Well, the name’s spot on because at that price it definitely brought tears to this writer’s eyes. What a shame, because the liquid is eye-watering, too, a stunning big bruiser of a whiskey that coats the mouth as berry and green fruits battle it out with oak, spice, and grain oils — the whiskey equivalent to one of singer Sinead O’Connor’s rants — powerful, impressive, a little bitter and twisted, utterly unforgettable, and unmistakably Irish. — Dominic Roskrow

Advanced Whisky Advocate magazine rating: 92

Each cask of this nicely packaged malt is selected by the distiller, and so there is considerable variation between batches. This one is a step up from last year’s releases. It’s slightly weaker, but the nose has firmed up into a delightful mix of fresh juicy grape and a spicy dustiness. Tastewise this takes an amazing journey from plummy, sweet fruit up front to a slow dominance of dry sherry at the end. The finish is longer than before.  Excellent. — Dominic Roskrow

Advanced Whisky Advocate magazine rating: 91

Another first fill sherry butt, giving its typical reddish-brown hue. This runs more into the clove, cassia, and allspice area than just dried fruit.  While maturity is obvious, and there’s even a hint of dunnage/leatheriness, it is the concentrated fruit sweetness that surprises here. The distillery has fought back against the cask, and while still crepuscular in nature, there is a rich, concentrated, and mellow glow at its heart.  — Dave Broom

Advanced Whisky Advocate magazine rating: 91

He was nice enough to taste the Whisky Advocate office staff, not our writers, on some Hakushu whiskies. For this reason, the tasting wasn’t overly technical in nature. However, he did mention a few items you might find interesting.

Hakushu, until about a decade or so ago, wasn’t a peated whisky. Now the whisky is lightly smoky–nothing like the big brutes on Islay–but still is demonstrably smoky. When I visited Hakushu about six years ago, I fell in love with the whisky and have consistently asked Suntory to import the whisky to the U.S. They finally have, with the introduction of Hakushu 12 year old. (Of course, now I am asking them to bring in the 18 year old…)

We tasted the three main Hakushu components that go into making the 12 year old. Interestingly, they don’t use lightly peated malt to make the lightly peated whisky. Instead, they make an unpeated whisky and a highly peated whisky and blend the two together. So, in front of us (pictured) were three samples: Hakushu matured in a hogshead, Hakushu matured in a Spanish oak sherry cask, and a highly peated Hakushu.

Why make a heavily peated and a non-peated whisky and blend them together, instead of just making a lightly peated whisky?

That’s a good question! According to Mike, it’s difficult to ask a malting company to make malted barley to a specific peating level, like 8ppm phenol, to use in making a whisky. There’s too much variability. Instead, they order some non-peated malt and some highly peated malt (around 25 ppm–any higher than this becomes more of a challenge according to Mike) and blend the whiskies together to get it in the range of what would have been 7-9 ppm phenol.

Yes, that means they are making some heavily peated whisky–along the equivalent of Bowmore 12 yr. old in peating level–and could actually bottle this if they wanted. Indeed, they have done just this, but on a very limited basis. (Nice try for all of us living here in the U.S.) It also means that they could put out a heavily sherried Hakushu, which they also have just done, but only in Japan. We also had the fortune of tasting this during his visit. It was delicious: very smooth, clean, and lush–not cloying and sulphur-tinged like some sherried whiskies.

What’s new on the horizon for Suntory and their two distilleries, Yamazaki and Hakushu? Mike told us they are going to be introducing whiskies from both distilleries with no age statements and a lower price. It will be released in Japan only initially. We’ll see where it goes from there.

Why aren’t they selling some of these limited release whiskies here in the U.S. (or even in Europe)? Mike told us the Japanese market has suddenly become smitten with Japanese whisky, and there isn’t a whole lot their whisky to spread around to all the thirsty consumers on this planet. Hey, we’ll take whatever we can get!

One final note: the heavily peated sample we tasted, which would be on par with Bowmore, didn’t taste as intensely smoky as Bowmore. It was softer, gentler. Mike credits the water supply and environment surrounding Hakushu (affectionately referred to as the Japanese Alps) for this.

A summary of the day’s events is below. If you follow the link to the WhiskyFest website (click on the logo), you’ll find the details in outline form and also be able to purchase tickets to this exciting event.

WhiskyFest New York: imagine a weekend of the world’s best whiskies, two nights of grand tastings and a day of seminars presented by the world’s top whisky distillers and blenders, bringing their best, their oldest,and their newest. The seminars on Saturday, October 27th, 2012, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. will be an unprecedented whisky event for those fortunate enough to attend. This educational experience takes the hands-on approach to learning, engaging every sense as we nose and taste our way through a line-up that is not to be missed. Legendary master distillers, blenders, and whisky makers will be pouring their finest—and newest—whiskies!   

The Whisky Advocate writers—the best in the business—will moderate the five 45-minute seminar sessions, and a special whisky-themed lunch, along with several whiskies making their U.S. and world debuts. A brief summary of this very special day follows.

Debut Scotch Whisky

The first debuting whisky of the day will be presented by John Glaser of Compass Box Whisky, featuring mixologist and Whisky Advocate contributor David Wondrich.  In addition to treating us with a world-debut Compass Box whisky, they’ll also be serving it up in a breakfast cocktail. A great way to start a day!

