A short #whiskeyventure to south landed us in St. Augustine Florida, the oldest city in the US and one of the first to bourbon distilleries to open in the Sunshine state. We meet up with Will Hensler the Chief Operating Officer to tour the distillery which is housed in an over hundred year old building that was once an icehouse and powerplant. Will gives us a little history and then we visit where the magic happens. Watch the vid to find out more about their process and how much works goes into Craft Distillation. Next is barreling, their barrels come from one of the oldest family owned cooperages and we get to see how much of that whiskey gets soaked into the staves. From start to finish it’s all done right there in St. Augustine. From milling the grains, distillation, barreling, storing and bottling! See how it all comes together and stay tuned for the review where bottles are lined up and we drag Will and Ric into the tasting room. Plus a new release!
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Now we’re down to the last 2 bottles. The single barrel Bourbon and a Total Wine Barrel Pick.
Jenn goes into more detail about what it means to be a Master Blender. She will get 20 samples at a time and taste through them at strength then proof them down to 103 and see which ones stand out. For the Old Americana she likes to pick a barrel from floors 2,3,4,5 and 6 to blend so you get the full flavor of what Luca Mariano has to offer. The ones she samples that are great from the get go and they get bottled for the Single Barrel. One special barrel gets the Omni Omni by her and Francesco for the Signature bottling for that year.
Kenny tells us how the oldest stone house in Kentucky built by William Crow is on the Luca Mariano property along with bootlegger tunnels from Guy Jones!
Alright, now for the tasting! On the Single Barrel Bourbon Kris picked caramel on the nose while it made Erik think of sweet cream corn, cereal with maple syrup drizzled on top. Then the taste and finish. Kris caught hints of vanilla mixed with sweet caramel while Erik couldn’t shake the corn and maple syrup. Kenny said it had a buttery taste with caramel, with Subway macadamia nut cookies. Jenn on the other hand, had the caramel come through with a hint of smoke and a leathery feel. Then onto the Total Wine Barrel Pick. This was a bit challenging as Kris of the nose found sour notes with stone fruit. Erik pulled in caramelly and an acetone. We loved Jenn’s description of a chocolate chameleon as the flavors kept shifting and then Kenny did us all in as he nosed a full on Twix bar. The taste was awash with nodding heads and Kris could swear that sweet tea notes made an appearance.
We were very impressed with Luca Mariano line up and their barrel pick is an obvious stand out. In the end Kris’ favorite was the Single Barrel Rye while Erik would take home the barrel pick.
For the price? The Old Americana will run you about 45 out the door while the single barrel will cost you about 62 dollars. If you can find the Signature, it will cost you about 88 dollars.
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We get to hang out with Jennifer Brandt, Master Blender and Kenny Fuller their Creative Director. They brought 5 bottles for us to go through and in part 1 we get to the first three. The first is the Old Americana Bourbon Small Batch, 5 year, 5 barrels at 89 proof. Then we move onto the Old Americana Rye and the last in part 1, the Single Barrel Rye!
A little history, this all started in Francesco Viola’s garage back in 2010. He pulled out his grandfather’s still and from what his grandfather taught him he started distilling. He’d have neighbors over for cookouts and he’d let all sample his hooch until his lawyer said this hobby of yours illegal and you have two choices: get a license to distill or stop making it! Well, Francesco said he was having too much fun and decided to go legit. He ended up taking a different approach. In 2015 he worked with Wilderness Trail Distillery and filled 240 barrels to start the company and then bought almost 600 acres in Dansville, Kentucky to build the Luca Mariano Distillery. The name comes from his son Luca and grandfather Mariano.
For the Old Americana Bourbon Kris was surprised how much heat it had for an 89 proof but we all think that heat and the humidity definitely played a part. Off the nose Kris came away with a nice toffee note while Erik pulled in a heavy alcohol smell. Then the taste brought more of the sweetness with a little spice. Jenn informed us that she gets toffee, rye spice, caramel, vanilla and slight oak. For the Old Americana Rye Kris was greeted with slight mint on the nose with peppery tones while could smell something deeper couldn’t figure on what it was. Plus, this had a longer finish than the bourbon. While Kenny said this was the whole experience! Then on the Single Barrel Rye had similar notes but that 2 more years of aging really show through. Like Kenny said the Old Americanas are good introduction to Luca Mariano but for Kris the Single Barrel rye is where it’s at! More flavors and and a nice long finish. For Erik, a heavy punching pomegranate wafted up to his nose. Jenn on the other hand said it was green apple, all spice, baking spice and hint of dill, like dill sunflower seeds.
