Ahhh, the wild, wild West. Cowboys and railroad men. The heat and dust. And of course, the whiskey saloons. Drinks lovingly nicknamed “Coffin Varnish”, “Tarantula Venom”, and “Liquid Lightning”. Rough men drinking rough whiskey roughly.
Back in the mid to late 19th century, American whiskeys such as rye and Bourbon were the drink of choice in the far reaches of the American frontier simply for the fact that beer couldn’t be brewed or stored in the heat. In 1876, Dodge City, Kansas managed to support 19 whiskey saloons despite having a population of just twelve hundred. Frontiersmen frequented these establishments even though the liquid passing their lips stood an overwhelming chance of being something other than whiskey. What might have left Kentucky and Pennsylvania as whiskey had passed through the hands of so many middlemen that it was much more likely that what was in the glass was (at best) whiskey mixed with industrial alcohol flavored by some combination of tobacco, pepper, iodine, and soap, to name a few.
Eventually, the Kentucky distillers decided to protect the reputation of their products. In 1897, Congress passed the Bottled-in-Bond Act guaranteeing a whiskey’s quality. In order to qualify as a bonded whiskey, the spirit must be distilled at a single distillery, stored at a federally supervised warehouse for at least four years, and bottled at no less than 50% alcohol by volume. Additionally, the bottled product's label must identify the distillery of origin as well as, if different, where it was bottled. It was the first federal consumer protection act passed in the United States, and continues to exist to this day.
Nowadays, there are still a number of spirits produced in the United States that would qualify as being bonded, including most whiskeys of even modest regard, although a large majority of them consider the term to be a bit archaic and decline to be labeled as such. Which is fine, because anyone who would consider drinking these whiskeys is likely seeking either A) status, or B) complexity.
In any case, it’s my experience that the most diverse collection of these American spirits available for sampling in the Queen City is at Andrew Blair’s (1600 Montford Drive, 704-525-8282). Although they make no mention of it on neither their website nor on their Facebook page, they have a rather extensive list of Kentucky spirits for their Bourbon Club. 50+ names strong, the selection runs the gambit from the $10/bottle Ancient Age Bourbon to American Spirit by Wild Turkey. Other standouts on offer include Booker’s from Jim Beam’s Small Batch Bourbon Collection, the highly rated/regarded/sought-after George T. Stagg from Buffalo Trace’s Antique Collection, and Heaven Hill’s Elijah Craig 18 year old Single Barrel, which will always have a special place in my heart (more on that in a future post).
Also included on their Bourbon list, however, is a straight rye whiskey and a number of sweetened whiskey-based liquors such as Prichard’s Sweet Lucy and Evan Williams Honey Reserve. The evening I was there was dominated by an industry event, so I wasn’t able to explore their whiskey selection any further, be it non-Bourbon American, Scotch, or Irish. As a result, I can't really add any further pros or cons concerning this locale to this post.
And what exactly was this industry event, you might ask? Why, it was a tasting of the new Maker’s 46 Bourbon. Billed as “first new expression from the Maker’s Mark Distillery in 52 years”, it takes the standard Maker’s Mark whisky and finishes it in barrels fitted with toasted French oak staves suspended from the barrel head for several additional months. The result: in comparison to the red seal Maker’s Mark, Maker’s 46 has much less vanilla on the nose, is more full and creamy on the palate, and has more pepper and spice in its longer finish. Overall, it’s a very pleasant Bourbon and is great sipped over ice. But given its retail price point, I’ll probably choose other, more complex Bourbons to drink neat or cut. And if you’re really into splitting hairs, this blog discussion rightfully questions whether or not their advertising claims are honest when they previously had at least two other limited availability releases.
Salud.
Back in the mid to late 19th century, American whiskeys such as rye and Bourbon were the drink of choice in the far reaches of the American frontier simply for the fact that beer couldn’t be brewed or stored in the heat. In 1876, Dodge City, Kansas managed to support 19 whiskey saloons despite having a population of just twelve hundred. Frontiersmen frequented these establishments even though the liquid passing their lips stood an overwhelming chance of being something other than whiskey. What might have left Kentucky and Pennsylvania as whiskey had passed through the hands of so many middlemen that it was much more likely that what was in the glass was (at best) whiskey mixed with industrial alcohol flavored by some combination of tobacco, pepper, iodine, and soap, to name a few.
Eventually, the Kentucky distillers decided to protect the reputation of their products. In 1897, Congress passed the Bottled-in-Bond Act guaranteeing a whiskey’s quality. In order to qualify as a bonded whiskey, the spirit must be distilled at a single distillery, stored at a federally supervised warehouse for at least four years, and bottled at no less than 50% alcohol by volume. Additionally, the bottled product's label must identify the distillery of origin as well as, if different, where it was bottled. It was the first federal consumer protection act passed in the United States, and continues to exist to this day.
Nowadays, there are still a number of spirits produced in the United States that would qualify as being bonded, including most whiskeys of even modest regard, although a large majority of them consider the term to be a bit archaic and decline to be labeled as such. Which is fine, because anyone who would consider drinking these whiskeys is likely seeking either A) status, or B) complexity.
In any case, it’s my experience that the most diverse collection of these American spirits available for sampling in the Queen City is at Andrew Blair’s (1600 Montford Drive, 704-525-8282). Although they make no mention of it on neither their website nor on their Facebook page, they have a rather extensive list of Kentucky spirits for their Bourbon Club. 50+ names strong, the selection runs the gambit from the $10/bottle Ancient Age Bourbon to American Spirit by Wild Turkey. Other standouts on offer include Booker’s from Jim Beam’s Small Batch Bourbon Collection, the highly rated/regarded/sought-after George T. Stagg from Buffalo Trace’s Antique Collection, and Heaven Hill’s Elijah Craig 18 year old Single Barrel, which will always have a special place in my heart (more on that in a future post).
Also included on their Bourbon list, however, is a straight rye whiskey and a number of sweetened whiskey-based liquors such as Prichard’s Sweet Lucy and Evan Williams Honey Reserve. The evening I was there was dominated by an industry event, so I wasn’t able to explore their whiskey selection any further, be it non-Bourbon American, Scotch, or Irish. As a result, I can't really add any further pros or cons concerning this locale to this post.
And what exactly was this industry event, you might ask? Why, it was a tasting of the new Maker’s 46 Bourbon. Billed as “first new expression from the Maker’s Mark Distillery in 52 years”, it takes the standard Maker’s Mark whisky and finishes it in barrels fitted with toasted French oak staves suspended from the barrel head for several additional months. The result: in comparison to the red seal Maker’s Mark, Maker’s 46 has much less vanilla on the nose, is more full and creamy on the palate, and has more pepper and spice in its longer finish. Overall, it’s a very pleasant Bourbon and is great sipped over ice. But given its retail price point, I’ll probably choose other, more complex Bourbons to drink neat or cut. And if you’re really into splitting hairs, this blog discussion rightfully questions whether or not their advertising claims are honest when they previously had at least two other limited availability releases.
Salud.