Whisky Collecting and Auctions
Jonny McCormick, Whisky Advocate contributor and Martin Green of Bonhams will enlighten us on the auction and collecting scene that has exploded lately. They will offer tips on collecting and participating in whisky auctions. Attendees will taste some of the very rare whiskies that have been seen on the auction block. The whiskies speak for themselves, as do the personalities presenting them:

Gold Bowmore – Iain McCallum,
Balvenie Islay Cask 17 year old – Nicholas Pollacchi,
Glemorangie 1963 Vintage – Dr. Bill Lumsden,
Brora 30 year old - Dr. Nick Morgan,
The Glenlivet Cellar Collection (1983 Vintage).

Debut Irish Whiskey
Then, legendary Barry Crockett from the Midleton distillery will present the U.S. debut of his very own Midleton Barry Crockett Legacy bottling.

Trending Scotch
Keeping the momentum going, Dave Broom, Whisky Advocate contributor, examines the trends in Scotch whisky. Join Dave to explore smoky blends, designer whiskies, single malt extremes, and brand premiumization. Dave will be joined by the A-list of master distillers and blenders from Scotland who are making some of these special whiskies. Here they are, with the whiskies they will be pouring:

Dr. Bill Lumsden – Glenmorangie Malaga Wood Finish 30 year
Jim McEwan – Bruichladdich Octomore 4.2
Matthew Crow – Johnnie Walker Double Black
Richard Paterson – Dalmore Castle Leod

Debut Bourbon
Here we will feature the world debut of a very special bourbon presented by Truman Cox,  master distiller from  the A. Smith Bowman distillery.  He knows what the whiskey will be, but for now he’s keeping it a surprise.

Understanding Irish
Dominic Roskrow, Whisky Advocate contributor, follows by taking us on a tour of Ireland, explaining the difference between the single pot still, single malt, grain, and blended whiskeys of Ireland. And, of course, we will taste some very special examples of each, and we will be joined by the master distillers who make them:

Barry Crockett of Midleton distillery will pour Powers John’s Lane (Single Pot Still) and Jameson Rarest Vintage Reserve (Blend)
Noel Sweeney from the Cooley distillery will be pouring a very special grain whiskey – Greenore 8 year old
Colum Egan of Bushmills distillery treats us to a very special Bushmills 21 year old single malt.

Lagavulin Lunch
The whisky fun continues at lunch. Diageo’s Dr. Nick Morgan, Head of Whisky Outreach, along with Whisky Advocate writer Gavin Smith, will lead us through a tasting and comparison of three special Lagavulin whiskies: Lagavulin 16, Lagavulin Distillers Edition, and the very limited 2012 Lagavulin 21 year old Special Release.

Bourbon and Rye Innovations
Immediately after lunch, we focus on American whiskey. Whisky Advocate contributor and managing editor Lew Bryson will lead a session focused on innovations in bourbon and rye. Joining him will be three legendary master distillers and one whiskey pioneer, and they will be pouring some very special new releases:

Chris Morris – Woodford Reserve Master’s Collection new 2012 release
Harlen Wheatley  – Buffalo Trace Single Oak Project, comparing two Single Oak bottlings
Parker Beam – Parker’s Heritage Collection new 2012 release
David Perkins – High West’s “Campfire” (a blend of bourbon, rye and scotch!)

Award Winning Whiskies
Finishing up our special day, attendees will taste a sampling of the 18^th Annual Whisky Advocate Awards winners published in the spring issue of Whisky Advocate magazine. Here they are, along with the Whisky Advocate contributors who will be presenting them:

Gavin Smith: Lowland/Campbeltown Single Malt of the Year: Springbank 18 year old (2^nd edition)
Dave Broom: Islay Single Malt of the Year:Bruichladdich 10 year old
Lew Bryson: Canadian Whisky of the Year:Wiser’s 18 year old
John Hansell: American Whiskey of the Year:Elijah Craig 20 year old
Dominic Roskrow: Blended/Blended Malt Whisky of the Year: Compass Box Great King Street

Tickets for this special day of seminars can only be purchased through a combination package with one of the evening grand tastings.  Tickets are available at whiskyadvocate.com  or by clicking here. We hope to see you at this very special event.

]]> http://www.whiskyadvocateblog.com/2012/05/07/whiskyfest-new-york-2012-a-whisky-enthusiasts-dream-weekend/feed/ 15 http://www.whiskyadvocateblog.com/2012/05/02/bourbon-goes-coastal/ http://www.whiskyadvocateblog.com/2012/05/02/bourbon-goes-coastal/#comments Wed, 02 May 2012 17:22:06 +0000 John Hansell http://www.whiskyadvocateblog.com/?p=10498 We’ve all heard of smoky and briny Scotch whiskies, but smoky and briny “bourbon”? That’s a new one!

Two different whiskeys (from different producers) are going to hit the market soon. One’s got some smoke in it, and the other has a sea influence.

Let’s talk about the briny one first. I received a call last week from Trey Zoeller, who puts out the Jefferson’s bourbon and rye whiskeys. He told me he’s got a few barrels of “bourbon” that have been in the belly of a ship for nearly four years. One mysteriously leaked (into the mouths of the crew?) but two others survived. A few stories have been written in the press about it already, including this one.

