Nick, Author at First Pour Cocktails

The Classics: Stone Fence

Posted on October 3, 2022October 2, 2022 by Nick

The Stone Fence traces it’s origins back to the Revolutionary War, where it served as a “savage mixture” of rum and hard cider. This isn’t your modern rum either, this is gnarly, unrefined, New England rums (as frequently used as currency as drink). Roughly one hundred years later, Jerry Thomas republishes this drink as a bourbon cooler. Almost a century and half since, this is one of the few drinks that calls for apple cider, so should you have it on your short list for fall?

Stone Fence

We’ll present the Stone Fence in two ways, one reflecting the original Jerry Thomas recipe, and the other showing a more modern, gentle riff on the classic.

Stone Fence – Classic

2 oz

Bourbon

3 oz

Hard Cider

¼ oz

Maple Syrup (Optional)

Add ice ¾ of the way up a Collins glass. Add ingredients to the glass. Top with ice to fill to top, and garnish with an apple fan.

The original Stone Fence is dry, strong, and bourbon forward. While the spicing of the bourbon’s oak comes through, the cider adds a bit of levity. The sweetness is really completely subdued. The result is an aggressively strong drink that begs for strong hard cider to temper it.

Stone Fence – Contemporary

2 oz

Bourbon

4 oz

Apple Cider

Add ice ¾ of the way up a Collins glass. Add ingredients to the glass. Top with ice to fill to top, and garnish with an apple fan.

The more contemporary Stone Fence is full of apples and spicy, oaky, bourbon with a slight bite. Unlike the original version, this is more of a sipper, where the bourbon plays nice with the apple cider, and displays a nice balance between the two. The result is that as it dilutes, the sweetness combines between the two and opens up both the bourbon and the fresh pressed apple notes of the cider.

Drink Notes & Recommendations

The original drink was described as a “savage mixture”, and that’s an assessment we could probably agree on. If you like your drink boozy, definitely feel free to enjoy the original. For those looking for something softer, the dilution in the modern version that used non-alcoholic cider is your best bet. Bear in mind, it’s still pretty booze forward.

Bourbon – The recommendation here is bonded bourbon, but for modern palates, this is probably going to be a bit aggressive. Feel free to turn things down and reach for something like Buffalo Trace or Maker’s Mark. If you decide to go higher, we suggest the good old fashioned Wild Turkey 101 or Old Forester Signature.
Apple Cider –
- Hard Cider – If you’re choosing to use hard cider, we highly recommend you choose one that’s unfiltered and around 5-6% ABV (as this is boozy enough as it is). This is going to be some what of a local exercise, as cider distribution is pretty localized. If you have to, Angry Orchard kind of works, but it suggests that non-alcoholic local cider is almost certainly going to have an advantage.
- Non-Alcoholic Cider – Using your freshest local cider is the best way to get the best results. We used a friend’s family farms cider, but your local grocery should work just fine.
Optional Ingredients – There a number of tweaks for this recipe, see below for ways you can make adjustments:
- Base Changes: Either Rye or Rum are acceptable her based on the standard. For rum, we recommend using something aged to bring out the caramel and spice notes to join the apple cider.
- Bitters: To add more depth, consider a dash of Angostura bitters. This will work better in the non-alcoholic version.
- Sweetener: If you want to take the edge off, consider using a ¼ oz of Maple Syrup
Garnish – As apples should be in season, an apple fan is ideal, but mint can be used as well for aromatic purposes.

Bundaberg UP Rum

Posted on September 30, 2022September 21, 2022 by Nick

Colloquially known as Bundy, Bundaberg holds a special place in Australian hearts. The Bundaberg Distillery was started in 1888, and first produced rum in 1889. While the distillery had it’s ups and downs (it burning twice – in 1907 and 1936), locals have loved to love or loathe the stuff. The distillery was originally independent in Queensland, but was later sold to Diageo in 2000. Diageo now produces the spirit in both New South Wales and Bundaberg, Queensland (with more of the small batch offerings reportedly coming from the namesake). Coming in at the very bottom entry point of their line is Bundaberg UP Rum.

Bundaberg UP Rum

Produced from local (presumably Australian) sugar cane, Bundaberg’s original UP rum is a NAS offering sold at 37% ABV. It should be noted that the original Bundaberg rum is bottled at 50%. The rum is produced by Diageo, following their buy out of the

Sight: Deep Gold

Smell: The nose has a woody start, leaning into green cedar and forest floor notes. Caramel and funky molasses come to the forefront. A hint of tropical fruit is slightly present, and there’s something grassy and spicy in there. A slightly chemical note similar to fresh sporting equipment hangs around the edges wrapping the entire smell.

