Accidental Hedonist

I haven’t done one of these in a while, as I needed to take a break from whiskey after going non-stop on them for nearly two months straight. Don’t get me wrong, I loved the recent trips abroad and at home, but too much of a good thing will quickly become a bad thing. Thus, the break. Meanwhile, I’m still putting in about 1000 words a day for the book, and will soon start the final editing process before handing off to my agent and publisher. But I’ll talk about the book later.

I got to taste this whiskey first hand at a visit to Heaven Hill, where Lynne and Dan led Krysta and myself in our own tasting event. Out of the several bourbons tasted, this is the one I migrated to, even though it was at cask strength.

What I’m about to say will likely tick a few whiskey folks off, but meh, I don’t think I’ve ever been too concerned about that. Cask strength whiskey is essentially a whiskey that has not had water added to it after aging. As a whiskey ages, a fair amount of evaporation occurs (to the tune of 2% a year), most of that water. So the whiskey will be stronger coming out of cask than it was going in.

This has become, what’s known in the marketing biz, a “thing”. Something to which they can upsell and mark-up the price of the whiskey by a few dollars and get even more profit from the customer.

The problem lies in the fact that, depending upon a consumers taste buds, alcohol is an anesthetic. Too high of a proof, and the taste buds, and nasal receptors literally become numb. And when these become numb, tasting…true tasting…becomes nigh impossible. The only way to rectify this is to add water to the whiskey, and bring it down to a point where the alcohol doesn’t numb the senses.

However, there are a few knuckleheads out there who don’t understand the above issue. So when water is added to a whiskey, they look at you as if you just spat upon a holy book. To them, let me say this clearly…if you want to taste a cask strength whiskey, you almost always have to add water. (As a side note, I’ve talked and drank with dozens of whiskey professionals, from master distillers to professional tasters to whiskey shop owners. Every single one of them added some water to their drinks. Not a one of them ever drank it straight. Of course the amount of water differed, but water was always added. Take that, you “purists”.)

So what is the big deal surrounding cask strength whiskeys? From my experience, once you deal with the excess alcohol, what is there is a whiskey that is far more complex in flavors than what one typically finds on the shelf of your liquor store. This is why I think that “Cask Strength” whiskeys deserve attention, not because they are a higher proof.

Parker’s Heritage Collection Bourbon was the whiskey that caught my attention while at Heaven Hill, and I had no problem in shelling out the $120 dollars for a bottle. I find that some bourbons push their oak-y flavors too far, and in fact, many distilleries strive to keep their spirits out of the barrels due to this same fear. This bottle pushes that time limit as far as it could go, without becoming excessively woody in it’s flavor. Oak flavors are there, at least a little, but with them was a nice cola undercurrent, with a little raisin and of course the ever present dark sweetness that bourbons are known for. It wasn’t overly sweet, nor dry, and struck a real nice balance upon my palate.

Out of the several bourbons we had whilst in Kentucky, this was the one of three that stood out. I’ll get to the second and third in different posts.

If you have the money, and don’t mind working with Cask Strength Whiskeys, I recommend Parker’s Heritage Collection.

There are some things you need to know when you talk about the current bourbon industry. Jim Beam is owned by Fortune Brands. Wild Turkey is owned by Pernod Ricard. Bulleit Bourbon is owned by Diageo. There’s a lot of money at stake in the bourbon industry, and multi-national corporations are more than happy to have a proven brand in their repertoire.

But if you’re a tourist exploring the whiskey trail in America, it’s unlikely that you will see many references to these corporations. Instead, you’ll be introduced to people like Fred Noe (pictured left), great grandson of Jim Beam. You’ll be encouraged to take the distillery tours and spend money at the giftshops strategically located at the end of each of these tours. You’ll be told about heritage and tradition, and made to feel as if you are “down home”. But somewhere in the back of your head, there will be this nagging suspicion that there’s something more here.

