O.W.A. R.I.P

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Breaking news: Harlen Wheatley, the Buffalo Trace Master Distiller let the cat out of the bag while attending an event in Dallas recently. According to him, it's been decided that Old Weller Antique (OWA) is being retired.

This was just reported by a fellow member of the board who attended the event. Harlan gave the reason as limited supply of stock. If you remember back in 2009, BT made the decision to drop the age statement and I commented about it here. I said privately among my fellow enthusiasts that the next possible turn of events was the label being retired. I hate being almost right.....almost because it hasn't happened yet.

Early this year I took possession of a number of private barrel picks of OWA and I'm getting ready to head to KY to taste through a couple more barrels. I just hope this recent turn of events doesn't put the purchase at risk.

This is sad news folks. I hope the news is wrong but based on the public outing by Harlan, it appears to be true.....we'll see.

Go Whiskey Weekend..... I went

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As I mentioned in a previous post, I attended Julio’s Go Whiskey Weekend about 6 weeks ago. There were three events with the finale on Sunday, February 26^th listed as the “Grand Tasting”, and grand it was, oh and by the way….it was a free event.

For starters, Ryan Maloney, owner and proprietor of Julio’s Liquor (the J is not silent) has one of the nicest liquor stores I’ve seen. Living in Virginia (a controlled state) produces mediocre stores with mediocre liquor selections. The one slight variant here in my area is Total Wine does a decent job with their craft beer selections but there is room for improvement especially after perusing the beer aisle at Julio’s.

As a small business owner I have a number of marketing techniques I employ in order to generate foot traffic in my store and from this perspective, Ryan is spot on with not only this event, but the weekly events he holds at the store that covers whiskey, beer and wine when it comes to getting people in his store and strolling though the numerous aisle’s of drinking goodness. Wine? Not a problem, at least a third of the store is dedicated to that. Beer? Again, about a quarter of the store dedicated to that and spirits is another quarter. There’s also a fairly decent selection of tobacco ranging from canister pipe tobacco to cigars. So, getting folks in to taste whiskey is a great way to generate foot traffic, and ultimately purchases of whiskey during the tasting.

The size of Julio’s is impressive spanning over 10,000 square feet that includes wine and spirits tasting room as well as a basement space just renovated to handle larger events. The Grand Tasting on Sunday afternoon started at 1:00 and was to wind up at 4:00. We were warned there would be a line to get in and we weren’t disappointed. I decided to leave my coat in the car not wanting to hassle with carrying it around while trying to taste whiskey. We stood in line for approximately 20 minutes and at the front of the line was a Julio’s employee and a Westborough City Police Officer barking out for everyone to have their ID’s ready to display. Once at the front and displaying my valid ID, I was given a wrist band that had 10 removable tabs attached to it representing the number of samples I would be allowed to try.

Ryan provided a booklet to all participants of which I had received an advance copy. Because of that, I had taken the time the evening before to go through the list of 275 selections (yes, 275) and determine which ones I wanted to focus on.

Upon entering one was greeted with the sound of fighting cats…..er uh…..bagpipes. Each table was numbered which corresponded to a particular page in the booklet which listed what whiskies would be featured at each table. I spent some time just trolling around getting my bearings as the place was packed with other whiskey devotees.

As I began tasting through my various selections, I quickly realized why the wrist band had only 10 tabs to tear off…..tasting through that much whiskey obviously has its side effects. Some pours were meager while others were quite generous but in the end, I was able to taste through my selections while pacing myself over the course of 3.5 hours.

Some of the highlights of the tasting for me was the newly released Redbreast 12 year cask strength. It really blew me away how good it was. It’s a little pricy at the sale price of $65 but in my humble opinion, worth the cost. The Auchentoshan Three Wood was exceptional as was the new Bruichladdich “laddie” 10 year, Julio’s Rosebank 20 year and another Irish, Slieve Foy an 8 year a Cooley expression, and a new release from Amrut, Three Continents. These are but a couple examples of the tremendous lineup provided by the distilleries and resellers gathered at Julio’s.

A nice treat was to spend time talking with Al Young from Four Roses. He was kind enough to bring out the “under the table” soon to be released Limited Edition (at the time of the tasting) and I have to admit, it was pretty tasty. As some of you reading this may have noticed, most of my ramblings actually center around Scotch and Irish and very little about bourbon. I’ll admit this was done on purpose as I didn’t want to split the opportunity to taste some great whiskies between American and World selections. I’ve had plenty of bourbon over the years but the Scotch, Irish, Japanese and Indian whiskies have been taking up residence in my bunker at an increased pace of late so this was my one chance to taste through various expressions to get a sense of what else is out on the market.

