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.