Five takeaways from the 2021 U.S. Open Whiskey Championship
On giving local distillers a chance, questioning Uncle Nearest, cinnamon whiskey (??) and being psychologically challenged by a father-in-law with flavored moonshine.
There’s a gentleman named Dow Scoggins out of Oxford, Ohio who annually judges whiskeys and spirits to determine who is the best in various categories. He calls it The 2021 U. S. Open Whiskey & Spirits Championship.
I don’t write any of that with judgment, rather of admiration. Because when I received the press release announcing “the medal winners and Grand National Champions” of this competition, I was intrigued and perplexed. After scanning the website, looking up “Dow Scoggins” on the internet (because I had to confirm that it was a real name) and reviewing the distillers who were judged and crowned winners … I only had one thought.
I need to create my own awards for spirits of color (and possibly by distillers of color).
The press release states the following regarding their process:
“Judging in the U.S. Open Whiskey and Spirits Championships is blind; the judges know only the categories, but they do not know what they are tasting. Canadian entries were judged by distillers and instructors from Niagara College in Welland, Ontario. The American entries were judged by distillers and Whiskey and Spirits experts in Oxford, Ohio(the home of the U.S. Open) and Buffalo, New York.”
Seriously, I read that graph and wondered whether I could probably create my own awards experience and get my friends experts together and crown winners. Then I wondered logistically how I’d organize hundreds of bottles and have to expertly taste and taste and taste … would I burn myself out?
Winners from this competition included Moylan’s Distilling in Petaluma, California, who was named the Grand National Champion for whiskey after winning four medals, including two golds. Great Lakes Distillery in Milwaukee, Wisconsin was named the Grand National Champion for spirits by winning four gold medals. Sounds like I need to make a trip to go see “Giannis and the Bucks”.
I poured over the various categories and winners and took a few notes on what I thought was interesting, including why one of our favorite whiskeys needs no defending and … should we be trying more cinnamon whiskey? Did I just write that?
Note: All of the whiskeys in this competition were submitted directly to the U.S. Open Whiskey Championship committee, so it’s not a full representation of every offering out there.
TOP WHISKEY DISTILLERIES: I’ve lived in states where the best juice is made and I missed out
1. Moylan’s Distilling – California
2. Cincinnati Distilling – Ohio
3. Weldon Mills Distillery – North Carolina
4. Devils River Distillery – Texas
5. Hill Top Distillery – Virginia
I’ve traveled up to Petaluma countless times when I lived in Oakland and yet I’ve never stumbled into Moylan’s Distilling (No. 1). I lived in Cincinnati for six years and yet I never sampled anything from Cincinnati Distilling (No. 2). And yet, this panel decided those two producers were worthy of the top spots for best whiskey distillery in the country.
It’s a reminder that you don’t have to get the best juice from Kentucky and that sometimes it’s being made in your own backyard. Shop local and experiment.
BOURBON: Uncle Nearest can’t stop winning awards
Gold – Uncle Nearest 1856 Premium Aged Whiskey – Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey – Tennessee
Silver – Hill Top Straight Bourbon – Hill Top Distillery – Virginia
Bronze – Town Branch Bourbon – Town Branch Distillery – Kentucky
Gold went to Uncle Nearest for their 1856 Premium Aged Whiskey, adding another notable accolade to its already prestigious resume.
I had someone hit me up, asking if we (black folks) overhype Uncle Nearest. “Is it really THAT good? Or are we propping up something because it’s from one of our own?”
There are plenty of other things that I ride for because it’s from black and brown folks. I overly root for boxers, soccer players, chefs, Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune participants at times because I can’t help myself. I blame Rosie Perez from White Men Can’t Jump! for this.
But for Uncle Nearest? Do you know how many people of color are on these voting panels? Likely none, and if there are some, they are not in abundance. The biggest influencers in this industry are most significantly older white men. The fact that Uncle Nearest — both the 1856 and 1884 — keeps being crowned is extremely significant, so no, we don’t overhype them. In fact, we don’t hype them up enough.
