charcoal.

It takes from ten days to two weeks

for a batch to pass through the charcoal, drop
by drop. Jack Daniel’s and George Dickel are
two leading Tennessee sour-mash whiskies.
Rye is similar in taste to bourbon, but it
possesses a decidedly spicy and slightly bitter
avor pro le—like biting into a rye seed in
rye bread. Though wheat and barley are
commonly used to make rye whiskey, U.S. law
mandates that it be made with a minimum of
51 percent rye.

STORING ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES

Spirits that are 70 proof and above and
liqueurs or cordials that are not dairy
based can be stored at room temperature
for an unlimited amount of time.
Forti ed wines like port, Madeira, and
sherry should be refrigerated after
opening. The sweetest wines will last up
to four weeks when refrigerated.
Vermouth and other aromatic forti ed
wines will last four weeks if kept
refrigerated between uses and not left out
for long periods. In all cases with wines
of any type, refrigeration is crucial.
 Belmont Breeze Punch.

Blended Versus Straight

Until the middle of the nineteenth century,
whiskey was a straight unblended spirit with
only water added to lower the alcohol
strength. Sometimes it was bottled, but most
often it was served right out of the barrel. At
that time, whiskey consumption was con ned
to Ireland, Scotland, and the United States; in
England it was considered the poor relation to
ne French brandy, and the English found the
malt scotch too strong in every way. All of that
changed, however, when the phylloxera
epidemic that wiped out Europe’s grapes
devastated Cognac in the 1880s. Scotch
whiskey stepped up to the plate with the help
of the Coffey still, which was able to produce a
light, high-proof mixed-grain whiskey cheaply,
and of Andrew Usher, a distiller from
Edinburgh who gured out a solution to the
“too strong” complaint. Usher blended the
light grain whiskey with the heavy malt
whiskey to achieve a blended whiskey that had
the good qualities of both spirits and could be
produced with consistency at a very good
price. Blending was further enhanced around
this time when the grain-whiskey producers in
Scotland discovered the sweetness of corn from
their American cousins and started using it,
too.
Blending in American whiskey was a result of
Prohibition. Aged, straight whiskey inventory
was nonexistent in the United States after
Prohibition, and young whiskey was blended
with older Canadian stocks until the
production of aged straight whiskey could
catch up to the market.

COCKTAIL TRIVIA
When you see the designation “100%
Single Malt Scotch Whiskey,” the whiskey
is made with only malted barley, and the
word “single” means the whiskey is the
output of a single malt distillery in one
 season.

Whiskey in Cocktails
Really smoky scotches, like the Islay malts, are
the hardest of all the whiskies to nd a home
for in cocktails, though it’s not impossible:
Gary Regan’s Debonair Cocktail, matching
ginger avor with smoky scotch, is both
successful and delicious. Blended scotch is a lot
easier to integrate into a cocktail, and there are
many classics that employ it successfully, like
the Rob Roy, the Blood and Sand, and the
Robbie Burns. American blended and straight
whiskies are much more cocktail friendly and
are found in sours, juleps, toddies, smashes,
nogs, and punches. I have explored some
uncharted areas with American whiskey; see
the Belmont Breeze and the Whiskey Peach
Smash. Irish whiskey, because of its subtle and
complex avor pro le, is another good mixer,
but stay away from big tastes. I like to tinker
gently, using dashes of avor like Bénédictine
or Peychaud’s Bitters.
Value Brands
BLENDED SCOTCH

* Ambassador
* Black and White
* Grant’s
SINGLE MALT SCOTCH

* Deanston 12 year
* Aberlour Glenlivet 10 year
* Bowmore Legend
BOURBON

* Old Forester
* Ancient Age
* Jim Beam
* Benchmark
BLENDED AMERICAN

* Calvert
* Four Roses
* Fleischmann’s Preferred
RYE
* Jim Beam
CANADIAN
* Canadian Mist
* Black Velvet
TENNESSEE
* George Dickel #8
IRISH

* Clontarf
* Powers
* Murphy’s
Premium Brands
BLENDED SCOTCH

* Dewars
* Cutty Sark
* Johnnie Walker Red & Black Label
*J&B
* Famous Grouse
* Chivas
SINGLE MALT SCOTCH

