Happy Hour Mailbag: On guilty pleasure spirits, meaningless words on a bottle and barrel picks
You all have questions. I might have the answers. Lets get after it. Also, I like Fireball.
Hi friends, welcome to another edition of the Happy Hour Mailbag.
Let’s get some details out of the way.
I’m not an expert by any means about any of my favorite brown spirits. I am an enthusiast.
Me, being an enthusiast, means that I do partake in various experiences that sharpen my sensibilities.
Those experiences, and the feelings they provide, are what shape what I like and don’t like.
Therefore, I will once again embark on a journey where I will take on the bravest of tasks and attempt to answer your questions about whiskey and other miscellanies from the Collective. I will answer them in the only way I know…by being myself.
Have questions? Send me an email at brownliquorcollective AT gmail DOT com. Or, drop them in the comments section and we’ll get them answered. Now let’s enjoy the show.
(Editor’s note: Questions have been lightly edited for clarity and brevity.)
Q: What is your guilty pleasure spirit that you’re mildly ashamed of? I love knocking down Scotch, Japanese Whiskey and high-proof Bourbon like anyone else who reads this, but man…sometimes I just want Crown Royal. Anyone need a purple bag? — Toni G.
A: Fireball. Yes, the same Fireball that was rumored in 2014 to contain antifreeze, that one.
Look, it just works. It’s a great shooter that gets a party started. It’s decent on ice when you just want to sip something sweet. It’s good with Ginger Ale. It’s good in an old fashioned. It even makes a good brunch cocktail — hello CTC. It’s got a bad rap because it’s easy to abuse — it’s cheap, sweet and widely available. When used correctly, it can pay dividends.
Q: How do you think store-picked bourbon and whiskey selections stack up to regular options? — Rick W.
I remember buying a Total Wine barrel pick of Maker’s Mark 46 about five years ago and feeling disappointed by the entire experience. Maker’s Mark runs about $25. MM 46 runs about $40. This barrel pick — while higher in proof (112 vs. 90) — was just fine. Looking back, I recognize two immediate issues in my process.
I was still just learning about barrel picks
I was trusting the discernment of a big ass retailer
Barrel picking, for the uninitiated, is when groups go directly to the distiller and taste various barrels and then pick one for their own use. What’s the benefit? Distilleries will have hundreds of barrels in their large rickhouses, going through the aging process. However, factors like barrel location and time in the barrel can slightly alter the final product. A barrel in the middle of the rickhouse near the floor will taste slightly different and have a varying proof than a barrel with exposure to the sun and more elevated.
Retailers make a pick and then sell it at an upcharge. Whiskey clubs will go and make a pick and then offer them to their membership. (Should we do one?)
So, my suggestion would be the following:
Do your research on barrel picking. Find someone with knowledge.
Buy barrel picks from someone who’s really good at it.
FWIW — I think OJ and Pierre from Taste Select Repeat are the best in the world at it.
Taste Select Repeat: The place to go if want unique, not-sold-in Big Box spirit stores bottles
The goals of Sip Mightily (my platform of content creation) and Brown Liquor Collective (our spirits club locally and online) are one and the same — to find ways to create access, expose and illuminate the sippers, enthusi…
Q: Can you educate folks on certain industry terms? Straight, sour mash, small batch, non-chilled filtered, etc.? — Shon B.
This is a great question because it reminds me of having to learn that some terms on a bottle are vitally important — and some of them are complete bullshit.
Let’s hit on the terms Shon listed above.
Straight: The use of “straight” refers to Whiskey made in America that’s aged for four years. Therefore, “straight” Bourbon Whiskey is also four years old, although the juice probably came from a barrel that’s much older. In other words, you’re buying something that actually clears a standardized checklist. This is not a bad thing.
