If You've Had... Ezra Brooks Edition

December 17, 2015 Eric Burke

This weekend I found myself with two-thirds of the entire Ezra Brooks line up. As I probably wouldn’t have more than one of the lineup at a time for quite a while, I decided to pick up the missing piece and do the second install meant of the If You’ve Had… series

In case you missed it last time, the setup is like this: "If you've had Whiskey A then Whiskey B is..." hotter, spicier, sweeter, more floral, etc. Each section is written as compared to one of the whiskeys. So if you've had that one, but not the others then that section will be of the most use to you. Remember there are no value judgments here. You get to decide based on what you know of Whiskey A if Whiskey B sounds like something you'd want to try.

Up tonight is the Ezra Brooks family. Ezra Brooks Black Label 90 proof, Old Ezra 7-year-old 101 proof, and Ezra B 12 year Single Barrel 99 proof. Mind you that with that last one, your mileage may vary since it is a sourced Single Barrel product.

If you’ve had Ezra Brooks Black then…

Old Ezra is: much darker in the glass and shows much less grain on the nose. It is thicker in the mouth and hotter. It has more pronounced fruitiness, baking spice and oak and a longer and warmer finish.

Ezra B is: darker and richer in color. It is sweeter and fruitier on the nose with pear and maple showing instead of grain. The mouth is richer, sweeter and spicier with an oilier mouthfeel. The finish is longer, warmer and shows more mint and oak.

If you’ve had Old Ezra 7 year then…

Ezra Brooks Black Label is: lighter in color and more grain forward on the nose. It is thinner in the mouth with a more watery mouthfeel. By comparison, the mouth is delicate and grain forward. The finish is much shorter, more gentle, but also more bitter.

Ezra B is: sweeter and fruitier on the nose. It is also sweeter and fruitier on the mouth with a creamier mouthfeel. The finishes are similar in heat and length but Ezra B is showing more baking spice.

If you’ve had Ezra B 12 year then…

Ezra Brooks Black Label is: much lighter in color. The nose is more delicate and more grain forward. The mouth shows more grain and baking spice but is also more bitter. The finish is more gentle and much shorter.

Old Ezra is: more tannic on the nose showing more black tea. It shows more oak in the mouth and is less sweet. The finish is similar in heat and length but shows more oak tannins.

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Ask Arok: Why do some small distillers not use "Straight" to describe their bourbon?

November 10, 2015 Eric Burke

The bottom of the Wyoming Whiskey label showing the non-use of "Straight."

Last week, I shared an article on Twitter by Blake at Bourbonr.com where he reviewed Wyoming Whiskey. Having just visited the distillery and reviewed the product myself I joined in a discussion on Twitter that the article had spurred.

During that discussion, the question was raised as to why Wyoming Whiskey didn't include the "Straight" designation on their label. The recent revelation that non-straight (non-bourbon*) whiskey can contain additives and flavorings has made folks, including myself, a bit gun-shy when they see a label that doesn't include it.

I guess, there is at least one thing we can thank Templeton for, they may be flavoring their whiskey, but they did end up bringing the law to our attention.

In any case, as I didn't know the answer, I reached out to the source to find out. The following is the kind response I received via email Sam Mead, Distiller at Wyoming.

Hey Eric,

I'm going to ask around to check, but I think during the label design we just felt that "small batch" was more important that adding the straight designation, although our bourbon meets all the requirements of the straight bourbon designation (aged 2+ years, no added coloring or flavoring, and we had an age statement until we hit 4 years, then went NAS). We didn't put Small Batch Straight Bourbon Whiskey on the label because we felt at some point we were squeezing too much information into a descriptor.

That's my guess, I wasn't heavily involved in the label design so I'll get a better answer for you today if I'm incorrect.

-Sam

He later confirmed that he was correct in his assumptions.