Sip: The body is medium to full, it picks up some woody spice and caramelized notes. There is a subtle sweetness and fruitiness that runs throughout, but it starts to get slightly warm for a rum that only clocks in at 37%. As it gets warmer, more of the wood notes get overwhelming, and a subtle burnt or treated wood flavor comes through.

Savor: The aftertaste has more treated wood and cedar notes, with a light spicing, touch of funk, and hints of something again, vaguely plastic – chemical like. There’s something like unripe tropical fruit that lingers.

Bundaberg UP Rum is a unique rum that has a love-hate local relationship, and that will feel unusual to rum drinkers not experienced with Bundaberg’s flavors. These notes, particularly the nose might make this sound some what pleasant to smell. In the sense that’s it rum, it smells rum like, this is true. As a nose amongst world rums, many will find this isn’t enticing and doesn’t make you want to try to savor a glass.

In Cocktails

Sadly due to traveling, I could not make a Daiquiri with Bundaberg UP Rum. In past experiences with Rum and Coke versions of Bundaberg, I can tell you that it is a bully, even with Coke, displaying that unripe fruit funk / slightly woody chemical note. This isn’t the first rum I’d reach for, but isn’t far off from the US spec Bacardi Gold (the Bacardi Gold might be better, but only just slightly).

In Review – Bundaberg UP Rum

While Bundaberg original rums have a place in the history of spirits within the Australian Spirit industry and are well loved (or reviled), there are signs the industry is moving on. Australia has a growing number of spirits producers (primarily in gin it feels) who are creating new and exciting spirits with different techniques and a flair toward the local. Rum is no exception, with one distiller in Western Australia (Illegal Tender) using dark brown cane sugar and ex-shiraz casks to embrace the wine and sugar industry. Bundaberg certainly seems to sense this, and their limited released have garnered generally improved reception, but not so much as to change the perception of their rums on the world stage.

Still this gives hope that Australian rum (and other Australian spirits) can continue to improve and begin to captivate palates around the world. In the meantime, Bundaberg UP Rum is more of a curiosity than a serious bottle to need to track down.

The Classics: Martinez

Posted on September 26, 2022September 22, 2022 by Nick

The Martinez is frequently credited as a forerunner to the Martini, but like all pre-prohibition cocktails, there’s room for debate. This idea most likely originated from the fact that maraschino liqueur was somewhat hard to track down at the start of the cocktail renaissance. Once it was tracked down, it become apparent that the lack of Old Tom gins might be influencing ability to truly evaluate the drink. In the interim of these two events, it became suggested that perhaps the drink was the predecessor to the Martini. Like all drinks, ingredients matter, and switching to the bolder Old Tom style gin shows this drink has more in common with the Manhattan than the Martini.

Martinez

1 ½ oz

Old Tom Gin

1 ½ oz

Sweet Vermouth

¼ oz

Maraschino Liqueur

2 Dashes

Boker’s Bitters

Combine all ingredients in a mixing vessel. Add ice and stir. Double strain into a chilled coupe. Garnish with an orange twist.

The Martinez is sweet, spicy, and layered. The complexity of the herbal notes of all the elements vibes into a spiced, layered, and complex flavor. The sweetness from both the old tom gin, and the caramel notes with the sweet vermouth gives a richness. The slight fruitiness comes in, and is somehow bound with the cardamom notes from the Boker’s bitters to bind the entire drink into something more than the sum of its parts.

Drink Notes & Recommendations

The Martinez being one of the forerunners to the Martini is interesting because its incredibly sweet comparatively. Most people tasting this wouldn’t get to dry and clean vermouth from the spice, sweet, and fruitiness. Some of this is driven by the sweet vermouth, but the gin is sweet too. The bitters will help to balance this, but this drink will never quite reach ‘dry’.