Take a look at the bottle samples in the picture when compared to standard Jefferson’s. It sure looks like all that sloshing around in warm climates accelerated the oak influence. That’s what I call dark! Trey tells me that one of the barrels in particular is distinctively briny. Samples are on their way. I’ll let you know my thoughts after I taste them.

The second whisk(e)y I want to tell you about is called “Campfire,” courtesy of David Perkins over at High West. David is no stranger to creative blending. He’s already put out Bourye (a blend of bourbon and rye) and Son of Bourye (a younger version of the same). The soon to be released “Campfire” throws in some smoky single malt scotch into the mix. Yes, that’s right: a whiskey comprised of bourbon, rye and smoky single malt scotch.

David just bottled this stuff and is debuting it this weekend. (I tasted some “work in progress” samples. The ones I liked most had the least amount of smoky scotch in the mix.) He also plans to have a special version of Campfire (possibly aged in French Oak) to debut at the WhiskyFest New York seminar program in October.

It sure is a fun time to be a whisky drinker. Let’s just hope these whiskeys taste as good as the stories behind them.

Update: Of course, I just received my sample and press release of the Jefferson’s Ocean-Aged Bourbon right after I posted this. Here are some more details:

Price: $90. Number of bottles: only 600 nationally. ABV: 44%. More importantly, how does it taste? Contrary to my fears, not bad! It tastes like an 18 or 20 year old bourbon. Yes, there’s a heavy dose of oak, but there’s also a sweetness to tame some of it. And I do pick up some sea influence in all that oak, toffee and molasses. Definitely worth a look!

Very few whiskeys, for my palate anyway, manage to accomplish both. Arguably, some that might pass the test are Evan Williams Black Label, Sazerac Rye (Baby Sazerac, as it is affectionately know), and Old Forester Signature (100 proof). These are versatile, affordable whiskeys which you can keep in your drinks cabinet and use for many drinks applications.

However, I’ve noticed a lot of new whiskeys that seem to be produced and marketed for this exact kind of versatility. Part of it might be driven by the popularity of cocktails. It might also be that older, more mature American whiskeys are becoming scarcer.

I will also point out that most of these new releases don’t have age statements, allowing the producers more flexibility with their stocks, and some people aren’t very happy about it. (I, too, was a little bummed when Knob Creek Rye was released without an age statement, instead of being released at 9 years old similar to the Knob Creek bourbons.

Recent examples include Wild Turkey Bourbon 81 Proof, Wild Turkey Rye 81 Proof, Knob Creek Rye, and even the private label Breaking & Entering bourbon (which is quite nice, btw). All of them seem, to varying degrees, come across as mature just enough to enjoy neat or with a little water, but youthful and vibrant enough to work well in cocktails without breaking the bank in the process.

And, of course, the more versatile a whiskey is, the more bottles of it will be sold, which won’t exactly hurt the company’s bottom line either.

Have you noticed any whiskeys released recently that fall in this category? Your thoughts on this trend?

Yesterday I drove down to Fredericksburg, Virginia for the opening of the new Visitor Center at the A. Smith Bowman distillery, the place most of you know as the maker of Virginia Gentleman bourbon. It is an operation that is, to the best of my knowledge, unique. Bowman gets double-distilled bourbon-mash spirit (from Buffalo Trace, as both are now owned by Sazerac), runs it through their pot still doubler — named “Mary,” after the mother of the Bowman brothers who were officers in the Revolutionary War and settled in Virginia — and then ages the whiskey on-site in new, charred oak barrels (mostly; see below).

That’s how master distiller Joe Dangler did it for years (the distillery moved to this location from Reston, Virginia in 1988) and that’s how new master distiller Truman Cox does it now at this big brick building (everything’s under one roof for now). Bowman is in a surprisingly bucolic setting, surrounded by trees and flanked by a burbling creek and a waterfall. Visitors have already doubled since Sazerac bought the distillery, and the Spotsylvania County tourism folks were very excited about a “Grape to Grain” weekend they’ll be doing in mid-June, featuring Bowman, Blue and Gray Brewing (an established craft brewery in the same business park; excellent beers!), and four Virginia wineries, all of them along the old Richmond, Fredericksburg & Potomac railroad line.

Yesterday’s event may have been billed as ‘just’ a visitor center opening — and there was a ribbon, a huge pair of scissors, and plenty of local tourism officials — but it was more than that; it was a revealing look at what Cox and Sazerac have planned for Bowman. This reopening is a re-focus on Bowman as a microdistillery: not a small producer of mainstream bourbon, but as a place that will do small batches and bottlings of interesting American whiskeys (and other spirits; they had gin, vodka, and rum available as well).

We were tasting some of those small runs, bottlings from older barrels that Truman has selected over the past year. They are very small runs, though: part of the tour we got was the warehouse (pictured here), and that’s it, that’s the entire stock of A. Smith Bowman whiskey — about 5,000 palletized barrels, ranging from three days to 18 years old. As Truman said, Jim Beam makes more whiskey in a week than is in his entire stock.

