New Arrivals: Cragganmore 12 year, Cragganmore Distiller's Edition, Cragganmore Cask Strength 21 year!

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Hey all,

Just got a few new Cragganmore single malt Scotches in. Look out for Distiller's Editions and other limited Scotch releases over the next few weeks. Cragganmore is on the short list of distilleries in Diageo's "Classic Malts", making it the definitive Speyside single malt. New in:

-Cragganmore 12 year 40% (80 proof)
-Cragganmore 1997 Distiller's Edition (port finished) 40% (80 proof)
-Cragganmore 21 year Cask Strength Non-Chill Filtered 56% (112 proof)

The Cragganmore Distiller's Edition is arguably my favorite port finished scotch, soft and creamy with some beautiful strawberry, raspberry and red fruit undertones. What really surprised me though was the 21 year old cask strength. Pretty sure it's a one time release, I've never seen that vintage before anyway. It's unbelievably complex with incredible notes of wildflower honey, heather, lavender, sea water, stoney minerals and the tiniest hint of peat. Gorgeous stuff, I highly recommend trying it if you get a chance, I was able to get six bottles for the shop. You want these!

Cheers

Nate

New Arrivals: Michter's 20 year and 10 year single barrel bourbons!!

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Hey all,

Holy cow am I excited about today's new arrivals. It feels like Christmas mourning around here, but instead of snow it's raining heavenly bourbon! I could make a case for this being the best release of the year. But wait a minute you say? What about Pappy Van Winkle? Well as many of you may know Stitzel-Weller barrels (a distillery Julian Van Winkle was involved with until it closed in 1992) are getting harder and harder to come by since none have been produced in 20 years. Stitzel-Weller bourbon is the main component of Pappy Van Winkle 15, 20 and 23 year, and it use to be used in the 10 and 12 year bottlings as well, which are now being made by Buffalo Trace. I have a feeling Michter's 20 year bourbon, which is probably closer to 23 or 24 years old , may be a single barrel from Stitzel-Weller. Really no way to know for sure as the company is very tight liped about revealing their sources, but my palate usually doesn't steer me wrong. Regardless it's one of the best bourbons I've ever had.

I was also able to secure a decent amount of the Michter's 10 year bourbon. Michter's has this notion that they can and should exceed your wildest expectations for a given age statement. While the 20 year is closer to a 23 or 24 year, the 10 year is likely in the 15 to 16 year range. Basically they want their 10 year to be better than any other 10 year on the market, so how do they do that? By putting out a 16 year and calling it a 10 year, kind of clever in a way. The last bottling of 10 year Michter's bourbon is rumored to have been a Stitzel-Weller bottling as well, and after opening the current one I have to say, it tastes surprisingly similar. But again no way to confirm that notion. Even if they're not Stitzel-Weller products these two bourbons have an incredible amount of depth and oak (they are seriously much older then their age statement), are elegant, refined and some of the best sauce going right now. Don't sleep on these, they definitely won't be around for long!

Nate

New Arrivals: Aberlour 12 year, 16 year, and A'bunadh

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Hey all,

Happy to announce the arrival of Aberlour, a Scotch that's been a personal favorite of mine for a while, and one many of you have been requesting. Aberlour whiskies are one of the more flavorful Highland single malts on the market. The combination of ex-bourbon barrels and sherry butts contributes a lot of complexity (versus just using one type of barrel), leading to layer upon layer of flavor. I get notes of toffee, milk chocolate, plums, black cherries, ginger and cinnamon. Their whiskies are really dense and lush on the palate, which would lead me to believe they primarily use first or second fill barrels, as the colors and textures are amazing. Here's what I got in:

-Aberlour 12 Year Double Cask Matured
-Aberlour 16 Year Double Cask Matured
-Aberlour A'Bunadh Cask Strength Non-Chill Filtered (Matured Exclusively in Oloroso Sherry Butts)

You want these!

Nate

New Arrivals: Hooker's House Bourbon, Rye and 21 Year Bourbon

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Hey all,

Got some new whiskies in from Hooker's House, a brand a lot of people have expressed interest in the last year. I was really impressed with what they had to offer. The rye is on the younger side, around 4 years old and is likely sourced from LDI. They finish it in Zinfandel barrels which I think adds a lot of depth, some musty grape notes and just a hint of spice. It's the first red wine finished rye I've ever seen.

Both of the bourbons are finished in Pinot Noir barrels and manage to take on even more red wine character than the rye. Their regular bourbon is a six year likely sourced from Heaven Hill. It tasted significantly older than six years to me, more like the depth and oak of a 10-12 year. The Pinot Noir flavors are incredible giving the bourbon a great minerality, notes of stone fruits, blackberries, earth, pencil shavings and charred oak.

