Sumus Plus Quam Vos
A bottle that hardly needs an introduction, 2018 Pappy Van Winkle 20 Year bourbon.
The Pappy Van Winkle brand has become its own metaphor. Instead of describing Pappy Van Winkle bourbon as the “holy grail” or “golden goose,” other products can be aptly described as “the Pappy Van Winkle of [fill in the blank].”
Several months after it was announced earlier this year, we finally had a chance to sample the Weller C.Y.P.B. The name “Weller” is now just as synonymous with bourbon hysteria as “Pappy.” So, this limited release generated a lot of buzz when it was announced.
Our December tasting event explored a menagerie of George Dickel bourbon released in the 1970s, 1990s, and modern day. Products are aged from 9 to 17 years, but all contain the same classic 84% corn, 8% rye, 8% malted barley mash bill from the George A. Dickel & Co. Distillery in Tullahoma, Tennessee.
Chapter 7, Part 1:
For the second consecutive year, over the month of November, Flight Club will be bringing you “30 Turkeys in 30 days.” Each day, we will post a review of a different Wild Turkey product. Throughout that journey, we will provide you with background information on the company, the products, and the people behind the products, all of which we hope create a better understanding of what Wild Turkey brings to the world of bourbon and rye whiskey. A table of contents for each of these posts can be found here.
We pick up where we left off in 2017. In Chapter 1 last year, we talked about the history of Wild Turkey, dating back to the Old Moore Distillery, through the days of Ripy Brothers Distillery, to the Austin Nichols days, to the current Campari owned Wild Turkey. Today, we take a closer look at that history with a focus on Wild Turkey Rye. In this seventh chapter, we will share reviews of current Wild Turkey 101 Rye along with two prior vintages.
Continue reading “30 Days of Wild Turkey: Day 31 (Wild Turkey Rye 101 (2017))”
Scott is a co-founder of Flight Club and a frequent writer and reviewer on the Club’s blog.
Bourbon Barrel Aged Anejo Tequila
First, basic definition: Tequila distilled from Blue Agave plant primarily in the region of Tequila, Mexico. Tequila is a type of Mezcal (and the regions of production of the two drinks are overlapping). The distinction is that tequila must use only blue agave plants rather than any type of agave.
There are 4 basic categories of Tequila:
Blanco Tequila (aged less than 2 months)
Reposado Tequila (aged between 2 months and 1 year)
Anejo Tequila (aged between 1 and 3 years)
Extra Anejo Tequila (first established in 2006 and is aged greater than 3 years and usually rested for a second time in either Sherry or Wine casks)
Anejo Tequila is typically aged in American White Oak or French Oak barrels. Commonly, the distilleries use Bourbon or Scotch barrels for aging Reposado and Anejo. However, Scotch is far less common due to the obvious difference in shipping expense between the two spirits. By far the most common Bourbon barrels originate from either Jim Beam or Jack Daniel’s. And most will not specify which distillery cask is being used.
Continue reading “October 2018: Anejo Tequila Aged in Bourbon Barrels”
