A Little Wheat Goes a Long Way
Is this flight mat blurry to you, or did I drink too much at Whiskey Club last month?
Over the last couple of months at Whiskey Club, we’ve rolled with ryes, sampled single malts and even tried some Japanese whiskey. Last month, we wet our whistles with wheat whiskeys. (Say that fast three times sober.)
Unlike many of the rye whiskeys we sell at Dive Bar, wheat whiskeys provide a softer flavor – less bite for some. Others might even call it a creamier finish. From start to finish, the May Whiskey Club featured five “first timers” — whiskeys we’ve never sampled before. The pours went from the lowest proof to the highest, giving any newbies a chance to ease into the flavor and any bite that might have hit their taste buds.
Larceny Small Batch Bourbon
If you love the smell of fresh bread or toffee, you’ll love Larceny. From the Heaven Hill distillery, founded right after the end of prohibition, this 92-proof spirit gets it’s name because some of the whiskey didn’t quite make it to the barrels while being bottled. Oops!
Shibui Grain Select Whiskey
As Taz, our Whiskey Club host said, we tapped our toes in the water with this Japanese whiskey, too. What’s cool about this Okinawan whiskey is it’s aged in used bourbon barrels, giving it a very pale color. What makes this whiskey unique is a rare Japanese wood called Mizunara oak. This type of oak is very expensive and hard to find, and takes a long time to mature. It’s also very porous and whiskey has been known to leak through the barrels at times.
James Ownby Reserve Straight Bourbon Whiskey
Not only do we get to taste some delicious whiskeys at the Club, but we also get a little history lesson! The Ownby’s were one of the founding families in Tennessee. In fact, James was an Overmountain Man, an elite group of men who fought the British in the Revolutionary War in 1780. Nowadays they would be referred to as Special Forces. The Ownby whiskey is still made by family members. James’ 5th great grandson now owns the distillery and is co-founder of the Ole Smoky Distillery, famous for their moonshine and flavored whiskeys.
Bottled in Bond Bourbon
The last two bourbons of the night were a 13-year George Dickel Tennessee Whisky and a Holladay Soft Red Wheat, both carrying the “Bottled in Bond” designation. If you’re unfamiliar with that, it’s government-issued whiskey that guarantees quality. It has to be aged in a federally-bonded warehouse up to 4 years and at 100 proof. Add a bite of brownie or some sort of sweetness with those two to cut the spice.
If you haven’t made it out to a Whiskey Club yet, tickets are still available for next Monday’s event! We’ll taste up to five whiskeys that we promise won’t scare you away! Don’t forget about the delicious meal we’ll serve you, too!
Hope to see you soon!
Until then — Cheers!