That’s okay with him. “We’re already doing experiments,” he said. One of those was sitting right up front in the warehouse, a set of wine-type barrels with whiskey in them. All were toasted oak, to see what effect that had on the whiskey; and half were toasted and charred, to see if the char negated the effects from the toasting or added to them. (The toasted barrels were stenciled “WHISKEY,” the toasted and charred ones read “BOURBON WHISKEY.”)

One other experiment was the debut whiskey Truman will be bringing to WhiskyFest New York. It is a 7 year old Bowman bourbon that is currently finishing in a special barrel. Bowman sold some used barrels to a local winery, Potomac Point, which aged their port in them (“A damned good American port,” Truman said, and after listening to his dad talk wine at lunch, it seemed likely he wasn’t just being supportive). When the port was finished, Cox bought the barrels back and put the bourbon in them. I got a taste of a sample that had been in the port wood for a month, and — well, I’ll just say that it’s off to a very good start, much like this new chapter in the history of A. Smith Bowman.

Now we’re seeing this happening with Irish whiskey. The Cooley distillery provides whiskey for so many different private labels, I can’t even keep track of all of them. Now that Beam purchased the Cooley distillery back in December, I know many brand owners who–for good reason–began worrying if Beam would cut their supply off once their contract was up. If what Beam did this week is an indication of the future, it’s not a bright one for private labels.

The most recent casualty is Slane Castle Irish Whiskey. As reported in Shanken News Daily yesterday:

“Beam Inc. is reportedly scaling down contract whiskey production at its newly acquired Cooley Distillery in Ireland as it ramps up volume of Cooley’s own brands, such as Kilbeggan, with an eye toward U.S. growth. Reports out of the country say that while contracts in place will be honored, Beam isn’t accepting new contract orders at Cooley. That’s leaving some private label Irish whiskeys—such as Slane  Castle, which Cooley previously produced on an individual-order basis—hunting for supply.”

I like many of the older expressions of Kilbeggan, and I’m happy to know that Kilbeggan will become more widely available. That being said, I’m going to miss the variety and choices of some really nice Irish whiskeys that have proliferated over the past several years, largely because of the whiskey that Cooley has sold to independent bottlers like Slane Castle.

Let’s hope that the large conglomerates that now own Ireland’s three big Irish distilleries will pick up some of the slack and keep us entertained with new and exciting releases.

For those of you who are not familiar with them, they are small stones that you can purchase, keep in your freezer, and put in your whisky instead of ice. The idea here is that you can cool your whisky without watering it down.

I was interviewed by the author twice before the piece was published, and think she did a good job in the article conveying my general opinion of them: I see very little use for them in my whisky-drinking life. I own some because I was sent samples to review. For the most part, they just take up space in my freezer next to whatever that is in the Ziploc bag with freezer burns all over it that my wife put in there last year.

Most people I know who are “enthusiasts” drink their whisky neat or with a splash of water at room temperature. And, as I note in the article, my friends who are not serious whisky drinkers (like my fishing buddies who drink bourbon and ginger ale on the rocks) have never complained to me about the ice watering down their drink. (It’s probably because their drinks don’t last long enough for melting ice to become a concern…)

Plus, there’s the whole logistical and sanitary issue with whiskey stones. You have to have them handy, in a freezer nearby, to use them. (Try asking for them with your drink order the next time you go out to a bar or restaurant and see what response you get from your server.)

The few times I have tried them, they became a nuisance at some point. They weigh down my drink, and I am stuck with them when I’m done with it. Then I have to wash them, dry them (heaven forbid any ice forms on them, right?), and put them back in the cute little bag they came in before throwing them back in my freezer.

To be fair, I really do see one situation where they would be useful. I mentioned this during the interview, but it was not included due to space constraints. I keep most of my whiskies in a bar in my house here in Pennsylvania. In the summer, the house is air-conditioned, so my bottles never get warmer than the temperature at which I prefer to drink my whisky. But, I have a vacation home at the New Jersey shore and we often keep the windows open and forgo the A/C to welcome in the lovely sea breezes. But, my bottles of whisky sometimes get a few degrees warmer than I would like and I find myself wanting to cool my whisky down a bit. I suspect many of you have similar situations, depending on where you live and if you have A/C or not.

Even so, I have several options available to me that are very convenient and do not require the expense and hassle of whisky stones. What I normally do is just add a little cold water or a small ice cube to bring my whisky down a few degrees. I often drink cask-strength whisky and would be adding some water anyway. Even in the times when I don’t want any water or ice in my whisky, in a pinch I can simply keep some glasses in the fridge or stick my glass in the freezer for a minute or two, which will cool my whisky down shortly after I pour it in the glass.

I guess the point I am trying to make is: who are the tens (hundreds?) of thousands of people buying these? If you’re using them on a regular basis, please chime in here. I’m keeping an open mind. I am all for progress and buying new things that will make my life better. (Our house has iPhones and iPads with lots of cool apps, for example). If I can help whisky stone producers sell more product, make more money, and at the same time making whisky-drinkers (and therefore whisky producers) happier, then I am all for it.

P.S. Just after I published this post, I was coincidentally sent an email promo for something called the “Instant Wine Chiller” which you can find here. They say it also works for vodka, tequila, etc. You put it on the end of the bottle and it cools the beverage as it flows out of the bottle before going into the glass. I don’t know anything more about it or how well it work, but it looks like another alternative to putting stones in your whisky.