The 21 year bourbon was something to behold. Although we weren't told the source my co-worker Dave thought it might be Stitzel-Weller. It reminded me a lot of the older Willett Family Estate bourbons I've tried. Regardless, one of the best bourbons I've ever had and very unique. It says cask strength on the bottle but what I've been told is they diluted the whiskey with water while it was still in the barrel, so even though its 47% alcohol no water was added to the whiskey after it came out of the barrel making it "barrel strength". What's interesting is when I first tried this bourbon it was so cloudy and murky the rep immediately told me they planned on filtering it before bottling. I told him it was great as is and that they should leave it unfiltered. Realizing that would save them a couple steps and a decent amount of time he agreed to release it that way (aaaahem, your welcome). I get an amazing amount of depth and oak on this with flavors of burnt caramel, port wine, concrete, gravel, eucalyptus, rye spice, dark chocolate and flint. My rep has already told me they aren't going to be getting any more barrels this old, so get it while you can!

Cheers

Nate

It's all about style.....

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Whenever someone finds out I'm a whisk(e)y enthusiast, I can count down 3.....2.....1 "so...what's your favorite whiskey?"  I understand the motivation for the question but that's like asking what your favorite food is.  I like many types of food and the same goes for whiskey so the question really has no answer.

Thus the education begins ".....whiskey is diverse as wine in many respects...." and I go on to explain the origins of whiskey, the various grains that make up whiskey, the distillation differences, cooperage differences, aging differences, etc. etc.  This cornucopia of whiskey information typically leads then to the real question.  What style do you like?

When it comes to bourbon, I pretty much like them all.  When it comes to Scotch, almost anything except Islay (ok, for those paying attention to this blog know that last exception is a lie).  I dislike MOST Islay....there are exceptions like my Bruichladdich 15 year second edition. 

I cut my teeth on Wild Turkey back in the day and then when reintroduced to bourbon, I gravitated toward wheated bourbons like Van Winkle Family Reserve Lot B.  Today, I like a very broad cut across the whisk(e)y offerings so for me, I don't have a favorite whiskey but when it comes to styles, I do like barrel strength bourbons and in Scotch, I like Highland and Speyside primarily.

Style can cover many aspects:

Barrel proof to cut proof (that sweet spot that is your preferred drinking proof)
Single Barrel, Small Batch, or Vat
Extra age to young
World region (e.g. Japanese over Irish)
Mashbill of Rye, Wheat, Barley or Corn
Vintage or current
...and the list could go on

So, what's your style?  Is your preference a broad drinking experience like mine or do you narrow in on a specific style?  There is no wrong answer.....it all comes down to what you like.

10 Days of Bourbon Christmas - Day 6

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Comin' right back atcha with Day 6 of the 10 Days of Bourbon Christmas!  Rather than take the time to recap all of the great bourbon suggestions I've made on days 1-5, I'm just gonna launch into this one.

Bourbon Country!

Sometimes the best gift is not a physical entity.  A great gift can be as simple as an idea or a plan.  Day 6's recommendation is just that - a great idea.  Plan a trip for you and your bourbon buddy to visit Bourbon Country in Kentucky!!   There's a ton to do in the Louisville and Lexington areas.  You can check out the regions many distilleries, nearly all of which offer guided tours rich with the history of bourbon whiskey.  I recommend checking out Buffalo Trace and Four Roses though I've enjoyed every tour I've been on in Bourbon Country.  Maybe you try to complete the Kentucky Bourbon Trail?  There's also the Urban Bourbon Trail which consists of many bars with fantastic bourbon selections.  You could plan to be in Louisville for the Kentucky Bourbon Festival or maybe for the Kentucky Derby!  There's even a guide to Bourbon Country to help you plan.  The options are endless.

I've been to Kentucky about a dozen times for work and pleasure and I've always had a good time, especially when touring distilleries.  It's pretty hard not to have a good time when you're sipping bourbon whiskey all day!  Look into it as a vacation right here in the good ol' US of A.  Maybe your gift for Bourbon Christmas is picking up the flights or the hotel rooms?  Regardless of how you put it together, you're guaranteed a great time.  Ya heard me!?!?

10 Days of Bourbon Christmas - Day 7

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I hope you've been enjoying all of my recommendations for gifts you can give your bourbon drinkin' buddy for Bourbon Christmas.  We're gonna go with a slight bit of a repeat today but, trust me, it's worth it.