One bourbon I will mention that I didn’t like was the Heaven Hill release of their Parkers Heritage Collection 27 year. This is one bourbon that I had on my list to try and I was disappointed which surprised me because I have liked those releases I’ve tried for the most part. To me, this release was way passed its prime.

This was a great weekend and I would encourage anybody in the Boston area that loves whiskey and has not attended the Julio’s events to make plans to do so. I enjoyed the weekend enough to make the trip again next year.

Fast and Furious

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I've said it before and I'll say it again, I'm busy.  As I've mentioned, I own a Franchise and am in the process of opening my second location.  Most nights I'm buried deep in e-mails and paperwork until hitting the sack late.  I'm scheduled to open August 4th so I hope to get some breathing room after that.

I have a couple things stacked up to post:

Bowman 17 years cask - new release last month
Springbank Scotch
Personal barrel pick reviews
Irish Blind Tasting results
Pipe Tobacco - anybody else enjoy a good evening smoke?  I'll review a couple tobacco's I've enjoyed recently.

I do miss posting here on Bourbon Dork and hope to be back in full swing soon.  As I take a quick break to make this post, I am enjoying a Julio's release of Weller Centennial done back about 5 or 6 years ago.  Superb pour.

Connemara Peated - Blind Tasting

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When selecting whiskies for the Irish tasting, I purposely picked a peated expression in order to have a selection that deviated from the more standard Irish profile.  The Connemara is a peat monster; at least to my palate.  This particular expression is double distilled (rather than triple distilled) and aged in oak casks and bottled at 80 proof.  This selection is from Cooley distillery and they offer a couple expressions of Connemara with this one being their base offering.

To be honest, I couldn't even finish this whiskey.  I was just too nasty for my palate since I'm not a lover of high peat content and this one was over the top for me.  The tasting panel was pretty split on this whiskey.  A little more than half liked it and the rest agreed with me.  Here are how the numbers stacked up:

95-100 Classic Whiskey	0
90-94 Excellent Whiskey	0
85-89 Very Good, Above Average Whiskey	5
80-84 Average Whiskey	2
75-79 Fair Whiskey	0
74 and Under - Pass on This Whiskey	4

If you like Scotch, particularly those from Islay, you may find this Irish agreeable.  Here are some comments from the tasters:

"An unpleasant nose dominated by rubber, with a little smoke and malt in the background. Bitter on the palate."

"Peat tea with honey, well balanced sweet and peaty elements. A nice flavor profile but a bit weak tasting.  The peat is lighter on the finish but still very present."

"Beautifully complex - drinks nicer and smoother than the nose would suggest (didn't much care for this nose on an Irish whiskey), finish that goes on and on - great legs on the glass - just enough warmth on the sip to add to the complexity of the entire experience..works greatly with the sweet woody taste."

"A nice medium mouthfeel, this is pleasantly different than what I was expecting; there’s a sweet smokiness that follows the nose with a pleasantly drying smokey finish that lasts a while."

Bottle comes packaged in 750ml and is priced around $40.  If you like Irish Whiskey and you like Peat....knock yourself out.

Tobacco and Whiskey - Indulgent Pairing

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For quite a few years, I've enjoyed my pipe while sitting on the front porch during temperate times of the year.  A few years back a good friend of mine piqued my interest in cigars and I was hooked.  Unfortunately, my pipe for took a back seat for a spell until recently and I found that I missed the mellow times pipe smoking brings.

I've paired tobacco and whiskey together whether it be cigars or pipe on a regular basis and thoroughly enjoy the combination.  There's no right or wrong pairing when selecting a whiskey or tobacco, it's really whatever you happen to like, but it's also fun trying various combinations that may be better that others.  In the end, this double indulgence provides a time of relaxation, reflection and pure gratification.  The one bit of advice I do offer, and again, this comes down to preference, is paring a whiskey that is not cask strength when smoking a pipe.  The high ABV will impact the palate minimizing your ability to enjoy the subtle nature of the pipe tobacco.

For this post, I'll focus more on pipe tobacco.  There's a very broad selection of pipe tobacco and the topic would take far to long to articulate here.  There are numerous resources on the web if you're interested in researching.