Old Tom Gin – This style of gin is made with licorice, which imparts sweetness more than licorice flavor. The result of this is a softer, smoother style of gin that lends itself well to making a less juniper, more aggressive style of gin. You could use a modern or London dry gin here, and it will turn down the sweetness while adding a bit more juniper.
Sweet Vermouth – We utilized the more vanilla forward Carpano Antica here (which is our go to), but you can modify some of the flavors present by using a more caramel forward Cocchi or a fruit forward vermouth like Lustau.
Maraschino Liqueur – The subtle cherry, almond, and spice notes are best in Luxardo’s Maraschino Liqueur (in our opinion). Feel free to use your favorite or what is locally available.
Boker’s Bitters – Boker’s bitters are one of the most popular pre-prohibition cocktail bitters, and made of cassia, cardamom, and bitter orange peel. When prohibition hit, these bitters disappeared, and weren’t recreated until happenstance allowed the recreation in the early 2010’s. Today prominent recipes exist from Dr. Adam Elmegirab*, and The Bitter Truth. If you can’t find them or aren’t willing to pay to have them shipped, consider using the cardamom favored Regan’s orange bitters and Angostura.

* – This link is an amazon affiliate link that may result in First Pour Cocktails receiving a partial commission on the sale. We currently run the site at a loss (as of September 2022), so any purchase made through this link helps us pay for the server and to continue to bring you cocktail content.

OHLQ Russell’s Reserve Winter 2021

Posted on September 23, 2022August 13, 2022 by Nick

Over a year ago, when I picked up my bottle of OHLQ Russell’s Reserve Winter 2021, I walked into the store and found a whole collection of them. As of a a couple of months ago, the state managed to drop bottles around the state resulting in 2 – 3 hour lines in some locations (that wrapped around the building). It most likely goes without saying that the hype train has claimed another victim. While the secondary on these isn’t egregious, and you can find them on shelves from time to time, is it worth the hunt?

OHLQ Russell’s Reserve Winter 2021

The state described this pick as follows:

Creamy, smooth caramel up front with an extensive wood finish. Enjoy this one as you sit back and relax after a long day of working in the yard.

This barrel’s information is as follows:

Distilled: 12-12-11
Dumped: 08-08-20
Bottled: 10-27-20
Age: 8 years 8 months
Barrel # – 20-0464
Warehouse: B
Floor: 4

Sight: A solid tawny.

Smell: The nose is complex and weighty off the bat with a tobacco and red fruit like sweetness. Notes of ethanol, strawberry, jammy blackberry, and raspberry combine before giving way to caramel and vanillas. A pecan and peanut nuttiness comes in with some powdered sugar. Notes of coffee, tobacco, and oak with a subtle creaminess. There’s a solid amount of heat here as well.

Sip: The sip almost starts off sweet with light berry flavors before things get extremely hot with a wave of black tea and oak. Tones of caramel and vanilla run through the background, and there’s almost a tobacco or unripened stone fruit flavor to the body. The most interesting thing other than the brown sugar, nuts, and heavy spicing is the way that it seems to turn the flavors on and off like a light switch. The turn from sweet and lightly fruity to spice, tea, and sugars is the almost a vertical take off.

Savor: The finish is spicy, with plenty of rye, oak, ethanol, and black tea. There’s a medium to heavy amount of astringency from the tannins here.

OHLQ Russell’s Reserve Winter 2021 a spicy fire bomb with a slightly fruity edge. The roller-coaster of flavor is powerful, and not necessarily a good starting point for those who prefer more toned down spirits. While the heat is noticeable, the flavors are equally powerful. The heavy notes of herbal tea, caramel, nuts, spice, and sugars are the predominate notes. Expect a powerful hit on your first sip from this bourbon.

In Cocktails

In a Manhattan It’s exemplary. The fruity characteristics show up interlaced with ribbons of sweet dulce de leche. The spices and oak join in, giving an amazing mix of sweet caramel, stone fruit, black tea, and vanilla laced oak. The body is smooth and rich, but the finish lets those spice, oak, and vanilla notes really shine with just a bit of silky smooth tannins. It’s a little hard to fully state how much the caramel, and the refinement of the caramel, really comes through in this application.

In Review – OHLQ Russell’s Reserve Winter 2021

OHLQ Russell’s Reserve Winter 2021 is nothing short of amazing, and another example of why these store picks are leaving the shelves faster than ever. So should you spend the time to hunt for one? That question depends more on what you find you enjoy in a bourbon. As a cocktail whiskey, it is delightful, but probably too expensive and time consuming to find and justify. If, however, you’re already a fan of Wild Turkey’s offerings, and enjoy sipping them straight, than these picks are worth the search.