This is a minor trend I've started noticing on whiskey being put out by the "non-majors." And I'm not exactly sure why it is happening. I, and every bourbon geek I know, advise everyone who will listen to look for "Straight" on the label. I know that to the general public, it isn't as sexy as the meaningless term "small batch" but as consumers become more wise in the ways of bourbon, they will also start to look for it because unlike "Small Batch," it actually does mean something when comparing one whiskey to another. That said, maybe the average buyer of bourbon never becomes more wise and it is just us geeks who end up caring about such things.

I want to thank Sam for getting back to me so quickly and for allowing me to reprint his email. Even if I don't necessarily understand the reasoning the company used, I respect that they were willing to share it with readers.

*Bourbon can't contain any additives or flavoring even if it isn't labeled straight.

If You've Had... Maker's Mark edition

November 5, 2015 Eric Burke

I've always envisioned this site as a place where people can come to learn. Learn a little history. Learn a little about what they like. Learn what they should check out (whether it is bourbon or not). And ultimately learn enough to make informed decisions about where they put their money.

I've been including tasting notes as a method of trying to give people my feelings on a particular whiskey for a while now. But while a tasting note can give you an impression of how I felt about something on a particular day and it can certainly tell you a lot about the types of things that I'm reminded of, they aren't always a great way to compare whiskeys one to another.

To that end, I'm starting a new series on the blog. Every once in a while if I find I have a bunch of whiskeys that follow a theme, I'll do a basic comparison. The set up is like this: "If you've had Whiskey A then Whiskey B is..." hotter, spicier, sweeter, more floral, etc. Each section is written as compared to one of the whiskeys. So if you've had that one, but not the others. That section will be of the most use to you. Remember there are no value judgements here. You get to decide based on what you know of Whiskey A if Whiskey B sounds like something you'd want to try.

First up is the Maker's Mark family. I happened to have the entire line on the shelf and a lot of people have had Maker's Mark so it was an easy place to start.

If you've had Maker's Mark then...

Maker's 46 is: sweeter, spicier and more flavorful with baking spices and a nice nuttiness.

Maker's Mark Cask Strength is: more bitter, hotter and spicier with more concentrated flavors including more traditional wheated bourbon flavors.

Maker's 46 Cask Strength is: sweeter with more pronounced baking spices and a hotter finish.

If you've had Maker's 46 then...

Maker's Mark is: lighter, more bitter and fruitier.

Maker's Mark Cask Strength is: hotter and not as sweet with more pronounced baking spices, an oilier mouthfeel and a much longer and warmer finish.

Maker's 46 Cask Strength is: similar with more concentrated flavors including more maple and stronger baking spices, an oilier mouthfeel and a longer finish.

If you've had Maker's Mark Cask Strength then...

Maker's Mark is: as you'd expect, a softer and more muted version of the same flavors. The lower proof makes it easier to find the cinnamon and nutmeg flavors.

Maker's 46 is: softer, sweeter and oakier with more pronounced caramel and vanilla flavors.

Maker's 46 Cask Strength is: sweeter and spicier with a nicer finish.

If you've had Maker's 46 Cask Strength then...

Maker's Mark is: softer with an almost watery mouthfeel. It has a more pronounced fruitiness and tastes almost chalky in comparison.

Maker's 46 is: less sweet and not as hot with more distinctive fruity flavors allowed to show through the lower proof.

Maker's Mark Cask Strength is: hotter and drier allowing more oak to present itself on the palate.

My new favorite “Small Batch” bourbon

August 27, 2015 Eric Burke

Evan Williams Single Barrel 2006, Larceny, Old Weller Antique, and Booker's bourbons make up my new blend.

Last week I decided to try something. I’d read an article describing a recipe for peach infused bourbon. Having had a few peach and bourbon cocktails, I was excited to try it myself. I love making infusions, though as I have stated on more than one occasion, I like making them more than drinking them. I almost always end up dumping them out after about a year in the cupboard.

Being the geeky obsessive type, I decided that I really needed the right bourbon to infuse. It had to really capture the caramel and vanilla flavors as well as present a nice spiciness that could stand up to the peach.

