My Wandering Eye: Smith & Cross Traditional Jamaica Rum

January 30, 2018 Eric Burke

My wandering eye is a series reacting to the crazy rising prices in the bourbon world. We’ve reached a place where even average products have hit the range where they compete price-wise with other types of aged spirits. If I’m going be asked to drop $40 to $70 on a mid-range bourbon, I might as well see what else I can get for that money. See if another spirits category offers something that is downright tasty in that price range. The goal isn’t to find cheap spirits, but to maximize the quality, I’m getting at a particular price point.

Tonight's rum will be the last rum I'll be doing for a while. Not because I've grown tired of rum, but instead because I think I've found enough of them to keep me busy for a while. I found a sweet rum, a sipping rum, a complex rum, and even a cognac-finished rum. I've found rums of 2-, 5-, 9- and 12-years-old as well as rums containing some combination of them.

Tonight, however, I'm going to review a bottle of rum that covers two firsts for me. This will be both my first navy-strength and my first funky* rum.

Smith & Cross Traditional Jamaica Rum

Purchase Info: $26.99 for a 750 mL bottle at Total Wine, Burnsville, MN

Details: 57% ABV.

Nose: Molasses and light ginger (I'm thinking the soft molasses-ginger cookies your local supermarket bakery makes) along with a light hint of campfire smoke.

Mouth: Hot with lots of spice upon entry. After you get past the heat, there is a lovely molasses and funk combination.

Finish: Spicy yet not too hot, especially considering the proof. The flavors last forever. Lingering molasses cookie flavors of ginger and molasses mix with a fun fruity funk.

Thoughts: I know my wife would disagree, but I'd drink this neat all night long. But then, she is more of a "bourbon-only" person than I am. She even finds a glass of rye whiskey less exciting than I do. So yes, I'm really enjoying this rum. It might be my favorite of the ones I've bought for drinking neat. I think there is a lot herefor a bourbon lover to enjoy.

And hey, it's pretty good in a cocktail too.

*I believe the rum experts might use the word "hogo," but since I am not exactly clear on what that is, I'll stick to funky since that is what I personally taste.

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Woodford Reserve Cocktail Bitters and Bourbon Cherries by Bourbon Barrel Foods

January 23, 2018 Eric Burke

Woodford Reserve Cocktail Bitters by Bourbon Barrel Foods

As you might have noticed, I have been on a bit of a rum kick lately. Rereading Fred Minnick's wonderful book on the subject while on a cruise ship in the Carribean surrounded by tasty rum (and even some tasty rum drinks) will do that to you.

My favorite rum drink that I had on the trip was a Rum Old Fashioned. They used a spice-infused rum and house-made bitters in the drink (no I'm not trying to be fancy, it was Bacardi 8-year-old rum which the bartenders had infused with spices, not Capt. Morgan or its ilk). When I got home, I knew that I needed to try to reproduce this drink at home. What I landed on was a lot easier than infusing rum with spices. All I did was use a bitters that replicated the experience.

In this case, that bitters was Woodford Reserve Sassafras and Sorghum Bitters. I'd had this particular bottle on hand for quite a while. In fact, it was long enough that I had forgotten I had it. And so I did what any geek would do when I realized that something I had on hand forever was something I really enjoyed. I went looking to find more.

When I got to the website, I found they had a few varieties. I wasn't going to buy five more bottles of bitters without trying them, but luckily they had a five pack of small bottles that would allow me to figure out if the rest of their varieties were any good. Here are my impressions. I used each of them in an Old Fashioned.

Woodford Reserve Barrel Aged Bitters by Bourbon Barrel Foods

Purchase Info: $25 from BourbonBarrelFoods.com

General Thoughts: These are all highly aromatic. The tiny bottles are kind of hard to use without making a mess (as seen in the photo above) but if you progress to a large bottle, they have a dropper in the cap to minimize the mess.

Aromatic Bitters: Pretty basic aromatic bitters flavor profile. Nicely spicy and works very well with bourbon. It's a nice replacement for other Aromatic bitters if you want to move away from Angostura or support a small business.

Sassafras and Sorghum Bitters: This one has a lot of baking spice flavors. It feels sweeter and richer than the aromatic and works very well with both bourbon and rum.