I grabbed some iced tea and caught the 11 AM session I’d had on my radar since signing up for the conference: “Small Barrel Realities,” presented by Scott Spolverino, Tuthilltown Spirits and John Jeffery, Death’s Door Distillery. These were extremely technical presentations from two bright chemists, typical of the kind of talent craft distilling is attracting.

Here’s the nutshell knockdown. Barrel-aging affects whiskey in three ways: reactions between the wood and chemicals in the wood; changes in concentration from evaporation; and an interaction among the chemicals in the spirit. The reactions are largely about wood aldehydes becoming esters, aromatic compounds, which, the presentation stated, “only form when there is a massive excess of alcohol.” Exactly what you have in barrel-proof spirits! Three of the major aromatic components are ethyl syringate (which gives an aroma of tobacco and fig), ethyl ferulate (spicy/cinnamon), and ethyl vanillate (a smoky, burnt aroma), all producing familiar aromas to the bourbon drinker.

Evaporation means oxidation, as air fills the space where spirit was. This is where it got interesting, as rates of evaporation were shown to take months to years for some compounds. The whiskey transforms at different speeds, in ways that are not affected by surface area, but purely by time.

The last part, interaction, was presented as important for the “maturation” of whiskey, and involved “ethanol clustering,” that coming together of ethanol and water in a way that made the ethanol sensation on the palate smoother. This process, Scott Spolverino specifically said, takes time. “A small barrel can’t force the hand here.” But the small barrel can rapidly increase the extraction process of the aldehydes to esters. In short, the take-home was that small barrels can extract flavor from wood into whiskey faster than larger barrels, but they can’t “mature” whiskey and bring about that smoother flavor of aged whiskey sooner than large barrels. With constant monitoring, small barrels can make “good whiskey,” with lots of barrel flavor, but maturing whiskey takes time…as anyone who’s had 4 year old bourbon and 12 year old bourbon can tell you.

I had lunch with some friends — Mike Miller of Delilah’s in Chicago, and Jerald O’Kennard of the Beverage Testing Institute — scarfing down some tasty fried chicken and iced tea out on the back porch of Huber’s (which was actually huge and sprawling and very impressive). Afterwards we went back into the conference hall for another barrel session, sponsored by Independent Stave and presented by wood expert Dr. Jim Swan. We sampled young whiskey (from Dry Fly Distillery in Spokane) that had aged 9 months in five different barrels: a traditional charred bourbon barrel, an American oak barrel that was charred and toasted, French oak with high toast, French with low toast, and East European oak (Slovakian, I think). They were distinctly different, and the second and third came out as tied favorites. I didn’t care much for the last one until I added water, which changed it significantly. Doctor Swan then broke the differences down into levels of about five compounds…but it got a bit too technical for this college history major to follow at this point. Suffice to say, there are significant differences among the oaks, and not just in tightness of pores, but in chemical makeup.

It was good to see the small distillers so interested in all this. Some of them are very much working on this from a scientific, analytical angle, rather than simply firing up a still and trying things by the seat of their pants. This is going to bring about the winnowing of the sheep from the goats that is inevitably coming in this industry, and again, I’d go back to my original comparison to the early days of craft brewing.

There are some…well, let’s be blunt. There are some appallingly bad craft spirits being made today. While the learning curve for everyone in the industry is quicker on the sales side because of the experience of the craft brewers — you can see what worked for small-scale drink products, and what didn’t — the learning curve on the production side is much slower; a generation of aged spirit takes a lot longer than a generation of beer. You can see your mistakes or your strokes of genius, but it takes months and years instead of days and weeks. That could spell trouble for folks who are trying to put together a business based on aged whiskey.

After the presentation I tasted some wines with Scott Spolverino — we were at a winery, why not? — and then ran into micromaltster Andrea Stanley (of Valley Malt in Hadley, Massachusetts; see our upcoming issue for more on this new niche), who then introduced me to three other micromaltsters, including Peter Begley of Tasmania’s Belgrove Distillery (also in the upcoming issue!), who grows, malts, and distills his own grains. It led to a lively discussion that included start-up costs, cognac-style blending applied to whiskey, glassware (Andy Davidson of Glencairn had joined us by now), and tasting some Tuthilltown whiskeys (Gable Erenzo had also joined us). It also included some great beer, Community Dark Mild from New Albanian Brewing, which helped grease the wheels a bit!

We all adjourned to the awards banquets, where there were a passel of awards given out (quite a few of them to Corsair). After that, it was back to Louisville, where I had a quick cocktail at the Seelbach with John Lipman (one of the collectors from our special auction issue last year), then went out to hear an impressive swing band at a Louisville bar.

To wind up, the next morning I caught Andrea Stanley’s micromaltings presentation — she’d been the recipient of an ADI internship scholarship the previous year to visit English maltings, and she presented on that, and on her own operation — then hit the long road for home. The ADI conference showed an industry in explosive growth. I met quite a few people who were in the planning stage or about to open within 6 months, and saw at least two brewers who were thinking about adding distilling to their operations. Craft distilling is not just growing, it is expanding beyond white spirits and imitations of traditional products. Much like craft brewing, it is reviving extinct whiskey forms, innovating with new twists on traditional methods, and trying completely new ideas. It will be interesting to see who, and how many, will be there next year.