Growing up, my Father smoked a pipe and I always remembered the sweet aroma that lingered in the room or car as he puffed away.  Unfortunately, my Mother was not a fan and my Father eventually gave up smoking and gave his pipes away.....a real shame that I don't have some of his pipes today.

When someone asks me to make recommendations on cigars and they are new to smoking, I recommend something mild that has a light wrapper and little to no Ligero as this particular leaf adds strength to a cigar.  For pipe tobacco, the selections are almost endless.  There are a number of tobacco's that have higher nicotine content which can provide the same physical effects as a Ligero cigar......a good sucker punch to the gut.

I won't recommend anything here but will point you to a good website that has a deep database of user reviews at http://www.tobaccoreviews.com/index.cfm.

I have about 15 various selections and I recently picked up a couple more.  Last night I enjoyed one of the new acquisitions; Dunhill Navy Rolls.  While this is a Dunhill offering (Dunhill is a UK company), the blend comes from Orlik Tobacco Company in the Netherlands.  This tobacco is labeled as medium in strength and very mild in flavor.   Navy Rolls is a Virginia tobacco blended with Perique.  The tobacco itself was coin rolled, not loose, which required the added job of breaking apart the coin before loading the pipe.  Overall, an enjoyable smoked that exhibited a sweetness which comes from the Virginia tobacco and a spice on the finish that comes from the Perique.

With this smoke, I paired a low proof Bruichladdich 15 year 2nd Edition (I know...it's an Islay and I said I didn't like those.....).  The 'Laddie exhibited a profile of summer fruits, very mild peat, and a nice viscosity promoting a creamy mouthfeel.  The whisky spent 15 years in used Bourbon Casks and then another 26 weeks in Sauternes Casks imparting an additional layer of sweetness; an exceptional dram.

Ten Years at the LA County Fair

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This year was my tenth consecutive year attending the LA County Fair. I first visited back in 2001, upon hearing of the deep fried Snickers bar, still one of my fair favorites. Over the years, I've become very strategic at navigating fair food, concentrating on a few old favorites (notably the aforementioned Snickers and Dr. Bob's excellent ice cream stand) while scouting for anything new that looks like it has potential. (All of my fair coverage can be found here.) This year, I came out with two new finds.


The best strategy at the fair is to look for stands that are connected to local restaurants. Why eat some generic corn dog when you could be eating a taco from King Taco or a shrimp po-boy from Harold & Belle's? This year's find was a stand from the famous East LA institution, Manuel's El Tepeyac. The fair stand, as with most stands, has a limited version of the regular menu, but it includes the Hollenbeck Burrito bursting with chili verde, beans, rice and guacamole and their famous taquitos, which are some of the best anywhere.

The next good find was from an unexpected source, Chicken Charlie's, that haven of deep fried crap (which may have been an actual menu item one year). I generally decry each year's deep fried novelty but then try it anyway because I'm a sucker for such things. This year, it was deep fried cookie dough. About the size of doughnut hole, the fried cookie dough balls were sweet and gooey with a chocolaty molten filling. The contrast of a sweet, gloppy filling with a fried exterior is exactly what you want out of a fried treat, and this one worked well.

The Fair has another week to go so you're not too late to catch some deep fried goodness.

Craft Whiskey Wrap Up - Some Craft Whiskey Doesn't Suck

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After a week of tasting craft whiskeys (and there will be more to come, though not immediately), I thought I'd record some general reflections. It's been two years since I wrote that Most Craft Whiskeys Suck, and two years is a lifetime in the very young craft movement.

As a whole, I think the quality of craft whiskey is improving (or at least there are more quality craft whiskeys out there than when I proclaimed them mostly sucky). Unlike some of the just plain bad whiskeys I had in earlier days, the Lost Spirits peated whiskeys and the McKenzie Rye tasted like high quality distillate. The problem is that they are still too young, or in the case of McKenzie, aged in small barrels which give them that raw, woody quality. Unlike some of the really bad craft whiskeys, though, those issues can be addressed, and Finger Lakes (the makers of McKenzie) have already laid down some spirit in large barrels.

Good whiskey takes time and there's just no way around that, but now we have some distilleries that are actually making good spirit, and hopefully in a few more years, they will have some decently aged whiskey that we can all enjoy.

