THE BOURBON RESOURCE
Big news at Jungle Jim's, our tremendous Starlight pick, and .... the Calumet 14 yr.
BOURBON NEWS
Jungle Jim’s in Fairfield, Ohio has opened a high-end bourbon bar with shots from $20 to $150 each. The bar, only open Thursdays between 4 and 10 p.m., also offers cigars and snacks and promises everything from Jim Beam to Pappy and everything in between. Sounds like a road trip!
This is a little weird, but a company is making soy sauce aged in bourbon barrels. Blue Grass Soy sauce claims to be the only micro-brewed
soy sauce in the U.S. Wow, you mean there’s not a market for micro-brewed soy sauce? Shocked, I say.
Evan Williams has released a 95-proof high rye bourbon called Square 6. It retails for $90
River Ridge Liquors has opened what it calls the only high-end tasting room in southern Indiana. It has a bourbon tasting room which looks great, but also a selection of beer and wine. (ADD PHOTO HERE) It’s near Jeffersonville, just north of Louisville, and about 30 minutes east of the Starlight Distillery. That would be a nice trip --- selection at Starlight followed by a private event at River Ridge.
The Heaven Hill Distillery has completed its renovation at its Bardstown facility and it looks amazing. Seems worth a trip.
Sweeten’s Cove Tennessee whiskey has certainly taken off. Peyton Manning’s brand has entered the high-priced retail neighborhood of $200 per bottle. While I don’t care for that price range (or Tennessee whiskey for that matter) I’ll grab a bottle if I find one and break my rule of not reselling because this has gone crazy on the secondary --- $1,600.
The Brother’s Bond Distillery company’s namesake bourbon is making its way in the market and generating decent reviews. It’s now available in 17 states or online. It’s aged four years at its Fort Smith, Arkansas headquarters with a mash bill of 65% corn, 22% rye, and 13% malted barley. At $39.99 I’d grab a bottle to give it a try, even if it’s just 80 proof.
STARLIGHT BOURBON
Our trip to the Starlight Distillery in Borden, Indiana exceeded all expectations (well, at least mine). Our host, Andrew, was as gracious as could be. We started tasting at 10 a.m., broke for lunch about 11:30 a.m., and then tasted some more until we cried, uncle. I have never been on a barrel selection that offered as many tasting opportunities like this one.
In the end, we selected one-half barrel of the Starlight Double Oak and one-half barrel of the Starlight double oak rye. We had 243 bottles in total and of this writing, there were only a few left, and with good reason. Both are outstanding in every way, especially the value.
I anticipated we would pay about $70 a bottle but we paid $57 because Starlight gave us a generous 20% barrel discount (that’s also never happened before).
TASTING NOTES:
RYE: I am not a rye fan. I find them too spicy and hot. But this rye is amazing. Aged 5 years and bottled at 107.5 proof, this rye explodes with orange peel and spice. Bourbon Resource reader Mark Dreher and I were texting back and forth about the properties, but allspice, cardamom, and ginger are all there and stand out. It's sweet and smooth, with a very long finish. It's a good slow, sipper without ice. Just outstanding.
DOUBLE OAK: Aged 4.5 years, my first sip told me that this was far higher than the 114.2 proof. High alcohol and lots of oak --- which isn't surprising since it's double oak. But then I did two things --- first, I cut it with a little water, and that brought out burnt sugar (as Mark noted). But as I was sampling, my wife brought home some bourbon pecan ice cream for me (what a woman!) and the combination of the ice cream sweetness and the bourbon brought out all the properties. I also took a bite of a cornichon to test my theory. In addition to the burnt sugar, vanilla, caramel, and pepper shine. Like the rye, it has a very long finish, in the range of Wild Turkey Decades, which is $179 a bottle (retail). I would have this bourbon with something sweet to balance the flavors or something big, like a burger or steak,
WHAT’S NEXT
A group of us are headed to Woodford to select a barrel. That’s it for a while, though we are on Old Forrester’s list, and that’s the one I’m really excited about. Barton’s will send me a note in November and there’s a slim chance I get one of those barrels. Otherwise, we’ll be back at Starlight, probably for another rye, in April ’22.
