BOURBON RISING
Whether enjoyed as an after-dinner drink or in a hand-crafted cocktail, fine bourbon is now enjoying
its greatest popularity since pre-Prohibition.
BY MARIA C. HUNT
FROM PAST TO PRESENT
At Asiate at Mandarin Oriental, New York, diners are likely to be of-
fered a pour from the restaurant’s bourbon list as a way to conclude their
dinner of contemporary American cuisine.
“Bourbon is a great after dinner drink,” says Asiate Sommelier Peter
Bothwell. “It’s a great digestif and the sweetness of it has often been craved
as an after-dinner drink.”
More and more people are asking about the Asiate bourbon selection,
which includes sought-after names like Blanton’s, Bulleit Bourbon, Maker’s
Mark, Michter’s Rye and Woodford Reserve.
Part of the popularity of bourbon is being fueled by popular television
and mo vies, such as “Boardwalk Empire,” which is set in Atlantic City
during the wild days of bootlegging and Prohibition.
“What’s cool about it now is you see it in popular culture more
(i.e. ‘Boardwalk Empire’ on HBO). They would drink cheap bourbon and
talk about how they need (the real thing),” Bothwell comments. “In Ken
Burns’ documentary ‘Prohibition’ [you see] it was a hugely popular drink
in the 1920s. It was killed by Prohibition like so many things were. They
ended up drinking cheap speakeasy bourbon.”
That rough speakeasy “bourbon” and cheap versions after Prohi-
bition may have made some connoisseurs dismiss the spirit in favor of
whiskeys from other parts of the world. But fine bourbon—that’s some-
thing entirely different.
“Bourbon in general it is a little bit softer, and it’s rich but smoother
and softer than most other whiskeys,” Bothwell explains. “Bourbon tastes
like sweet vanilla, which is what sets it apart from other whiskeys and
single-malt scotches.”
That softness and smoothness of bourbon comes from the way it’s
made. At least 51 percent of the grain in bourbon must be corn, which is
one of the sweetest grains around. And after the new bourbon is distilled,
it must be aged in new American oak barrels for at least two years.
“It tastes like sweet vanilla because it’s aged in American oak barrels
that are newly charred,” Bothwell explains. “When you’re aging in new bar-
rels you extract more flavor, and American oak is known to taste really sweet
with a vanilla and coconut type flavor.”
BIRTHPLACE OF BOURBON
The spirit is named for Bourbon County in Kentucky and was long
known as Old Bourbon County whiskey. However, in 1840 an act of Con-
gress shortened the name to bourbon.
While bourbon legally can be made anywhere in the United States—
and it is in places like Brooklyn, Texas and Tuthilltown, N.Y., the birthplace
of Hudson Bourbon—95 percent of the bourbon made in the country still
comes from Kentucky.
And Kentucky bourbon still holds the top spot in the hearts of many
connoisseurs. “The limestone water is really one of the contributing factors
that really affects the taste of the bourbon,” says John Shutt, brand ambassa-
dor for Blanton’s bourbon. “The limestone is actually like a natural filtration
system, and you get a more pure form of water going into your whiskey.”
Blanton’s founder Colonel Albert B. Blanton also pioneered making
bourbon from a single barrel, rather than blending the spirits from several
barrels together. As he was tasting different barrels of bourbon in his ware-
house, he noticed the ones aging in the middle of the room had the best flavor.
“I think they set the standard for single barrel,” Bothwell comments.
“A lot of producers do it now, but I think Blanton’s does it best. It’s got a
citrus peel and more acidity to it than a lot of bourbons. It’s more burnt and
clovey from the single barrel with honey and vanilla.”
Michter’s American Whiskey Co., which was resurrected in the 1990s,
boasts of being America’s first distilling company, dating to 1753. Age is also
what makes its single barrel 10, 20 and 25 year bourbons so sought after. Its
10-year-old Single Barrel Bourbon was named “The Best American Whiskey”
by Food & Wine Magazine. The company produces single barrel rye, very small
batch bourbon, single barrel bourbon and unblended American whiskey.
“When we were resurrecting Michter’s, America’s first whiskey com-
pany, in the 1990s, it was like pulling teeth to sell high-end whiskey,” com-
ments Michter’s Distillery LLC President Joseph J. Magliocco about the re-
surgence of high-end bourbons. “Nowdays, we have to allocate every single
type of Michter’s because we just don’t have enough to sell.
“Be it San Francisco, New York or Hong Kong, people have come to
realize that well crafted and properly aged bourbons and ryes like Michter’s
have tremendous quality and complexity that make them worth the wait
and worth the premium,” he says.
Few distillers have stocks the age of Michter’s 20- and 25-year-old sin-
gle barrel bourbons. Master Distiller Willie Pratt is known as “Dr. No” for
not releasing batches until they’re at perfection. Michter’s 20-year-old Single
Barrel Bourbon is known for its character, depth and warm vibrancy—sur-
prising for a whiskey that has spent this much time in contact with oak. Its
woodiness is restrained and instead there are sweet, rich notes of candied
oranges and raisins. Especially distinctive is its long, complex finish. The 20
year also showcases that American whiskeys can age in wood as successfully
as other whiskeys from around the world. Part of Michter’s mission is to
research the maturation of bourbon and American rye.
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