Would I recommend buying one of these young whiskeys with potential. Certainly not. Yes, these whiskeys are promising, but I don't by bottles of promise, and certainly not at $40 or $50 a pop.

The bright spot here was the Balcones Brimstone, which is probably the only new craft whiskey I've tasted which I would actually recommend buying. It's also young, but it manages to coax out a lot of flavor and for some reason, possibly the heavy smoke, it doesn't have that new make taste (though even heavy peating couldn't cover up the new make taste in Lost Spirits' Leviathan).

I'm a thrill seeker, so as long as they make new whiskey, I'll continue to try it. For now, I'd say that I've replaced my bleak outlook about the craft whiskey movement with a bit of cautious optimism.

High Crimes & Misdemeanors: Larceny Bourbon

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Larceny is a new wheated bourbon from Heaven Hill. For years, Heaven Hill plodded along with the Old Fitzgerald line which ranges from decent to mediocre. Many whiskey lovers had given up hope in them putting any energy into a really good wheated bourbon. Then, in 2010, they surprised us all by releasing a wonderful ten year old wheated bourbon as part of the Parker's Heritage Collection series. Since then, we've all been wondering if they would expand their wheater line, and now they have.

Larceny has no age statement, but the distillery says it is aged from six to twelve years. It weighs in at 92 proof.


Larceny, 46% abv ($23)

The nose is very light with some fruit cocktail and cherry cough syrup. The palate is similarly light and sweet with bubblegum notes. The finish is fleeting.

Larceny is fine but not at all interesting. If you're looking for a light, sweet easy drinker, it might be for you, and it may be that it's targeting such folks (that is, Maker's Mark drinkers).

Hell Hath No Fury: A Craft Distiller Responds

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Last week, as part of my Craft Whiskey Week series, I published a review of two new peated whiskeys from the Lost Spirits Distillery in Salinas, California. I thought the whiskeys showed promise, but overall, I thought they were too young, possessing some of the new makey characteristics that are common in underaged whiskeys.

Distillery owner Bryan Davis posted a lengthy response in the comments that I thought was worth publishing in its entirety, both to allow him to have his say and because I think it's somewhat emblematic of the way that certain distillers respond to anyone who doesn't think their product is the best thing ever to pass through a still:

This morning I woke up after reading your blog post and contemplated closing the distillery that Joanne and I spent the last 3 years of our blood sweat and tears to build. Then I poured myself a glass of Leviathan and the forthcoming Paradiso and said HELL NO I love this whiskey. It was at that moment that I decided to write a short rebuttal to your opinion of my work.

The criticism that a spirit is too young is insulting.

A spirit can be too hot for your taste. A spirit can be too sweet for your taste. A spirit can be to bitter for your taste. You can find notes in it that you don’t like or find awkward. That’s fine and you’re entitled to your opinion, but to say its too young is an undefined criticism.

You owe it to your readers to say why you don’t like it. Hell you owe it me, the person who slaved for years to make the whiskey you panned for no defined reason. Its like saying I am in my thirties and therefore too young to make whiskey. I, like the art I created, stand or fall on my own merits, not my age.

I further take issue with the statement “its too young” since it pretends to be an objective statement when we all know opinions about whiskeys are inherently subjective.

I would also point out that many trained palettes that have sampled my work see what I see in it and love it and support it. I am not saying you have to like it but I am saying the criticism “its to young” pretends to be objective when its not, and is really just a vindictive and mean way of saying I don’t care for it.

Why I did it:
A spirit derives its reason for being based upon what it does that is new, interesting, and unusual. If Leviathan tasted like Laphroag it would have no reason for being since Laphroaig already exists. I made bold changes to the production process, the wood, the peat, and the techniques used to age it. The ester profile and flavor density is off the charts. Is it conventional NO – it’s not supposed to be.

I think Leviathan has a lot to say, you don’t have to like what it says, but don’t tell people not to listen because it’s too young to speak – say why you don’t
like what it says.

Why “it’s too young” is a dangerous thing to say. Big distilleries are pushing the message that craft products are too young… why because they are trying to bankrupt them by discouraging people from trying the whiskeys at all. When you repeat their garbage you are being played like a pawn of the multinational corporations that don’t want to see a world with 10,000 distilleries in it. For them this is business. For me this is art, and the world will be richer place if we don’t let them push their corporate PR strategy down our throats.

