Kinda sad it's over....

Well... after 2 months of contemplation and pre-sampling... Last night finally arrived. And seems like in a flash it was over. So what was it like?

A grand evening, in a grand gallery.   Beautiful spot with great ambience set the tone for the third installment of spirits education for the Straightup KW Beverage Academy. I was surrounded by a fantastic, albeit eclectic group, who took to my words as warmly as the whiskey took to them.  A lively crowd with questions, who appreciated a new take on whiskey, and how to use it in cooking, or just a glass.

We tasted four great bourbons. Jefferson’s, Elijah Craig 12 yr., Corner Creek, and Woodford Reserve.  There was a mixed reaction about which one was people’s favourite, but all took to it very well.

Rather than get too deeply into each whiskey, as I find it very subjective, here are a précis of the tasting notes from last night’s tasting:

Jefferson’s Reserve

COLOUR:  Amber, Caramel

NOSE:   Peaches, vanilla, raisins, butterscotch

TASTE:  An elegant combination of flavors, a very thick body, almost syrupy sweetness, suggesting vanilla and caramel, yet very fruity with hints of dates, blackberry and orange.

FINISH:  The finish is long, warm and smooth like a fine cognac.

Comment: Slight coating sensation on the palate, similar to, but richer than Maker’s Mark

Elijah Craig 12 yr.

 COLOUR:  Melted sugar, Butterscotch, hay.

NOSE:   Thick and warming, vanilla, caramel, oak, very ripe fruit. Honeyed ginger, clove.

TASTE:  Earthy, malty, hint of smoke and oak, caramel, vanilla

FINISH:  Lingering, slightly sweet honey, vanilla

Comment: Rich, rounded on the mellow palate. Possible hint of mint or anise-seed can be found.

Corner Creek

 COLOUR:  Golden, brown sugar, syrup

NOSE:   Caramel, vanilla, honey, and a little spice

TASTE:  Caramel, much more rye spice than in the nose, moderate oak, vanilla.

FINISH:  Spice elements exit fairly early, leaving mostly wood and caramel

Comment: Any wheat flavours are rather indistinct and muddled in the ensemble. This is rather sweet and rather light in body.

Woodford Reserve

COLOUR:  Deep rich golden colour, old Sauturnes.

NOSE:   Loaded with vanilla and toffee as well as some sweet oak. Burnt sugar and some lovely light fruitiness.

TASTE:  Subtle spices warm the palate only for the honey to calm things down again. Sweet corn, and brilliant, toasty brown-sugared depth. Vanilla, maple.

FINISH:  Some deft rye; the oak adds dryness.

Comment: A bourbon of stunning complexity that really has improved in the last year or so as the depth has intensified. It is easily among the best on the market in the UK.

There was another treat as well.  I took a bottle of Bulleit Bourbon, and infused it with bacon. I took what is typically a sweeter based spirit and made it quite savoury.  While all of the bourbon notes remained, there was that smoky sweet bacony taste that made it just a little richer. To be enjoyed in smaller doses, much like an icewine, or dessert wine.  That along with wee nips of moonshine, Mad Dog, White Lightning, call it what you will capped off the evening.  What made it really special to me was that the Gentleman who introduced me to bourbon was there. Thanks for coming, Dad. :) And thanks for the gift.  All in all Bourbon on the Grand.... was a Grand event!

For other comments and reviews, check out: http://straightupkw.com shortly!

To all who came out, I thank you, and if you ever have questions about bourbon, or where to use it in cooking, please get in touch with me! Slainte!

 

Well,.... it's about that time.

That time I've been waiting for. Thursday October 6, 2011. What's so special about tomorrow? It's Bourbon day. Not like it's "National Bourbon Day" or something,....though it should be, shouldn't it? So what is Bourbon day? Well.... it's the tasting I'm hosting for StraightupKW, the beverage academy. 

Tomorrow evening at the Gallery on the Grand, 30 people will be gathering to sample some of Kentucky's finer bourbons. Along with tasting notes, and some tasty snacks from "Little Mushroom Catering" (plus a surprise treat),.... we will be sampling, comparing, tasting the following.... Yup that's right... I'm giving up the list.

There you have it.  Elijah Craig, Jefferson's, Corner Creek, and yes.... Woodford Reserve. Wait... I listed 4,.... there's 5 bottles. The fifth is Bulleit. That is the surprise treat. ;) Why is it a surprise if I'm showing it here? ;) Come tomorrow and find out... or wait for Friday's reviews ......

Slainte!

mmmm Bourbon.

OK, you know bourbon is my preferred spirit. And now I get to orate about it. I get my 15 minutes...well technically closer to an hour.... Check out the who/what/when/where... Well not so much the what, because I haven't yet revealed WHICH bourbons..... well... you'll get the idea. More to follow...check out preliminary details here:

StraightupKW

StraightUp vs. Whiskey Disks

So.... I found me a group of spirits enthusiasts here in Kitchener. StraightupKW. I went to a "Canadian Whiskey" tasting a few premium Canadian whiskeys. While there, I volunteered to run their next tasting. Sampling what?

My favourite spirit.... Bourbon. Yep. Going to sample a few bourbons. Walk through the process. May have tasting notes plus a few....extras if my friends at the distilleries can help me out. And depending on the date.... ;) Some extras from the "festival". That means a road trip. Anyone wanna come with?

More to follow..... ;)

Inside my favourite barrels....

At Woodford Reserve

So, I was going through some old pictures the other day. And I found the pictures of my road trip to Kentucky a couple years ago. Purpose of my trip? To visit bourbon distilleries of course!  So, while I try to track down the elusive Mr. Brad,.... so we can detail our next filming session and break things down; here's a little bit about that trip.