The Classics: Up To Date

Posted on September 19, 2022October 2, 2022 by Nick

The creator of the Aviation was an individual by the name of Hugo Ensslin. While most have never heard of Hugo Ensslin, most cocktail enthusiasts have either had or are aware of his creation. What few folks are unaware of, is that Ensslin has another cocktail that’s about as far away from the Aviation as you can get. Instead of gin, maraschino, lemon, and creme de violette, the Up To Date features rye, sherry, Grand Marnier, and Angostura bitters.

Up To Date

Up to Date

2 oz

Rye

¾ oz

Sherry

½ oz

Grand Marnier

2 Dashes

Angostura Bitters

Combine all ingredients in a mixing vessel. Add ice and stir. Double strain into a chilled coupe. Garnish with a lemon twist.

The Up To Date is dry, nutty, and slightly spicy. The more herbal notes in the dill join with the rye spice and Angostura to make a spice bomb. Light orange notes come through in the background to add depth to a sort of earthy and nutty overtone. Those who are at home with drier cocktails, like a Martini may find things to love here.

Drink Notes & Recommendations

The dryness of this cocktail is likely why it fell out of vogue. Combined with rye’s hit and miss popularity – it isn’t an obvious cocktail to even look up. That said, this is a template worth knowing about, if only for it’s relation to the Manhattan as a potential vehicle to riff on.

Rye – We went full on into the earthy / herbal side of rye with Wild Turkey 101 Rye here. Feel free to experiment to make a sweet combination, with ryes that are less spice and herb focused (Rittenhouse / Sazerac) or bourbon.
Sherry – Your choice of sherry here makes a bit of difference between dry and sweet. For the driest experience, we recommend using Manzanilla or Fino sherry. For a more well rounded experience, utilize Amontillado or Oloroso sherry. PX and Cream Sherry will also work, but make things sweet and add more dessert notes.
Grand Marnier – Made from Cognac instead of neutral spirits, Grand Marnier is actually called out for this drink. If looking to substitute, look for an orange liqueur that uses brandy or cognac.
Angostura Bitters – These are the classic bitters for most cocktails, and we recommend you keep a bottle on hand.

Barrel Knickerbocker

Posted on September 16, 2022August 29, 2022 by Nick

The vast majority of gin undergoes a process to impart flavors of the botanicals and spices into the gin. Whether this is steeping, vapor infusing, or vapor distilling, gin receives the flavors, and then is typically ready to be bottled. For these reasons, it pretty easy to start your distillery with gin. What’s less common, is aging your gin. Thankfully the folks at New Holland have instead chosen to make an aged gin. Enter Barrel Knickerbocker.

Barrel Knickerbocker

Sight: Deep gold.

Smell: The smell of citrus, specifically multiple types of oranges (ranging from Curacao to Cara Cara) leap forth. Bergamot and juniper slide in quickly, and notes of angelica, herbs (possibly dill?), vanilla, and spice are present. Just a touch of oak and malted grain comes through. A hint of heat comes through. The nose is ultimately complex and inviting.

Sip: The flavor of oak and citrus pops forward with tons of orange notes again. The orange ranges from dried to candied, with a bit of pithiness. It isn’t quite sweet, but the start of vanilla notes seem to drive it that way. There’s a bright juniper note that pierces through with a gentle creamy vanilla. Herbal notes and juniper gradually build toward the back end.

Savor: The finish continues with a touch of spice, oak, herbs, and a lingering vanilla preserved orange note.

Barrel Knickerbocker is complex and intriguing, delivering significant vanilla and oak flavors but doesn’t lose the juniper. The resulting gin is surprisingly citrusy and vanilla forward, in a refreshing and lively way. The flavors beg to be sipped again and again, and keep evolving as you sip. Perfectly balanced between the gin and the barrel, nothing is lost.

In Cocktails

In a Martini, the citrus forward nature pairs lovingly with the herbs and wine notes of the vermouth. The vanilla and orange still hold a strong profile, giving it a smoothness and gentle spice. The net effect is a barrel aged influence on a Martini with a nice touch of citrus. The ending is equally as delightful, giving off vanilla and juniper notes with just a bit of spice.

In Review – Barrel Knickerbocker

Barrel Knickerbocker is delightful and unique. Priced in the low-to-mid $30s, there’s a lot of value added to this New Holland’s barrel aged offering. The spice and citrus nature pushes this toward contemporary, but the juniper is given a fair place. While it might seem like the kind of gin you can’t use in many places, it will offer a great way to place a twist in everything from a Negroni to a Gin Rickey. The aging process does still make this unique, so we recommend considering it as an expansion bottle, not a primary or starter bottle.

