Indholdsfortegnelse for Fall 2021 i Whisky Advocate

How about them pears? While apples tend to steal the spotlight in the fall, pears are just as diverse. And since you can tease out pear notes in many whiskies, take advantage of the season’s fresh bounty and make these whisky cocktails. “The subtle caramel notes of whisky create a lovely dialogue with the subtle sweetness of pears,” says Ricardo Alvarado, bar manager of Mama Delia and Bordel in Chicago. “Together, these two make for a well-balanced cocktail that’s simple, evocative, and powerful all at the same time.” Nothing Com-Pears to You Created by Summer-Jane Bell, partner, Hello Stranger Bar, Oakland, Calif. Elegant pear adds a velvety texture to this crimson cocktail. “The aromatic spices and tannin from the wine play well with the cask notes in the whisky,” Bell…

Whether in the peated scents of Islay scotch or the barbecue aromas of Southwest American single malt, smoke finds a willing partner in whisky. It’s also central to mezcal, whose agave piñas are roasted over hot rocks in a pit and impart a bracing smokiness. But smoke makes its way into many other spirits too—conferred through roasting or drying processes, the use of smoke-forward ingredients, or maturation in casks previously used for a smoky spirit. The results can lend layers of savory flavors to a spirit’s traditional taste profile. Sometimes the smokiness is an unintended consequence: After wildfires tore through Napa Valley in 2017, Hoopes Vineyard proprietor Lindsay Hoopes forged ahead with making wine from smoke-tainted cabernet sauvignon grapes, hoping to eke out a palatable product. The wine, however, ended…

This past August, Whisky Auctioneer’s Century of American Whiskey auction topped $1 million as bourbon, rye, and other American entrants continued to carve out significant space in the auction world. The sale also cemented the reputations of the biggest names in American whiskey collecting. While the performance was impressive, collectors need to be mindful of all the underlying trends—and view American whiskey collecting in the context of the activity surrounding the premier global players, notably scotch and Japanese whiskies. Certain aspects critical to collecting scotch and Japanese single malts are applied differently to American whiskeys. For example, few bourbon drinkers cling to the maxim that older is better. Age statements are important for prominent names like Pappy Van Winkle, but annual releases without age statements are strong contenders with loyal…

Anticipation brings me joy. So much joy, in fact, that the pleasure of opening a new bottle of whisky often outweighs the satisfaction of tasting it. Positive feelings of anticipation are beneficial, whether ordering a round of cocktails with friends, choosing a signature dish at a restaurant, planning a family gathering for Thanksgiving, or booking a dream vacation. Looking forward to something helps us cope with life’s day-to-day annoyances and petty tediums. We all know that the best things in life aren’t always actual things. Whisky is that way—a transformational victual, a material object, and an experiential phenomenon. A dopamine hit comes when discovering a new whisky, researching it online, and immersing myself in the history of the distillery. My face is aglow as I soak up the positive messages…

This past spring, Chad Colwell, who was a buyer at Citarella Wine & Spirits in New York City until its permanent closure in January, decided to sell off part of his personal whisky collection. He wanted to buy a car—figuring four wheels would be much more useful than a closet full of whiskies that seemed to be of no special value. But then Colwell got a big surprise: He sold around 30 bottles, reaping a total of about $18,000. As this summer began, he was set to sell another tranche from his collection—all bourbons and ryes. “The secondary market is up 30%, so now’s the time,” he says. This price surge has shocked even the savviest buyers. When the pandemic struck, the initial belief was that everyone’s financial woes would…

Best Values Whiskies with solid scores, modest prices, and wide availability. IRISH 90 The Fighting 69th Regiment, 40%, $33 A classic nose, equally enticing and reassuringly traditional, with aromas of cinnamon and toasted oats wrapped in rich vanilla toffee, whole spices, crisp cereal notes, millionaire’s shortbread, and hints of malt and drying tobacco. The palate is fruity and juicy, with ripe stone fruits, orange, caramel, and peppery spice, with bright flashes of lime zest, ending with an irrepressible rolling spicy finish flecked with grapefruit peels. —JM ISLAND SINGLE MALT 88 Jura 12 year old, 40%, $50 Finished in oloroso sherry casks. Stewed plums and Raisinets on the nose, along with raspberry pastilles, dried pineapple, honeysuckle, lemon drops, and pear. The palate is creamy up front, offering notes of apple pie, vanilla…

