Kentucky Bourbon Festival 2017: 1792 Flights of Bourbon

September 19, 2017 Eric Burke

I state in my Statement of Ethics that if I am reviewing something that I didn't pay for, I will disclose it at the beginning of the article. I received media passes to this event for both myself and my wife

It was a misty, wet evening at the Bardstown airport. The rain had been threatening all day and as we drove onto the runway, it decided to let finally let go. Not that we were in any danger of being too wet. This was more like the spot-free rinse in the car wash than a full-on rainstorm. It was, however, enough to cause the closure of the doors to the hanger we were heading to. Luckily, just after we got in.

This was my first time at the 1792 Flights of Bourbon event. It was new last year and to be honest, I didn't even know about it until it had passed. Normally the first ticketed event is the Sampler on Wednesday. This being on Tuesday was a bit of a surprise. But this year I was offered media passes and thought it sounded like fun.

"Flights" of Bourbon. It's an event of Puns. Airplanes, hangers, and a lineup of 1792 bourbons.

Speaking of multiple bottles, they saved a few limited releases to share with the guests. By my count, there were five in addition to the regular Small Batch: High Rye, Sweet Wheat, Full Proof, Single Barrel and the 225 Anniversary release to celebrate Kentucky's 225th Birthday.

Pretty display and pretty tasty as well. Doesn't sound like it was very expensive either. I had a friend tell me they got one that cost about $35.

Continuing with the "Flight" theme was a very nice molded ice sculpture on the food table.

Every one of the employees I talked to were entertaining and happy to be there. Fun people!

There were door prizes for the guests to win.

A portion of the proceeds from the event benefited the Green Beret Foundation, a group that helps the transition of Green Berets back into society. I thought this was very cool.

My initial impression was that this was a very small event. I had heard rumors of a ticketing malfunction so I wasn't sure whether it was the rain, the tech problems or the fact that no one was in town yet that kept the people away. After asking the PR person about it, I was told the following:

"[Barton 1792] really did go into it wanting to produce a more intimate, personally engaging event, as well as one that would be attended by the right people (meaning influential individuals in the industry, Barton brand enthusiasts, and other business stakeholders, etc.), instead of the most people (meaning general tourists/festival attendees)."

So in other words, they succeeded. This was a very small and intimate event. In fact, the main draw to this event was the conversations. Don't get me wrong, the bourbon, the food and the crooners on the sound system were good too, but I spent most of the night wandering from group to group and joining conversations. I found old friends and met new ones. All in all, it was a fun time. I don't know that I would want to pay $75 for the event personally, but enough people did that I'll assume I am on the outside on that one.

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Book Review: Amaro by Brad Thomas Parsons

August 29, 2017 Eric Burke

I'm going to be honest with you when I tell you that I don't know that much about you. Sure, I have Google Analytics on the site, but I seldom remember to check it. And if I do remember, I normally get distracted when I notice that there are over 10,000 of you are coming here per month. Then I forget to dive deeper to see who you are (in the general sense. I like you and all, but me knowing specifically who each of you are seems like too much responsibility and frankly, more than a bit creepy).

I do know a lot about me though. So since you are reading this, I'll just have to assume that you are a lot like me. Or at least interested in some of the same things. So, if you are like me then not too long ago you may have found yourself muttering "What the hell is Amaro?" See I had found a recipe for a Manhattan riff called a Black Manhattan that swapped out the vermouth for an Amaro. It called for a specific one, but not actually knowing anything about any Amaro, I read some reviews and then picked up one that was in my budget.

It was about this time that I remembered that way back in July, I had picked up a book that probably would have answered my question. I happened to be on Twitter that day and saw a Tweet that mentioned the Kindle edition of Amaro by Brad Thomas Parsons was on sale for only $1.99. Now I normally like my booze books in hardcover, but the price was so good, I couldn't pass it up. I have long recommended the author's book Bitters to anyone who would listen so it was very easy to convince myself to drop the two bucks.

And the book didn't disappoint. The very first thing I saw when I looked at the cover were the words "The Spirited World of Bittersweet, Herbal Liqueurs." So there was my answer. An Amaro is a bittersweet, herbal liqueur. And when I got into the book I learned even more. I learned about the history of Amaro and the Italian tradition of sipping them either before or after a meal to either set up or settle your meal. I learned about the various brands that are available in the US, both the specific details and their stories. I read so many cocktail recipes that I've been drinking cocktails for the past week just because it inspired an intense craving for bitter drinks. I even learned a little about making your own Amaro.

