If you’ve been reading for any length of time, you know that I live in Minnesota. But I wasn’t always a Minnesotan. I grew up in a very small rural town in Northwestern Wisconsin. I started life in a town that was a collection of buildings along one side of US Highway 63. There was a car dealership, a cemetery, a bar, a small post office, a few houses and a creamery that was known locally only as “the cheese factory.” I lived in a mobile home court that was located behind them all.
I grew up with the smell of warm curds in the wind as I walked past the creamery on my way to a local fishing hole. When I could steal a dollar from my dad, I wandered into their retail store to buy a soda, a piece of candy or a bag of fresh cheese curds. All in all, I had no idea that I was living a cheese-lovers dream (maybe not the trailer court, but the easy access to fresh cheese). I just knew that I liked the cheese that they made.
Fast-forward to adulthood and I had the opportunity to live all over Northern Wisconsin: Menomonie, Eau Claire, the Fox Cities. Everywhere I lived, I ended up finding a local creamery/cheese shop much like the one I grew up near. And each of those shops had their specialty. The one I grew up near specialized in cheeses like Muenster and mozzarella. The last one I lived near specialized in 10- to 15-year-old cheddar. That is the sort of cheese that will bite you back.
But, sadly, all of that ended when I moved to Minnesota. Gone were the small specialty cheese shops with creameries in the back. I could only get my cheese in the grocery stores. Which is fine, but. there is something about knowing that the delicious cheese you are buying is made behind the back wall of the store you are standing in. Luckily I make frequent trips back to see family and friends.
On the last such trip, my wife stopped into the Ellsworth Creamery to get some of their famous cheese curds. While in their retail shop, she found a cheese that was “quasi-local” that she thought would be of special interest to me. It is a Hickory-Smoked Bourbon Gouda from Red Apple Cheese. This cheese is produced from cow’s milk sourced from near Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin, by a company in Connecticut. And unlike many “bourbon” foods, this one lists bourbon as one of the few ingredients. Needless to say, as this combines two of my favorite things on earth, I was very excited to give it a try.
Hickory-Smoked Bourbon Gouda from Red Apple Cheese
Purchase Info: Ellsworth Creamery, Ellsworth WI. Less than $10 but I don’t have the receipt.
Nose: A strong hit of whiskey on the nose with smoky notes backing it up.
Mouth: Whiskey sharpness and hickory smoke initially. After chewing, a lovely creaminess blossoms on the palate. There is a lingering smokiness.
Thoughts: There is a strong whiskey note to this cheese that might turn some people off. I like it though. This pairs really nicely with a glass of Wild Turkey 101 and works great as an evening snack with that and a few crackers.
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