Perhaps it will hit you when you see the bottling lines fill up flasks of Canadian Club. Maybe something will ring when it is mentioned that bourbon sales are close to two billion dollars, and you think that that amount of money has to go somewhere. Because as charming of a town as Bardstown and the surrounding region is, it doesn’t look as if it’s the headquarters of a multi-billion dollar industry. Of course, I may be prejudicial, coming from the Seattle, home to Microsoft and Starbucks, and having seen just how much these companies have re-invested in their hometowns.

This is not to say that the people I talked to at the Bourbon Festival were not authentic. Quite the opposite was true. There is a huge community in Kentucky dedicated to bourbon, and who nearly worship the history of this whiskey. In fact, it’s this authenticity that I believe that the tourists to the area and fans of whiskey latch on to. The corporations behind these brands would be fools to put their faces out front, when the Fred Noes and the Samuel’s family (of Maker’s Mark) do a much more efficient job of selling their product.

As a side note, the Beam family does seem to be everywhere in Bardstown, even in other distilleries.

What caught my attention more than anything is just how “authentic” every one was. Whether it was a tour guide recommending mixing bourbon with Ginger ale, to Maker’s Mark pointing out on their tour that they hand dip their bottles, there was a concerted effort to make a connection to the people on the tours. It’s not a coincidence that nearly every bourbon distiller had barbeque sauce and scented candles for sale. The message being sent was clear: bourbon is for the average American family.

This approach to selling isn’t a bad thing. It is a business after all, and money must be made. But the underlying message I got from the bourbon festival (outside of the fact that there are really great bourbons being made), is that the industry is very aware of itself. What I mean by that is that the corporate suits who were very much behind the scenes at this festival must know that they can’t pull off authentic Kentucky Charm. But the folks down in Kentucky sure can.

What else did I learn?

• Corn whiskey, right out of the still, smells remarkably like corn syrup. It does not, however, taste like corn syrup, but it’s still pleasant, albeit a tad rough around the edges.
• I also learned that the fact that Jack Daniels is the best selling American whiskey is a bit of a sore point with the bourbon producers.
• Bourbon and bread pudding were made for each other.
• Ditto for sausage gravy.
• It was noted by several people that Bardstown (where the festival was held) is unique for a small town in Kentuckky, due to the fact that it’s one of only a few remaining small towns that still have a “downtown”. Thanks Wal-Mart!

No one wanted to talk about rye. From what I could gather, several of these companies were caught by surprise by the recent rye revival. The question becomes, does a company invest in rye now, when in three to five years, rye’s popularity might be less than it it now? Watching a distillery make a change due to market demand is akin to watching a cruise ship make a left turn…i.e. it happens very slowly.

Quick note on the picture below. This is one of several buildings where they store the barrels of whiskey. The dark coloring on the bottom third of the building is mold.

Finally, I’ve found myself drawn to distillery tours for some reason. They are a tad hot, really noisy, but with the right tour guide, they are incredibly informative.

I’m planning on heading back next April, with the hope that I can see some smaller production lines and companies. What I think will be interesting is comparing these tours to the ones in Ireland and Scotland.

In the next few weeks, I’m going to start adding tasting notes to the various whiskeys that I acquire, or taste in public settings. But before I do this, it would be to all of our benefit if I clarified a few of the words and phrases common to the whiskey world.

(NOTE: My spelling of whiskey varies in the text below, for reasons that are specific to the regions. Scotland and Canada typically spell it Whisky while Ireland and America typically spell it Whiskey. I’ve tried to keep the spelling relevant to the areas discussed in the definition, but I probably failed more than not, especially when it comes to the plural. All I ask is that you cut me some slack on this whilst I try to figure out a decent solution for dealing with the militant whiskey/whisky fans who will leap at the opportunity to mention how I misspelled their favorite spirit.)

• Scotch Whisky: Whisky which has been produced at a distillery in Scotland from water and malted barley (and other whole grains). The grains have to be processed at said distillery, converted to a fermentable substrate through natural means, and fermented only through the use of yeast. It also has to have been aged in oak casks of a capacity of not more than 700 liters, and matured for three years or longer. Anything less than three years, and it’s not scotch. It also has to be no less than forty percent alcohol by volume (ABV) at the time of bottling.