The Classics: Tuxedo

Posted on September 12, 2022December 30, 2022 by Nick

Originally from the Tuxedo Park Club in New York, the Tuxedo is another variation of a Martini. This forgotten cocktail was named after the popular fashion of the day. A mix of gin, dry vermouth, maraschino, orange bitters, and absinthe, this drink is cleaner and elegant than you would think. For fans looking to fancy up their Martini, read on.

Tuxedo

1 ½ oz

Gin

1 ½ oz

Dry Vermouth

¼ oz

Maraschino Liqueur

2 Dashes

Orange Bitters

Rinse

Absinthe

Combine all ingredients in a mixing vessel. Add ice and stir. Double strain into a chilled coupe. No garnish.

The Tuxedo is crisp, clean, slightly fruity, and refreshing. The flavor of the gin comes through softly thanks to the easier going style of Old Tom, while the vermouth bolsters the herbal elements. The maraschino adds wonderful notes of cherry and almond against a touch of orange and lemon. Overall, it’s delightful and easy going.

Drink Notes & Recommendations

The Tuxedo has another variant, the Tuxedo No.2 (which is also a great cocktail website), which has a fairly different composition. For the original Tuxedo the biggest difference are an increase in gin (+ ½ oz) / change of type of gin (Plymouth), and the number of dashes of orange bitters (increase to 3). Which means overall, there’s not a lot of changes here.

Gin – The secret to this one is softer gin, and why we recommend Old Tom Gin. We used Hayman’s here, but you can use your favorite. For an alternative, consider Plymouth.
Maraschino Liqueur – The subtle cherry, almond, and spice notes are best in Luxardo’s Maraschino Liqueur (in our opinion). Feel free to use your favorite though.
Dry Vermouth – We used our standard Dolin Dry Vermouth here, but substitute your favorite.
Orange Bitters – While Fee Brother’s will keep the flavor profile cleaner, we also enjoy the spice of Regan’s orange bitters. As there’s more than one dash, feel free to mix and match.
Absinthe – We used St. George Absinthe Verte, but absinthe can be limited by location. If you can’t find an absinthe, consider a pastis, like Pernod.

Johnnie Walker Black Label

Posted on September 9, 2022August 13, 2022 by Nick

Some liquors end up hanging around more out of nostalgia than actual enjoyment. Johnnie Walker Black Label fills that role in my life. In fact, it’s one of the first liquors I ever had, and one of the first bottles I ever owned. The reasons are more to do with the perception of scotch as a higher end offering, and the black label being a step over the Red. In reality, Black Label isn’t particularly fancy or high enough, but is it as good as my memory serves?

Johnnie Walker Black Label

Aged twelve year and matured in oak casks and is a blend of single malt and blended grain whiskies.

Sight: Burnished.

Smell: Green apples, chestnuts, and smoke float up. Sea spray and honey come together to give a salinity. There’s a slight breadiness as well. The apple note ranges as far from caramelized to fresh to slightly candy like.

Sip: The body is moderate, and touches off without a whole lot. It opens up gradually, pulling in plum, wet stone, smoke, sea spray, and a bitter honey element. There’s a slight oiliness here, and elements of green apple and hardwood or leather come to play. There’s a bit of heat.

Savor: The ending is more minerality and smoke. These two characteristics overwhelm most everything else, barely letting a hint of yeastiness though.

Johnnie Walker Black Label is an iron fist in a chainmail glove. There’s not a lot of subtleness here, and there’s not a lot of depth. While there are some fruit flavors, this is a bit of a bully. Drinking it neat could be fine, but it’s probably not the most engaging pour.

In Cocktails

In a Highball, Johnnie Walker Black Label opens up with red apple, fresh plums, hints of vanilla, subtle oak, and a hit of minerality. The palate eventually drags in the smoke, and leaves it lingering on the finish. The result is more refreshing, powerful, and open in it’s flavor spectrum, but it’s not particularly deep. In a Bobby Burns No.2, the smoke overwhelms some of the more delicate flavors, but works well with the sweetness and salinity (particularly the lemon garnish). Overall though, this is a bit more unbalanced. For a fun contrast, a rusty nail balances smoke and sweet.