I did a little looking through my notes and decided that Maker’s 46 would be darn near perfect…except I didn’t have any. So after thinking about it for a bit I decided to actually look at what I did have in the house. I’d decided that a nice soft wheater would probably be perfect. Looking at my selection of wheated bourbons I landed first on Larceny, but I wanted the proof to be somewhere in the 100 proof plus range (as higher proof alcohols will absorb the other flavors faster) and Larceny was only 92. Then I looked at Old Weller Antique. It had the proof, but was also a bit too hot for what I was thinking.

I eventually decided that I was going to blend the two. This way, maybe I could have the best of both worlds. As I was standing there though, I had another thought. This year’s Evan Williams Single Barrel was pretty caramel and spice forward as well. And then I looked over at the Booker’s on the shelf. That batch, though strong, also presented those flavors well.

I was recently asked how I go about deciding what to put into a blend. This is a perfect example of how I go through the blending process. First I start with a goal. In this case I had a flavor profile in mind. Caramel forward with a nice spice. Then I go about finding those ingredients that will give me that flavor. Of course there is often some trial and error. I normally start with equal parts and move from there should the need arise. But in this case, everything just clicked right from the start at equal proportions.

I really think this is the best blend I’ve made. And that includes the experiments I did with all the Four Roses Single barrels. But here is the best part: all of these bourbons are readily available in most parts of the country.

Arok’s Small Batch - Mix of distilleries edition

Details: Equal parts of Larceny (Heaven Hill), Evan Williams Single Barrel 2006 vintage (Heaven Hill), Old Weller Antique (Buffalo Trace) and Booker’s Batch# 2013-6 (Beam). Approximate final ABV is 51.44%.

Nose: Initially the nose on this is very closed. It really benefits from some time in the glass. After sitting for a bit, there is a very strong caramel and vanilla presence. Subtle hints of fruit follow along with a nice almond scent. Overall this is the type of very sweet nose that I could sit and smell all day.

Mouth: Some nice heat. Strong caramel and vanilla presence again along with black pepper, almond, hints of cherry and some nice oak tannins.

Finish: Long, spicy finish with lingering black pepper and oak tannins.

I’ve already stated my thoughts above. I think this is the best blend I’ve created to date and it is one that I will probably be coming back to on more than one occasion. But I’m guessing you are asking how it worked with the peaches…and to be fair, I really don’t know. It was too good to use in that way. So if you have the ingredients on hand I really recommend trying this. And if it isn’t quite right for you think about what will make it better and adjust it. See if you can’t dial in your new favorite small batch bourbon.

The people who keep me company at work: Whisky Podcasts

July 28, 2015 Eric Burke

You may know that my main job is as a freelance designer (ahem...eburkedesign.com). I work on advertisements, direct mail, logos, promotional materials, posters, billboards and much more while standing at a desk just yards from my bed.

My wife works a real job that pays a regular salary. A job that is nowhere near my bed.

This means that I spend a lot of my time with only dogs for conversation. Needless to say, they don’t talk a lot. And when they do it’s really only to complain that the UPS or FedEx person is here. In my need to add more human voices to my life, I listen to a lot of podcasts.

If you are a whiskey fan, you’ve surely heard of WhiskyCast. WhiskyCast was the first podcast about whisky I ever listened to, and I’ve been listening for four or five years now. WhiskyCast is hosted by Mark Gillespie. Described as “Cask strength conversation featuring news and interviews from the world of whiskey” Mark delivers just that every week. There is a news segment, a discussion segment and an in-depth segment that features interviews from people involved in all phases of whisky making from all of the whisky-making countries. It is such an interesting podcast that about a year ago my wife started making me wait for her to listen to them. Unfortunately that means I now binge listen to a month’s at a time while in the car with her. But even the older ones cause us to stop every few minutes to discuss what was just said. A 45 minute show may take us an hour and a half to listen to.