Overall a solid showing, good flavor and a nice lingering finish. Luca Mariano does get the Whiskey and a Hammock stamp of approval!
For the price? The Old Americana will run you about 45 out the door while the single barrel will cost you about 62 dollars.
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Mash Bill: Undisclosed but infused with Black Currant
Where it’s from: Clearwater, FL
Poor Erik was left all alone not knowing what we were reviewing but then… the Whiskey Hunter showed up with a bottle of Von Payne Black! Kris stopped at Golden Ox on Normandy in Jacksonville for another bottle of New Riff and seen this bottle on shelf and had to pick it up. A very sexy, elegant bottle with a gargoyle pourer perched on top. What’s different is the pourer is also the stopper. In the patented design the pourer has a rubber stopper on the inside that has to be removed so the juice inside can flow free.
This started 3 years ago when Steve Allen, the owner, was on the boat with his daughters(of legal drinking age) and their friends taking shots of vodka and making those alcohol faces, when asked why they said vodka has no calories and they weren’t into Fireball, Tequila or Jager. There had to be something better so Steve decided to create a drink for the next generation. He was currently a whiskey drinker and into old fashioneds and decided on an infused whiskey. Talking to his wife about different flavors, she suggested black currant. Steve knew nothing about it, did some research and found out that it was banned to grow in the US until 2003, was a superfruit, full of antioxidants. So he worked on the formulation for months using 100 proof Old Forester as the base and then figuring out the ratio of black currant and a few other key ingredients until he hit the WOW factor. Then next step was finding a distiller that would help him create his masterpiece. He had a meeting with Point Distilling and poured them samples, while on the tour of their operations the master distiller asked if he could have another pour, that’s when Steve knew this was the place and it had to something good!
Pouring it out of the gargoyles mouth it has a dark red with slight amber hue. Different than any other whiskey that’s out there. On the nose Erik still got an oaky, sweet but not fruity. Kris thought the same, similar to other whiskies but no overpowering fruit coming out of the glass. On the palate, Kris could taste the heat while Erik thought it was smooth coming in at 90 proof . On the finish Kris could taste a creamy blueberry aspect. On the second taste Kris could taste a slight tartness with a little sweet on the backend. Erik says it’s voodoo in a glass! After the addition of ice, it brought out more of the black currant flavor, a bit more of the tartiness comes through.
Kris gave it a 8.5
Erik gave it a 9.0 (his highest ever!)
This definitely gets the Whiskey and a Hammock stamp of approval! If you’re up for something different and enjoy old fashioneds, boulevardiers and other whiskey forward cocktails or want to try something different, you should pick up a bottle. Not only does it look cool and has a gargoyle for a pourer but it has a pleasingly unique flavor. In this vid we embraced the Payne. As they say “Discover the Pleasure of Payne”.
For the price? Von Payne comes in at about 60.00 and can be found in Florida or go to their website www.vonpayne.com and order one up!
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Kris’s wife picked up the Bottle in Bond on the way home and then Kris picked up the Single Barrel from Golden Ox Liquors on Normandy and told Erik that we should do a head to head. We found out Ken Lewis was fresh out of college, and just landed a teaching job when his dad asked him to come home and help run his liquor store and kick out his uncle. Well he did that and more. He ended up making it into one of the biggest in Kentucky, called the Party Source. The very first liquor warehouse, 80,000 square feet of libations! At one point Ken was even hauled off in handcuffs for having his prices too low and undercutting all the competition. (he didn’t know there were laws against how low it could be). This only fueled the fire and put his place on the map and then Jay Erisman convinced him to buy some MGP barrels at 375 a pop and was the start of New Riff distillery.
Kris on the nose of the BIB got a sweet smell and a slight cinnamon spice while Erik got more of a honeycomb and made Kris’s mouth water. On the palate Erik got a sweet heat with a corn finish. Kris thought is was a nice easy pour, even though it was rye forward did not get a lot of spice. Next up, the SBBP. Kris thought it was more earthy and slightly sweet while Erik thought is was smokey. The palate for Erik was a bowl of chicken noodle soup with fresh cracked pepper and burnt marshmallow. While Kris thought it had a boat load more flavor, more spice and definitely grabs your attention.