The Spherical Ice Mold by Tovolo

Yes, we're going back to spherical ice today, this time in a much more affordable and accessible fashion than Day 4's recommendation.  Judging by the feedback I received after posting about the Cirrus Ice Ball Press (as my buddy Chadzilla pointed out, that's an awful name), you guys are interested in ice spheres.  And why shouldn't you be?  They're pretty frickin sweet!  So, on Day 7 of Bourbon Christmas I give to you...the Spherical Ice Mold from Tovolo.

In the freezer I keep at The BTS, I've currently got 9 varieties of ice ready to go - 4 types of cubes, 4 types of spheres, and some of the regular chipped ice you get at the market in a big 10-pound bag.  I've already discussed the benefits of the ice sphere so no need to rehash.  What I can tell you is this - the Tovolo Ice Sphere Mold is the biggest and best ice sphere mold on the market.  I like that they are individual molds. Others that I have in my freezer are trays, and while they work just fine, they tend to leave a "saturn ring" around the middle of the ball because of the way the tray is constructed. With the Tovolo mold, you don't get that ring. These are also the largest ice sphere molds I've found. They fill a double old fashioned glass perfectly. I haven't timed how fast they melt but I'd say it's easily an hour. It's real easy to make ice balls using these molds.

Care for an ice ball with your bourbon, Sir?

So if you don't want to shell out boku bucks for the Cirrus press, this ice sphere mold is the way to go.  You can find them at a decent price here.  I've bought a ton to give as gifts to my bourbon drinking buddies.  I strongly recommend you do the same!

10 Days of Bourbon Christmas - Day 8

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Well, it took 8 days but it finally happened...  I missed a day of updating this here site with my recommendation for Bourbon Christmas.  Took the day off yesterday and once I left the house at noon I never made it back.  Prepping The BTS for a bourbon tasting today.  Well, good thing we've got plenty of time to shop for last minute gifts for our bourbon buddies. 

The Bourbon Review is a great source of knowledge for all things bourbon

If you want to learn more about this American spirit, it's best to go right to the source - Kentucky.  That's where the good folks at The Bourbon Review come into play.  The Bourbon Review is published quarterly and covers all things bourbon including new releases, cocktail recipes, bourbon-laced food recipes, and distillery info.  It's a great source of information.  I'm always happy when I open up the mailbox and find an issue inside. 

Another great reason to subscribe to The Bourbon Review - these guys put together some great events.  This fall I flew out with Dad and a couple of buddies for Bourbon Under the Stars.  We met the guys from the Bourbon Review for a cocktail hour the night before then hit the event on a Saturday night on the grounds of the Fasig-Tipton Thoroughbred Auction Company.  It was an honor having the chance to meet a man I highly respect as a professional and Master Distiller and that man was Jim Rutledge of Four Roses.  What a great guy.  Both he and Bill Samuels Jr. of Maker's Mark can talk bourbon all day and never get tired of it.  It was awesome chatting up both of them while sipping cocktails, tasting bourbons, and chomping on some great grub from local restaurants.  This year the guys at The Bourbon Review are putting together the 1st ever Bourbon Classic right in Louisville.  Remember the Bourbon Christmas recommendation on Day 6 to plan a trip to Bourbon Country?  Well, this would be the time to do it.  This is gonna be an awesome event!

So, this Bourbon Christmas season, give the gift that keeps on giving quarterly and sign your bourbon buddy up for The Bourbon Review.  Heck, it's an easy $20 for 2 years so get yourself a subscription while you're at it!  I promise you won't regret it.

Until next time...Merry Bourbon Christmas!

10 Days of Bourbon Christmas - Day 9

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Getting this one in just under the wire!  Had a crazy day today, my first day wearing prescription glasses.  I'm seeing in HD, baby!  I can't believe I waited this long to correct my distance vision.  Played golf this morning and could actually see my ball past 150 yards!  I also shot +2 on the front 9 and +6 on the back 9, good for an 80 which made me really love my new glasses even more.  Ok, enough chit chat, let's get down to business with my recommendation for a gift for your bourbon buddy on Day 9 of Bourbon Christmas.

The Cooper Double Old Fashioned Glass from CB2.com

Today we're revisiting glassware again.  Why?  Because you can't just have an elegant glass to sip bourbon out of, you also need an everyday utility glass good for sipping neat, rocky, or cocktails.  That's where the Cooper Double Old Fashioned Glass comes into play.  This glass is awesome.  First off, it's a little wider than your average old fashioned glass and it begins to taper towards the top.  The walls of the glass are a nice thickness too so they don't feel like they'll break easy but they are thin enough that the glass feels comfortable as you sip.  My favorite feature on this glass is the base.  This glass has a great hand to it and that comes 100% from the base of the glass.  It's thick glass that has a heavier weight to it.  This is a man's glass, dammit.  It's perfect for a  spirit like bourbon whiskey. 

