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Luca Mariano Whiskey with Special guests.

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Who makes it? Luca Mariano Distillery

Mash Bill: 75% corn 21% rye 4% malted barley

Where it’s from: Danville, Kentucky

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.

Von Payne Black Whiskey

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Who makes it? The Point Distilling

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!

New Riff Bottle in Bond vs. Single Barrel Barrel Proof

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Who makes it? New Riff Distilling

Mash Bill: 65% corn, 30% rye, 5% malted barley

Where it’s from: Newport, Kentucky

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!

New Riff Bottle in Bond vs. Single Barrel Barrel Proof

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