For my part, I'm confident that my readers understand what I mean when I say something is "too young" and "new makey," and I think Mr. Davis does too since in this interview with K&L, he himself admits of these whiskeys, "We don't really want to tell you how long they've been in the barrel...obviously they're relatively young and it's not our strongest suit."

So what say you good readers? Is Sku nothing but a shill for corporate whiskey (something that I'm guessing Brown Forman, among others, would have a hard time believing)?

Dusty Thursday: All that's Stitzel-Weller is not Gold - Cabin Still (circa 1986)

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If you mention "Stitzel-Weller" in a whiskey blog, people's minds turn to visions of Very Very Old Fitzgerald or the early editions of Pappy Van Winkle, rare and delicious bourbons that fetch large sums. It's important to remember, however, that in its day, Stitzel-Weller was a bourbon brand like any other, with both top and bottom shelf offerings. The Old Fitzgerald and Weller lines were on top, but the bottom shelf included brands like Rebel Yell and Cabin Still.

As part of a massive wheated bourbon tasting, I recently got to sample some Cabin Still from 1986, when Stitzel-Weller was still in operation (the brand is now owned by Heaven Hill).

Cabin Still, (circa 1986), 40% abv

The nose has wine like notes, some floral notes and is almost brandy like in some ways. The palate has licorice and mint, also some light corn syrup. It's very light with some Irish Whiskey like flavors. The finish is very short with that light corn syrup taste.

This is not bad by any mean and is certainly distinctly Stitzel-Weller (so much so that I was able to identify it as such in a blind tasting). It's quite drinkable but not at all remarkable and comparable in quality to many whiskeys available today. On the one hand, I'd say this shows that not everything Stitzel-Weller deserves to be worshiped, on the other, I'd note that if this was the bottom of the SW barrel, they were doing pretty well.

9 Measurements Necessary for your Bespoke Dress Shirt

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You need 9 measurements to order the perfect custom shirt. The video below shows you how to take the measurements yourself if you need to. The video and figures below are compliments of Alexander West, a Manhattan based clothier specializing in custom-tailored shirts.

These figures depict the differences between a Made to Measure dress shirt  and a Bespoke dress shirt.
                              MADE TO MEASURE                                                                   FULL CUSTOM (BESPOKE)

Consists on only two standard body measurements
(neck and sleeve). By incorporating height and weight
data, AW uses proprietary algorithms to make a better
fitting shirt.

 Consists of nine (9) body measurements: neck, chest,
waist, hips, shoulder, sleeve, biceps, wrist,
and back length. Also considers watch hand and watch size.

Do-It-Yourself Video 
I personally have never ordered any custom shirts from Alexander West, but their ratings are very good. I would try it, but I still order my custom shirts from William Cheng and Sons (WC&S) because they already have all my measurements. WC&S can send you a color swatch (front page depicted in picture below) with an order form and you can either send the order form in with measurements or email them (see below).

WC&S Color Swatch

William Chang and Sons Order Info:Tracking Order/Amend Order: customerservice@williamcheng-son.comEnquiry:  info@williamcheng-son.comOrdering:  order@williamcheng-son.com

Bespoke Shoes: Florence

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If you want bespoke shoes and have plenty of Euro to pay for them, you need to head directly to Florence, Italy. Florence has multiple high end bespoke shoemakers tucked away on seemingly random side streets and alleys. Be ready because these shoes will cost you about € 3,000 for the first pair and anywhere from € 2,000-3,000 for additional pairs. Some of these shops also take up to about 6 months to deliver the product. 
The first place I stumbled upon was Stefano Bemer. It was located on the street Borgo San Frediano on our walk from the subdivision Santo Spirito to the city center. There are two tucked away shops, which you could easily walk past without seeing if it weren't for the pair of tan and blue loafers in the window.
"Stefano Bemer offers the best to fit the taste of the client, advising on shapes, patterns, materials and colors. And, mainly, the service of "custom" which offers about 180 variations of materials and colors."