Orange Bitters: Very potent. There is a lot of orange flavor, but not a lot of spiciness. This isn't my favorite Orange Bitters. It works fine, but I'd want to use it mixed with the Aromatic to give it more bitter and spice notes.

Chocolate Bitters: Chocolate and nutty. Overpowers the Old Fashioned but has a nice spiciness on the back end. I'd use this sparingly. I'm not sure that an Old Fashioned is the right drink for this.

Spiced Cherry Bitters: This is named very accurately. Very spicy upfront with perfumed cherry flavors appearing on the back end. This is tasty, but if perfume notes bother you, think about passing on it. I thought it actually worked nicely alongside the chocolate bitters to make a chocolate covered cherry Old Fashioned.

Woodford Reserve Bourbon Cherries by Bourbon Barrel Foods

I just happened to notice these this past weekend while wandering the aisles at Total Wine and thought I might as well grab them to toss into here as well.

Purchase Info: $14.99 at Total Wine, Burnsville, MN. They are also available from BourbonBarrelFoods.com for $16.

Thoughts: The syrup is richly cherry flavored and very sweet. Not a lot of spice here. The cherries themselves are sweet but are a bit tough without the crisp snap of ones I made at home. They work well if, like me, you've run out of the homemade ones and they are a huge step up from the glowing red ones you find in most supermarkets.

My Wandering Eye: Barceló Imperial

January 9, 2018 Eric Burke

So. Yes. I'm back on the rum train today, mostly because that's what I've been drinking since I got back to Minnesota. On January first, I went from 73 degrees Fahrenheit in Miami to -12 in Minneapolis a few hours later. A negative swing of 85 degrees.

I haven't been warm since.

I experienced it and still can't really comprehend it. But to try to pretend that warmth is a thing that still exists in the world, I drank a lot of rum. A drink I associate with warm places now.

Tonight's rum is Bareceló Imperial. I bought it during our stop in the Dominican Republic because it is made there and because it was only $20 for a 700 mL bottle. It turns out that it is also available in Minnesota, but it is about $28 for a 750 mL. Mostly I didn't drink this one neat. It was way too sweet for my palate for that. But I did go through a hell of a lot of Rum Old Fashioneds with it. Here's the recipe I used:

Rum Old Fashioned using Barceló Imperial

2 ounces of Barceló Imperial Rum
4 shakes of Woodford Reserve® Sassafras and Sorghum bitters
1/2 Tablespoon or so Simple Syrup
Orange Peel
Ice to taste

So an Old Fashioned is basically the easiest drink you can make. You put the bitters in your glass. Add the simple syrup. I felt that the rum, in this case, was plenty sweet, so I didn't add a lot. Add the rum and however much ice you like. The final touch really helps this one though. You need to express the oils of an orange peel over the drink, rub it around the inner and outer edges of the glass, and drop it in. In this case, the hint of orange makes the drink.

Bareceló Imperial

Purchase Info: $20 for a 700 mL bottle at Dufry Puerto Plata (at the Amber Cove Cruise Port)

Details: 38% ABV. Made in San Pedro de Macoris, Dominican Republic.

Nose: Molasses, oak and faint citrus notes.

Mouth: Brown sugar and black cherry notes predominate with baking spice along the sides of the tongue.

Finish: On the gentle side of medium with lingering brown sugar, black cherry, and nutmeg notes.

Thoughts: For me, this is too sweet to drink neat. I love it in an Old Fashioned though. Using the recipe above, I think I love it better than a whiskey Old Fashioned (though to be fair, I have never thought of an Old Fashioned as my favorite whiskey cocktail). I'm going to say here that the average of loving it in a cocktail and finding it a bit meh neat will be that I like it. And since mine is now empty (I've been rebelling against Dry January), I'll need to pick up another bottle soon.

My Wandering Eye: Don Q Gran Añejo

January 4, 2018 Eric Burke

Last week I was on my first Carribean cruise. One of the stops was Puerto Rico. Having realized through this series that I enjoy rum, even if I don't know much about it yet, I made sure that a couple of bottles of the spirit came home with me. When in Rome and all that.