91 The Gladstone Axe The Black Axe, 43%, $35 Blended using a portion of peated malt from an undisclosed Islay distillery, this delivers a smooth and polished nose, deftly balancing honey sweetness with moderate peat smoke, supported by barbecued dry fruits and orange peel. Citrus, honey, and toasted pastry flavors, with flashes of dried apricot, tropical fruits, and grapefruit flesh, which yield before a delicious final phase of chocolate, malt, and cocoa usher in the dry finish. —JM 88 The Gladstone Axe American Oak, 43%, $35 Complex aromas of caramel, toffee, vanilla, white pepper, dried banana, dried apricot, green apple, honey-oat granola, pistachio shells, and burlap. An abundance of American oak character on the palate, with vanilla, ice cream cone, caramel, a hint of cocoa powder, then pepper, cinnamon, banana…

91 Yamato Takeda Shingen Edition, 40%, $150 Named after a 16th century daimyo in feudal Japan, the mizunara oak influence on the nose is distinctive, with aromas of exotic wood, apricot compote, fragrant spices, baked orange, grilled croissant, and peppermint. Flavor development is composed and serene, so don’t swallow in a hurry: Golden Delicious apple, vanilla fudge, mint, and ground pepper, with a later surge of more concentrated vanilla and banana chips. (3,000 bottles for the U.S.) —JM 90 Yamato, 40%, $55 See Best Values, page 129. 88 Sensei Mizunara Japanese Oak Cask, 40%, $40 The lack of sweetness or fruitiness on the nose makes this feel austere, with aromatic five spice, oiled woods, bell pepper, celery stalks, and tulips. The taste profile starts light with bitter lemon, vanilla, and…

John Salley has a story to tell. The four-time NBA champion has played alongside Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant, and starred in movies with Will Smith and Whoopi Goldberg. So imagine him cutting a cigar, pouring you each a whisky, and taking you back in time with any number of tales, like the one he’s sharing now. He’s describing a game he played against the Boston Celtics in 1986, his first year with the Detroit Pistons, in which he was tasked with guarding Robert Parish. After the veteran Parish beat Salley down the court, Pistons head coach Chuck Daly had a word with the young rookie. “It was the one time I had a lapse. They’re the Celtics,” Salley explains, “you don’t have time to lapse.” After the game, which…

As rational human beings, we are all aware that some things we eat and drink are better for us than others. A glass of water is superior to a sugary cola after exercise, for instance, and an apple is nutritionally more sound than a cream-filled Twinkie or Swiss Roll. So why do we so often reach for the less beneficial option? The answer, of course, is indulgence. That is why the snack cake endures as an American favorite, even many decades after America’s fitness obsession first took hold. After fully exploring the category by wandering through the snack food aisles of various grocery stores, I settled on five principal snack cake categories: cream-filled vanilla cakes, cream-filled chocolate cakes, fruit pies, oversized cookie sandwiches, and various forms of glazed or frosted…

Pumpkin flavor instantly evokes memories of autumn: vibrant yellow and auburn-colored trees, a slight chill in the air, and the rustle of crisp leaves under your feet. And there are so many delicious ways to enjoy the fruit—yes, it’s a fruit—from pies to breads to soups and even whisky cocktails. “When pumpkin is cooked it releases natural baking spice flavors that wonderfully complement the barrel-aged notes in whisky,” says Billy Caruso, Chicago-based executive chef and beverage director at Rye Deli + Drink. “I like the viscosity and texture that pumpkin brings to a cocktail—it creates a more round and full-bodied mouthfeel.” There are lots of possibilities for experimentation with pumpkin in a whisky drink. You can make pumpkin syrup, which typically consists of pumpkin puree, sugar, and water, and there…