Mash fermenting prior to being distilled

I didn't get to visit 2 of the distilleries I wanted to (Maker's, and Jim Beam). Darn. Guess I have to go back, eh? Anyone wanna come? Hehehe.... But... I DID get to Woodford Reserve, Wild Turkey, Buffalo Trace, and Four Roses. Did the standard tours. Most provide the same basics of the making of bourbon.

Four Roses. Got to sample :)

The grain 'mash' or "beer" as its called ferments in giant tanks (showing here). These fermentation rooms are warm and smell of yeast and beer. Yum. A bread-y sweet aroma. From there the mash runs through stills (a process I'll describe another time). The distillate is clear like water, but usually around 125-proof. 60 some-odd per cent. If I was in a Steve Earle song (Copperhead Road), and I did that up in the hills... it would be moonshine. Some distilleries sold it legitimately (Thank you, Buffalo Trace!), and call it White Lightning. Sip in small quantities while sitting down. TRUST ME.

Anyway... the distillate then goes into a barrel. And here's one of the keys to it qualifying as "bourbon" as defined by the FDA. Yep,...them Amer'cans takes their bourbon serious (Yes, I said that with a drawl). The barrel must be an unused oak barrel. It must age a minimum number of years. And it must be a certain alcohol percentage when it goes in, and when it comes out. Knob Creek ages theirs 9 years. 

 Each bourbon, though made of the same ingredients, is so very different from the next. Some spicier, some sweeter. Some stronger, some softer.

Why, it comes down to the percentage of the grains, the source, the aging techniques used, and the whim of the Master Distiller. If I had a hat on right now, I'd take it of to you, sirs.

It was a grand trip, and one I plan on making again, hopefully soon. Again... any travel buddies interested? It can be driven in a day. Easily.

I have 2 more pics, and these I forgot I had, but my father and a few of you dear readers will enjoy,...and knowing me... you'll get why I took them.

Seriously? NICE!

If you have a passion for a food, a spirit, go find it, enjoy it, embrace it!

It was under construction! Ironic?

Yes... of those that come from Inside the Barrel,... I would have to say bourbon is my favourite. What's yours?  Send me a message at aaronsfoodandwine@gmail.com. If you'd like to see a post with some information and education on how to taste, what to look for, etc. let me know, and I'll get something to you as soon as I can, and put it at the top of the list for Mr. McMillan and I to work on capturing for our webseries.

That's all for now... ;)

By all means enjoy, but please be responsible!

Slainte!

Coming soon.....

So, here's a brief update. Since both Brad and myself lead busy lives, we've taken some time to work on our respective responsibilities. However, it came to a culmination when this past Sunday, we had our first filming session! We spent a good number of hours, there were some takes, some re-takes, and a couple more retakes.

And that's before the bottles got opened! Hehehe... It was something of a learning experience for both of us. But a good time was had! Brad also brought a friend of his, Ryan to act as a cameraman, so we had 2 cameras rolling. Got some good still photos. Then we got into the demos. *hic*. Just kidding. ;)

What did we try? We (meaning mostly me) tried a whiskey and a wine. I say 'we' because I did share (off-camera) some samples of what I was doing. Least I could do... 

We broke the seal (quite literally) on a bottle of Maker's 46 Kentucky Bourbon. And then broke the seal and popped the cork on a bottle of Peller Estates 2007 Pinot Noir. And I just started salivating at the memory of it. Hehehehe.....

Ok...I'll give you this little teaser. The Maker's 46? VERY tasty. Not at all your typical bourbon. VERY rich, flavourful, and obviously a different breakdown. It has  rich vanilla and maple tones, a hint of spice lingers on the finish, but whatever they did with the barrels.... gives it a really unique twist. ;) Highly recommend trying it.

So where are we now? We'll be filming a couple more episodes, and then a pilot. Then Brad gets to do the post-production work. The editing etc. In the meantime, I shall be 'shmoozing' vendors and sponsors who may be interested in participating and/or backing this venture.

So, stay tuned. Follow me on Twitter, ask me to join our Facebook group, or just read-up here. Whichever you prefer. ;)

Enjoy what you like, but whatever you enjoy, please do so responsibly.

;) Slainte!

Welcome! Come inside, take a seat...

Welcome inside the barrel. Grab a seat my friends, pull in close. Let's get comfy. So,... what is this 'barrel'? It is the world of spirits. Be they wine, spirits, even beers these days are getting an artisanal twist and getting barrel aged. Why? One word: flavour. 

And that dear friends, is why we are welcoming you to look inside the barrel. Come take a look at what you can find, taste, enjoy what some true craftsmen...(craftspeople?) have created. Come with us, and we will show you what is produced not only around the world, but also here at home. There are marvelous ales, lagers, wines, and spirits produced so close to home. 

I guess I should elaborate on the plural usage. I've said "we" and "us". What, and whom am I referring to? Myself and a new found friend, Brad. We want to, and will be working with local businesses, and others, to bring education about how to get the most out of your beverage. Not just on its own, but pairing with food, and cooking with it. We'll get into stemware, storage, and a number of other topics.

This information will for the most part take the form of a web series, to be found here, on iTunes, youtube, and Brad and I will be launching a dedicated site. At this point we are doing the grunt work, the leg work, laying the foundation as it were. Brad's expertise is in the details and production side of things, mine comes from the food and spirit side. Being of similar humour we seem to pair well, and I'm sure you'll enjoy the show. More will follow, and if you may notice some duplication of content for awhile between here and my other blog: http://aaronsfoodnwine.blogspot.com. I will continue my reviews of new vintages, new wines, and spirits there, and will forward them here. However some content will be specific to here. Notes on upcoming episodes, answers to questions, and other information pertaining specifically to this project will remain here.

So, dear friends, grab your glass, settle in, and let's enjoy learning together.