The second place I found was Skarpe Scarpe su Misura. This shop is located on Via di S. Lucia along the walk to the main train station: Stazione di Firenze Santa Maria Novella. It's a beautiful storefront with almost full floor to ceiling windows, but she unfortunately discourages pictures. I had to snap my photos on the sly.
"This German-born shoemaker Vivian Saskia Wittmer caters mostly to men in her ground-floor atelier (where she draws the draperies for those who’d rather not display their feet), crafting shoes with such precision that it can take six months to make a pair.  She uses the finest quality leather (calf, ostrich, alligator, elephant, shark, camel's belly, perch). Every pair is different, fit to the personality of the client, that will last over time while remaining comfortable, beautiful and above all unique."
Location: Via di S. Lucia 24/r








The last shoemaker I found was Il Micio di Hidetaka Fukaya. He is a Japanese bespoke shoemaker whose shop is located on Via de' Federighi (6r) on the way down the alley to Il Latini restaurant.
"Hidetaka Fukaya of Nagoya Japan started his passion for cobbling about 10 years ago. He studied shoe making in Siena and has not looked back. Since then he has opened up his own shop in a charming alley in Florence. Hidetaka has caused quite a stir and is a welcome "novelty" among the Italians. Who is this Japanese man who has embraced our tradition for shoe-making? With his passion for exquisite shoes, he has gained their respect for his craftsmanship, style and charm. In fact, he is only one of three sources of handmade shoes in Florence."  - Eminence Grise blog

Invisible Socks and Shoe Trees: Preserve your shoes

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It's summer time and everybody is looking to pull off the sockless shoe look. It's casual and cool either with a pair of summer chinos or shorts, allowing your ankles a little breathing room on a hot summer day. 

PHOTOGRAPH BY TOMMY TON, June 2011

PHOTOGRAPH BY TOMMY TON, JUNE 2011

Be careful though, there's only one way to appropriately pull off the sockless look without ruining your favorite pair of summers shoes.

INVISIBLE SOCKS
Sure, you could go truly sockless but, it being the summer time, your feet are bound to sweat. That moisture is absorbed by your shoes, and moisture is the worst thing for a pair of shoes over time. It is absorbed by the internal lining of your shoes and damages the fabric and leather, which degrades the look of the shoe from the inside out. Not to mention the smell that will lurk in your favorite pair of shoes which alone might render them unwearable. 
Do yourself and shoes a favor and invest in a couple pairs of invisible socks. They come in all price ranges and colors. I like the ones with the sticky rubber on the back so they grip the heel better and are less likely to come off when you take off your shoes. Here is an example of these:

Falke Invisible Sock

SHOE TREES

Another way to preserve your loafers is to invest in a few pairs of shoe trees. I like this pair of Allen Edmonds Cedar Shoe Trees below to keep my brogues and saddle shoes odor-free and leather unwrinkled. I found a whole load and stocked up on these on sale at my local Nordstrom Rack.

Allen Edmonds Cedar Shoe Tree

Shoe trees are inserted into shoes to help maintain the original shoe shape, help prevent creases and cracking in the leather, and lastly to absorb moisture from the lining of the shoes. They are available in a wide range of shoe sizes. They are available in plastic or wood (usually cedar). The main benefits to plastic shoe trees is that they are inexpensive, and they are lightweight, making them good for travel. Though they are more expensive, cedar shoe trees have several advantages over plastic. They last longer, add a clean cedar scent to footwear and absorb moisture, whereas plastic shoe trees will not. The absorbing moisture part is key.
Contrary to popular belief, shoe trees do not actually stretch your shoes. If you have a pair of shoes that are too tight, wear them for a few hours, then put your shoe tree in immediately after wearing them. The shoe tree will maintain the shape from your foot in the shoes and make them more comfortable to wear down the line. If you want to enlarge a pair of shoes that is too small, you'll need a shoe stretcher.

Shoe Stretcher

Grilled Tuscan Chicken - Trattoria dell'Orto: Florence, Italy

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I haven't had much Grilled Tuscan Chicken, but I believe this is the best that chicken can taste. That says a lot coming from a person who has eaten at Gus's World Famous Fried Chicken in Memphis. It also says something that in my 1 week visit to Tuscany, I actually ate this dish twice and wanted to eat it many more times. I was obsessed with this dish.

Perfectly flavored and tender with crisp smokey skin and paired with buttery roasted potatoes...I have been
craving this experience here in the States. You can't find this on a menu in the US. I tried making it once in a pan, but that's not possible either as you need the flavor that's imparted by charcoal briquettes. You have to have a grill to achieve this level of perfection. Or you can just go to Trattoria dell'Orto in Florence, Italy. The ambiance is not great inside. You need to ask to be seated on the patio in the back, which has better scenery. The main server, who happens to be the owner's wife, is not terribly friendly, but it doesn't matter. The food is authentic and the house wine is delicious. 
Trattoria dell'OrtoVia dell'Orto 35A, 50124 Florence, Italy+39.055.224148 | www.trattoriadellorto.com/



I happened to be watching America's Test Kitchen on PBS this past weekend (don't ask why), and they happened to feature a Tuscan Brick Chicken. The recipe is  below. I haven't tried it yet, but it looks really close to what I had in Florence. As soon as I have access to a grill, I'm going to try to recreate this fantastic dish. 