I don't know a lot about what to look for in a Rum. I haven't spent enough time to learn more than the basics. But I planned ahead and loaded my friend Fred Minnick's book Rum Curious on my Kindle before I left. I may not have tasted a lot of Rum, but I know he did, and he recorded what he learned in that book, so it made an excellent place to start.

I spent most of my short visit in San Juan visiting the old Forts, but on my way back to the ship I made sure to stop off at the duty-free store so that I could see what they had. My mother-in-law had given me an ultimatum that she wanted to buy me a bottle of Rum for Christmas while we were on the cruise and had given me a $50 limit. Luckily, for Rum that seemed to be a pretty generous limit. I ended up settling on the Don Q Gran Añejo, mostly because Fred said it was good, the bottle said it was 9-12 years old, and it was exactly $50.

Now I knew nothing about the Don Q brand when I picked it off the shelf. But after visiting their website for a little bit, I realized that they seem to be fairly forthcoming with their information. The company that produces the brand (Destilería Serrallés, Inc.) dates back to the early to mid-1800s and the sugar plantations that were on the island. They started producing Rum in the 1860s. They use water from the Río Inabón as their exclusive water source and their distillery is located outside of Ponce, Puerto Rico. They do their best to be environmentally friendly in their processes. The Don Q brand itself was launched after the end of Prohibition and was named after Don Quixote. Though they don't get into a lot of the data points of production (for instance, Fred Minnick reports that the off the still proof of their Rums are 94.5% ABV which is not on their website), I did enjoy making my way through all the information that they do provide.

Don Q Gran Añejo

Purchase Info: $50 for a 750 mL bottle at the Duty-Free Store in the San Juan Cruise Port, San Juan, Puerto Rico. (Available locally for $59.99 at Total Wine, Burnsville, MN.)

Details: 40% ABV. Blended from rums between 9 and 12 years old.

Nose: Brown Sugar, vanilla bean ice cream, cola.

Mouth: Soft mouthfeel with vanilla bean ice cream, caramel and a hint of spice.

Finish: Gentle burn with lingering caramel, baking spice, root beer and a hint of menthol after it is all done.

Thoughts: This is a tasty drink whether you are having it in a glass with a little ice or in an Old Fashioned. It is sweet with just enough spice and menthol to keep it interesting. It's certainly one I hope to pick up again.

Kentucky Bourbon Festival 2017: Bottled in Bond Fire

September 21, 2017 Eric Burke

I state in my Statement of Ethics that if I am reviewing something that I didn't pay for, I will disclose it at the beginning of the article. I received media passes to this event for both myself and my wife

Warm and sunny. The perfect late summer Kentucky day. It's too bad it was our last day in Bardstown because it's days like those that make me never want to leave. And I was extremely excited to go to the Bottled in Bond Fire event that night. It seemed like it would be the perfect end to the trip.

Historically, Saturday night was reserved for the Gala, a formal event. And since the last time I was voluntarily in a tux was my wedding day 20 years previous, let's just say I am never going to be covering the Gala. Not my speed. I'm a bourbon around the fire sort of guy. Not a bourbon in a rented outfit sort of guy.

So yes, when they introduced the Bottled in Bond Fire event last year, I was pretty stoked. I didn't go, as it was introduced after I had purchased my tickets, but I was pretty sure I wanted to go this year. And as things worked out, I got media credentials to the event.

The Bottled in Bond Fire event is held at Wickland, Home of Three Governors. Wickland is an old Bardstown home (oddly the home of three different Kentucky Governors) which is available for tours and events. I had never visited before and was excited to see some of the details of the old house. When we first entered we were greeted by the check-in station and the food line. The event was serving barbecue, beans, and slaw. Perfect food for a bonfire.

Off to the right was a sitting area. Comfortable chairs and the featured speaker of the evening, Susan Reigler, Prsident of the Bourbon Women. Ms. Reigler was around to answer any bourbon questions that guests might have.

Bottled in Bond Fire, Buffalo Trace Selection

Off to the left of the main entrance was the Bourbon Room. Here, four distilleries were pouring mostly bonded bourbons. Buffalo Trace brought Colonel E.H. Taylor Small Batch and Single Barrel, Both Bottled in Bond.

Heaven Hill table at Bottled in Bond Fire

As is to be expected, Heaven Hill brought the most options to an event featuring Bonded products. They even brought one surprise...