Add in the fact that Mark is just a wonderful guy to listen to (and to talk to should you get the opportunity) and this is a can’t miss podcast for whisky lovers.

For the longest time that was the end of my whisky podcast list. But recently I was made aware of another whisky podcast.

(Full disclosure, I was made aware of it because Mark Bylok became one of the patrons of bourbonguy.com when I had a Patreon.com campaign going.) The Whisky Topic is a podcast is hosted by Mark Bylok, author of the Whisky Cabinet, and Jamie Johnson who runs a bourbon club in Toronto. Its tagline is “a casual conversation with whisky.” And it is exactly that. It is two friends, occasional guests and whisky. The conversation ranges from whisky topics of the day to whatever the guest is an expert in.

And they really do have exquisite taste in guests. While I’ve been listening, they’ve had their area’s brand ambassador for Jim Beam, Davin de Kergommeaux, Josh Peters from the Whiskey Jug, author Reid Mitenbuler and…me.

That’s right, I am going to be a guest on this week’s episode. We chat about topics ranging from Templeton Rye to experiments in blending to my favorite “everyday” bourbons and maybe even lying to your doctor. I haven’t heard the final edit yet so I’m hoping they make me sound smart. That episode should be available for download sometime Wednesday. But every one of the five or so I’ve listened to so far have been great. If you are a whiskey lover, this is another one to add to your favorite podcast app.

So, now I have a question for the rest of you. Do you know of any other whiskey shows we should all be listening to? If so leave them in the comments below. I’d love to find a few more. I need all the human voices I can get.

Ask Arok: Eagle Rare Barrels

July 16, 2015 Eric Burke

A barrel holding distillate made from Buffalo Trace' Rye Bourbon Mash #1. Someday it might become Eagle Rare, Buffalo Trace, George T. Stagg or Benchmark bourbons.

It all started with one little article shared on twitter. “Reverend Nat's Eagle Rare Bourbon Barrel Aged Revival Cider.” It’s a hard cider that they claim was aged in barrels that previously held Eagle Rare. This prompted a response on Twitter.

@arok is there such a thing as an Eagle Rare barrel? Gonna guess that isn't what was on it when it was dumped.

Andrew Elms ‏(@elmsandr)

Now, I’m going to guess that Andrew is asking this question with his tongue firmly planted in his cheek since I suspect he knows the answer to his question already. But still, it is a good question and one that someone who isn’t obsessed with bourbon might not know the answer to.

First a little background. Eagle Rare is a bourbon produced by Buffalo Trace. It is dumped out of barrels that were filled with distillate made from Buffalo Trace’s Rye Bourbon Mash Bill Number 1 (though I have been told that very occasionally a mash bill number 2 barrel will hit the flavor profile and become Eagle Rare). This same distillate is also used to fill barrels that will become Old Charter, George T Stagg, Buffalo Trace and Benchmark. Buffalo Trace has four mash recipes that are fermented and distilled to create all of their brands. There is the aforementioned Bourbon Mash #1. There is Rye Bourbon Mash #2 which is used to create the distillate that will eventually become Ancient Age, Elmer T. Lee and Blanton’s among others. There is a Wheat Bourbon Mash used to create distillate that will become the Weller line as well as the younger Van Winkles. And there is a Rye Mash that is used to create the distillate that will become the Sazerac Ryes and Thomas H. Handy Rye.

If you do a search online you will find no end to the things that claim to be aged in a certain Buffalo Trace brand’s barrel. There’s a Buffalo Trace, a George T. Stagg and a Van Winkle barrel aged Tequila. There are numerous beers aged in Stagg, Buffalo Trace and Van Winkle barrels. And there is the Eagle Rare barrel aged hard cider mentioned above. To name just a few.

Which brings us back to the question: Is there such a thing as an Eagle Rare Barrel? The answer is: kinda.