I BUY IT SO YOU DON’T HAVE TO:
Calumet 14 year, $109.99
I’m sure this has happened to all of us. We go to a much-anticipated movie, or a hyped restaurant, or buy that esteemed bottle of wine, and after the experience, we go --- “Huh? What was the big deal?”
That sums up the Calumet 14 year, a bourbon that had the promise of a tender fillet and ended up being like round steak.
Calumet, distilled by Western Spirits, makes several iterations and I’m a fan of most of them. The small-batch, 8 and 12 years are all good drinkers, albeit pricey, as the 12 year now comes in at $99.99.
So when I saw the 14-year at my favorite online store (Pike’s Wine and Liquor), I figured it should be better than the 12, whose notes of oak, vanilla, and caramel, and long deep finish have more character than most 94 proof bourbons.
The 14 year, at 96.2 proof is thin all around. There’s not much on the nose, and little oak (and a surprising amount of burn) comes through on the first sip. Its mash bill of 74% corn, 18% rye, and 4% malted barley should produce a smoother bourbon, but it doesn’t. The finish, which contains some dark charry, turns bitter.
In short, the Calumet 14 has all the traits of a con man --- it makes a lot of promises but all it does is take your money.
When I saw a Calumet 15 hit the market I thought, that’s a hard pass, especially at $129.99. Maybe if I can find a reasonably priced pour someplace, I’ll get a shot. Otherwise, no thanks.
WHAT’S NEW ON MY SHELF:
1792 Sweet Wheat
The 1792 products from Barton’s Distillery are among my favorites. They make several brands, and you can see them all here. You used to be able to get these fairly easily until the Whiskey Bible named the full proof the 2020 Whiskey of the Year. You know the rest. Boy, do I count myself lucky that we were able to get a barrel of full proof before the market went nutso.
I’ve been collecting every 1792 I can, and I came across this bottle of sweet wheat on the secondary market for $150. Yes, that’s a steep premium for a $35 bourbon, but this bottle generally goes for $200 and up, partly because of conflicting information on whether Barton’s would discontinue the product. Anyway, I pounced. And I’m glad I did.
This is the definition of an easy drinker and exactly my style of bourbon. It’s a wheated bourbon, which means wheat replaces rye and provides a much smoother drink. In this case, the mash bill sits at 75% corn, 15% wheat, and 10% barley. It’s 91.2 proof and while the bottle doesn’t carry an age statement, Barton’s press information says it’s aged 8 years.
This bourbon is heavy on caramel corn, cherry, and oak, both on the nose and palate. The flavors linger with a little tobacco at the end, and while the finish isn’t blow you away good, it’s solid and satisfying.
If I could find this on the shelf at its retail price, I’d buy two cases and never look back. But that’s as likely as me suddenly loving the Calumet 14.
SOMETHING NEW: WHISKEY COCKTAILS
I’m going to start adding a cocktail recipe to each newsletter. Let me know if you make one!
Whiskey Smash
2 oz. bourbon
0.75 oz. lemon juice
0.75 oz. simple syrup
6-8 mint leaves
1 lemon peel, about 2” or so
Add all ingredients, including mint and lemon peel, to a shaker tin. Add ice, shake hard for 6 to 10 seconds. Strain over fresh ice into a rock’s glass, garnish with a mint crown, and enjoy.
And, a final word
Thank you to everyone who takes the time to read this, and especially those who pass this along so others can partake. This is a small but active group, with about 250 people opening this when I send it. Recently, someone asked why I don’t do more of these and there are two parts to that answer. First, everybody already gets too much stuff and I don’t want to add to that. And secondly, anything more feels like work, and I’m allergic to work. I am planning, however, to send out occasional “extras” when big news breaks, like a Pappy release that none of us will ever see.
Until next time.