a mechanic, fix a pump, a hammer mill, prepare the yeast. You had to earn ‘master distiller,’” he told me last May.

Nobody ever questioned Parker’s title. He was bourbon’s master distiller. He was bourbon.

Wall Street Journal-bestselling author Fred Minnick wrote the award-winning Whiskey Women: The Untold Story of How Women Saved Bourbon, Scotch & Irish Whiskey and Bourbon Curious: A Simple Tasting Guide for the Savvy Drinker. He is the Bourbon Authority for the Kentucky Derby Museum and regularly contributes to international publications.
 
Sir Napsalot

Sir Napsalot

Well-Known Member
I just scored a new horn cup off eBay and it is gorgeous. It came from Blackpool, Lancashire where it escaped falling into one of the many holes found there.
 
flamethrower1

flamethrower1

Well-Known Member
Enjoying a little bourbon and 7up, made the bourbon with my own little hands.
I know I should be sipping on the rocks, and it is very smooth that way too, I just enjoy it this way as well.
You can actually taste the corn and rye, its like honeydew vine water.
I think I will not be having a hard time going to sleep tonight.
 
BarnBuster

BarnBuster

Virtually Unknown Member
Get to Know the Different Kinds of Rye Whiskey​

By Margarett Waterbury / April 13, 2017 thewhiskeywash.com

Until about 10 years ago, rye whiskey was a minor category. In 2009, about 88,000 cases of rye were sold, generating about $15 million in revenue. By 2014, we were buying more than 560 million cases, generating $106.4 million in revenue—growth of more than 600%. Why the resurgence? Most analysts blame cocktail culture, but rye also rode the building wave of interest in bourbon, its closest kin. Whatever happened, it looks like it’s here to stay—rye whiskey sales are still growing, with no signs of slowing down anytime soon.

Let’s start with the basics. According to the Federal Standards of Identity, rye whiskey is defined as “Whisky produced at not exceeding 80% alcohol by volume (160 proof) from a fermented mash of not less than 51 percent rye and stored at not more than 62.5% alcohol by volume (125 proof) in charred new oak containers.” In practice, that translates to a bold, spicy spirit, frequently with a firm oak influence.

That 51% rye requirement is, of course, the minimum amount of rye grain that rye whiskeys must contain. Many contain much more, although most mainstream rye whiskeys are right near that 51% mark. Sazerac Rye is reportedly 51% rye, 39% corn, and 10% malted barley – only a double handful of percentage points away from being bourbon. Rittenhouse, another popular national rye, is likewise reported to contain 51% rye, with a slightly lower percentage of corn (37%) and a bit more barley (12%). Many other ryes from big bourbon brands like Wild Turkey, Jim Beam, and Buffalo Trace also skim at or near that 51% mark. Distilled on a continuous column and aged in new charred oak casks, they’re made in much the same way as bourbon, and they taste like it, too.

Then, there are a number of rye whiskeys made with a much higher percentage of rye. MGP produces a rye mash that’s 95% rye and 5% malted barley, which is widely used in the craft and non-craft markets—Bulleit Rye, George Dickel Rye, Redemption Rye, and Templeton Rye are some big brands, but there are dozens more. Basically, if you see “95% rye” on the bottle, the odds are good you’re holding MGP juice. A flavor of the final product depends in large part on how it’s aged, but many people get a warm, spicy, cinnamon-pepper flavor from MGP rye, and I often notice a signature note of dill.

Many craft distilleries also opt to use mash bills that include more than the minimum 51% of rye. Notable craft high-rye ryes include Dad’s Hat (80% unmalted rye, 15% malted barley, 5% malted rye), Corsair’s Ryemageddon (80% malted rye, 20% unmalted chocolate rye), and Few Spirits’ Rye (70% rye, 20% corn, 10% malted barley), among many, many others. There are even some rye single malts made with 100% malted rye, including Old Potrero and Old Pogue Five Fathers Pure Malt Rye. Predictably, the flavors of craft rye whiskey varies dramatically, from light and herbaceous to intensely spicy.

North of the border, you’ll find yet another kind of rye. In Canada, the word “rye” is often used to describe any kind of Canadian-made whisky, no matter how much rye it does or does not contain—and some Canadian whiskies contain no rye at all. However, many do, and there are even some made from 100% rye called “flavoring spirit.” Normally used in small quantities to add oomph to Canadian blends, some Canadian brands (and a handful of American ones, too) have started releasing bottles of just flavoring spirit, to delicious results. Lot No. 40, many of WhistlePig’s releases, and Lock Stock & Barrel are all examples of 100% rye Canadian whiskies. Deeply complex with a sweet, earthy, spicy quality, they can sometimes remind people of root beer.
 
BarnBuster

BarnBuster

Virtually Unknown Member
We have to go to a "State Store" to buy our booze. This is the second year they are holding a Pappy Van Winkle lottery where you can buy 1 of 500 bottles at suggested retail. Last year 8000 people entered. So, you might want to check if your state has something similar. Be nice to get a bottle of 23 year old for a couple hunnerd.
 
Olive Drab Green

Olive Drab Green

Well-Known Member
A 7-year Wheated Kentucky Bourbon finished in barrels with 10 seared French Limousin Oak staves. The original Maker’s is the base, making it technically a Straight Bourbon, but because of the addition of French Oak staves to the extra step in finishing, it can’t be considered “Straight Bourbon” because the rules state “new, charred American white oak barrel only.” I still appreciate it at a refined Kentucky Bourbon, and those seared, French Limousin Oak staves add a smooth sweetness with a hint of spice you’d swear was coming from Rye in the mashbill, but it isn’t.

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