Kris gave the BIB a 7.0 and the SBBP a 8.0
Erik gave the BIB a 6.0 and the SBBP a 7.5
In the end bot really good bottles, both Kris and Erik thought the BIB is good everyday sipper but Kris was very impressed with the SBBP and even went back and bought another bottle of it!
For the price? The BIB comes in around 49.99 and the SBBP you’ll pay 59.99 – pony and get the bottle!
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Mash Bill Rye San Luis VAlley: 50% malted rye, 50% raw rye
Where it’s from: Denver, Colorado
In this review we find out that the Cody family farm that grows the rye for Laws buts up against the biggest producer of serrano peppers. Through some of root commingling. Bringing a little white pepper on the backend. A little bit of heat, vegetable, eucalyptus and tea. Plus, Chad tells us how there is no master distiller at laws and how they have a few barrels that they have no idea what they taste like. With Al being from Canada, they had to do a rye whiskey but it is a uniquely a Colorado rye. They definitely bring the heat but so good. This is where a cube or two comes in to play. Did we mention a giveaway? Huge thanks to Chad for coming down and letting us drink all of Laws whiskey and we even get our very own Whiskey and a Hammock bottle!
Kris on the nose of the San Luis Valley rye gets a hint of mint while Erik can’t pin it down. On the palate it was light and easy, with a slight spice on the backend. Then the bonded comes out. On the nose a little more heat but no mint. Then the palate hits and it’s amazing. More spice, a flavor bomb. This is Erik’s favorite! Kris said it’s smooth, creamy with a thickness to it. Chad then brings out 2 more bottles and they’re cask strength 4 Grain and San Luis Valley Rye. The 4 grain has a bite but not “alcoholy”. We also learn about the trigeminal nerve, that makes your jaw tighten especially when drinking some high proof whiskey!
In the end Laws Whiskey gets our stamp of approval, Kris and Erik both agree that the San Luis Rye Bonded is their fav of the bunch!
For the price? Just regular bottle of 4 Grain and Rye will run you about $60, the bondeds will put you up in the $80s and if you find the cask then you’re talking right around a Benjamin!
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Mash Bill Four Grain Bourbon: 60% corn, 20% heirloom wheat, 20% heirloom rye and 10% malted barley
Centennial Wheat: 100% heirloom wheat
Where it’s from: Denver, Colorado
Al Laws started in 2011 and did what many distilleries have a hard time doing, waiting. According to his motto, “no shortcuts” they distilled, barreled and waited, and waited, and waited until 2014 when the first bottles of Laws hit the shelves. Make no mistake, Laws is a straight up whiskey company! They don’t make vodka, gin or any other spirit. There only focus is whiskey and they do it right. Al was born in Alberta, Canada and did time in the Oil and Gas finance sector before he had enough of sitting behind a desk and decided to make his passion(a collection of over 600 hundred bottles, all open) into an obsession! He met and became good friends with master distiller Bill Friel from Barton distillery which Al affectionately call his Yoda. According to Al, Bill helped add soul to it! They are truly a seed to glass distillery sourcing all the grains from Colorado so you are getting a true taste of what a Colorado whiskey is. From there Four Grain Bourbon to the San Luis Valley Rye and their Centennial Wheat that is one of the very few out there coming in at 100% unadulterated wheat for a very unique flavor. Watch the review and see what we thought.
Kris on the nose of the four grain was very different, light and little sour on the back end while Erik got more sweet corn, dark fruit and plum. On the palate Kris thought is full of flavor with a light finish of this 40 barrel blend. Erik on the other hand thought it was like skinny girl vodka. Thick on the tongue and light on the finish. The bonded Four Grain, that is confidence in a glass. If you like the heat then, pull this bad boy from the shelf and add a single ice cube to open it up a little. Moving onto the Centennial Wheat, that really stumped us since we’ve never had a 100% wheat whiskey. Kris gets vanilla right off the nose while Erik got a spice, maybe nutmeg to it. The palate is light, as Chad says is nice summer sipper. How many of you out there have had a 100% wheat whiskey.
