That was the first thought that came to mind when I sat down for a rooftop dram of this marvelous straight-rye blend. I’ve been drinking the DoubleRye from the HighWest Distillery on and off again now for about a year. It’s just one of those whiskies that keeps you coming back again and again.
HighWestDoubleRye is unique among rye whiskey in that in is actually a blend of two rye whiskies, a 2 and a 16 year. The result is a rye experience that switches back and forth between ultra smooth and kick in the pants spice.
Spices and more spices. As other reviewers have noted, there are some really interesting gin notes, notably a subtle evergreen smell along with some oak.
Taste
The DoubleRye opens up very smooth with vanilla and caramel and transforms in a moment to a flavor bomb of rye spices, confectionary spices, and an interesting mix of botanicals. Lots of character!
Finish
The finish is long and satisfying, leaving a lingering taste of orange peel and rye spice across the tongue. Really enjoyable.
Conclusion
This really isn’t a rye whiskey that any American whiskey sipper can afford to miss. For just $35 a bottle, it’s a standard on my shelf for the foreseeable future.
FRANKFORT, Franklin County, Ky (Feb. 2013) – Buffalo Trace Distillery marks the halfway point in its quest for the perfect bourbon with the release of its eighth round of Single Oak Project Bourbon.
All of the bourbons that comprise this release entered the barrel at 105 proof, aged within the wooden ricks of Warehouse K, with a number 4 barrel char after the staves were seasoned for 12 months. This allows the release to focus on three other variables, the recipe, wood grain size, and tree cut. All of the other variables such as aging warehouse, entry proof, char level, and stave seasoning remain constant.
“Many people will find this release interesting since the entry proof is 105 this round – which some fans contend is better. Bourbon drinkers can taste and decide if they like wheated or rye recipe bourbon better at the 105 entry proof.” said Kris Comstock, bourbon marketing director.
So far, more than 2,221 industry expert and consumer reviews have been logged online at http://www.singleoakproject.com/. These whiskey reviews will determine which Single Oak Project Bourbon is the favorite of fans worldwide. Buffalo Trace looks forward to more reviews, to hear what bourbon drinkers think, and will craft the perfect bourbon based on consumer feedback.
Now halfway through the project, barrel number 106 has fought its way back to the top, after being knocked off a few months ago by barrel number 97! “Barrels number 97 and 106 have been vying for the number one spot for several months now,” continues Comstock. “But with two more years to go, any of these bourbons still stand a chance to be declared the winner. And it’s not too late to get involved even if you’re new to the project!”
After a consumer reviews a bottle online, they will be availed of all the aging details and provenance of the barrel. They can interact with others who’ve also reviewed the barrel, compare their reviews, and even learn for themselves which characteristics they enjoy most, in order to help them select future favorites. Participants online will earn points after each review and most importantly, actively participate in Buffalo Trace Distillery’s quest to create the perfect bourbon!
The Single Oak Project is part of an intensive research project Buffalo Trace Distillery started conducting in 1999 by hand picking 96 trees with different wood grains and then dividing them into a top and bottom piece, yielding 192 unique sections. From there, staves were created from each section and were air dried for either 6 months or 12 months. After all the staves were air dried, a single barrel was created from each tree section, resulting in 192 total barrels. These barrels were given either a number three or a number four char and then filled with either wheat or rye recipe bourbon.
To further the variety of experiments, the barrels were filled at two different proofs, 105 and 125 proof. And if this wasn’t enough, two completely different warehouses were used, one with wooden floors and one with concrete floors. In total, seven different variables were employed in Buffalo Trace’s ultimate experiment.
For eight years the Distillery continued with its tracking process, creating intricate databases and coming up with a potential of 1,396 tasting combinations from these 192 barrels!