In Review – Johnnie Walker Black Label

Johnnie Walker Black Label is a bit uncouth for most drinks. If you like smoke and would like it cheap, then Black Label is probably an entertaining choice. For those looking for more fruit forward flavors or more gentle floral flavors, this isn’t going to work well. Due to the sheer power, we don’t recommend this as a bottle to start your bar with.

The Classics: Caprice

Posted on September 5, 2022August 29, 2022 by Nick

An obscure cocktail originally listed in Hyman & Gale, The How & When, the Caprice is primarily relegated to the annals of history. As wine and fine spirits sellers, it’s not unusual that they have concoctions to find ways to embrace different ingredients. It’s hard to say exactly why this cocktail fell out of favor, but it’s safe to say that vermouth and Benedictine probably has made this one a harder sell. Fans of subtle gin drinks though, they may want to read on.

Caprice

1 ½ oz

Gin

1 ½ oz

Dry Vermouth

½ oz

Benedictine

1 Dash

Orange Bitters

Combine all ingredients in a mixing vessel. Add ice and stir. Double strain into a chilled coupe. Garnish with an orange twist.

The Caprice has a nice honeyed and herbal note with gives a clean and refreshing alternative to a Martini. The flavor profile has a light spice, that also shows off some of the vinous notes from the vermouth and the alpine herbs. The flavors are subtle, round, and have a good citrus backbone from the gin.

Drink Notes & Recommendations

The Caprice is straightforward, light, and easy to make. The only note is the pressure of time on this drink to pull down the vermouth. As a result, there are variations that contain ½ oz of Dry Vermouth. I feel the vermouth adds a nice dimension to this drink, but feel free to play around with the recipe to taste.

Gin – Although not specified, it would be safe to assume in the time period that this is likely a London Dry gin. We used Beefeater as a result, and found the results pleasant, but the template should be able to handle anything from contemporary gins like Bluecoat or Aviation or classics like Tanqueray or Bombay Sapphire.
Dry Vermouth – We used our standard Dolin Dry Vermouth here, but your favorite dry vermouth should d0.
Benedictine – Due to the herbal notes and honeyed sweetness that go into this brandy based liqueur, we don’t recommend swapping this for anything else. Similar to certain other classics, this is both a specific liqueur and a brand recommendation.

Hidden Barn Kentucky Straight Bourbon – Batch 1

Posted on September 2, 2022August 29, 2022 by Nick

Among the hottest brands in the bourbon market is Old Forester. They’re well known for not only their standard offerings, like their signature, but also their higher end bottles like Old Forester 1910 ,Old Forester Single Barrel Barrel Strength, and Old Forester Birthday Bourbon. Over the course of the boom, Jackie Zykan made a name for herself as their master taster. Her palate is phenomenal amongst the scene, so it was somewhat surprising when she left her role at Old Forester to become a partner and master distiller at Neeley Farm Distillery. The result of their first effort is Hidden Barn Kentucky Straight Bourbon – Batch 1, a whiskey that currently is leading a hype train with secondary values near double MSRP. So is it worth it?

Hidden Barn Kentucky Straight Bourbon – Batch 1

Sight: Tawny – Auburn

Smell: Grain and malt top notes with a slightly fruity caramel thing going on to start. The spices join in, giving a baked cinnamon / nutmeg pastry vibe. Almond and honeyed baklava join, with a distinctly vanilla sort of element. That underlying maltiness carries though, giving a sugary breakfast cereal character.

Sip: Moderate to full bodied. Surprisingly smooth and even throughout. Flavors are quite dry, with the first impression being heavy oak, tobacco, leather, and hardwood. These subsided for the second sip, giving more grain notes, picking up malty breakfast cereal, carob, sugar-free caramel, and a hint of vanillin. The flavors feel raw, and slightly young. In the background, a fruity floral character keeps coming back – in line with an unripe peach and pear.

Savor: The ending is dry, with lots of bright, unripe stonefruit and a smattering of oak and spice. A slight bitterness pervades and the malt comes back. The linger is real, long, and leans heavily into the stone fruit / pear / grape direction.

If you told me this was an American single malt, I probably would react differently. However, as a straight bourbon, Hidden Barn Kentucky Straight Bourbon – Batch 1 is on the unusual side of the malt and fruit spectrums. The flavors are simultaneously dark and light, but they don’t quite ever reach cohesion. The result is something that feels like it wants to be impressive, but can’t quite edit itself into fully formed thought. As a result, it shows potentially great flavors, but leaves you wanting more.