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Mash Bill 18yr: 9% rye, 15% malted rye, and 6% malted barley
Where it’s from: Shoreham, Vermont
When we did our Whistlepig review with Chris Helmly he brought up his twist on a Old Fashioned and instead of the sugar cube he used Whistlepig Maple Syrup. I had to take it one step further and candy some thick cut bacon with brown sugar and the same Whistlepig Maple Syrup. Plus, I added a couple dashes of bitters and a flaming orange peel, first time and I lit it on FIRE!
How can you get better than whiskey soaked candied bacon. Stir, drink and then eat up that bacon then toss more in!
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Mash Bill 18yr: 9% rye, 15% malted rye, and 6% malted barley
Mash Bill 15yr and Boss Hog: 100% rye
Where it’s from: Shoreham, Vermont
How did it start, well Dave Pickerell secured a stockpile of 10 year Canadian rye whiskey and couldn’t convince any of the Tennessee or Kentucky boys to team up and make some rye whiskey. Those boys said “that’s nice but we’re makin bourbon”. Dave had a penchant for rye and then met the guys from Whistlepig and with Raj Bhatka at the helm decided to make that rye whiskey into liquid gold! From there the brand grew and Dave started the Boss Hog program which comes out once a year with 5 promises. 1. Has to be a single barrel 2. Has to be barrel proof 3. Has to be unique 4. has to be complex and 5. is has to be STUPENDOUS! Not easy promises to live up to but some how every year they do it. Plus, they the most awarded rye whiskey in the world. Since then Dave Pickerell (the Johnny Appleseed of Whiskey) has passed, an icon in the industry, and now Jeff Kozak is the CEO and the brand is still growing like crazy!
Our good friend Chris Helmly dropped by and offered us a Primo Tasting. That involved the 15 year 100% rye aged in Vermont Oak barrels which gives a distinct flavor since Vermont oak has different characteristics than white oak in the middle of the US. Also the 18 year double malt, with rye, malted rye and malted barley for that velvety mouth feel. Just when we were about the finish up, Chris slaps down the Boss! Boss Hog VIII Lapulapu Pacific! The packaging alone is amazing, from the box charting Magellan’s course and his ultimate demise by the Philipinno Chief Lapulapu. Boss Hog VII was finished in South American teak wood and won best rye in the WORLD! Off the heels of that and keeping with the 5 promises to make this edition stand out it is an 18 year old rye and finished in Philippino rum casks. We have to talk about the topper too. Each Boss Hog from 2 through 8 has a unique topper with a different pig on each, this one the essence of Lapulapu in pig form complete with famed machete!
Onto the nose, palate and finish. The 15 year was sweet on the nose, light and then the palate came through with powdered brown sugar and a little spice on the back end. The 18 year was just plain good! Heavier spice on the nose and a thick molasses on the palate with a velvety smoothness for a 92 proof. Then the Boss! This was hard to pin down, but it was complex and oh so good. A very unique experience for sure.
How much: for the 15 year you are looking in the over 200 range and the 18 year starting out at 399 and the Boss Hog retails at 499.00 if you can find it!
Huge thanks to our good friend Chris Helmly for an amazing review with the big boys of Whistlepig. I’ll bet that not many get the top 3 to review at the same time. As always when we hang out with Chris for a review it’s either freezing cold or extremely hot. This time it was 37 with a nice wind of the river making the whiskey that much more enjoyable keeping our inards warm but of course we had blast!
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Mash Bill Bottle in Bond: 75% rye, 25% yellow dent corn
To be bottled in bond it has be distilled in one distilling season by a single distiller then aged in a Federally bonded warehouse at bottled at 100 proof.
On the nose Erik came away with red wine while Kris and the “D” got more of the baking spices. On the palate Kris said it came in hot and then smoothed out while Erik didn’t get much of burn. Then on the finish Kris and the “D” re-invoked the baking spices with a hint of cinnamon. Erik thought it was heavy with corn on the backend and a little spice
Kris, Erik and the “D” gave it the Whiskey and a Hammock stamp of approval.
How much: This will run you about 60 bucks online if you’re not from Illinois and we’re not so we picked ours up from Seelbach’s , www.seelbachs.com