The Single Oak Project Bourbon is being released in a series every three months from 2011 through 2015 until all of the 192 barrels have been released. The first release hit select stores in 2011. This eighth release will reach stores towards the end of February. Like all the other releases, the quantities are very limited. Every case will contain 12 bottles, each from a different barrel. The eighth release is made up of barrel numbers 27, 28, 59, 60, 91, 92, 123, 124, 155, 156, 187, and 188. All releases will be packaged in a 375ml bottle. Suggested retail pricing per bottle is $46.35.
At the conclusion of the Single Oak Project, the Distillery plans to take the top rated Single Oak Project Bourbon and make more just like it, under the Single Oak name.
About Buffalo Trace Distillery
Buffalo Trace Distillery is a family-owned company based in Frankfort, Franklin County, Kentucky. The Distillery’s rich distilling tradition dates back to 1787 and includes such legends as E.H. Taylor, Jr., George T. Stagg, Albert B. Blanton, Orville Schupp, and Elmer T. Lee. Buffalo Trace Distillery is a fully operational Distillery producing bourbon, rye and vodka on site and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Distillery has won seven distillery titles since 2000 from such notable publications as Whisky Magazine, Whisky Advocate Magazine and Wine Enthusiast Magazine. It was named Whisky Magazine 2010 World Icons of Whisky “Whisky Visitor Attraction of the Year.” Buffalo Trace Distillery has also garnered more than 200 awards for its wide range of premium whiskies. To learn more about Buffalo Trace Distillery visit http://www.buffalotracedistillery.com
Jack Daniel’s Sinatra Select is a special edition whiskey crafted to honor Frank Sinatra’s fifty-year friendship with Jack Daniel’s. Frank was a fiercely loyal, lifetime fan of the brand, and Sinatra Select was designed to be both a classic expression of style and an homage to two American icons. This exclusive outpouring of the distiller’s craft is matured in proprietary oak barrels for a bold flavor, timeless character and exceptional smoothness. Sinatra Select will be available at high-end retail stores and major airports worldwide, debuting in Las Vegas and later spreading to destinations including New York, London, Sydney and Singapore.
Frank Sinatra lived a style that was truly his own. His independent spirit made him stand out in his time, and continues to distinguish him today. The design for Sinatra Select balances Jack Daniel’s legacy and Frank Sinatra’s legacy with a look that is sleek and stylish, a reflection of Sinatra’s timeless good taste.
The vessel designed for Jack Daniel’s Sinatra Select is a taller, sleeker interpretation of the Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey bottle, with a weighted base, an embossed metal shoulder label and a medallion featuring an icon of Frank’s familiar fedora.
Sinatra Select incorporates many of the brand’s defining elements, and adds new ones specific to this expression. The capsule features the Jack Daniel’s Country Club logo created by Frank to adorn a blazer he wore in the 1950s—a statement of his independent way of living.
Sinatra Select is packaged within a bespoke bottle made for this special edition product. The branded box incorporates a medallion with the Frank Sinatra fedora icon and orange ribbon. The color orange works as the perfect complement to Sinatra Select’s classic black color palette. Sinatra said that orange is the happiest color, and often used a bright orange pocket handkerchief to add some pop to his tailored suits and tuxedos. Inside is a special book that tells more about the story of Frank’s fifty-year relationship with Jack Daniel’s.
This super-premium offering from Jack Daniel’s celebrates a man who lived without hesitation or compromise. The result is a distinctive expression of style and grace, in keeping with the kindred spirit that it honors.
Design work credit to Cue at www.designcue.com
We are delighted to announce the release of the first in a series of one-off, regional Scotch whisky blends under the Great King Street label: the “New York Blend”. Created for the 2012 New York Whisky Fest, the whisky is dedicated to Patrick J. Duffy, the man who legend has it was responsible for the first branded and bottled Scotch whisky to arrive in New York in 1894. The blend is based on an actual recipe from the 1890s.
John Glaser has created only 1,800 bottles of this unique, smoky, full-flavoured Blended Scotch whisky. The New York Blend uses lots of peaty single malts, plenty of sherry cask-aged single malts, and a much higher proportion of malt to grain whisky (80%/20%) than is typically used today. Just as the finest blending houses would have done in 1894.