In Cocktails

In a Manhattan, Hidden Barn Kentucky Straight Bourbon – Batch 1 is spicy, malty, chocolaty, and full of peach and pear notes. All of those things taken together with sweetness and a big oak hit, make for a very strange, and not quite right Manhattan. The vermouth almost seems to fight with the floral notes, and the bitters just feel aggressive.

In Review – Hidden Barn Kentucky Straight Bourbon – Batch 1

At $75 a bottle, this one is definitely unusual. If Jackie Zykan’s goal was to lean into a more maybe malted whiskey direction, then she’s possibly heading toward success. As bourbon goes, I’m not sure I’d be reaching for this first. While some of the notes I’d expect are there (particularly in the nose), the palate is a little bit all over the place, and the finish is more fruity and floral than I’d expect. As an inaugural release, it isn’t boring, but I’m not sure I’d hunt it. Interested in seeing how Hidden Barn’s future evolves after their inaugural salvo.

The Classics: Sherry Cobbler

Posted on August 29, 2022August 21, 2022 by Nick

The Sherry Cobbler is one of the original cocktails that can trace it’s origins back to to the 1800’s, and even received printing in Jerry Thomas’ The Bar-Tenders Guide. The drink was popular amongst both men and women as ice was becoming more available, and sherry was more available than certain European wines (the American wine industry would take longer to develop). The result was a relatively easy to make cocktail that could pack lots of flavor and complexity (depending on what was used).

Sherry Cobbler

3 ½ oz

Sherry

¼ oz

Simple Syrup

2 Slices

Orange

Combine all ingredients in a shaker vessel. Add ice and shake hard to muddle orange while shaking. Strain into a chilled goblet. Garnish with an orange slice and fresh berries (if in season).

The Sherry Cobbler is a nutty, balanced, and refreshing drink. The ice brings a perfect level of dilution, keeping the acidity balanced and the sweetness level. What comes out, is a beautiful bouquet of nuts, orange, oak, browned sugars, and slight caramel. The flavors are easy going, but with enough complexity to keep you coming back.

Drink Notes & Recommendations

The Sherry Cobbler is a wonderful simply cocktail. The main component is also the most complex, so let’s delve into Sherry.

A Quick Primer – Sherry

Sherry is made in the Solera method, a method of aging multiple vintages through blending barrels. Wine in a Solera is placed in tiers, where the youngest wine is at the top, and the oldest wine is placed at the bottom and removed in small portions for finished bottles. By this blending method, multiple vintages of wine are combined so that the wine is consistent.

Another way to think of a tic – tac – toe grid (normally Solera are more of a pyramid, but the process is the same). Imagine you have barrels in each box of the grid. Each barrel has sherry in it.

The bottom barrels are the oldest sherry. The top are the newest.
Each bottle of sherry pulls some sherry from each level of barrels
At a regular interval, the sherry from the higher barrels will be used to replace the taken sherry and sherry lost to evaporation. (Typically yearly, but it is a continuous interval)
This means that determining the exact vintage of a sherry is impossible, but that quality can be maintained and ensured.

While the Solera method may be used to ensure consistency, the types of sherry that result can be somewhat distinct in their style. The following are generally the most common types of sherry you may encounter:

Fino & Manzanilla – The lightest flavors, these typically show more fruit and salinity. Typically dry and light.
Amontillado –A bolder and more nutty wine than Fino or Manzanilla. Still dry, although slight sweetness is notable. Moderate body.
Oloroso – More oxidatively aged, it gets darker and nuttier with more sweetness. Moderate to heavy body, sweeter.
Pedro Ximenez (PX) – Fig, caramel, dates join with some of the nuttier flavors in a full on sweet experience. Rich body, sweet.
Sweetened Sherry – For example, Cream Sherry, which is typically is somewhere between PX and Olosoro.

Drink Notes

The garnish for this drink calls for seasonal berries. These are meant to enhance the visual appeal more than add flavor.

Sherry – As the descriptions above suggest, your choice of sherry makes a significant difference in how your Sherry Cobbler turns out. Amontillado and Olosoro are the most balanced choices here, adding body without overdoing sugar. Choosing a sweet sherry, like PX may mean that less or no sugar is required. Fino and Manzanilla may find themselves overwhelmed here, but if you choose to use them, you’ll want to consider increasing your sweetness.
Simple Syrup – A traditional 1:1 water to sugar simple is classic for this recipe.
Orange Slices – These appear to be the defacto standard for this drink, but some omit the orange. These do add a nice refreshing note for certain sherries, especially those without a lot of complexity. If you find you’re using something particularly nice, feel free to omit them.