RUM Vitae Spirits Distiller’s Reserve Smoked Rum 40% • $50 Distilled from evaporated cane juice and blended with custom pecan wood “liquid smoke” produced at the distillery. TASTES LIKE Raisin-pecan candy sprinkled with smoked sugar TRY IT IN A rum Old Fashioned, garnished with a flamed orange peel GIN Captive Spirits Peat Barreled Big Gin 47% • $30 Made with nine botanicals, including Tasmanian pepper berry, and matured in Ardbeg, Laphroaig, and Westland Peated American single malt casks. TASTES LIKE Briny lemon and pink peppercorn with a puff of distant smoke TRY IT IN A Smoldering Martini: 2 parts gin to 1 part dry vermouth, garnished with a charred rosemary sprig VODKA Kalak Peat Cask Single Malt Grain Spirit 40% • $34 Made in Ireland of 100% malted barley and distilled four times in copper…

WORLD RECORD Elmer T. Lee 1919–2013 Single Barrel Commemorative Edition, 46.5% Hammer Price: $1,658 Scotch Whisky Auctions, May 2021 This single barrel tribute was a fitting release for Elmer T. Lee’s legacy; the master distiller is remembered for creating the first single barrel bourbon. While the 90th birthday edition can fetch nearly three times as much, this commemorative bottle is catching up quickly. WORLD RECORD Colonel E.H. Taylor Warehouse C Tornado Surviving, 50% Hammer Price: $8,492 Whisky Auctioneer, March 2021 Priced at $70 on release, this bottling was created from barrels that survived the 2006 storm but became exposed to the Kentucky climate. Colonel E.H. Taylor Jr. built Warehouse C in 1885, but thankfully, the damage to the historic brick rickhouse was repairable. The enduring appeal of this bottle demonstrates…

The release ofLeopold Bros. T Three Chamber rye whiskey is the most significant whiskey event of the year, and the most important milestone to date in the young history of American craft distilling. When craft distilling began, one of the movement’s promises was innovation, and innovation there has been. Lots of it. But nothing like this. Flavorings and wood finishes are easy. That’s why you see so many of them. Innovations that start from scratch are harder and riskier. Innovation that requires a sophisticated piece of custom-made distilling equipment—a type of beer still that hasn’t been made in living memory—sets the bar much higher. To understand the three-chamber still, imagine three pot stills in series, one on top of the other. It is not quite as continuous as a column,…

Counterfeiting remains a prime concern for distillers whose products appear on the secondary market boards. Because the black market is strictly a buy-at-your-own-risk proposition, the possibility of getting a phony bottle is real, especially for the hordes of newcomers. Thankfully, the bourbon community has Adam Herz, a whiskey detective. Herz, a Hollywood screenwriter and producer, is also a bona fide whiskey expert. His work is meticulous, often posted in boards and groups with a warning to watch out for a particular individual Herz has snared. His methodical questioning of a suspect almost always results in the individual incriminating himself. With a pleasant approach to his queries right up to the final moment, Herz is the Columbo of whiskey. “COVID has definitely resulted in an upswing in fakery,” Herz says. “It’s…

Kentucky, land of bourbon and horses, is a magical place. Within her borders lie hundreds of equine farms, making the Bluegrass State the world’s leader in thoroughbreds as well as bourbon. With more than a million acres of Kentucky land maintained for horses, it’s hard to miss the rolling pastures that are home to these remarkable creatures, that can be seen munching on grass and swatting pesky flies with their tails as you drive by. Kentucky became home to thoroughbreds for many of the same reasons bourbon did: a four-season climate, fresh air, and limestone-filtered water. While providing a superb base ingredient for whiskey, the water also delivers a wallop of bone-building calcium to the pasture grass, along with its famous tinge of blue. Horses and bourbon were part of…

Plan Ahead You must make reservations to visit these working farms; they do not allow drop-in guests. A few, like Old Friends, offer reservations on their websites. Plan ahead and schedule visits at several types of farms through visithorsecountry.com and note that it is customary to tip your tour guide. Meet the Breed Kentucky is known for its state parks, and there’s one dedicated to horses. The Kentucky Horse Park (kyhorsepark.com) in Lexington is a working horse farm situated on 1,200 acres. It offers several horse-related museums, a daily Parade of Breeds Show, access to barns, and even a chance to go riding. You can camp here, too. Action at the Track Churchill Downs Racetrack (churchilldowns.com), home of the Kentucky Derby, is in Louisville, Keeneland Racetrack (keeneland.com) is in Lexington,…