For the best flavor, use a high-quality chicken, such as Bell & Evans. Use an oven mitt or dish towel to safely grip and maneuver the hot bricks. If you’re using table salt, reduce the amount to 1½ teaspoons in step 2. You will need two standard-sized bricks for this recipe. Placing the bricks on the chicken while it cooks ensures that the skin will be evenly browned and well rendered—don’t skip this step. A cast-iron skillet or other heavy pan can be used in place of the bricks.
Ingredients1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil8 medium garlic cloves , minced or pressed through garlic press (about 2 1/2 tablespoons)1 teaspoon finely grated zest from 1 lemon , plus 2 tablespoons juice  Pinch crushed red pepper flakes4 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme leaves3 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary  Kosher salt (see note)  Ground black pepper1 (3 3/4- to 4 1/4-pound) whole chicken (see note)  Vegetable oil for cooking grate
Instructions1. Combine oil, garlic, lemon zest, and pepper flakes in small saucepan. Bring to simmer, stirring frequently, over medium-low heat, about 3 minutes. Once simmering, add 3 teaspoons thyme and 2 teaspoons rosemary and cook 30 seconds longer. Strain mixture through fine-mesh strainer set over small bowl, pushing on solids to extract oil. Transfer solids to small bowl and cool; set oil and solids aside.
2. Following illustrations below, butterfly chicken, flatten breastbone, and tuck wings behind back. Using hands or handle of wooden spoon, loosen skin over breast and thighs and remove any excess fat. Combine 1 tablespoon salt and 1 teaspoon pepper in small bowl. Mix 3 teaspoons salt mixture with cooled garlic solids. Spread salt-garlic mixture evenly under skin over chicken breast and thighs. Sprinkle remaining teaspoon salt mixture on exposed meat of bone side. Place chicken skin-side up on wire rack set in rimmed baking sheet and refrigerate 1 to 2 hours.
3. Wrap 2 bricks tightly in aluminum foil. Light large chimney starter filled three-quarters with charcoal (4½ quarts, or about 75 briquettes) and burn until coals are covered with layer of fine gray ash, about 20 minutes. Build modified two-level fire by arranging all coals over half of grill, leaving other half empty. Position cooking grate over coals, place bricks on grate over coals, cover grill, and heat about 5 minutes. Scrape cooking grate clean with grill brush. Lightly dip wad of paper towels in vegetable oil; holding wad with tongs, wipe cooking grate. Grill is ready when side with coals is medium-hot (you can hold your hand 5 inches above grate for 3 to 4 seconds).
4. Place chicken skin-side down over cooler side of grill with legs facing fire, place hot bricks lengthwise over each breast half, cover grill, and cook until skin is lightly browned and faint grill marks appear, 22 to 25 minutes. Remove bricks from chicken. Using tongs or towel, grip legs and flip chicken (chicken should release freely from grill; use thin metal spatula to loosen if stuck) and transfer to hot side of grill, skin-side up, with breast facing center of grill. Place bricks over breast, cover grill, and cook until chicken is well browned, 12 to 15 minutes.
5. Remove bricks, flip chicken skin-side down over hot coals, and cook until chicken skin is well crisped and instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part of thigh registers 165 degrees, 5 to 10 minutes, moving chicken as necessary to prevent flare-ups. Transfer chicken to cutting board and let rest 10 minutes. Whisk lemon juice and remaining thyme and rosemary into reserved oil; season with salt and pepper. Carve chicken and serve, passing sauce separately.
TechniquePrepping Chicken for the Grill1. BUTTERFLY Cut through bones on either side of backbone, then discard backbone. 2. PRESS Flip chicken over, then flatten breastbone and tuck wings behind back. 3. SEPARATE Loosen skin over breast and thighs and remove any excess fat. 4. SALT Spread salt-garlic mixture under skin of breast and thighs. Spread salt mixture on meat of bone side.