Bourbon whiskey and its renaissance

Cuisine Food & Drink
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[quote=“papercut”]There are also plenty of little guy micro distilleries out there. I have a bit left of a nice “little guy” Rye that I picked up last time I was stateside.

In other news- Heaven Hill, Evan Williams Bottled in Bond, Evan Williams 1783, and Elijah Craig are on the shelves at Drinks. I picked up a bottle of EV BIB just now, I hope to put it through its paces this evening.

Unfortunately, the EJ is about 200 nt more expensive than it was before (but still a great deal when compared to Scotch).

Cheers[/quote]

This is a nice little Rye, but good luck finding it outside of Maine. Their rum is also pretty good.
http://www.newenglanddistilling.com/spirits/rye-whiskey/

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The Evan Williams Bottled in Bond is rather flavorful. The 100 proof really brings it. There is a review on Youtube that I tend to agree with. It is especially delicious on ice- the spicyness and proof translate well to on the rocks. As far as value goes, I would put it up there with the WT 8 Year and Kirkland 7 Year (Beam) of the bottles available in Taiwan. The lower priced Heaven Hill may also be ok, but I have not sprung for a bottle.

The BiB is a bit expensive when bought a bottle at a time, if you pick up 6 the price is very reasonable. Unfortunately, my bunker has gotten pretty full lately. I am not sure I have room for six more bottles, lol.

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Drinks now has taster bottle of their HH Bourbons. My notes:

HH White- Pretty much a cheaper, better Jim Beam White. All the good w/o the funk. Big Box Handles and Duty Free Beam White is cheaper, but 750 vs 750 HH White is cheaper.
Evan Williams 1783- Pretty darn caramelly smooth and extremely drinkable. The Glenfiddich of the bunch.
Evan Williams Bottled in Bond- Brings it as stated above. Probably makes excellent mixed drinks and is great on the rocks. The proof and flavor really shine through mixers and the rocks. Dangerous on the rocks actually.
Elijah Craig 12- Similar to the Bottled in Bond, but older and woodier (a bit more wood sour). Also very good.

Each of the bottles are noticeably different. I recommend dropping by a Drinks and giving them a free try and in the above order.

Cheers

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Will do that!

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[quote=“papercut”]Drinks now has taster bottle of their HH Bourbons. My notes:

HH White- Pretty much a cheaper, better Jim Beam White. All the good w/o the funk. Big Box Handles and Duty Free Beam White is cheaper, but 750 vs 750 HH White is cheaper.
Evan Williams 1783- Pretty darn caramelly smooth and extremely drinkable. The Glenfiddich of the bunch.
Evan Williams Bottled in Bond- Brings it as stated above. Probably makes excellent mixed drinks and is great on the rocks. The proof and flavor really shine through mixers and the rocks. Dangerous on the rocks actually.
Elijah Craig 12- Similar to the Bottled in Bond, but older and woodier (a bit more wood sour). Also very good.

Each of the bottles are noticeably different. I recommend dropping by a Drinks and giving them a free try and in the above order.

Cheers[/quote]

I did just that on Saturday, and tasted them.

I don’t like the Heaven Hill. I mean, it’s drinkable and probably (like Jim Beam) makes a perfectly good Manhattan, but not what I’d choose as a sipping Bourbon, or anything.

The other three were all excellent, and I’d recommend the Evan Williams Bottled in Bond as the best value for money of the bunch (excellent, in fact), and, as you say, I’m sure it’s excellent for mixing, as a 50% abv whiskey generally really shines through in cocktails. The 1783 was good, too, but I don’t think really worth the extra few hundred NT - for that price I’d buy the Elijah Craig. But if you want some variety, all three are worth it.

I didn’t actually buy any myself, as I have four varieties of Bourbon at home at the moment and need to replenish other things. I replaced my Cognac with a really nice Armagnac (Samelans or something, I think).

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psst… Samelans, that’s not such a great Armagnac. Still better than Cognac.

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Well, the price range (for VSOP) is the same as the cheap VSOP cognac, and it’s a rule of thumb that Armagnac is generally a lot more expensive than Cognac, so when I said ‘really good’ I was not meaning in comparison to other Armagnacs (of which I have very little experience. I just meant it was really good. :slight_smile:

I think saying it’s ‘better than Cognac’ is a pretty blanket statement. I’ve tasted some amazing XO Cognac, and I know there’s a lot out there that’s supposed to be superb.

BUT that Armagnac I bought is, imo, nicer than similarly priced VSOP Cognac (Courvoisier, Remy Martin). So, in that sense, I recommend it.