SINGLE BARREL: I need a return trip to Colorado ASAPtually
Gold – Blizzard Peak Single Barrel – Spirits of the Rockies – Colorado
Silver – Spirit of the Oak Shareholders Barrel Select – Dark Door Spirits – Florida
Bronze – Devils River Single Barrel – Devils River Distillery – Texas
I can vividly remember flying to Seattle from Cincinnati to visit my family for Thanksgiving more than a decade ago. At that time, I was not fully astute in the best practices of airline travel and figured I would do whatever it took to fly for the cheapest price possible. This meant flying from Columbus (stupid, I know) with a four-hour layover in Denver before arriving at my final destination in the Pacific Northwest — all to save roughly $100. (I was a fool in my mid-20s.
That layover at Denver International Airport meant I needed to burn some time before my next flight, and I found a place — 5280 Lounge — that had the necessary requirements:
A television with the game on
Seating with plugs
Not too many people
As I sat down and pondered over the drink menu, it was then that an extremely bearded gentleman by the name of Bartholomew asked if I’d tried the local fare from Leopold Brothers.
Ed: “No sir, I have not. What would you suggest?”
Bartholomew: “My man, I have just the thing.”
Bart — we were now BFFs — proceed to pour a 1 oz. shot of Leopold Bros. Rocky Mountain Blackberry Whiskey (on the house) along with an old fashioned made with pecan bitters and Leopold Bros. Small Batch Whiskey.
My first response was, “Bart, bruh…who are these Leopold bruhs and how much are they paying you?
My second response was, “Bart, bruh…this stuff is divine.”
Bart, like many of my favorite bartenders, pours spirits with a purpose. A native Coloradoan, his goal was to pour as much stuff from his home state as possible. His belief? Colorado has the best water due to the Rocky Mountains. I went to duty-free and copped two bottles and took them with me to Seattle to impress my family with my newly founded treasures. Further purchases of Stranahan’s Colorado Whiskey and Breckenridge Distillery (review coming soon on their Port Cask) confirmed the quality of their juice.
So when I saw Blizzard Peak Distillers, an upstart distillery out of Pueblo, win gold for their Single Barrel? It was a pleasant, but not shocking, surprise.
CINNAMON WHISKEY: You can win an award for this?
Gold – Fire Brigade Cinnamon Whiskey – Cincinnati Distilling – Ohio
Silver – Cinnamon Girl – Acre Distilling – Texas
Bronze – Cinnamon Fire Thunder Snow – Grand Canyon Distillery – Arizona
I just want to tip my cap to the judges who had to sift through multiple offerings of the cinnamon-flavored spirit to determine a winner. Is the prerequisite to judging this category having a previous experience being gone off Fireball? I know Jack Daniels made a cinnamon whiskey, but I’ve never met anyone who actually consumed it. (No shade, I promise.)
However, I bet an old fashioned or a gold rush cocktail would be very interesting with a cinnamon whiskey. Might have to cop a bottle … for experimentation purposes.
FLAVORED MOONSHINE: Because my father-in-law lowkey once challenged my manhood
Gold – Blackberry Gooch Hooch – Hill Top Distillery – Virginia
Silver – 4 Peppercorn – Silver Fox Distillery – Ontario
Bronze – Lemon Top Moonshine – Hill Top Distillery – Virginia
My wife’s daddy is a hustler, of the legal variety. The type of guy who has the main gig, the side gig and two to three other money-making ventures simmering on the stove. “The money clip stays ready, so we ain’t gotta get ready”, is a common catchphrase when in his vicinity.
He’s had my immediate respect the first time he said it.
One of the ventures that consistently simmers on the stove is the making of moonshine. I don’t know how he comes across the ingredients and I still don’t fully understand the process of making various flavors, but I do know that the first time the wife and I stayed at his home for the holidays, he told me to “help myself” to the egregiously large mason jars filled with brightly colored ‘shine in his basement.
And with a simple head nod and a smirk, he left in the middle of the night to go to another gig.
“CHALLENGE!”
(There’s no co-signing of Mr. Cosby and Quaaludes around these parts, but that scene is iconic.)
BTW — Blackberry Gooch Hooch. Fantastic name. Someone in Richmond, Virginia make it over to Hill Top Distillery and cop a bottle or three.
If you’re enjoying this newsletter and know other enthusiasts of whiskey, cocktails and appreciators of black creatives, consider sharing this with them. Because I have an insatiable curiosity about all things brown liquor. From the distillation process to the regionality of various spirits, from the unlimited ways to cocktail to how drinks with friends can make one’s day, and how these experiences have had a profound impact on my life. Thank you for your consideration.