SPEYSIDE SINGLE MALT 93 Balvenie 19 year old Edge of Burnhead Wood, 48.7%, $300 Distilled from barley grown on Balvenie’s Dufftown estate and dried at the distillery over heather plucked from nearby Burnhead Wood. Tropical fragrance of lime and guava, refined by balanced minerality. Spiced honey greets the palate, followed by bitter chocolate and a deeper note of baked orange. Long and spiced on the finish of honey, lemon, vanilla, and a sprinkling of white pepper. All the elegance of Speyside, with added depth and complexity. (1,200 bottles for the U.S.) —DF 93 Craigellachie 24 year old Exceptional Cask Single Cask (No. 4127013182), 52.2%, $300 Matured in a single oloroso sherry butt. Quite fruity on the nose, with notes of kiwi, juicy mango, fruit cocktail, blueberry pie, lemon bars, and…

BOURBON AND FINISHED BOURBON 94 Barrell Cask-Strength Blend of Straight (Batch 029), 57.94%, $90 Initially soft and reticent on the nose, with water revealing the sweet maltiness of a vanilla shake, as well as buttered toast, almonds, and melon. A smooth creamy palate shows honey, blueberry pie, and vanilla ice cream. Baking spice and more pie notes emerge, along with toasted walnuts, bitter coffee, chocolate, and a finish of cinnamon-sprinkled vanilla custard and baking spice. A hot one, even with water, but loaded with well-integrated flavors. —DF 93 Bib & Tucker 6 year old Small Batch (No. 22), 46%, $46 Fresh herbs greet the nose, followed by notes of marmalade, birthday cake, roasted peanuts, and musty antique shop. Well-tempered sweetness on the palate—a basketful of fresh blueberries, fresh peaches and…

BELGIUM 93 August 17th Rare Cask 8 year old Single Malt, 48%, $180 After 7-years in port and cognac, the extra year of sauternes cask finishing wraps an attractive layer of yellow fruits around this whisky. Sweet melon, vanilla, honeysuckle, apple pie, and golden syrup, with base notes of cranberry, cherry, and allspice. Incredibly smooth and silky mouthfeel with lush flavors of apple, golden sugar, tangy clementine peel, lime zest, and a shiver of peppery spices. A real gem. (18 bottles for the U.S.) —JM 91 Belgian Owl Identité 3 year old, 46%, $80 An appealing array of honeysuckle, lilies, lemon zest, sanded oak, vanilla sweetness, honey, fresh linen, and sliced apple draws in a crowd. This is a very fine dram for its age, with flavors of lemon sherbet,…

I’m deaccessioning. Well, cleaning out, but when you think of your stuff as being carefully curated, it’s called deaccessioning, like they do at MOMA or the Met. It’s not my idea, of course—curators never willingly deaccession—it’s at the behest of herself, the Steadfast Monica, who regular readers will recall from previous appearances. But I agree. As a responsible elder with shelves and cabinets full of whisky and cocktail paraphernalia, it was only a question of time. I’ve always been responsible, btw (which used to be shorthand for between until the cyberkinder got hold of it), never keeping the plethora of branded swag that comes your way in this business: T-shirts, glassware, flasks, and hats emblazoned with distillers’ names. It proves that I do have some standards, or at least that…

Coveted top-shelf American bourbons for your top-shelf whisky bar. Only the best of the best ever clear 90 points by Whisky Advocate. The few whiskies that do are forever part of an elite club. The high hurdle of 90 points is strictly awarded to those that are remarkable examples of their category and the overall craft. Savor these sought-after whiskeys as you refine your palate.…

Sipping whisky with friends can be a fun pastime on its own, but why not make a night of it with whisky-themed board games? Bourbon-accented playing cards, a board battle that pits distiller versus distiller, whisky trivia, and a whisky barrel chess set—check out these game night choices.…

