Five Whiskeys Worth Stealing, hosted by Tom Fischer of Bourbonblog.com, ended up being more like eight whiskeys and a good time. I always enjoy the opportunity to meet fellow bourbon lovers and try bourbons I’ve never had before, so last night was a special treat. The lineup of bourbons was amazing, and most of them I had never had before.
The night began with Fischer telling us a little bit about the lineup we would be trying, including two top secret rare bourbons. We also tried Barterhouse, Four Roses 125th Anniversary Small Batch, Bourbon’s Bistro’s Private Selection Four Roses, Michter’s 20 Year bourbon, Michter’s 25 year Rye, and Ocean II.
Perhaps not surprising to anyone who knows me, my favorite offering from last night’s tasting ended up being one of the ones you can’t buy around here. That’s what I love about events like this- the promise of forever longing for that one bourbon you know you’ll never have again.
Dan Gardiner from Four Roses was there to tell us about the history of the Four Roses Distillery as well as specific details about the mash bills and yeast strains in the different products. It’s worth noting here that Four Roses wasn’t available for sale in the U.S. for 45 years, though it was still made in Kentucky. Jim Rutledge finally convinced Kirin to start selling it n the U.S. again in 2002.
Trey Zoeller of Jefferson’s Bourbon also stopped by to tell us a little bit about his products. It was interesting hearing the story of how he came up with the idea for Ocean- from watching bourbon in a bottle slosh gently from side to side on a fishing trip. You can go buy the most expensive bottle of bourbon in the liquor store and it won’t compare to having this type of experience.
Jason Brauner, owner of Bourbons Bistro, also participated in the event. He talked about the history of his restaurant, answered the crowd’s bourbon questions, and talked about the process of selecting barrels for the restaurant’s private selections.
I always love getting to know my fellow bourbon drinkers. I ran into some old friends last night and met some new ones. That’s what this type of event is about- bringing people together over great bourbons. It’s what Louisville does best.
Photos Courtesy of Maggie Kimberl