  There are other specific (and very legal) conditions that must be met in order for a whiskey to be called “Scotch”, but we’ll use the above as the primary definition.

• Irish Whiskey: Distilled in Ireland from a mash of cereals and matured in oak casks for at least 3 years, and bottled at no less than forty percent (ABV). The Irish typically use barley as their grain of choice.
• Bourbon: American Whiskey made primarily of corn (at least 51%) and at least 21% of other grains within the mash. Bourbon must then be matured in new, charred, white oak barrels for at least two years. Bottling proof for whiskey must be at least 40% ABV.

• Tennessee Whiskey: Tennessee whiskey is essentially bourbon with an additionally filtering step put in place. Called the Lincoln County Process, the whiskey is filtered through a thick layer of maple charcoal before it is put into the charred casks for aging.

  According to Charles Maclean, in his book Whisky Tales, Bourbons and ryes also use this sour mash process, but only the Tennessee Whiskeys use it as part of their appellation. I hope to verify this sometime in the near future.

• Rye: America’s first whiskey, made from a mash of at least 51% rye, and the rest of the mash consisting of corn and barley.
• Canadian Whisky: Canadian Whisky is almost always a blend (which I define below). Typically the blend is dependent upon rye whisky, but this will vary from producer to producer. The laws surrounding Canadian whisky are less stringent than those found surrouding Scotch and Bourbons, but there is a three year maturation rule.
• Corn Whiskey: Whiskey made from a mash containing a mixture of at least 80% corn. There are no aging requirements for corn whiskey.

Within the above categories there are often other subcategories that have their own definitions that need explaining.

• Malt Whisky/Malt Whiskey: A whiskey/whisky made from a mash comprised completely from a single type of malted grain. Barley is the best known malt whiskey, at least world wide, but ryes also are known.
• Single Malt Whiskey: A whiskey/whisky which is distilled at a single distillery, and is made completely from a single type of malted grain
• Grain Whiskey: Whiskey made from a combination of grains other than barley, or other than those mashes used in bourbons and ryes. Typically speaking, these whiskeys are closer to pure alcohol than malted whiskeys, and rarely have maturation requirements. Grain whiskeys are often used in blends.

• Blended Whisky/Whiskey:A blended whiskey is the product of blending different types of whiskeys. It is generally the product of mixing one or more single malt whiskeys with other grain whiskeys or neutral grain spirits.

  There are two basic reasons that blends are produced:
  1) Economic: Blended whiskeys can be cheaper to produce and the cost savings can be passed on to the consumer.
  2) Standardization: While Single Malt Whiskeys can vary from year to year (and from age to age), a decent blender can replicate a specific taste from the variety of whiskeys available to them, and produce a similar product over the years.

• Pure Malt Whisky: A blend of malt whiskies.
• Vatted Malt Whisky: The same as pure malt whisky.
• Single Cask: Bottled from a single cask, rather than from a mix of casks (which is the standard).
• Non Chill Filtered: Typically a whiskey/whisky’s temperature is reduced to zero degrees C and pushed through several filters prior to bottling. Non Chill filtered means that this process was avoided, often to keep the roughness of the whiskey/whisky intact.
• Cask Strength/Natural Strength: Implies that the whisky/whiskey comes straight from the cask and it’s alcohol content not been intentionally reduced. The ABV rate of these are typically higher than the standard 40% ABV.
• Wood-Finished/Double Casked: The whiskey has been matured in one cask, and the re-casked and re-racked for the final months of maturation.
• Age: In a non-blend, this is the amount of time the whiskey/whisky has matured in a cask. In a blend, this is the age of the youngest spirit found within.
• Pot Still Whiskey: Whiskey made in the older tradition of the pot still as opposed to the more popular (and more cost-efficient) column still.

This is not a complete list, but it’s certainly enough to give a starting point to read labels once the tasting notes commence.

Update: Fixed some mistakes.

Fear my L337 cheesecake making skeelz!!

This here is one dangerous cheesecake, needing at least one glass of frosty cold milk to go along with it. I made two of these bad boys, one (which came out…eh) will go to my friends party this evening. The other (which came out looking vunderbar) will be competing in my company’s Holiday Dessert contest.

