In this post we were invited to a showcase of American Whiskeys. It was a booth style event where guests explored the room, engaged in the vendors, and sampled from familiar and new whiskies and bourbons.
The goal was to highlight brands that have yet to reach the Canadian market, in hopes that they would be picked up following this informal tasting.
Held at The Kent, a rental space decorated with art, this was the perfect locale for such an intimate gathering. We sampled from each table, but cherry picked the most appealing bottle from their collections.
There were familiar brands like Angel’s Envy with their Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey finished in a port wine barrel for the perfect Manhattan. And their Rye finished in Caribbean Rum cask for a tropical sweet spirit at a higher ABV.
Makersmark, the bottle with red wax dropped top, had their original and their Recipe 46 for sampling. The latter comes with an addition of 10 French charred oak staves, which provided more baking spice and vanilla notes for a sweeter profile.
Less familiar was Hirsh, a whiskey originally commissioned by an American business man in 1974, who originally made barrels, but eventually got intertwined with the world of bourbon. Outside of the square bottle, what sets them apart is the fact that they have their mash bills listed in detail, on the back label. They are not trying to hide anything.
Old Potrero 100% pot distilled rye from San Francisco is a pre-prohibition style whiskey with 100% malted rye aged for 6 years. It has a clean and medicinal taste to it, coupled with a caramel honey from the toast barrel to coat the medicine.
Red Eye Louie’s had a line of vodka, tequila, and a vodka and tequila blend that is currently only available in Alberta. We were most interested in the latter, the first “vodquila” I have ever encountered. A blend of both at 70% tequila and 30% vodka, making tequila easier to drink by cutting it with vodka. Apparently they are the only ones in the world who does this. The tequila is distilled twice and the vodka double that. It was surprisingly easy sipping, not for you if you want your shots to burn.
They also have a spiced rum made from Puerto Rican rum spice. This was created as a mixing rum and therefore potent, this is one that you don’t want to drink straight. Distilled 4 times you can smell the cinnamon. This is a shot I would shoot at the club.
Another familiar bottle was a Premium one from Woodford Reserve. They utilize a pot and column still for a different flavour, furthered by the use of open air wood fermenters, leaving it with over 200 delectable flavours like floral, sweet, and nutty.
Old Forester had a 4 year old that drank like a 6-8. They are known for being the first ever bottled bourbon, previously all bourbon was only by the barrel. Their origin story includes a pharmaceutical sales associate blending 3 different whiskies from three different distilleries then bottling and sealing it with the Forester’s label; giving their celebrity endorsement. They are 1 of 6 distilleries with the same name since prohibition, grandfathered at 155 years. Old Forester makes a great every day whisky or one mixed for an Old Fashioned with vanilla caramel and minty notes.
Reservoir is made with all Virginia grain aged in smaller barrels for a greater char. The 100% wheat was metallic and herbaceous a mix of green medicines and metal. The 100% corn was sweeter with toasted honey and almond characteristics. And the 100% rye was the easiest drinking of the three with notes or oatmeal and toffee.
Gadwall Whiskey is a new, one man distillery operating out of Maryland, DC. They prepare small batch whisky totalling 500 cases and 1000 bottles a month. Today they were here as a prelaunch, and are currently not even on the market. Their goal is to make an approachable, soft balanced product with less bite. 70% corn, 19% wheat, and 9% malted barley. It was floral with peanut on the nose and the palate. Thick and viscous like nutty spread.
Copper City brought their entire line, but we only tried their 13 year old. Their is Arizona’s first ever bourbon, a straight whiskey that is unique given how high and dry the valley is. Cold in the evening and dessert by day, and they don’t temper-control the warehouse, wanting the wild temperatures to wildly twist the aging process. The result is more loss in aging, but with proof going out. Floral at 95% rye and 5% malted barley, single barrel, cask strength, and milky in the mouth.
There was one more vendor, but sadly the product was not shipped in time. Varchas is the first IT whisky company, named after the owner. The American eagle on top of the bottle spoke to the immigrant story.
In short, this was a nice way to learn more about new whiskies potentially coming on to the market before they land.
