Starting a "spirits club" with some friends - first session - American Whiskeys

[Mr.L]

Hi Friends,

Long-time admirer. I have learned much from all of you and hope to participate in future conversations.

In the last few years I have become an avid cocktail fan. I've amassed a respectable home bar, made my own bitters, cordials, beer, and syrups, started exploring the tiki landscape, and tried my hand at many different types of cocktails - classic and new.

I wanted to expose some of my friends to this world and have begun putting together a spirits club. Ideally, we'll meet once every three weeks (here in Long Island), we will focus on a group of spirits, a spirit, or a style. We will watch some informative and short videos, do some comparison tasting, have some minor food pairings, and try some cocktails.

For the first meeting, I've settled on American whiskeys.

My thinking is:

Bourbon - 2 types ( at a later time we will do an all-bourbon tasting )

Tennessee -

Wheat

Rye

Corn

Something interesting

I could really use some input regarding brand suggestions and possible food pairings - just light bites - not dinner.

Any other suggestions for the club in general?

Thanks,

Derek

[Czequershuus]

For the 2 types of Bourbon you might want to consider a wheat heavy and a rye heavy as a contrast. I really enjoy Bulleit as a Rye heavy, and I think the prototypical wheat heavy is Maker's Mark.

[ChrisTaylor]

I like Bernheim's wheat whiskey. It's labelled as a wheat whiskey as opposed to a bourbon, altho' the ratio of wheat to corn isn't hugely different from Maker's Mark (51:49 as opposed to 49:51).

EDIT

As for rye, I'm rather fond of Whistlepig. You could also attempt to get your hands on the Van Winkle rye. Or, if you're prepared to play fast and loose with the definition of American whiskey and include whiskies made in the American style, you could look at some of the ryes made abroad. There's one made down here (still only sold as a white spirit, but it's a 100% rye) and another made in the Netherlands, I think.

Bourbon? I'd angle to show two contrasting styles of bourbon. Maybe something fairly sweet like Russell's and something wheaty like Booker Noe's.

As for interesting whiskies, I believe a couple of stills in the States are making scotch-style male whiskies.

Edited October 28, 2013 by ChrisTaylor (log)

[Plantes Vertes]

male whiskies.

Malt. Malt whiskies.

[ChrisTaylor]

I like my spirits gendered.

[weinoo]

For your first session, are you going to have a designated driver to take everyone home?

[Plantes Vertes]

I could really use some input regarding brand suggestions and possible food pairings - just light bites - not dinner.

The Whiskey

Bourbon

The Munchies

Dates wrapped in bacon

Sweetcorn fritters

Chocolate cake

Pecan pie

The Whiskey

Tennessee

The Munchies

Sharp cheese

BBQ sandwiches

Honey roast nuts

The Whiskey

Wheat

The Munchies

Roast pork sandwiches

Apple pie

The Whiskey

Rye

The Munchies

Rye bread with salmon and pickles

Liver pate on crackers

Beef jerky

[Rafa]

For your first session, are you going to have a designated driver to take everyone home?

A very good point.

As for the whiskeys:

Bourbon:

I agree with everyone who's suggested you go with a rye-mashbill bourbon and wheat-mashbill bourbon. High rye bourbons include Bulleit, Wild Turkey, and Old Grand-Dad. Wheaters include Weller, Maker's Mark, Old Fitzgerald, and, at the highest end, the Pappys. You can't really go wrong with any of these, but I suggest the Wellers and Old Fitzgerald as very reasonably priced whiskeys that are overlooked in favor of the sexier and more hyped stuff on the higher shelfs. (Though Weller is in short supply lately, so maybe don't make it too popular among your friends.) For bourbons with more standard, low-ish rye recipes, you can't go wrong with something from Four Roses or Buffalo Trace.

Tennessee:

Your options are Jack Daniel's and George Dickel. Your friends are likely to have experience with (and possibly poor memories of) Jack, so go with Dickel. The #8 and #12 are both good.

Wheat:

Bernheim's the king of the category, and for a long time was the category. Now there are newer expressions from Death's Door and Dry Fly that seem promising, but you're probably safer sticking with the fully aged and well-regarded Bernheim.