Meanwhile, back at the conference…Sorry I didn’t live-blog as planned. I had computer problems, and when I finally got that fixed, the WiFi was problematic; the only good connection I got was at a coffeeshop in Bardstown. We’ll get caught up.

I was down in Bardstown for other reasons, working on a story for the next issue. Everyone else was on buses, touring distilleries. I got my story, did some e-mail, then went back to my room and worked on editing (and writing the previous blogpost) till things got on toward dinner time. Then I headed over to the Brown Hotel to check things out.

It was all about drinking! We had bourbon from the Big Boys: the big Kentucky bourbon distillers dropped in and served at a conviviality session. That was followed by dinner (cash bar, which I don’t think I’ll be able to expense) and an auction to raise money for the ADI’s intern scholarship program. It wasn’t your usual auction; typical items included a heat gun (for sealing shrink-wrap bottle capsules), sacks of malt, and a 55 gallon drum of grain neutral spirits (you had to have a valid DSP to bid on that one).

These were not the kinds of thing your usual writer type hankers for, so before long I lost interest — there was nothing else going on with the conference after dinner — and wandered across the street to Bluegrass Brewing with Truman Cox. We met up with some friends, watched the UK/Kansas game, and that was about that. For stuff I’m going to share in a public forum.

Tuesday was when we got down to business. For me, that meant breakfast with Corsair Artisan Distillery founder Darek Bell. If you’re not familiar with Corsair, believe me: you will be. He’s the Dogfish Head to the Stone Brewing of Balcones Distilling founder Chip Tate. Tate is brash and outspoken, and cranks the flavors in his whiskey up to 11, where Bell will try just about anything. “Creativity,” he says, “is free.”

“Anything” includes a lot of things that would look familiar to a homebrewer, which Bell was for quite a while. He also made biodiesel, which led indirectly to distilling when a friend noted that making it smelled “nasty; why don’t we make whiskey instead?” A planted seed…

But he took a hard look at things first, and wasn’t impressed. “I was disappointed in the creativity of the industry,” he told me. “Craft brewers were trying everything, and there were so many different grains to experiment with: spelt, millet, buckwheat, different roasts of malt! But you go on distillery tours and it’s all two-row pale malt and corn. Distillers will be making gin, vodka, and a bourbon. Wow. I don’t know why people aren’t taking more advantage of what’s out there.”

Bell is. I asked him about the grains, and he told me about his 12 Grain Bourbon: corn, blue corn, millet, buckwheat, hard red wheat, oats,sorghum, spelt, quinoa, malt…we both lost track at this point, counting on our fingers, and got diverted on laughing as he noted that “some of the grains are real pain in the ass to work with, but they all have their different personalities.”

Corsair has two distilleries, the first one in Bowling Green, Kentucky, the other in Nashville (Bell wanted to distill in Tennessee, but Repeal-era law kept him from doing that, so they started over the border first). “I live in the shadow of Jack Daniel’s,” he said. “I love the history of American whiskey, but if it’s been done, I don’t want to do it.”

That’s part of the reason for the massive experimentation he and his distillers have been doing. Another is what Bell called building an arsenal of flavors to blend with. “This is Corsair 1.0. Blending is going to be Corsair 2.0. When I first started, I was anti-blend. Compass Box changed all that; I love that stuff.”

We talked about his book, Alt Whiskeys. It’s a book of recipes. “It’s the book I wish I’d had when I started,” Bell said, “and I hope it opens some eyes. Because you know, it’s amazing how easy it is to make an alternative whiskey, because it’s all so similar!”

After wrapping up with a discussion of how craft distilling doesn’t have the deep benchstrength of homebrewers that craft brewing had (and still does) — “If you get caught distilling at home, it’s five years and $10,000, it’s life-destroying!” — Darek gave me a ride over to the conference, half an hour away at Huber’s Orchard Winery in Starlight, Indiana. We got there in time for the 10 AM opening of the vendor area — lots of bottle sellers — and the first round of seminars. More on that soon, including two great presentations on small barrels and “Maturation of Different Oak Species” from Dr. Jim Swan.

I’ll be at the American Distilling Institute’s Craft Spirits Conference here in Louisville through Wednesday, talking to new distillers and old ones, checking the feel of the industry, and representing Whisky Advocate’s interest in this new face of distilling. Things started last night with registration, which was combined with a little bit of drink and grub on the third floor of the Brown Hotel.

It was an interesting vibe in the room. I grew up with craft brewing, watching that industry grow from about 1983, so it’s a natural comparison for me; especially when you realize that ADI founder Bill Owens was also the man who started one of the very first brewpubs in America, Buffalo Bill’s in Hayward, California. So when I walked around the room, watching and eavesdropping, I was noting similarities and differences with the fast-growing days of craft brewing in the early 1990s.