The most surprising thing I learned that depending on your definition, I actually had two Amaros in my collection already in the form of Campari and Fernet-Branca. Which on some level reassured me that I would enjoy exploring this category. I really liked this book and since it is also on my phone, I think I will be referencing it often while standing in the liquor store aisles.

Mr. Boston Drinks website

August 17, 2017 Eric Burke

I don't make a lot of cocktails. Wait, check that. I make a ton of cocktails, they just all happen to be a variation of the Manhattan. And over the course of the last couple years, I've been trying to expand my horizons. Which is why last year when Sazerac launched the Mr. Boston site, I bookmarked it.

And then waited a year to remember that I had done so.

Last week, I was cleaning up my bookmarks when I remembered it was there. Of course, this seemed like a great excuse to put it through its paces and see if I could find anything interesting.

According to Wikipedia, Mr. Boston was started as a distillery in, you guessed it, Boston in 1933. Within a few years, they were publishing their Mr. Boston Official Bartender's Guide to help promote their products. For the next 77 years, the company and its various owners published the book with the last edition being published in 2012. In 2009, Sazerac bought the brand and its guide as part of their purchase of the Barton Distillery and brands. According to the company, they immediately started working on bringing the venerable old publication into the modern age by putting it online.

And this is the part that I find pretty cool. They have digitized the records of every edition they could lay their hands on. That means, if a drink was in multiple editions, you can swap back and forth between the editions to see how the recipe has changed over time. I find that pretty cool and is a step that many companies wouldn't have bothered to take since it probably took a lot of extra time and money to accomplish.

So is the site any good? Yeah. I love it. It's designed with a cool Art Deco feel that is very appropriate for a site that celebrates a history that goes back to when Art Deco was cool the first time. It is easy to use both on the desktop and on your phone. The directions come with an image of the glass you might want to use and a difficulty level so that you know what you are getting into. You can search for recipes by ingredient or name or you can use a "Discover" option that allows you to find recipes based on an event or occasion. If you log in, using Facebook or Google, you can save your favorites and even add your own recipes.

While doing research over the last week or so, I decided to try as many new cocktails as I could find. I have limited ingredients in the house and even so, I was able to find more than I had time to drink. I even learned that my homemade cranberry juice goes well with bourbon. I have a feeling that I am going to be keeping this particular bookmark and trying a lot of new options.

My Wandering Eye: Appleton Estate Rare Blend, Aged 12 Years

June 13, 2017 Eric Burke

My wandering eye is a series reacting to the crazy rising prices in the bourbon world. We’ve reached a place where even average products have hit the range where they compete price-wise with other types of aged spirits. If I’m going be asked to drop $40 to $70 on a mid-range bourbon, I might as well see what else I can get for that money. See if another spirits category offers something that is downright tasty in that price range. The goal isn’t to find cheap spirits, but to maximize the quality, I’m getting at a particular price point.

Inspired by my review of Fred Minnick's Rum Curious, I decided to let my eye wander through the liquor store again. This time though, I went armed with the knowledge provided in Fred's book. I had an idea as to what I was looking for and what I might be able to find. Since I am a whiskey drinker, I thought I'd try one of the non-sugared rum styles. After reading in Rum Curious that Jamaica and Barbadoes do not allow sugar in their rums, I went looking for that. I cross referenced that with Fred's thoughts on the various whiskeys. I made a list and then I headed to the store.

The first one that I saw from the list, well the first one in my price range, was the 12-year-old expression of Appleton Estate. I'd had other, less expensive, expressions from Appleton Estate and enjoyed them so that is the one I walked out with.

Appleton Estate Rare Blend, Aged 12 Years

Purchase Info: $31.99 for a 750 mL bottle at Viking Liquor Barrel, Prior Lake, MN

Details: 12 years old. 43% ABV

Nose: Very rich and sweet with a nice thick mouthfeel. Strong molasses, caramel custard, banana, ginger spice and old wood.

Mouth: Sweet with a hint of the spice to come. Banana, molasses, ginger, cinnamon, and oak.

Finish: This is where the spice really kicks in. Lingering ginger and molasses with banana bread and cinnamon coming in after.

Thoughts: Oh, remember the good old days when you could get a 12-year-old bourbon for around $30? Or an 18-year-old for $45? Well, that ship has sailed and it ain't coming back anytime soon. In the meantime, let's hop on a different ship and sail on out to find some rum. A 12-year-old for $32? And it's good? Sign me up. I like this one quite a bit.

