Jim Beam released two new whiskeys this spring, Booker’s Rye and Knob Creek 2001. The Knob Creek brand started in 1992 as a part of the Beam Small Batch Bourbon Collection (although Chuck Cowdery has a great post about how the brand may go back even further). It’s one of my perennial favorite everyday bourbons so I was pretty excited about this release.
Buffalo Trace just received approval for a new expression in the EH Taylor line. E.H. Taylor Four Grain will be a mix of corn, barley, rye and wheat. This will be the fifth expression in the E.H. Taylor line. To be honest, things are getting a little confusing. I defended Season Wood while others were claiming it watered down the Taylor name and a wheated bourbon didn’t belong in the brand. Now that Buffalo Trace appears to see the EH Taylor(EHT) line as their launch pad for limited releases I find it strange. Isn’t this what Buffalo Trace Experimental Collection (BTEC) is for? Maybe, if a release is exceptionally good it skips BTEC and goes straight to EHT?
Maker’s Mark (MM) is the last major distillery added to the “Bourbonr Mash Bill Break Down” list. Initially, I didn’t plan on creating one for MM. They only have one mash bill and for the first 60(ish) years of the distillery, there was only one product. I’ve been told that Bill Samuels would say “Do you see a Chateau Lafite Reserve? No! That’s why there’s only Maker’s Mark bourbon.” Whether or not the quote is authentic the gameplan is true. Sure, the bottle may have changed, but the bourbon remained unchanged for over half of a century.
This week, me and several other whiskey writers got an opportunity to take part in the first tastings of the new Booker’s Rye. Tasting whiskey at a distillery is always fun, and it was an honor to be a part of it. This one will go down as one of my favorite bourbon/whiskey experiences so far. Here are the details of the release.
Whiskey gets complicated these days. There are so many moving parts it can be tough to figure out who made what. That’s why it’s nice to see something that easily explains the whiskey making process. If you follow Bourbonr you already know I’m a sucker for a quality infographic. With the help of Mark Byrne, the guys over at Owen & Fred put together “WHISKEY: WOOD, WATER, GRAIN” They also made a corresponding video “How Whiskey is Made, in 30 Seconds”.
By now most Bourbonr’s are familiar with the Jefferson’s brand. You probably know them for their Small Batch or Ocean bourbon. Or, if you were lucky enough, their Jefferson’s Presidential Select bourbon. The man behind the brand is Trey Zoeller. Trey is a great guy I got a chance to chat with him about Jefferson’s new distillery and some other questions I’ve had for a while.