Rye:

The most widely available ryes are Rittenhouse/Pikesville from Heaven Hill (same recipe), Overholt/Beam/ri(1)/Knob Creek from Jim Beam (also same recipe), Sazerac/Hardy from Buffalo Trace, Wild Turkey, and the approximately four thousand rye whiskeys sourced from MGP in Indiana (Bulleit, Templeton, George Dickel, pretty much everything else), all with a tell-tale 95% rye mashbill. Rittenhouse 100 is the darling of the cocktail set, for a reason. The Beam ryes tend to be milder but have their fans (I've been eyeing ri(1), despite its terrible name and packaging, because I've seen it on sale for cheaper than Rittenhouse and it's basically a higher proof, older Overholt).) Wild Turkey put its beloved 101-proof rye on hold, and the current 81 proofer is no great shakes. The older Buffalo Trace ryes are classics. The Indiana ryes tend to be very spicy with strong mint flavors, and vary mainly in proof, age, and price.

Corn whiskey:

Mellow Corn and Georgia Moon are fine. I don't know the rest of the category at all.

Something interesting:

Balcones in Texas and Corsair in Tennessee are doing interesting things and getting acclaim for it. They offer a variety of malt whiskeys and whiskeys with unusual grains, as does High West with its silver oat whiskey. Stranahan's whiskey from Colorado is basically a bourbon made from a Scotch mashbill. Oregon's Clear Creek makes a credible Islay-style peated whiskey, and Lost Spirits out of California is doing something unprecedented, and, seemingly, nuts.

Have fun!

[Plantes Vertes]

Get lots of tulip/sherry glasses (one each for each whiskey) or factor in the washing up

Light the area so you can view the whiskey properly

Provide flat, room-temperature water (supposedly tap and sparkling will disrupt your palate but I'm not sure this signifies greatly if you're eating at the same time...)

Serve measures small enough to allow everyone to taste everything without getting hammered and have more of their favourites at the end (and/or give something to spit in)

Serve measures big enough that everyone can taste properly (~1/2oz min?)

Use the last two considerations to determine the number of whiskeys

Serve the whiskeys in order from lightest to richest

You might consider digitalising tasting notes after the event as a record of your club's activities

Mostly just good rules for life really

Edited October 28, 2013 by Plantes Vertes (log)

[Chris Amirault]

If you can find it, I highly recommend Clear Creek's McCarthy's Oregon Single Malt, made in the style of scotch.

Edited October 28, 2013 by Chris Amirault (log)

[ChrisTaylor]

Just saying, Rafa, but it seems the Turkey that's exported is still 101. At least, the Australian stuff is.

Edited October 28, 2013 by ChrisTaylor (log)

[Rafa]

Just saying, Rafa, but it seems the Turkey that's exported is still 101. At least, the Australian stuff is.

The rye? Lucky Australians. Between this and your eight week holidays you've got us beat.

That said, it could just be old stock that's still on the shelves there.

[ChrisTaylor]

I'm starting to horde bottles in this shipping container I've buried in the backyard just in case the zombies arrive.

[Cafe Hunk]

Ancient Age is a fantastic bourbon. It, umm, certainly has a bracing effect, however.

[Unpopular Poet]

I have really been partial to Templeton Rye lately -- great stuff from Iowa....touted as a "Prohibition Era Recipe" -- I am not sure about that, but I do know it is absolutely delicious - and from Iowa -- which would be another nice region to include in the American Whiskey tasting.

[Rafa]

I have really been partial to Templeton Rye lately -- great stuff from Iowa....touted as a "Prohibition Era Recipe" -- I am not sure about that, but I do know it is absolutely delicious - and from Iowa -- which would be another nice region to include in the American Whiskey tasting.

Hi there,

Templeton is actually distilled in Indiana—it's the same stuff that's in Bulleit, Redemption, Dickel, and a host of others, just aged and packaged differently. If you like it, you're in luck: chances are you'll like the others, and they're available all over the place. I recommend trying whichever's cheapest in your area (or alternatively whichever has the proof that's most to your liking) as it'll taste a lot like Templeton.

[Unpopular Poet]

Is it all distilled in Indiana these days or have they moved some to the distillery they have built in Iowa?

[Rafa]

I have no idea. I believe they will be releasing their own self-produced distillate eventually, but I have no clue whether they plan to mix it in with the LDI stuff first, nor do I know whether they're doing so now. I imagine their own spirit is still too young to release, though.