For instance, both attracted support industries who saw opportunities in a new market niche. Still builder Vendome was there, with a portfolio of their work for small distillers; Alltech was showing off their technical expertise (while also pouring their whiskeys and beers, a popular spot); and there were bottle companies, records companies, and others who weren’t actually exhibiting…yet, but were checking things out. There were also more wholesalers and retailers and branding experts than craft brewing was attracting at this point in its growth curve; they’ve seen what happened with craft brewing, and that experience is helping to make this a faster-trending niche than craft brewing was. It’s simply not unbelievable anymore; we’ve seen the little guys charge more for an interesting product, and succeed.

The actual people at the conference, the distillers and future distillers, were a study in both similarities and differences. There was the same preponderance of men, and men who were clearly used to not fitting in (lots of hats, facial hair, and some tattoos and piercings, even a skateboard), and were perfectly comfortable with that. There was the same easy discussion of issues, the same general bonhomie.

But it was an older crowd than you generally saw at craft brewing gatherings 20 years ago. There are a lot more retirees here, more experienced entrepreneurs. Starting a distillery is expensive, and you can’t do it on a shoestring with some used dairy tanks and a re-purposed shrimp steamer; there’s not much of a used equipment market at all…yet.

After the scrum at registration, I was sitting in the bar, sipping a glass of Weller on the rocks (it was hot in there; the sun had come out, and I was still dressed in heavy clothes from the morning’s cold thunderstorms) and contemplating hitting the Few Spirits Texas Hold ‘Em tournament when I saw a familiar figure emerge from the elevators: Truman Cox, the new master distiller at A. Smith Bowman. I hailed him, we talked for a while about how he’s getting ready for a major launch (coming very soon) of what he’s been working on, and then I saw another familiar face: Andrea Stanley, of Valley Malt.

Andrea and her husband Christian are unlikely celebrities in craft distilling. Valley Malt is a micromaltings in western Massachusetts (watch for a piece on them in the next issue of Whisky Advocate) that is making all kinds of waves by hand-malting (almost literally) small batches of grains from barley to triticale, smoking malts, and experimenting with long-forgotten strains of barley ordered from the Agriculture Department’s huge seedbanks. It’s very exciting stuff for craft distillers and brewers alike.

Right now they were exhausted unlikely celebrities: they’d completed the installation of their major expansion (from a single one-ton malting vessel to four vessels) at 2 in the morning, got about two hours of sleep, then got up and drove to the airport for the flights to Louisville. Still, like the rest of us, they were excited to be in Louisville, temporarily the hub of craft distilling.

We got even closer to the hub when the four of us decided to go out looking for dinner and saw Bill Owens in a pizza shop. I went in to say hi, and Bill would have nothing but that we join him and his group – Tasmanian distillers, cork manufacturers, Swedish spirits consultants – for dinner. It was just a taste of the fun and stimulation the next three days will bring.

On January 18, 2012, a rare and marvelous thing occurred in Kentucky. A fermentation of 72% corn, 13% rye, and 15% barley was begun at a long-shuttered distillery, just south of Bardstown. The distillery in question is the Willett Distillery, founded in 1935 by a passel of Willetts, most of all A.L. “Thompson” Willett, born in 1909. Three days later an even more special event occurred when the grandchildren of Mr. Willett distilled, as they are wont to do, that fermentation into whiskey…and once again the sweet dew of the mountain, fed by a true limestone spring, did flow from a copper worm, high on a hill overlooking the dales and distilleries of Bardstown, Kentucky, and the number of active bourbon distilleries in Kentucky increased to fourteen. And the bourbon lovers of the world did see this, and in their rejoicing they did say: this is a damned good thing.

In Kentucky, the common fate of an old distillery is an irrevocable death; typically the brands from that distillery are sold off and their production moved to the facilities of the new ownership, while the old buildings and stills are recycled, razed, or simply deserted. Such a fate might well have befallen Bardstown’s Willett Distillery were it not for a native of Norway who married into the family. Even Kulsveen, having married a Willett daughter, purchased the plant in 1984.

Ever since, he has steadfastly, sometimes with calculating slowness, returned the plant to production, all the while taking not one thin dime of outside investment. (The Kulsveens also operate Kentucky Bourbon Distillers, a bottling operation that produces a range of private labels, as well as their own brands, including Willett Pot Still Reserve, Johnny Drum, and Willett Family Estate.) The result is as rare as hen’s teeth in the bourbon category today: a small, independent, family-owned distillery. It is owned and operated lock, stock, and new-charred-oak barrel by Even Kulsveen and his children Drew Kulsveen, who runs the distillery, and daughter Britt Chavanne, who handles sales with her husband, Hunter Chavanne.

The distillery includes a new 1,200 gallon pot still made by Louisville’s Vendome Copper and Brass; a column with multiple plates sits atop the pot still, which may be introduced to the distillation for added flexibility. There is a vintage stainless steel column still of 24” diameter, holding sixteen distillation trays, plus six rectifying trays at the top, one of which is packed with pieces of copper piping so the new whiskey can acquire adequate exposure to copper. Along with a stainless steel doubler original to the 1935 distillery, the collection of stills is all but unprecedented in a Kentucky bourbon distillery, and allows for tremendous flexibility in producing whiskey.

