Cheers is dedicated to delivering hospitality professionals the information, insights and data necessary to drive their beverage business by covering trends and innovations in operations, merchandising, service and training.
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/383488
www.cheersonline.com 18 Cheers • September 2014 Two aging trends are particularly noteworthy, says Bill Thomas, proprietor of Jack Rose Dining Saloon in Washington, D.C. For one, "We've started to see a lot of experiments with fi nishes—like Angel's Envy bourbon in port and rum casks, Willett in Grand Marnier casks, or Jim Beam in brandy casks." Then there's cask-strength whiskeys, which Thomas says "are fi nally getting their day in the sun." He's especially excited about the releases of Maker's Mark Cask Strength Bourbon, and Willett Cask Strength Rye. "With all of their huge complexity, long fi nish and big, robust mouthfeel, cask-strength whiskeys can rival the complexity of a great single malt Scotch," Thomas says. Jack Rose Dining Saloon houses the largest whiskey collection in the Western Hemisphere, with more than 1,800 bottles, including 500 American whiskeys priced $7 to $150 for a 2-oz. pour. Small-barrel aging is sometimes adopted by craft distillers, who have the freedom to try experimental techniques that don't conform to tradition. But Jamie Boudreau, owner of Canon restaurant in Seattle—which stocks more than 700 American whiskeys priced from $6 to $200—is not fan of the trend. Boudreau says he has yet to taste a great whiskey aged in a small barrel. "There is too much wood to liquid surface area, and the spirit can't be given time to mature before it's over run with the wood characteristics," Boudreau explains. "No harmony, no elegance, no balance. You simply cannot cheat time." DRINKING IT UP No matter the size of the distillery or aging technique, bartenders are using American whiskey in cocktails ranging from classic and boozy to modern and approachable. At Yardbird, a 152-seat Southern restaurant and bar in Miami operated by the four-concept 50 Eggs, a bourbon-based sip is the overwhelming favorite, with 10,000 of them sold during the fi rst quarter of 2014. The crowd-pleasing Blackberry Southern Effi ciency stocks 110 American whiskeys. Blackberry Bourbon Lemonade at Yardbird