Blue Note Uncut Single Barrel – r/bourbon “Supper Club”

Posted on August 26, 2022August 12, 2022 by Nick

When I first began trying to find new bourbons to try, I found myself reading reviews on many websites. While reviewers palates vary, you can generally find alignment if you try a few liquors or beverages and compare notes. This works because reviewers are relatively static, but what about a hivemind like Reddit’s r/bourbon? Well things become trickier, as you have a mix of reviewers sharing opinions on the same bottles. Yet, there are few things they agree on as much as the positive reviews for t8ke’s single barrel picks. And as luck would have it, the first lottery I ever won was for a chance to buy a bottle of Blue Note Uncut Single Barrel – r/bourbon “Supper Club”

Blue Note Uncut Single Barrel – r/bourbon “Supper Club”

The particular barrel chosen has the following statistics and tasting notes:

Aged: 4 Years
ABV: 118.5pf
Bottle Count: 145
Price: $52 (before shipping)
Tasting Notes: Pound cake, citrus, maple, orange rind, a big root beer note, confectioners sugar and butter cream. Syrupy vanilla bean and butterscotch, long citrus and maple finish. Back on that Old Fashioned in a bottle vibe that I got from our first Blue Note (barrel #15036) and I’m here for it. Reminds me of a night at the supper club here in the Midwest.

Below are my tasting notes:

Sight: Amontillado Sherry to Copper.

Smell: Toasted sugar, maple, and pound cake come out. There’s a strong smack of alcohol top note here that keeps flitting in and out. There are notes such as sarsaparilla, toffee, hazelnut, and game meat or smokey leather. Fruit notes are pretty sparse, leaning slightly toward candied orange or white grape.

Sip: The palate is moderate in weight, leaning thick as it sits. Heat starts building quickly, and the edges can get rough. Toasted sugar and cake are present with hits of oak, smoke, root beer. There are some tobacco notes here has well, with just a hint of burnt marshmallow, and a touch of caramelizing green banana towards the transition to the finish.

Savor: The ending maintains that heat and pulls in more notes of roasted pecan, slight pastry, and again, a cola or root beer like note.

Blue Note Uncut Single Barrel – r/bourbon “Supper Club” is complex enough to keep revisiting, but not quite well put together enough to be enjoyable. The palate is hot and the flavors are a bit inconsistent from sip to sip. Given the price point, I want to be wowed, or at least impressed. Instead, it feels young, partially developed, and not quite smooth enough. It feels out of its depth.

In Cocktails

In a Manhattan Blue Note Uncut Single Barrel – r/bourbon “Supper Club” doesn’t quite work as expected. There’s a lot of weight added, which makes for a nice solid Manhattan. Vanilla bean and maple candy mix with an herbal-woodsy note and sweetness that immediately shifts dry on the finish. The herbaceous notes are nowhere in the general palate of just the whiskey. There’s also an interesting smokiness that presents on the finish. Overall, it’s an interesting, if non-traditional Manhattan.

In Review – Blue Note Uncut Single Barrel – r/bourbon “Supper Club”

Reviewing Blue Note Uncut Single Barrel – r/bourbon “Supper Club” is a bit of an exercise in futility. With the extremely limited availability, you’ll never see it. Given it’s a single barrel, it’s subject to all the variation that happens from barrel to barrel. Combine this with the fact that it’s a surviving barrel from a tornado strike, and we’ll it just isn’t representative. So why spend the time?

The fact is that limit availability bottles like this are good ways to peak behind the curtain of different distilleries, and to get an idea of the stock they’re working with. They can serve as potential guideposts when trying to evaluate either a single barrel selector (such as r/bourbon) or the brand (Blue Note). Ultimately, the challenge here is a mix of exclusivity and cost. These picks are not uncommon in many states, and retail for something closer to $40. After exclusivity mark up and shipping, this bottle ended up at $65.

That $20+ is a big jump, and brings this bottle into competition with things like 1792 Full Proof, Maker’s Mark Wood Finish Series and Private Selections, Russell Reserve Store Picks, and more. Those are some big competitors, and Juke Joint’s age and complexity just doesn’t feel like it has the depth to hang here.