Retail Liquor Heaven

As stated in a previous post, there is a shining beacon of retail hope for those in the Queen City searching for whiskeys outside the norm. While technically not located within the boundaries of the Old North State, it’s literally just a couple hundred yards across the state line in Fort Mill, right across the street from Carowinds.
Frugal Macdoogal’s Wine & Liquor Warehouse (3430 Festival Drive, Fort Mill SC, 803-548-6634) hands down has the greatest retail selection of liquor in a one hundred mile radius. Period. The store is divided into two sections: the right side contains wine and beer, while liquors are on the left. I’m told that their wine selection is above average, akin to combining the volume of a well-stocked grocer with the selection of a specialty wine store. Their beer options are much the same way. In the end, though, most of the folks that I know who are more in tuned to those spirits say that Frugal’s isn’t any better than the numerous Total Wine & More stores located around town.
But they really do shine when it comes to liquors. And I’m not just talking about whiskey. More on that in a bit.
Here’s just a sampling of what I’ve seen dedicated shelf space for recently, whiskey-wise: Parker’s Heritage Collection, specifically 2009’s Golden Anniversary Bourbon and 2010’s Wheated Mashbill 10-yr Bourbon, A.H.Hirsh Reserve’s 22-yr American Rye, all of Buffalo Trace’s Antique Collection, Suntory’s Yamazaki Single Malt, the entire Bushmills Malt range, Cooley Distillery’s standard range of Irish whiskeys, selections from the Compass Box collection of vatted malt Scotch, Springbank Single Malt Scotch, the entire Glenmorangie Cask-Finished range… Hell, the list could go on and on.
But just in case you’re more interested in other spirits, they’ve got great options for you as well. Whether you’re looking for authentic European-made absinthe, French calvados, South American cachaca, or slivovitz from the Eastern Europe, they’ve easily got at least a half-dozen options of each. Chances are, if you’re looking for something specific, your chances of finding it at Frugal Macdoogal’s are much better than anywhere else in the Carolinas. About the only thing I don't care for about the place is the way some of the cashiers make comments whenever I buy anything that costs more than fifty bucks. Given your inventory, shouldn't you be over that by now? Or at least be used to me?
ADDITIONAL WHISKEY EVENT
Just an FYI for those with a bit of cash to burn off before Halloween: Ruth Chris Steakhouse – Uptown is hosting a Macallan tasting with paired courses on October 28. At $65 per person and a 5:30pm start time, it’s certainly not an event I could hope to attend, but if anyone does end up making it, let me know how it turned out. I promise to let you all know how the events I attended for my birthday last week ended up.
Until then,
Salud

Coming Attractions

I love Autumn. After months of weather in the upper 90’s with high relative humidity, the cooler air is most welcome. With the lower temperatures come layered clothes (“fashion weather”, as I call it). The anniversary of my wedding is in September, and my birthday is in October. Halloween. Football. And, as a whiskey fan, whiskey events and new limited releases from American distillers.
I’m not entirely sure which came first or when, but as long as I’ve been a whiskey enthusiast, Autumn has been filled with news of new releases of limited production whiskeys premiering at the whiskey festivals as well as area restaurants offering whiskey dinners or tastings led by distillery representatives and/or brand ambassadors. This year, fortunately, has been no different. My tax bracket restricts me from attending the whiskey festivals, but I’ll provide their information for the benefit of my readers in any case.
Unfortunately, this year’s editions of the Kentucky Bourbon Festival as well as WhiskyFest San Francisco have come and gone. But they are an annual occurrence in the middle part of September and early October, respectively, and there are other opportunities for those willing to travel prior to Thanksgiving for an opportunity to sample new/limited/hard-to-find whiskeys.
The next several upcoming events of note are all sponsored by Whisky Magazine. The first of their events is Whisky Live – Los Angeles, which occurs on October 13, immediately followed by Whisky Live events in Toronto on October 22 and Fort Lauderdale on October 29. Next month, Malt Advocate Magazine gets into the act with WhiskyFest New York coming up on November 9.
And what exactly can one expect to find at these whiskey events? Just the latest releases from U.S. distilleries that feature the best spirits being produced in America today. September saw the premiere of the Four Roses Limited Edition Small Batch Bourbon, plus the annual releases of Heaven Hill’s Parker’s Heritage Collection and Old Forester’s Birthday Bourbon. October is traditionally when Heaven Hill releases the annual edition of Evan Williams Single Barrel Bourbon as well as the Woodford Reserve Master’s Collection, and, finally, the highly anticipated annual release of Buffalo Trace’s Antique Collection. All of these new releases will be available for purchase before the holiday season, although whether or not they make their way to this market and how they long those stores last are always unpredictable.
Now, one thing that I know I can indulge in despite my state of residence are whiskey dinners. There are usually a number of Charlotte-area restaurants hosting whiskey-themed events in the Fall, and this year is no exception. The first of these options occurs on October 20 at Andrew Blair’s. Unfortunately, the specific details of their Small Batch Bourbon Dinner are still being finalized, so I can’t provide any information at all save the date. However, the following night, October 21, $30 will afford you the opportunity to be guided through a three-course American Whiskey Dinner hosted by Woodford Reserve Ambassador Eamon O'Mahoney at Whiskey Warehouse. Finally, despite its name, the Scotch Society of Ballantyne is in actuality an event that costs $25 and occurs on October 23 at the Gallery Restaurant, not a group of Scotch enthusiasts. I hope to see you all at least at one of these events.
Salud.