Bottled at a higher strength of 46%, Great King Street – New York Blend will only be available in the US, primarily in the New York Metropolitan area, following its launch on Saturday 27th October. However, we are also offering a few bottles for sale on an exclusive basis from our UK-based web shop so if you would like to pick up a bottle, don’t delay!
Speyburn Distillery, the producer of Speyburn Single Malt Scotch Whisky, is pleased to announce that the successor of the World Whiskies Awards 2012 Gold-Medal-winning Speyburn 25 Year Old will soon be available in markets around the world featuring exciting new packaging. The relaunch of the much-admired premium expression of Speyburn follows a successful year for the Scottish brand.
The oldest and most exclusive Speyburn yet has been a hidden gem and a favourite for whisky aficionados for years. It didn’t come as a surprise when earlier in 2012 the coveted Speyburn 25 Year Old ‘Solera’ was named by the World Whiskies Awards panel as the best in its category. Now, the new and reinvented premium expression from the iconic Speyside distillery has arrived. It’s simply called Speyburn 25 Year Old.
The Whisky
The whisky for this all-new Speyburn came from American oak Fino sherry and exbourbon casks of the highest quality. The spirit matured entirely on site at Speyburn Distillery, on the banks of Granty Burn. The whisky is bottled at premium strength of 46% ABV. It is unchill-filtered and shows its natural colour.
Speyburn 25 Year Old has a vibrant and bright aroma, rich with lime honey and lemon peel notes, accentuated by fragrant tropical fruit. The taste is rounded and smooth. Sweet to begin with, it opens up with toffee, creamy vanilla and pink grapefruit flavours and drifts gently towards a long and warming finish.
The Packaging
Speyburn 25 Year Old is presented in the new Speyburn bottle encased in a silver wooden box. Two engraved collapsible metal tasting cups are also included making it the perfect gift for an outdoors enthusiast. Each pack is signed personally by the Distillery Manager Robert Anderson.
Recommended retail price: £240
Notes
· The Speyburn Distillery was founded in 1897 by John Hopkins.
· The Distillery still features unique Henning’s Pneumatic Drum Maltings which are the only example in the world. Although they stopped working in 1967 they still attract regular visitors as a vital part of Scotch whisky’s rich history.
· Speyburn draws production water from Granty Burn famed for its purity and world-class salmon fishing
· Speyburn 25 Year Old ‘Solera’ recently won the Best Highland Single Malt Whisky award at Whisky Magazine’s World Whiskies Awards 2012
· Speyburn is part International Beverage Holdings, the international arm of ThaiBev. Other well-known whisky brands in the International Beverage Holdingsportfolio include anCnoc, Balblair, Catto’s, Hankey Bannister and Old Pulteney.
London, 2012 – The outstanding international growth of WILLIAM LAWSON’SR Blended Scotch whisky has been recognised by the IWSR (International Wine & Spirit Research) in its recently published 2011 Elite Brands list.
The Bacardi-owned whisky has successfully established itself in the Elite Brands list for a 5th consecutive year and is proud to have risen three places to number six in the list this year; ranking higher than any other Scotch whisky.
WILLIAM LAWSON’S passed the milestone of achieving impressive sales of more than 2 million nine litre cases worldwide last year and has also recently been acknowledged by the IWSR as the fastest-growing of the 2011 Top 50 international spirits brands, with a massive 46.1% value increase in 2011 vs. 2010.
The strict criteria to join the Elite Brands list set by the IWSR has remained unchanged since 2007, but has become tougher to meet in recent years and as a result the list has reduced from 22 brands in 2009 to just 11 brands this year.
The IWSR is one of the most comprehensive suppliers of volume and value data for the global drinks industry.
An Elite Brand must sell more than one million cases worldwide, and demonstrate an international presence, with at least 40 per cent of sales outside its main market. These spirits must also achieve a consistently steady compound annual growth rate of 5% over the last five years. WILLIAM LAWSON’S achieved a hugely impressive Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 10.4% over the last five years.