My Wandering Eye: Rum Curious by Fred Minnick

June 6, 2017 Eric Burke

Disclaimer: Fred Minnick is my friend. In my statement of ethics, I promised to disclose when I am reviewing one of my friend’s products and to only review them when it was truly something I really liked. This is one of those times.

It's been about a year and a half since my eye first started to wander around the liquor store. In that time Bourbon prices have just gotten more insane. And though I could continue blindly searching through the liquor store and hoping I find something amazing, I'd rather search for a little clarity and guidance instead.

Enter my friend, Fred Minnick. I've reviewed plenty of his books on the site before, but they have always been about bourbon. This time around, Fred has tackled another spirit which just so happens to line up with the My Wandering Eye... series: Rum.

Rum is a spirit that intrigues me. It can be, and is, made almost anywhere in the world. Each country has different and unique regulations, and almost none of them are required to be on the label. Rum can have sugar added post-distillation, or not. Rum can be made using molasses, sugarcane juice, or sugar syrup (US manufacturers have even gotten away with using Beet sugar or Sorghum, in violation of the labeling laws). Sometimes barrels that are evaporating in the Carribean heat can be used to top off other barrels, and sometimes they can't. Truly, the biggest problem is not that there are no regulations, its that there are a lot of regulations. And many they conflict with one another.

And that's where Fred Minnick enters the picture. I'm sure that there have been books on Rum before this one. But I don't know that there has ever been one that is more suited to helping the Bourbon drinker gain an informed entry into the world of Rum. Rum Curious offers an overview of Rum's history, a look into the many rules and regulations, tasting notes, cocktail recipes and even an appendix full of producer production notes. All to help you decide what type of Rum you want and then to help you find that Rum and make an informed purchasing decision.

I almost always buy spirits books in hardcover, and this time was no exception. This time though, I think I might also buy an electronic copy of so I can have a searchable version along when I visit the Rum aisle in the liquor store.

I like this book a lot. It makes me want to explore Rum further. Which I guess, may be kinda the point.

Colonial Spirits: a Toast to Our Drunken History

December 6, 2016 Eric Burke

I bought the book Colonial Spirits knowing nothing about it, or it's author. I saw the title and thought it sounded like a fun read. Until I did a little internet searching, I did not know who Steven Grasse was. I did not know that he used to run an ad agency. I did not know that he is the creative force behind Root, Snap and other delightful sounding drinks that I haven't ever had before. But, I am a history buff, and I am a fan of drinks. These topics often intersect in Colonial American history. So it sounded like a good bet that I would like this one.

But there is a problem. The book takes the idea of "Drunken History" a little too seriously. I like the history. I like the recipes (even if it did say to shake a Sazerac). But the book is loud, brash and feels a bit too likely to scream "'Murica!" at me. It reads a lot like a drunk man is telling you stories in the oh-so-confident way that only a slightly inebriated person can manage.

Don't get me wrong, I thoroughly enjoyed the book. But, we've all been around drunk people. They can be fun, but then without warning, they can be quite emotional. They can be brash and loud until they become quiet and morose. Sometimes they pick fights and wonder why people are picking on them. In other words, drunk people can be really fun until they are not. My problem with this book is that it was written in the voice of the fun drunk person and I kept waiting for it to turn into the emotional, mean one. I get that this is more about me than the book.

The book is worth a read, and the cocktails are worth a try. My favorite (and the one pictured in the photo above) was one called the New Amsterdam. It's a take on a Manhattan with Cherry Bounce instead of whiskey and both dry and sweet vermouth to go along with orange bitters. It's sweet but quite delicious.

Hey, have I told you about BourbonGuyGifts.com? It is one of the ways you can support the blog and still get something back. I hand-craft items from barrel bungs, barrel staves and more to make coat racks, candle holders, tasting journals, drink coasters and more. Check it out, won't you?

Bar Review: The Silver Dollar, Louisville, KY

November 22, 2016 Eric Burke

A shot of my glass on the bar of the Silver Dollar.

I don't usually review bars. Partly because I live in suburban Minnesota and there are few really good bourbon bars near enough for me to frequent them without a half hour to forty-five-minute drive afterward. So when I'm at home, I tend to have my bourbon in my home.

When I travel, on the other hand, I go out more. Seriously why wouldn't you? That's part of the reason you are away from home in the first place, to not to do what you do at home.

