HOOCH
HOOCH
HIGH OCTANE WHISKEY
The news is all good, especially if you fancy your whiskey with a serious kick.
By Scott Mowbray
TASTINGS
1. BLANTON’S ORIGINAL SINGLE BARREL. 93 proof. Lots of
sweet caramel and vanilla and spicy notes here, from one of the early single-barrel practitioners.
SURE THING:
Reasonably priced, reliable and great for any time.
4. BOOKER’S. Approximately 125 proof. One of the finest examples
SPLURGE:
A
merican whiskies are at least 80 proof—not because this is the natural state of distilled grain, but because it’s the minimum alcohol level allowed by American law. Good whiskey comes out of barrels at a much higher proof, but whiskey is expensive to make, and water is cheap to add. Not that 80 proof means second-rate. Jim Beam, Jack Daniel’s, Wild Turkey—all good and reasonably priced—all have 80 proof bourbons. American taste has settled comfortably around the 40% alcohol level (which is what 80 proof is), and many people like to tame their drink further with ice or water anyway. Today, though, as the big distillers like Buffalo Trace produce more small-volume specialty bottlings and artisanal production is taking off, most of the action is playing out north of 80 proof—in the 90s, the low hundreds, even up to 130 and 140 proof. Take a swig of one of these babies neat: intense flavors flood the mouth on the fast transport of hot alcohol, with vapors that also catch in the nose. For neophytes, this is coughing whiskey, burning whiskey; for aficionados, it’s where the thrills are. American whiskey—which includes bourbon and cousins like Tennessee whiskey—ends up brown and complicated and distinctively sweet, because it sits in newly charred wooden barrels, sucking flavor and sugar and color from the caramelized wood. The amount of alcohol in the barreled whiskey seems to mediate the aging process. Too much alcohol, and mouth-puckering tannins are drawn out of the wood in excess. Too little, and the process slows down with mushy results. Ideal for aging is 55% to 65% alcohol, or 110 to 130 proof. When the whiskey is bottled, water is added to get the proof down to the number on the label.
of high-proof bourbons I’ve tasted: concentrated, balanced, smoky, spicy, delicious, a real handful. Comes in a wood coffin. Save this one for celebrations and monumental occasions.
2. JACK DANIEL’S SING LE BARREL. 94 proof. Woody, like
chewing a reed pulled from a riverbank; sweet; more assertive and rich than 80 proof Jack.
3. KNOB CREEK SPECIAL RESERVE. 120 proof. Super-concentrated,
with intense flavors and an aromatic spicy character. Balanced, though; you won’t know it has 50% more alcohol than regular 80 proof until you stand up.
5. PARKER’S HERITAGE COLLECTION. Proof varies each year.
At about $80, both the 2011 release of this small batch bourbon and the 2012 were delicious, packing a big but balanced whiskey wallop and layers and layers of complex flavor. To buy, watch for news online of each year’s release from Heaven Hill. They sell out but can be had through online purchase (where legal) or by befriending the proprietor of a good bourbon store.
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Most whiskey, in other words, is somewhat diluted from its barrel state. The only exception comes with a barrel strength whiskey, the most intense version of this drink there is. The Scots follow the same practices that we do, by the way, and if you want a fun example of the effects of watering, go to a well-stocked bar and try the archetypal, fruity, smooth The Macallan 12-year-old Scotch (86 proof ) and the same whisky at “cask strength” (117 proof ). The latter is like an electric version of an acoustic song, as if George Harrison had gone to town on McCartney’s “Yesterday” with his Gibson Les Paul. There are whiskey nerds who like to very precisely water down barrel strength bottles at home, trying to find some sublime perfection. They say water brings out true flavors. For me, the stronger the better. I drink it straight, sipping slowly, cautiously. I like the burn, and I most of all like the almost syrupy concentration of flavors: the combination of genuine complexity with Ramones-level flavor concentration.
Make no mistake—despite the heat and power, it is possible to taste differences among the high-proof bottles. My favorite full-octane example of recent years is the Parker’s Heritage Collection bottling from 2012, a 131 proof powerhouse from Heaven Hill Distilleries. Every year, they issue a limited special bottling, each one long-aged and with a different “mash bill” (that’s the recipe used to set the proportions of corn, wheat and rye). The point is not to be consistent from year to year, but to make a statement. The 2011 version, for example, was aged in French Cognac barrels. The 2012, at barrel strength, had an amazing spicy, raisin-caramel intensity that just lasted and lasted in the mouth, and it was the highest-proof bourbon I’ve ever tasted. (I have not gotten my hands on Buffalo Trace’s George T. Stagg limited bottling, which in 2012 weighed in at a staggering 142 proof.) The Parker’s was reasonably priced at $80, given that it’s rare but at least purchasable upon release, unlike the legendary 15-, 20- and 23-year-old Pappy Van Winkles, which ranges from 90 to 107 proof and is rarer than hen’s teeth. The delicious 15-year Pappy, by the way, is my favorite—and happens to have the highest proof. •
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IN PLAY, SPRING 2013
SPRING 2013, IN PLAY
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