France is a major market for WILLIAM LAWSON’S, accounting for one-third of all sales; while Belgium, Portugal, and Spain are also important established markets. Over the last year the brand has enjoyed strong growth in Eastern Europe and Latin America; in particular Russia, Venezuela, Ecuador and Uruguay, where the brand has been in market for less than four years.
Esther Park, Global Marketing Director, WILLIAM LAWSON’S Scotch whisky, commented, “WILLIAM LAWSON’S continued presence and even higher ranking this year in the Elite Brands list is a huge accolade. We have had an incredible year around the world, with success in both established and developing markets. We are delighted to achieve this recognition and are proud to take our place amongst the world’s elite spirits.”
www.williamlawsons.com
NOTES
WILLIAM LAWSON’S and GLEN DEVERON are trademarks
About the IWSR’s Elite Brands List Criteria The criteria required to become an Elite Brand remain unchanged since 2007.
Brands must sell over 1m cases worldwide, with at least 40% of sales outside their main market to demonstrate international presence, and also maintain a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of at least 5% for the last five years of growth – i.e. 2006-2011 – to demonstrate sustained growth.
About the IWSR
The IWSR is the leading provider of data on wine, spirits and RTDs. The IWSR’s database, essential to the industry, is used by all of the largest multinational wine and spirits companies, as well as many more local companies. The IWSR has a unique methodology which, by tapping into local country expertise, allows us to get closer to what is actually consumed and better understand how markets work. The IWSR conducts face-to-face interviews with 1,200 companies in 115 countries each year, with further input from 350 companies. The IWSR tracks overall consumption and trends at brand, quality and category level for wine, spirits and RTDs, and aims to provide data that is as accurate and detailed as possible.
Sifting through the morning cigar and spirits news with my cup of coffee this morning, I found a real gem of an article. In “Jack Daniel’s Sends the Most Polite Cease-and-Desist Letter Ever,” Christina Warren from Mashable.com reports on just how nice working in the spirits industry can tend to make people.
As the story goes, Patrick Wensink was commissioning the cover for his new book, Broken Piano for President, when he received a letter from Jack Daniels Properties. Take a look at the photo above (especially the border), and it’s easy to see why Jack Daniel’s might take issue.
What is most unique, however, isn’t the fact that a distillery sent an author a cease-and-desist letter, it was how the letter was written. See for yourself:
One of my new favorite whiskey blogs, “Whiskey For Everyone,” just published a post on July 4th that I thought many of you Belvanie lovers might appreciate (*cough* Kelvin *cough*). The gentlemen at Whiskey For Everyone recently visited the Balvenie distillery in Dufftown, Scottland. While at the distillery, they were given an extensive tour of the entire production process.
According to the website, Whiskey For Everyone is a blog that attempts to “demistify the sometimes daunting world of the whisky industry by explaining in layman’s terms about the language, processes, terminology and answering commonly asked questions.” Take a few minutes, drop by the blog, and bookmark it if you like it!
Macallan 64 Year in Lalique – the most expensive whiskey in the world
I’m excited to announce that this post will be the first in many regarding the world of spirits. I’m a total noob when it comes to fine spirits, so I’ll be learning the basics in the next few months. So, I hope you follow along and find the content valuable.
I figured I’d start with something that, though not incredibly practical, is a fun and informative in fact. So, what is the most expensive whiskey in the world? For you curious whiskey lovers out there, it is official: the world’s most expensive whiskey sold at auction is the Macallan 64 Year Old Lalique.
From “Drinks International”:
“Guinness World Records has awarded The Macallan 64 Year Old the accolade of ‘most expensive whisky sold at auction ’for US$460,000 (£291,125)… The ‘one-of-a kind’ Lalique crystal decanter housed the oldest and rarest Macallan ever bottled by the distillery, a 64 Year Old single malt whisky. The auction took place at Sotheby’s in New York in November 2010.”
“It’s about damn time.”
