Whisky Advocate Winter 2016

Three decades ago, only two Irish distilleries existed—Bushmills and Midleton—and they were both owned by the same company. Most of the Irish whiskeys offered were blends. Back in the 1990s, when I first visited Ireland, things weren’t much better. Only the independent Cooley Distillery had been added to the mix. (However, it did break the Irish whiskey mo-nopoly and offer us more variety, including grain whiskey and peated Irish whiskey.) Fast forward to 2016. By the time you read this, there will be eighteen operational dis-tilleries producing a wide range of whiskey styles, including single malt, single grain, single pot still, and blended whiskeys. This expansion, however, wasn’t a linear progression. Most of these eighteen distill-eries have become operational just in this de-cade. Prior to that, Irish whiskey enthusiasts…

LIMITED EDITIONS Dear John, Why make premium bourbon (Jefferson Select 17, Weller 12, Pappy, etc.) if it is NEVER available? I will NOT play this game and have simply switched to Woodford Reserve Distiller’s Select. I have stopped looking and would probably not go to any pains to acquire the so-called premium bourbons. Enough is more than enough! Respectfully submitted, Mark Stuart Columbia, Mo. All whisky drinkers feel your pain, Mark. In this issue, Charles K. Cowdery assesses some of the pleasures and pitfalls of limited edi-tions. It’s great that you’ve found your “go to” bourbon. Cheers! ENJOYING WHISKY Dear John, Thank you for your great comments on “En-joying Your Whisky.” Do whatever you want with your bourbon that brings you pleasure. I laugh at the new generation of enthusi-asts…

Constructed in the mid-1800s, the vast wa-terside building that houses Boston Harbor Distillery is a marvel in its own right, but your real reason to visit is to taste the 100% malted barley whiskey, a cocoa-tinged af-fair, and the exquisite whiskey-based coffee liqueur that they’re turning out on their 150-gallon still that, coincidentally, has a se-rial number of 1776. Day One Make Boston Harbor Distillery your first visit on your two-day spree through this small but lively capital city, whose history reaches far beyond the Freedom Trail. While George Washington was making rye whiskey at his Mount Vernon estate after his presidency, Colonial Bostonians were cranking out vast amounts of rum. Although the city has fallen into line with all the contemporary trends, boasting its share of whiskey bars…

When Dan Philips, owner of the wine importing company Grateful Palate, hatched an idea with his friend Julian P. Van Winkle III, president of the Old Rip Van Winkle Distillery, to age red wine in Van Winkle’s used whiskey barrels, neither of them ever imagined it had the potential to be a hit remix. But now, more than fifteen years later, even major wine producers are playing their tune, bringing the flavor and prestige of American whiskey to wine. Bold, red table wines are the dominant whiskey-barreled wines for good reason. “The wine needs a certain amount of concentration to integrate with the whiskey flavors,” explains Philips, conceding he has matured limited runs of white wine and even Champagne in whiskey barrels with success. The real balancing act is…

The world is awash with craft beers finished in various whisky casks, and now a few enterprising distillers have flipped that idea on its head. Scottish distiller William Grant & Sons Ltd., who pioneered the idea of placing whisky in used beer barrels about fifteen years ago with Grant’s Ale Cask Finish, is at it again with their new release: Glenfiddich IPA Experiment. Why so long between beer cask-fin-ished whiskies? Grant’s master blend-er Brian Kinsman explains. “Firstly, even though there are more oak-aged beers available, the total volume is still quite small.” Beer barrels also present technical challenges, like the potential for bacterial growth if they are not filled quickly, according to Kinsman. For these beer barrel-aged whiskies, the risk is worth the reward. Glenfiddich IPA Experiment, 43%, $70 When…

The greatest appeal of limited edition whiskeys is also their downfall: they’re limited. Many agree with fellow whiskey enthusiast Royal Lichter of North Side Chicago. He considers limited editions a pain because, “It takes so much time and I enjoy the stuff I can walk into a store and buy. I guess for me the time investment required isn’t worth it.” Surprisingly, retailers have mixed feelings about them, as well. “If you account for the number of phone calls we get, the amount of wasted foot traffic, and the constant disap-pointment with customers, it’s a nightmare,” says Aubrey Harless, general manager of Hometown Wine & Spirits near Peoria, Ill. “But,” she concedes, “you have to have them.” Scott Dreyfus, spirit guide at Augusta Liquors in Augusta, Ga., agrees. “Someone always…