The official glass of The BTS

I know I've featured the picture above before but I wanted to show how perfect this glass is for a cocktail like a BTS Old Fashioned.  Look at the way the glass allows for the large format ice ball while leaving a little bit of room for easy drinking.  I currently stock 20 of these glasses at The BTS and have 12 more on order.  Last night I held a bourbon tasting that I donated as an auction prize for the Hurricane Sandy Relief Dinner that Cobaya helped put together and the guests loved them.  At $3.50 each, you'd be a fool not to at least pick up four for yourself.  Only downfall is you'll have to wait until they get back into stock mid-January. 

So, there you have it.  Another affordable gift for your favorite bourbon buddy during the Bourbon Christmas season.  Enjoy!

10 Days of Bourbon Christmas - Day 10!!

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We've arrived at the 10th and final day of the 10 Days of Bourbon Christmas!  I hope you all have enjoyed my recommendations for your bourbon drinking friends and family members.  This last post is going to be short and sweet, with a peppery blast of rye spice and subtle hints of fruit.  Yes, this is one you can drink up and enjoy.

Four Roses Single Barrel - a fantastic bourbon

Just this year, for the 3rd straight year and 4th time out of the last six years, Four Roses was named Distillery of the Year by Whisky Magazine's judging panel.  That should tell you enough right there!  The story of Four Roses rise, fall, and rebirth is one of my favorite stories in bourbon history.  Master Distiller, Jim Rutledge, is a man who has my utmost respect.  This bourbon, Four Roses Single Barrel, is one of my favorite pours. 

Four Roses uses 2 mashbill recipes along with 5 proprietary yeast strains to produce 10 different whiskeys.  Four Roses Single Barrel uses just one of those recipes, OBSV, which is aged and then bottled from a single barrel (go figure).  What does OBSV mean to you?  Well, "O" designates that this bourbon was produced at Four Roses Distillery in Lawrenceburg, KY.  "B" tells us that this bourbon uses a mashbill consisting of 60% corn, 5% malted barley, and 35% rye.  "S" means that it's straight bourbon that's been aged for a minimum of 2 years.  "V" means that the "V" strain of yeast was used, a strain that imparts a creamy flavor with hints of fruit and a blast of spice.  The bottle typically sells for $39.99 but I once found a ridiculous sale for $29.99 at a local shop and bought nearly all of their stock.  It's just that good and I loves me a great deal on bourbon!

Bottoms up, my bourbon brethren!  Bourbon Christmas is here! 

New Arrivals: Aberlour 12 year, 16 year, and A'bunadh

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Hey all,

Happy to announce the arrival of Aberlour, a Scotch that's been a personal favorite of mine for a while, and one many of you have been requesting. Aberlour whiskies are one of the more flavorful Highland single malts on the market. The combination of ex-bourbon barrels and sherry butts contributes a lot of complexity (versus just using one type of barrel), leading to layer upon layer of flavor. I get notes of toffee, milk chocolate, plums, black cherries, ginger and cinnamon. Their whiskies are really dense and lush on the palate, which would lead me to believe they primarily use first or second fill barrels, as the colors and textures are amazing. Here's what I got in:

-Aberlour 12 Year Double Cask Matured
-Aberlour 16 Year Double Cask Matured
-Aberlour A'Bunadh Cask Strength Non-Chill Filtered (Matured Exclusively in Oloroso Sherry Butts)

You want these!

Nate

New Arrivals: Hooker's House Bourbon, Rye and 21 Year Bourbon

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Hey all,

Got some new whiskies in from Hooker's House, a brand a lot of people have expressed interest in the last year. I was really impressed with what they had to offer. The rye is on the younger side, around 4 years old and is likely sourced from LDI. They finish it in Zinfandel barrels which I think adds a lot of depth, some musty grape notes and just a hint of spice. It's the first red wine finished rye I've ever seen.

Both of the bourbons are finished in Pinot Noir barrels and manage to take on even more red wine character than the rye. Their regular bourbon is a six year likely sourced from Heaven Hill. It tasted significantly older than six years to me, more like the depth and oak of a 10-12 year. The Pinot Noir flavors are incredible giving the bourbon a great minerality, notes of stone fruits, blackberries, earth, pencil shavings and charred oak.