* The Glenlivet 12 year

* Glenfiddich 12 year
* Highland Park 12 year
* Macallan 12 year
BOURBON

* Wild Turkey 101 proof

* Maker’s Mark (Small Batch)
* Old Forester Bonded
* Old Rip VanWinkle Family Reserve 13 year
* Jim Beam Black Label
BLENDED AMERICAN
* Seagram’s Seven
RYE

* Wild Turkey Rye

* Old Overholt
CANADIAN
* Canadian Club Classic 12 year
* Seagram’s VO
* Crown Royal
* Tangle Ridge 10 year
TENNESSEE

* George Dickel Old #12

* Jack Daniel’s Black
IRISH
* Bushmills
* Jameson
* Tullamore Dew
Super-Premium Brands
BLENDED SCOTCH
* Johnnie Walker Gold and Blue Label
* Chivas 18 year
* Ballantine’s 30 year
* J & B Ultima 86 proof
MALT SCOTCH
* Glenlivet 18 year
* Macallan 18 & 21 year
* Bowmore 30 year
* Bunnahabhain 1979
* Springbank Campbelton 1967
 WHISKEY: SWEET OR SOUR MASH?
Sour mash is a designation that is used
often to describe Tennessee whiskey, but
actually most bourbon, too, is made by
the sour-mash method. It’s a fairly simple
concept: A small amount of fermented
mash is held back from the previous
fermentation and added to the next
batch. The sour-mash method ensures
continuity in the yeast strain.

BOURBON

* Booker’s Small Batch 125.3 proof

* Blanton’s Single Barrel 93 proof
* Pappy Van Winkle’s Special Reserve 20 year
90.4 proof
* Woodford Reserve Single Barrel 90.4 proof
* Baker’s Small Batch 107 proof
* Distiller’s Masterpiece 18 year 99 proof
RYE
* Old Potrero Single Malt 123.5 proof
CANADIAN

* Crown Royal Special Reserve

TENNESSEE
* Gentleman Jack
* Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel 90 proof
* George Dickel Special Barrel Reserve 86
proof
IRISH

* Black Bush
* Bushmills Malt 16 year Triple Wood
* Jameson Gold
* Tullamore Dew 12 year
* Midleton Very Rare
* Midleton 26 year

WHISKEY LINGO DISTILLED

* GRAIN NEUTRAL SPIRITS: Spirits distilled
from mixed grain at above 190 proof
and unaged.
* GRAIN SPIRITS: Spirits distilled from
mixed grain at above 190 proof, then
stored in oak containers instead of
stainless steel, and bottled at not less
than 80 proof.
* MALT SCOTCH: Aged in used oak barrels
not less than three years, but in
practice almost never less than five
years, and usually between eight and
fourteen years. Pot distilled from a
mash of 100 percent malted barley,
 dried partially in peat-fired kilns for
flavor. Made in Scotland.
* BLENDED SCOTCH: The malt and grain
whiskies that are blended together
must be aged in used oak barrels a
minimum of three years. Blended from
single-malt whiskies and mixed-grain
whiskey made in Scotland. Distilled at
less than 166.4 proof.
* IRISH WHISKEY: Made from a blend of
triple-pot-distilled malted and
unmalted barley whiskey and mixed-
grain whiskey, mostly from wheat,
oats, rye, and corn. Aged in used oak
barrels a minimum of three years.
* CANADIAN: Aged in used oak barrels a
minimum of three years. Distilled from
 mixed grains: rye, corn, wheat, and
barley malt.
* BLENDED AMERICAN WHISKEY: A blend of at
least 20 percent, 100-proof straight
whiskey with neutral grain spirits,
grain spirits, or other whiskies.
* AMERICAN LIGHT WHISKEY: Distilled
between 160 and 190 proof and stored
in new or used oak barrels.
* BOURBON: Aged in charred oak barrels
for not less than two years. Made from
a mash of 51 percent to 79 percent
corn with wheat or rye and a small
amount of malted barley. Distilled at
not more than 160 proof.
* TENNESSEE WHISKEY: Aged in charred oak
barrels a minimum of two years, but