Sour mash: It’s very rare for bourbon makers to NOT use a sour mash technique. A select few use a sweet mash — Wilderness Trail and Castle & Key are two distilleries that stand out. Other than that, almost all bourbons are sour mash. Reason being? Sour mash is easier to maintain throughout the process, as sweet mash is vulnerable to contamination. The sour mash process, per Distiller, is “when the distiller recycles the stillage — liquid left over in the still after distillation — from one batch to the next. The stillage is slightly acidic, which creates a more optimal environment for the yeast during fermentation and it’s said to keep consistency between batches.” If you care about how Bourbon is made, great to know. If you just want to drink delicious Bourbon, not really important.
Small batch: This term really means nothing other than that the distiller has made a limited quantity of a particular batch. Four Roses sells a “small batch” for about $35 and a “small batch select” for about $55 and are widely available whenever I hit Total Wine. Four Roses master distiller Brent Elliott says that small batch and small batch select are each, “A combination of six and seven-year-old barrels,” that are balanced, mellow and complex. Now, that doesn’t mean that small batches aren’t good, I called out Four Roses because the Small Batch Select is always a choice for me. But the term itself, to me, is nothing other than the distiller telling you that they think it’s good and you should pay more for it. They might be right, they might not be. Up to you to find out.
Non-chilled filtered: I’ll tap in This Blog Is Neat for this one — Neither of these should have a great impact on the flavor profile of the whiskey. Some argue that chill filtering removes some flavor and rich texture in the whiskey, so often non-chill filtering is more desirable. However, non-chill filtered whiskeys have the potential to become cloudy with the addition of water or ice, which isn’t aesthetically pleasing. This is why many distilleries choose to chill filter their whiskeys.
Labels in the alcohol game are trying to talk to you when you walk by the aisle. You’re better off talking to an actual person instead.
Q: My dad hosts “Scotchmas” every year for Christmas. Close friends and family gather at my parent’s table for a themed whiskey tasting. It started as just scotch but has branched into anything in the whiskey family. He’ll soon start asking about the theme he should do this year. We’ve done aged 18 and up, Japanese whiskeys, a tour of the different areas of Scotland, blended whiskeys and everyone bring their favorite bottle. I’d love to hear any ideas for themes or even just individual bottles.
First off, can I get an invite? This sounds amazing. Your dad is a genius, because his method is essentially how I host my own tastings. Themes like Tour of Scotland, Japanese Whiskies and Whiskey Blends are all great. I won’t give everything away because I have a few stories in the works that highlight how to upgrade your home tastings. However, here are some themes I’ll share:
Regions: When I lived in California, I hosted an all-California whiskey tasting. (Big fan of Redwood and R9) Here in Texas, I plan on doing the same with the in-state juice. You could also do this with Canadian, Indian and Irish whiskey.
Verticals: One of my favorite sessions involved going up and down Balvenie, as we took down the Doublewood 12, Caribbean Cask 14, Single Barrel 12 First Fill and Doublewood 17. It was a great opportunity to find the similarities and differences while picking up on the characteristics of Balvenie’s process. I’d recommend doing this with Old Forester.
Solera aging: Short answer, Solera aging is a tiered system of barrels that provides a method of maturation and a blending system. A more technical term for it is fractional blending. Long answer, I’ll leave it for Distiller to explain. Blade and Bow, Hillrock Solera Aged Bourbon and Stranahan’s Diamond Peak are good ones to start with in a flight.
Q: What do you get a brown liquor enthusiast who loves to write about all things whiskey and is light-skinned, fine as hell and has a sexy beard? — Paige M.
Who let my wife in here? Lord.
If you love someone who’s into this, the best thing you can do is surprise them. Take a look at the bar, take a picture and then try to go to a specialty bottle shop if you can. Google “bottle shops” in your city and see what comes up. If that doesn’t work, go to your local shop or a name-brand store and talk to someone. Tell them what you want to do, what your budget is and let them guide you to glory.
Honey, since you’re here — Barrell Whiskey Private Release DSX3 finished in a Pedro Ximenez Sherry Barrel — love you :)
A Sip Mightily barrel pick would be 🔥🔥🔥
While this was a great post, I’m here for Paige 😂