Every fall some of the best best bourbons are released to Bourbonr’s across the country and globe. Problem is there’s never enough to go around. The past few falls have been welcomed with lots of phone calls and long lines at liquor stores but that’s what makes the bourbon hunt more exciting.
There’s no doubt bourbon is in the middle of a boom. Some may even call it a bubble. Demand is at an all-time high. Every major publication, including the cover of Fortune, has covered the bourbon industry and not just the Pappy Van Winkle craze. Distilleries are screaming shortage while the consumer still wants more. In the past five years whiskey sales have increased by 40% in the United States and exports have nearly tripled within the last 10 years. Growth numbers like the Bourbon industry has seen in recent years are usually reserved for the technology sector or other more agile sectors. Not an industry that has remained virtually unchanged since prohibition. Shoot, the whiskey industry had been in a steady decline for the last 30 years prior to 2002.
This is the third installment of grouping distilleries by mashbill (See Buffalo Trace and Heaven Hill). You were probably first introduced to Jim Beam white or green label while taking shots from red solo cups in college however Jim Beam distillery is so much more than that. Jim Beam produces some great bourbons and a few on this list that you didn’t realize were made by Jim Beam.
Unlike other distilleries, Maker’s Mark has not strayed in to the world of special releases or experimentation. The majority of Maker’s Mark special releases are simply special edition bottles. In fact, they hadn’t released a new product in about 50 years prior to the “46” release which is why I was intrigued when Maker’s Mark released Maker’s Mark 46 a few years ago.
So, what makes “46” different. Maker’s Mark adds seared French oak staves into the traditional charred white oak barrel toward the end of its aging. The French oak and additional char add complexity and flavor to an already good bourbon.
In the fall of 2013 Heaven Hill Distillery released the first Elijah Craig Barrel Proof (ECBP) which quickly became one of the hottest bourbons in the market. ECBP is a 12 year old uncut, unfiltered bourbon which Heaven Hill releases once a quarter. Aside from the great flavor and high proof what make ECBP even greater is it’s retail price is between $40-$55. With such a low price it’s hard to find a better bourbon for the money. That’s assuming you’re able to find a bottle in the first place 🙂
The 2014 Four Roses Single Barrel Limited Edition is an 11 year old from the Four Roses OESF mash bill. The OESF mash bill is 20% rye with a more herbal tasting yeast strand. Since this is a single barrel release proof will vary but will be between 108.3 and 127.6 proof. My sample was right at 120 proof (60.0% ABV)
The Four Roses Single Barrel Limited Edition hasn’t even released across the country but we already have more great bourbon to look forward to this fall. According to the TTB the 2014 Four Roses Small Batch Limited Edition will be a blend of 4 Four Roses mash bills, OBSK 9 year, OBSV 13 year, OESV12 year and OBSF 11 year. This barrel proof release comes in at 120.3. The 2014 comes with a pretty significant drop in age and increase in proof compared to the 2013 which was a blend of OBSV 18 year, OBSK 13 year and OESK 13 year and 100 proof.
It seems like there is a new “craft” bourbon or whiskey on the shelf every time I walk in to a liquor store. Unfortunately, most of these “craft” distilleries are nothing more than Non-Distiller Producers or young whiskey that taste terrible. After my first sip of Breckenridge Bourbon I realized this was something interesting.
Heaven Hill distillery has a rich bourbon history. Currently, they’re the largest family-owned distillery in the United States and the second largest holder of Kentucky Bourbon in the world (I’m still trying to work my way up the list). The distillery was founded in 1935 by the Shapira family with Master Distiller Joseph Beam (yes, his cousin is Jim).
The Buffalo Trace Distillery releases some of the best bourbons and rye whiskies every fall under their Buffalo Trace Antique Collection. Currently, the BTAC is made up of 3 bourbons and 2 rye whiskies, George T. Stagg, William Larue Weller, Eagle Rare 17, Sazerac 18 and Thomas H. Handy. However, this was not always the lineup for the BTAC. Let’s take a look at the origins of the Antique Collection and how it has evolved over the years.