You see, there is no barrel that was filled with the intention of it being Eagle Rare (or Stagg, or Van Winkle, etc) when it was emptied. Every barrel that is filled with something that might become Eagle Rare will be labeled Mash #1 (or on a rare occasion Mash #2). So if your perspective is driven by what went into the barrel, then no. There is no such thing.

Of course, what went into the barrel and what came out of it were two completely different things. All sorts of factors act on that distillate to change it from Mash #1 to Buffalo Trace or Eagle Rare or (Benchmark for that matter). So if you look at it from the perspective of what came out of the barrel, then most certainly there is an Eagle Rare barrel. There is a barrel that held Eagle Rare. It just happens to be labeled Mash #1 (or on a rare occasion Mash #2).

So who is right? I tend to look at it from the "what came out" side. Blanton’s and Elmer T. Lee are both single barrel bourbons that came from the same distillate, but they taste much different. Old Charter tastes much different than Buffalo Trace or Eagle Rare even though they came from the same mash recipe. Based on that, as long as they are being honest about what came out of the barrel, I’d say Buffalo Trace is well within it’s rights to sell an empty barrel as an Eagle Rare Barrel or a Van Winkle Barrel or a George T. Stagg Barrel. Especially if people are willing to pay extra for it.

Do you have a bourbon question you'd like answered? Just get in contact with me using one of the icons in the sidebar to submit one. If I don’t know the answer, I’ll try to find it from someone who does.

Oh no, it's Father's Day.

June 18, 2015 Eric Burke

It's almost Father's Day. And, if you're like me, you're thinking to yourself: "oh shit! I forgot to get my dad something!"

Now my dad is a brandy drinker so I am planning to just spend some time with him this weekend and hope I don't come off as cheap. But if your dad is a bourbon fan, the easy answer is that you could always buy him...well...bourbon. Of course, it's entirely possible that you are looking for something a little less boozy for dear old dad on his special day. Something that won't get you in trouble with mom for encouraging him. In such a case, you could give him something that will enhance his bourbon drinking long after that one bottle you thought of giving him would be emptied.

In that case, it just so happens I might have a few ideas for you. As you might have guessed from the number of reviews I post, I tend to have my share of bourbon along with your share and your neighbor's. And I just so happen to have a collection of favorite things that I can easily recommend to you.

First and foremost is glassware. Drinking out of good glassware is key to enjoying your bourbon. I'm not going to say that I haven't had a mini of Jim Beam out of a plastic glass in a hotel room, but it isn't the most pleasurable way to drink it.

If dad is a taster of bourbon, a set of glencairn glasses is key. I got my set of six off of Amazon years ago and have been very happy with them.
Of course, you don't want to taste whiskey all the time, sometimes you just want to drink it. And honestly, a glencairn isn't real easy to drink out of. In such a case, while I do like a nice heavy rocks glass, recently these small snifters have been the go to whenever they're clean. I bought one from Beam and one from A. Smith Bowman.
But if you don't really feel like giving dad something with a logo emblazoned on it, visit a local antique store or an estate sale and look at the glassware. I've gotten some really cool old glasses that I absolutely love that way. One thing those folks from 50-60 years ago knew was drinking and the glasses they used are some of the most comfortable I've held.

But maybe we are getting ahead of ourselves. Dad needs to get the whiskey into the glass somehow, right? And even before he does that, he may even want to do something with it. Maybe make it into a cocktail? So utensils are essential.

Sure dad could pull the cork out with his teeth and just splash some in the glass, but we aren't cowboys. This is the modern age and in the modern age we have things like measuring cups. My favorite is an OXO Stainless Steel one. This is the one I keep next to the bourbon shelf at all times.
And what about that cocktail? If dad is making a whiskey sour, he'll need a lemon juiced. I have about 4 different juicers in the house, but the one I find most convenient is this hand juicer I got at Sur La Table. It's heavy and isn't too expensive. Plus I can just rinse it off when I'm finished. Most of the pulp stays in the lemon half.
If dad is making something like a Manhattan though, he will need a spoon. I don't have a recommendation. I find that the choice of bar spoon is highly personal. Mine was a cheap one, it doesn't have the muddler end that everyone recommends. But it feels right in my hand and glides nicely in the mixing glass.