The 21 year bourbon was something to behold. Although we weren't told the source my co-worker Dave thought it might be Stitzel-Weller. It reminded me a lot of the older Willett Family Estate bourbons I've tried. Regardless, one of the best bourbons I've ever had and very unique. It says cask strength on the bottle but what I've been told is they diluted the whiskey with water while it was still in the barrel, so even though its 47% alcohol no water was added to the whiskey after it came out of the barrel making it "barrel strength". What's interesting is when I first tried this bourbon it was so cloudy and murky the rep immediately told me they planned on filtering it before bottling. I told him it was great as is and that they should leave it unfiltered. Realizing that would save them a couple steps and a decent amount of time he agreed to release it that way (aaaahem, your welcome). I get an amazing amount of depth and oak on this with flavors of burnt caramel, port wine, concrete, gravel, eucalyptus, rye spice, dark chocolate and flint. My rep has already told me they aren't going to be getting any more barrels this old, so get it while you can!

Cheers

Nate

New Arrivals: Talisker 25 Year Single Malt

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Hey all,

Just got in a few bottles of my favorite Talisker release, the extremely limited 25 year. Not much of this made it to San Francisco and while they've done small releases like this the last few years, there's no guarantee they'll have enough to do a release next year or any time soon. Basically it's a get it while you can kind of thing. The 25 year has Talisker's signature brininess and intense peat with a beautifully lush balance of oak from the longer aging. I get flavors of seaweed, camp fire, black pepper, gravel, stoney minerals, browned butter and burnt caramel. Wildly complex and engaging yet approachable and creamy. Definitely a winner!

Nate

New Arrivals: Nikka 12 Year "Taketsuru" Pure Malt and Nikka 15 Year "Yoichi" Single Malt!

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Hey all,

Finally got a counter part to the Yamazaki and Hibiki lines, which have been unavailable lately due to popularity. The similar Japanese whiskies we got in from Nikka were a real treat to try, elegant and supremely well crafted, definitely going to give Suntory a run for their money in the coming years. Nikka currently owns two distilleries: Yoichi and Miyagikyo. Here's what we got in:

-Taketsuru 12 Year Pure Malt: Made from an artisanal mingling of stocks from the Yoichi and Miyagikyo distilleries. The single malt whiskies are vatted together, helping to marry the flavors, and bottled at an approachable 40% alcohol (80 proof). "Pure Malt" is some what of an invented term by Nikka, but it serves the purpose for what they mean. It's 100% malt whiskey, not containing the cheaper grain whiskies or neutral spirits that would warrant a "Blended Whiskey" title, but since it's from two distilleries instead of one they needed a designation other than single malt, hence the name pure malt. The overall flavors are really complex with just a hint of peat, some floral notes and a really lush caramely oak character.

-Yoichi 15 Year Single Malt: This single malt from the Yoichi Distillery is a little more delicate and refined than the 12 year Taketsuru. It's bottled at a more concentrated 45% alcohol (90 proof) yet has a cleaner flavor and is more soft and silky on the palate. It has engaging flavors of wild flower honey, white florals, cereal grain, brown sugar and nougat. A beautifully balanced whiskey that I'm glad to see is finally available stateside.

Give these a try if you get a chance. Cheers

Nate

It's all about style.....

To contact us Click HERE
Whenever someone finds out I'm a whisk(e)y enthusiast, I can count down 3.....2.....1 "so...what's your favorite whiskey?"  I understand the motivation for the question but that's like asking what your favorite food is.  I like many types of food and the same goes for whiskey so the question really has no answer.

Thus the education begins ".....whiskey is diverse as wine in many respects...." and I go on to explain the origins of whiskey, the various grains that make up whiskey, the distillation differences, cooperage differences, aging differences, etc. etc.  This cornucopia of whiskey information typically leads then to the real question.  What style do you like?

When it comes to bourbon, I pretty much like them all.  When it comes to Scotch, almost anything except Islay (ok, for those paying attention to this blog know that last exception is a lie).  I dislike MOST Islay....there are exceptions like my Bruichladdich 15 year second edition. 

I cut my teeth on Wild Turkey back in the day and then when reintroduced to bourbon, I gravitated toward wheated bourbons like Van Winkle Family Reserve Lot B.  Today, I like a very broad cut across the whisk(e)y offerings so for me, I don't have a favorite whiskey but when it comes to styles, I do like barrel strength bourbons and in Scotch, I like Highland and Speyside primarily.

Style can cover many aspects:

Barrel proof to cut proof (that sweet spot that is your preferred drinking proof)
Single Barrel, Small Batch, or Vat
Extra age to young
World region (e.g. Japanese over Irish)
Mashbill of Rye, Wheat, Barley or Corn
Vintage or current
...and the list could go on

So, what's your style?  Is your preference a broad drinking experience like mine or do you narrow in on a specific style?  There is no wrong answer.....it all comes down to what you like.