When I visit most places in the country, I tend to find a brewery taproom to settle down in or at least a bar with a good selection of local things on tap. But when I go to Kentucky, it's all about the bourbon. I try to hit at least one new place every time I'm there. But there is one place I visit every single time.

My friend Fred introduced me to the Silver Dollar on one of my February road trips to someplace without snow. I was passing through Louisville on my to someplace theoretically warmer than Minnesota, and we made plans to meet for supper and a drink. The weather outside was cold and rainy, but inside, the warm and friendly atmosphere made me immediately feel welcome as I waited for everyone to arrive. This is the kind of place that has big Christmas lights on the walls and where the music comes from a vinyl record.

I was impressed by that first visit, and when my wife and I found ourself back in Louisville on my birthday, it was the first place I thought of to get supper. Smoked brisket and creamy mac and cheese. Mmmmm. Add in a glass or two of bourbon from one of their privately selected barrels, and it made for a perfect birthday meal.

I've gone back every time I've been to Louisville since. Sometimes more than once. When I have it, the food is always good, and I always search out a private barrel selection for my glass. They often have more than one barrel of whatever they've got. I always ask the bartender which they prefer, and I've never been disappointed when I followed their advice.

I can't recommend this place highly enough. If you've been there, you know what I'm talking about. If you haven't, you need to remedy that on your next trip to Louisville.

The Silver Dollar can be found online at http://www.whiskeybythedrink.com/

My Wandering Eye: Chateau de Laubade Armagnac, 1976

November 15, 2016 Eric Burke

In case you’re new to the "My Wandering Eye..." series, let me recap. Bourbon prices are creeping up. So much so that even mediocre products have hit the range where they compete price-wise with other types of aged spirits. A $50 750 ml bottle of Cognac or Armagnac doesn’t sound outrageous next to a $50 Old Forester 1870 or a $50 375 mL of the Jim Beam Harvest collection. As a response to this, my eye has started wandering down other aisles of the liquor store. Sometimes I save money. Sometimes I spend the same amount. And other times...

I recently turned 40. Forty is a pretty big birthday. One of the milestones where you take stock of your life and make sure it is where you want it to be. I remember a couple quotes from a terminally ill Steve Jobs.

“If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?"

and

"Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life.”

After taking stock of my life, I realized that though my life is pretty good right now, there were a few things I wanted to accomplish yet. If my life ended today, I wouldn't be doing all of the things I want to do.

I recently lost one of my biggest clients. On my birthday, they were found guilty of fraud and are no longer allowed to do business in the state of Minnesota. It's kind of a big deal for my bottom line, but it has allowed me to take stock of where I'm at and realize that though I love being creative, design is only one facet of it. There is so much more that I want to do.

To that end, in addition to my design business, I'm starting a new business venture (details to come soon). I've taken on a freelance writing gig. Basically, I'm in the process of making my freelance design business just one of many ways I make money and express my creativity.

It's a scary and yet satisfying time. It's scary because I've been doing one thing professionally for the last decade and doing anything else is a little uncomfortable. It's scary because I am flexing different parts of my mental muscles so that I might do and create new things. And yet that last one is also the most satisfying part of it all. In the end, I may have to go back to design full time. I may have to pound the pavement and hustle up new clients. Who knows? The future has yet to be written, and I'm just going to do what I love so that I make sure that I am living my life doing what it is that I'd want to do should any particular day end up being my last. At forty, I figure that my story is only half written. It's time to start making sure the second half is the more satisfying one.

In the spirit of the milestone that a round number birthday is, I decided that I wanted to buy myself something special. Due to the previous examples of the "My Wandering Eye..." series, I knew that I was really starting to enjoy brandy. So when I saw an Armagnac on the shelf at one of my local liquor stores distilled the year I was born? Well, I had to get it.

Chateau de Laubade Armagnac, 1976

Purchase info: $159.99 for a 750 mL bottle, Total Wine, Burnsville, MN

Details: Distilled in 1976, blended and bottled November 2015. Bas Armagnac.

Nose: Caramel and brown sugar, ripe fruit, herbal notes and rich leather.

Mouth: Caramel, brown sugar, mint, dried fruit, leather, and oak.

Finish: Sweet caramel coats your throat before making room for a very slight warmth and some lingering oak and herbal notes.

Thoughts: This is a fantastic drink. Worthy of celebrating a milestone. Sweet, fruity and a real treat for the bourbon lover.

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Appleton Estate Rare Blend, Aged 12 Years

Chateau de Laubade Armagnac, 1976