Beverage Dynamics

Beverage Dynamics Sept-Oct 2012

Beverage Dynamics is the largest national business magazine devoted exclusively to the needs of off-premise beverage alcohol retailers, from single liquor stores to big box chains, through coverage of the latest trends in wine, beer and spirits.

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variable. The warmer the climate the faster whiskey matures in oak. Where a barrel is stored in a rick house is also a factor. Suffice to say, aging whiskey to its absolute prime is challenging. That said, there are increasingly more whiskeys on the market being aged 18 years or older. Likely the first name in extended aging is the venerable Pappy Van Winkle's Family Reserve from the Old Rip Van Winkle Distillery of Lawrenceberg, KY. This rare limited edition is aged 23 years. The barrels were carefully selected from the heart of the warehouse. Only the most care- ful and expensive distilling method and aging techniques can be used to create a handcrafted whiskey of this caliber. "Managing a program like that is extremely difficult," says distiller Dave Scheurich. "Among the challenges are projecting supply/demand needs so far out into the future, predicting the loss through evaporation— dubbed the Angel's Share—and managing the barrels in the warehouse so that the whiskey doesn't get too much interaction with the barrel, which would drive the whiskey toward being too tannic, smoky and woody." SINGLE BARREL BOTTLINGS T "Sometimes we find barrels that are just too good to blend," says Tuthilltown Spirits' Gable Erenzo. "For us, these are the casks we set aside for a single barrel edition. In larger format distilleries, I still like this expression because each individual barrel will offer slight nuances. For me, those nuances are what make whiskey so interest- ing. Same grain, same process, same wood, same distillers...slight differences. That's the beauty of these types of spirits, in my opinion." Jack Daniel's Single Barrel Tennessee Whiskey is an example of the trend toward single barrel releases. Founded in 1795, Jim Beam launched its first single barrel expression last year. According to Bauder, the distillery waited until it had the perfect whiskey to bottle as a single barrel. "Our first such offering is Knob Creek Single Barrel Reserve. Aged 9 years, the bourbon is carefully hand- selected and bottled barrel-by-barrel at 120 proof in order to offer fans even more of the sig- nature big, full flavor that they love about Knob Creek." Made in Lawrenceburg, KY, the limited edition 2012 Four Roses Single Barrel is aged for a minimum of 12 years and bottled at barrel strength at 109.4 proof. Master Distiller Jim Rutledge hand selected the barrels for this expression and only (750ml) 4,000 bottles are being produced. here is something compelling about a single barrel bourbon. As the name implies, the whiskey is drawn from a single barrel and when that individual cask is emptied, that's it. A whiskey in a neighboring cask may be similar, but its taste profile won't be an exact match. A typical barrel of whiskey yields around 230-250 (750 ml) bottles. In short, the whiskey is a slice of life never to be duplicated. Introduced in 1984, Blanton's was the first single barrel bourbon on the market and is likely the best known. The Kentucky straight bourbon is distilled and aged at the Buffalo Trace Distillery. While Blanton's makes no age declaration on its label, it is aged approxi- mately 10 to 12 years and bottled at 93 proof. As is the case with all single barrel whiskeys, each bottling is a singular experience never to be repeated. Jack Daniel's Single Barrel Tennessee Whiskey is filled one barrel at a time from those selected by the master distiller. Each label is marked with the rick and barrel number, as well as the date of bottling. The 94-proof whiskey has a deep copper color, semisweet bouquet and the rich, distinctive flavor that has made Jack Daniel's an iconic brand. American whiskey is constantly reinventing itself and is on track to grab an increasingly larger share of the popular limelight. They are loaded with big complex fla- vors and have about the most captivating aroma of any whiskey. Their mixability, affordability and easy to appreciate character seem to be what consumers are looking for. s Maximize your positive press from your feature in Reprints Eprint Maximize the marketing power of your feature. Give your feature a presence on the World Wide Web. Fame Frame TM Transform your feature into an impressive work of art with a customized wall plaque. For custom reprints of articles in this magazine contact: Cheryl Naughton, M2MEDIA360, (678) 292-6054 or cnaughton@m2media360.com Beverage Dynamics • www.beveragedynamics.com • September/October 2012 • 29

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