I am so shallow.

My fear is that the cheesecake might be a bit too rich for the early morning contest…but I figured that if I was trying to impress Engineers, I should put bourbon somewhere into the mix.

It’s a fairly involved recipe, so set aside about three hours or so in order to make. It’s based off of the Cook’s Illustrated Pumpkin Cheesecake recipe from Nov/Dec 2003 issue.

crust:

• 5 ounces graham crackers (about 9 whole crackers)
• 3 Tablespoons sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 6 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

filling:

• 1 can (15 oz) pumpkin
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 lbs cream cheese, room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 5 large eggs, room temperature
• 1/4 cup bourbon
• 1 cup heavy cream

glaze:

• 2 Tablespoons cold water
• 4 teaspoons corn starch
• 1/2 cup bourbon
• 1 Tablespoon Vanilla
• 1 cup golden brown sugar
• 4 Tablespoons butter
• 3/4 cup chopped walnuts
• 1/4 cup raisins

For the crust -

Pre heat the oven to 325 degrees F.

Spray bottom and sides of a 9-inch spring form pan with non-stick spray.

In a food processor, add the graham crackers, sugar, ginger, cinnamon, and cloves. Pulse until finely ground. Pout crumbs into a medium bowl.

Meanwhile, melt butter over medium low heat. When completely melted, add to the crumbs and mix with a spatula. Mix until it has the texture of wet sand.

Put crumbs into spring form pan and spread firmly and evenly. Place spring form pan into oven and bake for 15 minutes. Cool on rack while making filling.

For the filling -

Leave oven on at 325 degrees F.

Place out two sheets of paper towels, two segments for each sheet, on top of each other. Open can of pumpkin and spread evenly upon the paper towels. Top with two more sheets of paper towels, again with two segments each. This will remove a fair amount of water from the pumpkin.

In a stockpot, bring 4 quarts of water to a simmer. This will be for the water bath.

In a medium bowl, mix the sugar, spices and salt. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, beat all the cream cheese with a hand mixer at medium low speed. Mix until softened, about 1 minute. Add 1/3 of sugar mixture, and mix again. until the sugar mixture has been combined. Repeat this sugar mixing process two more times. Add Pumpkin and vanilla. And beat at medium speed until fully combined. Add 3 eggs and mix at medium low speed until incorporated, about one minute. Add remaining 2 eggs and mix until incorporated, about another 45 seconds. Add bourbon and heavy cream, and mix for about another 45 seconds.

Once the cheesecake mixture is complete, pour into spring form pan with the baked graham cracker crust. Wrap the bottom of the spring form pan with 3 layers of aluminum foil, in order to prevent an excess amount of water from seeping in. It doesn’t have to be water tight, but should be close.

Place aluminum foil wrapped spring form pan into roasting pan. Place roasting pan into 325 degree F oven. From the stockpot, pour water into roasting pan until it reaches halfway up the side of the pan. Close oven and bake until internal temperature of the cheesecake reaches 145-150 degrees…about 90 minutes of baking should be fine.

After 90 minutes, remove roasting pan from oven and place on the stove top. Allow to cool for 45 minutes. After the 45 minutes, remove spring form pan from water bath, and allow to cool for 3 hours. Store in the refrigerator until ready to serve or top.

For the glaze -

In a small mixing bowl, combine the water and cornstarch. Set aside.

In a saucepan, combine brown sugar, vanilla and bourbon. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and mix until the sugar has dissolved. With a lighter with an extended end (the kind they use for fireplace) light the bourbon. Allow to flame for 10 seconds and then cover to extinguish flame.

**Be VERY careful when lighting alcohol on fire. make sure that the stove top is clean and that there are no flammable materials hanging about. Do this step in a very controlled environment.**

In a skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. When completely melted, pour the bourbon liquid over butter and combine. Then add cornstarch mixture and mix until thickened. Remove from heat and add walnuts and raisins. Spoon over cheesecake or decorate cheesecake as your artistic temperament strikes.

Place Cheesecake back in refrigerator for 1-2 hours.

Serves 10-12