[Mr.L]

Thanks everyone for the awesome feedback! I'm busy sorting through the information, budge, and availability. I will definitely update on how things go.

[SamChevre]

I'm not sure if you are drinking the whiskeys straight, or as cocktails.

I would keep the price/age range consistent, so it's easier to taste style differences rather than getting confused by the age differences.

And I'd taste in order: corn, wheat, Tennessee, wheat bourbon, rye bourbon, rye, oddity (I'd go with "blended")

My suggestions:

Low-budget tasting (rail in a good bar quality--$15 a bottle or so); I'd plan to make sip/sniff and make cocktails.

Mellow Corn

Bernheim

Dickel Cascade Hollow

Evan Williams (or Four Roses)

Jim Beam White (or Old Grand-Dad BIB)

Jim Beam Rye (or Old Overholt)

Beam 8 Star

Mid-budget tasting--good enough to drink with ice--$15-$25 a bottle

Mellow Corn

Bernheim

Dickel #12

Evan Williams 1783 (or Four Roses)

Old Forester (or Jim Beam Black)

Rittenhouse Rye (or Wild Turkey Rye)

Seagrams 7 Crown

Nice whiskey tasting

High/reasonable-budget tasting--$25-50 a bottle

Mellow Corn

Bernheim (or Maker's Mark)

Jack Daniels

Elijah Craig 12

Eagle Rare

Rittenhouse Rye (or Sazerac 6-year old)

Angels Envy (port-finished bourbon)

[scubadoo97]

Be careful. You never know where this will lead you.

Doing tastings at 9:30am and buying barrels of whiskey

Edited October 31, 2013 by scubadoo97 (log)

[Mr.L]

As I continue to prepare - I still have a few questions - Let me start with one pressing concern -

First, I'd like to begin with an educational portion of the tasting.

1 - A brief explanation of what is a "spirit" vs wine, liqueur, or beer.

2 - A brief explanation of what makes a "whiskey" and how is it produced.

Should I use Youtube clips or should I explain orally? Perhaps pre-printed cards?

What do you think?

Thanks,

Mr. L

[ChrisTaylor]

I guess that depends on the knowledge and interest your friends have. I'd probably keep that sort of thing to a minimum--at least when starting out--and sound people out to see if there's any interest in including that kind of thing in future sessions.

[Mjx]

As I continue to prepare - I still have a few questions - Let me start with one pressing concern -

First, I'd like to begin with an educational portion of the tasting.

1 - A brief explanation of what is a "spirit" vs wine, liqueur, or beer.

2 - A brief explanation of what makes a "whiskey" and how is it produced.

Should I use Youtube clips or should I explain orally? Perhaps pre-printed cards?

What do you think?

Thanks,

Mr. L

Share links to reliable, interesting websites for the various spirits with everyone beforehand, not in a 'Study this' sort of way, but 'Look at this, this is great, wanted to share it with you!'

If you do this, most should show up with a little background already, and you can pass along other the key information as you go. Just don't present the information in a block; even if they don't mean to, they're likely to quickly tune it out.

My idea of a good tipple is madeira or one of the liqueurs, so I have no site suggestions myself, but I'm quite certain that plenty of the other members who are active in the beverage forums wil have some excellent suggestions.

[Mr.L]

Meeting #1 was a great success. I want to thank everyone for the great suggestions.

I had about 8 guys over and they really appreciated the whiskey and the pairings.

I ended up going with:

Buffalo Trace - White Dog - Sour Mash #1 (tricky to start with this - but we had a nice break in between)

paired with: dried fruit and salted nuts

Bernheim Wheat Whiskey - One of the favorites

paired with: a selection of cheeses, smoked meats (cold cuts), and fruit

Templeton Rye - Another favorite of the group

paired with: rye bread with smoked salmon and sour cream

Dickel #12 (Tennessee whiskey)

paired with: blue cheese and almond stuffed dates wrapped in bacon along with spicy deviled eggs

Elijah Craigh 12 Bourbon - Other favorite of the group

paired with: pulled pork on small potato rolls topped with a vinegar slaw.

Balcones smoked whiskey - Everyone wanted to like this but most felt that the smoke overpowered the drink. Perhaps it would have paired better with the pulled pork

paired with: pecan pie

I never even got to the three mini-cocktails I intended to: Manhattans, Mint Juleps, and Old Fashioned.

Next meeting: Rum (I can't wait)