And once dad has made or poured his drink, it would be nice for him to have something to sit and read. The book I'm reading right now is Bourbon Empire by Reid Mitenbuler. I'll have a real review coming soon, but spoiler alert, I'm really enjoying it.

So if you don't want to get dad bourbon (due to mom's disapproving looks, or because he has so much good stuff you'd never be able to afford to top it) think about some of these other ways to enhance dad's bourbon experiences. Most of these things I like more than some of the bourbons I've reviewed lately.

Ask Arok: Your Questions, My Answers... Tasting Bourbon

June 11, 2015 Eric Burke

A few days ago I got a question from Ray about tasting bourbon.

I found your site and have been reading your blog posts about tasting different bourbons. I'm just getting started out on trying different bourbons and was wondering if you have any tips on how to do a tasting.

I almost always just taste the alcohol and can rarely detect any of the different flavors you list on reviews. I've read up on it and put some Glencairn glasses on my Father's Day list hoping that will help

Do you have any suggestions on what I can try or a site to review to read up on some good tips?

Thanks,

Ray

Now Ray asks a question that all of us have asked at some point in our bourbon journey. "How do these guys find all those flavors?" It's a good question. I get it a lot and I know I asked myself that for quite a while. The short answer is: practice and be mindful.

I know for me when I started tasting bourbons (not just drinking them), I initially found sweet and heat. Then, over time, as I tried more bourbons, I started to make associations. This sweet is more like vanilla, this one is more like brown sugar or maple. This spice numbs my mouth like cloves, that wood tastes like the sawdust I create when I'm chopping wood.

Of course there are some technical tips that will help you find flavors a little easier. Keep your mouth slightly open when you nose to allow the air to travel all over your olfactory system. Conversely, if all you are tasting is heat, try keeping your mouth closed while you taste it to keep the oxygen and alcohol combination from overwhelming your tastebuds. Move it around in your mouth, letting it hit all those tastebuds. You'll hear people talk about chewing on it. That's this part. The other thing you can do if all you taste is heat is to dilute it. You'll find those flavors easier if you aren't burning your tastebuds off. It might help, at first, to find a place where you can concentrate and think about what you're doing.

My process is to work my way into a set of flavors. I first notice, let’s say spice, then I try to figure out what spice I taste. Is it more like cinnamon or cloves or ginger. Is it mouth numbing like cloves? Sharp like ginger? Sometimes it’s nondescript, then you might be stuck with just “baking spices.” And that’s ok. There are no wrong answers. The important thing is to take your time. I’ll spend a half hour just on the nose sometimes trying to figure out all the little nuances. But then sometimes it just jumps out at you. It all depends on the bourbon. I tend to run through a mental list of all the flavors I’ve tried. Non-bourbon flavors. I compare what I smell or taste to what I remember about each flavor. Does it match up? If not I move on to the next.

And here is the interesting thing. What you taste says more about your background than it does about the bourbon. You can only identify what you’ve had so I might say juicyfruit gum, but someone else might say something else entirely. Scent and taste are tied to memory. That’s half the fun.

So if you are like Ray, hang in there if you want to find those flavors. Take your time and most of all be very mindful of what you are smelling and tasting. All the time. Especially when there is no bourbon around. When you are eating a cookie, think about that sweetness or spice. When you walk into the back yard on a hot summer day, think about that warm grassy smell coming from the earth. Rocks, minerals, dried corn, mulch, dirt, the spices in your cupboard. All of these things are sources of inspiration and knowledge. Catalog those scents and flavors in your mind so you can bring them back when you hold that sip in your mouth. As an added bonus, you may find that as you pay more attention to your food and your environment, that you enjoy it more. I know I do.

I guess, this all boils down to a few things: practice, be mindful and most of all have fun. That's the best advice I can give.

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