I wasn't really expecting to see their Bonded Brandy, Sacred Bond, being poured at a Bourbon Festival. But it was and I tried it. It was fine, nothing to write home about.

Barton was only pouring Very Old Barton Bonded. Which is fine by me. VOB Bonded is my go-to bourbon for the hotel room or cabin when I'm in Kentucky.

Four Roses table at Bottled in Bond Fire

Four Roses was a bit of a surprise for me. Seeing as they have no bonded products. There were no representatives there, but they did have Small Batch and Single Barrel on hand.

Obviously, the fires were outside. There were also tables to eat at, bean bag toss and live music.

Fire pit just as it is being lit with the band in the distance.

The live music was provided by The Echoes, a Louisville trio. I enjoyed the music. It fit the mood of the event perfectly. I really hope someone thought to bring them a bourbon or two.

Indoor crowd at the Bottled in Bond Fire event

Since I had never been there before, they were nice enough to let me wander the house and go upstairs. Knowing that they offer ghost tours of the place, I was curious to go take a look. I didn't see any ghosts, but the empty old rooms in the light of the twilight were certainly a bit creepy. On the way down, I got a better view of the food and entrance area.

It wouldn't be a bonfire without s'mores. And although I'm guessing that liability concerns wouldn't allow people to toast their own, my wife tells me the desserts inspired by them were a very tasty substitute.

So, final verdict. I thought it was a decent event. My wife loved it. It was fun, the people were talkative, the bourbon was tasty, and the music was entertaining. Everything that you would want. All in all, I will probably drop the $75 to go as a paying guest next year so that I can enjoy myself a little more (hard to really relax when everyone thinks you work there due to the press credentials around your neck).

Kentucky Bourbon Festival 2017: 1792 Flights of Bourbon

September 19, 2017 Eric Burke

It was a misty, wet evening at the Bardstown airport. The rain had been threatening all day and as we drove onto the runway, it decided to let finally let go. Not that we were in any danger of being too wet. This was more like the spot-free rinse in the car wash than a full-on rainstorm. It was, however, enough to cause the closure of the doors to the hanger we were heading to. Luckily, just after we got in.

This was my first time at the 1792 Flights of Bourbon event. It was new last year and to be honest, I didn't even know about it until it had passed. Normally the first ticketed event is the Sampler on Wednesday. This being on Tuesday was a bit of a surprise. But this year I was offered media passes and thought it sounded like fun.

"Flights" of Bourbon. It's an event of Puns. Airplanes, hangers, and a lineup of 1792 bourbons.

Speaking of multiple bottles, they saved a few limited releases to share with the guests. By my count, there were five in addition to the regular Small Batch: High Rye, Sweet Wheat, Full Proof, Single Barrel and the 225 Anniversary release to celebrate Kentucky's 225th Birthday.

Pretty display and pretty tasty as well. Doesn't sound like it was very expensive either. I had a friend tell me they got one that cost about $35.

Continuing with the "Flight" theme was a very nice molded ice sculpture on the food table.

Every one of the employees I talked to were entertaining and happy to be there. Fun people!

There were door prizes for the guests to win.

A portion of the proceeds from the event benefited the Green Beret Foundation, a group that helps the transition of Green Berets back into society. I thought this was very cool.

My initial impression was that this was a very small event. I had heard rumors of a ticketing malfunction so I wasn't sure whether it was the rain, the tech problems or the fact that no one was in town yet that kept the people away. After asking the PR person about it, I was told the following:

"[Barton 1792] really did go into it wanting to produce a more intimate, personally engaging event, as well as one that would be attended by the right people (meaning influential individuals in the industry, Barton brand enthusiasts, and other business stakeholders, etc.), instead of the most people (meaning general tourists/festival attendees)."

So in other words, they succeeded. This was a very small and intimate event. In fact, the main draw to this event was the conversations. Don't get me wrong, the bourbon, the food and the crooners on the sound system were good too, but I spent most of the night wandering from group to group and joining conversations. I found old friends and met new ones. All in all, it was a fun time. I don't know that I would want to pay $75 for the event personally, but enough people did that I'll assume I am on the outside on that one.