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This. I think Armagnac’s are almost always more interesting to drink than similar grade Cognacs right up the line. The only reason they are not better known is that there is no river for export, so something like 70% of production is locally drunk.

Drink more, it’s a bit of an endangered species. No one is willing to lay down the inventories anymore. :cry:

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[quote=“Elegua”]
Drink more:[/quote]

Good advice!

An Armagnac sidecar (2oz Armagnac, 1oz lemon, 1oz Cointreau, shake and strain - slightly too sour) was superb, and I’ve just finished sipping a delicious Armagnac Vieux Carre (1.5oz Armagnac, 1/2oz rye whiskey, 1/2oz sw. vermouth, 1/2 tsp Benedictine, 2 dash Angostura Bitters, 2 dash Peychaud’s Bitters, lemon twist, on ice). It’s not just a sipper.

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[quote=“Bu Lai En”][quote=“Elegua”]
Drink more:[/quote]

Good advice!

An Armagnac sidecar (2oz Armagnac, 1oz lemon, 1oz Cointreau, shake and strain - slightly too sour) was superb, and I’ve just finished sipping a delicious Armagnac Vieux Carre (1.5oz Armagnac, 1/2oz rye whiskey, 1/2oz sw. vermouth, 1/2 tsp Benedictine, 2 dash Angostura Bitters, 2 dash Peychaud’s Bitters, lemon twist, on ice). It’s not just a sipper.[/quote]

Mmm…yummy!

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Good news!

We finally have Rye Whiskey in Taiwan!

In fact, thanks to importers, Sundy, we now have quite a few thinks we couldn’t get before.

I love Rye because it’s got this nice natural pepperiness that Bourbon doesn’t have and that really shines through in mixed drinks.

Wild Turkey Rye is the brand they have, and it’s a bit sad that it’s a fairly mild rye and only 40% (I think whiskey really shines at 50%), but it’s still much better than nothing, and after a couple of weeks experimenting, I conclude that it makes a perfectly good Sazerac and stands its ground in other cocktails too. (I’d still prefer some trusty Rittenhouse bonded, though).

High-end Vermouth The only option until now has been P&P’s increasingly expensive Noilly Prat. It’s cheaper at Sundy, but they were sold out when I made my order. No matter they also have Dolin and two lesser known premium brands (Mancino and La Quintainye). If only they had some Carpano Antica.

Cherry Heering This stuff blows the socks off other stuff that they pass off as ‘cherry brandy’. It’s a beautiful rich and complex (though undoubtedly sweet) liqueur. It’s a key ingredient in a Singapore Sling, and is the only way the wonderful Scotch-based ‘Blood and Sand’ works at all. And still, I end up just sipping it. I’ve had a ‘suitcase import’ bottle for a while, but it’s great to know that I can replace it when it runs out.

Sloe Gin Similarly to Cherry Heering, it’s something that is great if it’ the real thing, but awful if it’s just flavoured liqueur. My bottle of Plymouth Sloe Gin is wonderful. The brand that Sundy has, Hayman’s is trustworthy, and should be good too.

Lillet Rosso Amazing that they have this niche alternative to a product that’s already niche enough. The Lillet Blanc that Sundy have already had for ages is amazing stuff. Although it has incredibly few applications, I am curious to try the Rouge.

STOP THE PRESSES!!!

I was just checking the price list to see if there was anything I’d missed, and they’ve made a few new additions.

Old Overholt Rye A renowned and distinguished brand. I must try it. Wow. From zero to two kinds of rye in just a few months. This IS good.

Fees Brothers Gin-barrel-aged Orange Bitters I’m a real bitters geek (I have 20-something kinds) and I especially love orange bitters. Sundy has most of the Fees, but they haven’t had this. Their whiskey-barrel-aged bitters is fantastic in whiskey cocktails, so I’m betting this new one will be great in Martinis and other gin drinks.

St Germaine This Elderflower liqueur is heavenly ambrosia and at one point was so popular and ubiquitous in cocktail geek circles that the wags were calling it ‘"bartenders’ ketchup". Expensive at 1950nt, but I remember my NZ-bought suitcase bottle was $NZ90 (about 2250nt) so it’s not unreasonable, and a little goes a long way (unless you can’t resist just drinking it with tonic in a highball.

Time for me to make another Sundy order! They deliver free within Taipei/Xinbei for orders of 3000nt or more, and for a charge for the rest of Taiwan.

Here’s the ‘page’.

sundy.com.tw/

Here’s the stock/ price list.

docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc … full#gid=0

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Thanks for that. I may have to expand my bitters beyond the standard Angostura one. I’m not really impressed with it. I wish someone in Taichung sold Havana Club 3. Good to know it’s still available, though. I may have to place an order.