For example, the initial distillation on January 21, 2012 was slated to run through the column still, but a balky pump led Drew Kulsveen to take the first fermentation to the pot still, where it was distilled one time, utilizing five trays in the column on the pot still. The resulting spirit of 110.3 proof — which was made of a narrow “center cut,” discarding the heads and the tails of the distillation — filled six barrels at 103 proof, on January 27, which would have been the 103^rd birthday of Thompson Willett.

The old-time firepower afforded by the stills is impressive, but more remarkable yet is the entire infrastructure erected by the Kulsveens. There are two new cookers, of 6,000 and 3,000 gallons, which again allow a great flexibility in making different whiskeys, and seven 10,000 gallon fermenters. Fed by a brand new pneumatic grain handling system and hammer mill, these reside in the reconditioned distillery building, which is kept cool by some amazing belt-driven cast iron ceiling fans. The 1935 vintage gauging building has been beautifully restored to preserve the wood-grained character of the old structure.

The gift shop and tasting bar are housed in the former distillery offices, where you will be kept cool by more of those remarkable fans while sampling 28 year old Willett Bourbon. A lake fed by a real limestone spring behind the distillery provides water for the process; plans are afoot to build an elegant turn-of-the- 20^th-century style house at the edge of the lake. Perhaps most valuable of all, there are eight well-weathered, traditional rick-style warehouses at the property. These currently hold aging bourbon destined for the various labels and brands produced by the Kentucky Bourbon Distillers bottling operation. Slowly but surely they will be filled with new barrels distilled onsite by Kentucky’s newest…old distillery.

Take a photo tour here:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

TULLAMORE DEW RETURNS HOME

WITH ANNOUNCEMENT OF NEW DISTILLERY

Whiskey production to resume in Tullamore after 60
years following William Grant & Sons’ €35 million  investment

William Grant & Sons Ltd.,  the owner of Tullamore Dew Irish Whiskey, today announced it will invest in a  new, state of the art pot still whiskey and malt whiskey distillery in  Tullamore town, bringing whiskey production back to the town for the first time  since the original distillery closed in 1954.   The €35 million  investment will meet the long-term production demands for Tullamore Dew, the  world’s second largest Irish whiskey brand, which is currently growing by over  15% annually and is central to the growth plans of William Grant & Sons  which bought the brand in July 2010.

William Grant & Sons has  agreed principal terms and is in the final stages of negotiating the purchase  of a 58 acre site at Clonminch on the outskirts of Tullamore from Offaly County  Council.  The location offers a plentiful supply of natural, quality  spring water from the nearby Slieve Bloom mountains, ideal for the triple  distillation process used in Tullamore Dew.

Work on the new distillery,  which will utilise the latest in green technology is scheduled to begin later  this year, subject to planning permission, and will support in the region of  100 construction jobs during the two-year building phase.   When combined with the new Tullamore Dew Visitor Centre, scheduled to open in  September 2012, the total number employed by the firm in the town will rise to  around 25. Tullamore Dew will continue to be bottled at its current facility in Clonmel, where it employs over 60 people.

“This investment by William Grant & Sons underpins our long-term commitment to Tullamore Dew, the town of Tullamore and Ireland.  It represents an important next step  in the long-term growth and development of the Tullamore Dew brand, one of  Ireland’s food and drink export success stories which is now the second largest  selling Irish whiskey worldwide. We’re excited about bringing whiskey distilling back to Tullamore Dew’s roots for the first time in almost 60  years.” said William Grant & Sons’ Chief Executive, Stella David.

“The new distillery will not  only cement William Grant & Sons’ presence in Ireland, but reinforces the fact that the brand is now firmly rooted back in its original home of  Tullamore.   Our distillery will combine traditional distillation  practices with the very latest in modern and green technologies to prepare the  brand for future growth, while making sure the exact same taste and quality which has made Tullamore Dew famous around the world continues to be delivered.  Irish whiskey is a major growth story internationally and with this investment we’re looking forward to putting Tullamore Dew and the Midlands region back on the map as one of Ireland’s premier whiskey producing regions,” said William Grant & Sons’ Group Marketing Director, Maurice Doyle.

“Offaly County Council is  extremely pleased and proud to welcome Tullamore Dew back home in this manner.  William Grant & Sons has invested significantly in the brand  over the past 18 months with the refurbishment of the Tullamore Dew Visitor  Centre, and now with the plans to construct the distillery have shown the  ultimate commitment to the region.  Tullamore has long been famed for its  production of whiskey and I look forward to the first liquid flowing from the  stills”, said County Manager, Offaly County Council, Pat Gallagher.

Tullamore Dew Global Brand  Director Shane Hoyne said the new  distillery was a key element of the international growth of Irish  whiskey.  “If you think back to the 1800s there were literally hundreds of  distilleries and many hundreds more stills dotted all around the country.  Since then however Irish whiskey was decimated due to a number of factors  including Prohibition, the Great Depression and our own economic and political  troubles here at home.  Tullamore Dew is ‘Irish True’ and re-establishing  Tullamore Dew’s distillation in a world class distillery in Tullamore, combined  with the imminent opening of the new Tullamore Dew Visitor Centre establishes  both a real and an emotional home for the brand. This is a dream come true for  the brand and its fans around the world and I am sure Daniel E Williams, whose  name our whiskey bears, will be looking down proudly seeing whiskey production  resume in the town he loved”.