Book Review: Amaro by Brad Thomas Parsons

August 29, 2017 Eric Burke

I'm going to be honest with you when I tell you that I don't know that much about you. Sure, I have Google Analytics on the site, but I seldom remember to check it. And if I do remember, I normally get distracted when I notice that there are over 10,000 of you are coming here per month. Then I forget to dive deeper to see who you are (in the general sense. I like you and all, but me knowing specifically who each of you are seems like too much responsibility and frankly, more than a bit creepy).

I do know a lot about me though. So since you are reading this, I'll just have to assume that you are a lot like me. Or at least interested in some of the same things. So, if you are like me then not too long ago you may have found yourself muttering "What the hell is Amaro?" See I had found a recipe for a Manhattan riff called a Black Manhattan that swapped out the vermouth for an Amaro. It called for a specific one, but not actually knowing anything about any Amaro, I read some reviews and then picked up one that was in my budget.

It was about this time that I remembered that way back in July, I had picked up a book that probably would have answered my question. I happened to be on Twitter that day and saw a Tweet that mentioned the Kindle edition of Amaro by Brad Thomas Parsons was on sale for only $1.99. Now I normally like my booze books in hardcover, but the price was so good, I couldn't pass it up. I have long recommended the author's book Bitters to anyone who would listen so it was very easy to convince myself to drop the two bucks.

And the book didn't disappoint. The very first thing I saw when I looked at the cover were the words "The Spirited World of Bittersweet, Herbal Liqueurs." So there was my answer. An Amaro is a bittersweet, herbal liqueur. And when I got into the book I learned even more. I learned about the history of Amaro and the Italian tradition of sipping them either before or after a meal to either set up or settle your meal. I learned about the various brands that are available in the US, both the specific details and their stories. I read so many cocktail recipes that I've been drinking cocktails for the past week just because it inspired an intense craving for bitter drinks. I even learned a little about making your own Amaro.

The most surprising thing I learned that depending on your definition, I actually had two Amaros in my collection already in the form of Campari and Fernet-Branca. Which on some level reassured me that I would enjoy exploring this category. I really liked this book and since it is also on my phone, I think I will be referencing it often while standing in the liquor store aisles.

Mr. Boston Drinks website

August 17, 2017 Eric Burke

I don't make a lot of cocktails. Wait, check that. I make a ton of cocktails, they just all happen to be a variation of the Manhattan. And over the course of the last couple years, I've been trying to expand my horizons. Which is why last year when Sazerac launched the Mr. Boston site, I bookmarked it.

And then waited a year to remember that I had done so.

Last week, I was cleaning up my bookmarks when I remembered it was there. Of course, this seemed like a great excuse to put it through its paces and see if I could find anything interesting.

According to Wikipedia, Mr. Boston was started as a distillery in, you guessed it, Boston in 1933. Within a few years, they were publishing their Mr. Boston Official Bartender's Guide to help promote their products. For the next 77 years, the company and its various owners published the book with the last edition being published in 2012. In 2009, Sazerac bought the brand and its guide as part of their purchase of the Barton Distillery and brands. According to the company, they immediately started working on bringing the venerable old publication into the modern age by putting it online.

And this is the part that I find pretty cool. They have digitized the records of every edition they could lay their hands on. That means, if a drink was in multiple editions, you can swap back and forth between the editions to see how the recipe has changed over time. I find that pretty cool and is a step that many companies wouldn't have bothered to take since it probably took a lot of extra time and money to accomplish.

So is the site any good? Yeah. I love it. It's designed with a cool Art Deco feel that is very appropriate for a site that celebrates a history that goes back to when Art Deco was cool the first time. It is easy to use both on the desktop and on your phone. The directions come with an image of the glass you might want to use and a difficulty level so that you know what you are getting into. You can search for recipes by ingredient or name or you can use a "Discover" option that allows you to find recipes based on an event or occasion. If you log in, using Facebook or Google, you can save your favorites and even add your own recipes.

While doing research over the last week or so, I decided to try as many new cocktails as I could find. I have limited ingredients in the house and even so, I was able to find more than I had time to drink. I even learned that my homemade cranberry juice goes well with bourbon. I have a feeling that I am going to be keeping this particular bookmark and trying a lot of new options.

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