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Need to start stocking up the bar properly. . . Cherry Herring definitely on the list.

How could anyone not be impressed by Angostura Bitters? To me it’s far and away the best bitters in existence. Many of the new ones are good, but none come close in complexity, balance and depth. They tend to be pretty one note.

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I’m also keen to try the Luxardo version of cherry brandy though. Might be good.

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The Luxardo is very good.

P&P had Noilly Prat? I’ve been looking all over for that I was about to hand carry.

Try the Carmpano with bitters and a twist over rocks…yummmm

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[quote=“Kiwi”]
How could anyone not be impressed by Angostura Bitters?[/quote]
Admittedly, I’ve only tried them in an Old Fashioned and one other drink. Just didn’t like them. I’m going to try playing around with them this winter in a Hot Toddy.

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[quote=“SlowRain”][quote=“Kiwi”]
How could anyone not be impressed by Angostura Bitters?[/quote]
Admittedly, I’ve only tried them in an Old Fashioned and one other drink. Just didn’t like them. I’m going to try playing around with them this winter in a Hot Toddy.[/quote]

Maybe give Fee Brothers Whisky Barrel Aged Aromatic Bitters a try? Sundy sell them.

Fee Brothers aromatic bitters are more about cinnamon, versus clove for Angostura. I find the regular Fee Brothers aromatic bitters a bit simple, but the whisky barrel aged version is very nice.

Bitter Truth are another possibility, though I never quite formed any strong opinion of their aromatic bitters - have only ever had a mini bottle of the stuff. I use them more for their unusual flavors (e.g. chocolate etc.).

The Jerry Thomas bitters from Bitter Truth could also be to your taste, though they have a bit unusual. Interesting change of pace in an old fashioned (especially with a sweeter, more wheat forward whisky), nice in a Martinez (and other cocktails with sweet vermouth), but not sure where else I’d use them. They’re quite sweet, but oddly seem to go well with other sweet things.

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Its too bad the Wt Rye is the 81 proof. That is a real downer :frowning: When i first read you post on my phone, I thought it was the 101 (which is rare in the USA).

That being said, I do have one liter of a vatting of James Pepper 1776 100 Proof Rye and Old Grand 114 High rye Bourbon if anyone wants a shot or two. I can’t recall the vatting proportions, but know that is is a strong and fresh vat.

I also have some Weller 12 if folks are interested as well as some Very Old Barton 90 proof. I carried all of the above in 600ml PET coke bottles on a return trip from the states then transferred them into Ikea glass bottles with the clamp stopper. There was some weird condensation in the Ikea bottles so I have since transferred them into empty liquor bottles with screw caps (harder to acquire than expected, especially when you need them!). I don’t recommend that Ikea bottle for booze, they may have left an off taste or I may be being paranoid.

If one is traveling from the USA, you can take up to 6 liters of liquor with you (in your checked baggage of course). I carried them in 600ml PET coke bottles to save space, and it worked like a charm! All that glass would have been a killer! Plus the curvy bottles with brown liquid does not set off any alarms. Airline regulations may be slightly different, but they do not infact inspect your bags (the TSA does).

Edit: For all you cheapskates, the 400 nt price on the above spreadsheet for Early Times is pretty good. The street price is now 500, so the 400 must be old inventory. Its a fairly fruity feminine bourbon, not too complex, but very easy to drink. A good bit more enjoyable neat than JBW.

I highly highly recommend everyone to get the 8YO WT 101 from BaTiuJiuKu. It is old inventory from 2003/2004 and at those prices (750-850/liter IIRC). A premium release for the foreign market, which my not have been chill filtered (it is extra rich). There was a case or two left a few months ago, so I recommend picking up a few bottles at a time.

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Seems like the 8YO Wild Turkey has dried up. Did someone on here buy a case? If so, I’d like a few more bottles :stuck_out_tongue:

BaTiaoJiuKu has the Standard 101 now, at around 750-850/Liter IIRC. which is also pretty good. But not as good. :frowning: There could be a few more bottles of 8YO floating around, but I have seen it priced way high 1200-1400.

Drinks is running a special on Evan Williams Bottled in Bond atm. Buy a bottle and get a free bottle of Merry Down Blackcurrant Apple Cider (They sell it for 210/bottle). Not a bad deal really. I walked out with 12 bottles of booze and only paid for 6. The pink cider is not my thing, but the misses loves it!

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I have to get over to Batiao. Maybe today.