Cheers

A tasting flight at Sable Kichen & Bar in Chicago, which offers about 250 whiskeys. FLAVORS AND LOCALS Flavored whiskey is a relatively new but rapidly growing development in the category. Red Stag, Beam's flavored line, posted gains of nearly 36%, according to Beverage Information Group statistics. Now all of the major players have flavor entrants or are testing some. Hard-core aficionados may scorn whiskey in cinnamon, cherry, honey or maple varieties, but for novices—especially younger, legal-age drinkers—the flavors are an easy introduction to whiskey. "If flavored whiskey is a gateway [spirit] that gets someone to try whiskey, then those products deserve to be on the market and they do appeal to a certain demographic," notes Angelo. Still, the only example she carries is Jack Daniel's Tennessee Honey, which is a favorite of one of the bartenders. "Younger drinkers are approaching the category both through flavored whiskey and through cocktails," echoes Ryan. He doesn't carry any of the flavors, but if a customer requests honey whiskey, "I say, 'I've got some honey—I'll mix it for you.'" "A lot of the younger crowd is into flavored whiskeys, it's transitional for them," concedes Miller. But he doesn't carry any of the flavors because he doesn't believe they fit his concepts. Another reason: "I'm not a big fan," he notes. The rise of craft distilling is stirring up the entire spirits spectrum, and local spirits fit right in with the locavore philosophy of many restaurants. "There has been a boom in craft spirits; it's nuts," exclaims Angelo. She doesn't carry any Florida whiskeys but stocks a www.cheersonline.com number of artisan products from around the country. "Craft distilleries are opening like crazy all over Washington State," notes Miller. Schwartz Brothers carries local Dry Fly and Woodinville whiskeys. Sable carries a few local whiskeys, such as Lion's Pride from Chicago. "But Kentucky is just five hours south, so Bourbon is kind of local for us," Ryan points out. MORE TO POUR Operators will continue to find new ways to promote whiskey. The Bourbon Bash, an annual event held at the Bellevue Daniel's Broiler attracts a bigger crowd every year and offers more whiskeys to taste. More than 200 consumers pay about $90 for a ticket to sample 120 Bourbons and enjoy some appetizers at the four-hour event. At Winghart's, Fields is busy rounding out his whiskey collection, adding 30 more labels. And he is putting together some tastings and classes to educate both staff and customers. And at 50eggs, Angelo wants to build whiskey lockers at Yardbird, where for a monthly fee, customers could collect and store rare, highly allocated bottles and also get invites to special tasting events. "Kind of like an underground whiskey club," she says. Angelo is also busy adding custom whiskey flights to Yardbird's list, in addition to the curated flights. "It's a really exciting time to drink American whiskey," she says. Thomas Henry Strenk is a Brooklyn-based freelancer who writes about all things drinkable. SEPTEMBER 2013 | 27

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