Are you ready for crypto whisky? NFTs, non-fungible tokens, will be a contender for most-searched word of the year in 2021. Christie’s shook up the art world with its $69 million sale of Beeple’s digital collage “Everydays: The First 5000 Days” in March, leading emboldened auctioneers to devise further sales of NFT works by various crypto artists. Unsurprisingly, it wasn’t long before whisky NFTs were being touted. While many of the early attempts at crypto whiskies flouted trademark laws and looked crude and amateurish, don’t bet against the idea taking off completely. Avid gamers already pay for in-app purchases of aesthetic upgrades that offer no physical item or advancement in gameplay. Tens of thousands of whiskies sell online every month to buyers who place their trust in the digital image…

It felt like a pivotal moment in the auction world. On April 30th of this year, Sotheby’s concluded The Thoroughbred Collection of American Whiskeys sale in New York—one day before the 2021 Kentucky Derby. This was Sotheby’s firstever single-owner auction of American whiskeys. With numerous bottles of LeNell’s Red Hook rye and Willett Single Barrel rye on offer, the sale saw some of the highest prices ever paid for American whiskey, delivering a combined hammer price of $772,400 from just over 250 bottles. “We considered the U.S. a slightly weaker market in comparison to the UK and Asia when it comes to selling scotch,” says Sotheby’s spirits specialist Jonny Fowle. “This [sale] has made me think that the U.S. has its place in the global whisky auction scene—and it’s…

Bourbon is a key component of any great home bar, but there’s no reason why it shouldn’t play a starring role in the kitchen, too. With its classic flavors of vanilla, caramel, and notes of dried fruit and sweet spice, a bourbon pairing can lift any dish to the stratosphere. In this first of a series, we’ve decided to see just how far bourbon and food pairings can go. After consulting with some of the top chefs from across the U.S., we’ve brought together an appetizer, an entree, and a dessert, and then paired each of them with three bourbon options—a crafted cocktail, a chef’s recommended bourbon, and a special occasion pour. The range of flavors represented in these dishes illustrates just how versatile bourbon can be—and how it can…

Kentucky bourbon is prized for its bold flavors and authenticity. Like an oldschool steakhouse, it harnesses tradition and authority to deliver a rarified experience, a process and product that have been perfected over time. But whiskey drinkers, like gourmands, have ever-expanding palates, and as much as the old ways work, and work well, there is no denying the excitement of new ideas and perspectives on something as universally beloved as bourbon. “Kentucky bourbon is a unique product unto its own. And frankly, it’s a very good one,” says Bill Welter, owner and head distiller at Journeyman Distillery in Michigan. As for Journeyman’s Featherbone bourbon, which uses an all-organic mashbill of 70% corn, 25% wheat, and 5% rye, Welter states, “We weren’t really setting out to try and replicate something that…

RATINGS AND PRICES Ratings are to provide a relative comparison of quality with reference to both directly competing products and whiskies in general. Price is not a consideration when arriving at ratings. Prices shown reflect the suggested retail price or a representative retail price. Actual retail prices may vary. Whiskies sold in the U.S. have prices marked in dollars; any whisky priced in other currency is not presently available in the U.S. FEATURED WHISKIES Groups of similar whiskies sometimes appear as a special focus and Whisky Advocate Selections are highlights of the issue’s reviews. These selections and accompanying images are for editorial purposes only and are not the result of any commercial transaction between Whisky Advocate and the producers. REVIEWERS All the whiskies in our Buying Guide are tasted blind…

IRISH SINGLE MALT 92 The Irishman 17 year old Single Malt Single Cask (2021 Release), 56%, $160 With a well-matured sherry cask character, this whiskey works beautifully paired with Belgian chocolates after a fine dinner. Rich dried fruits, molasses, prunes, black cherry, aromatic spice rubs, walnut oil, and savory juices on the nose. Luxuriant palate of raisin, stewed fruits, black coffee, treacle, pepper, and clove, with a slight savory return. It rounds off with toffee apple, Brazil nut, and a long finish of peppercorn. Another excellent barrel this year. (600 bottles for the U.S.) —JM IRISH BLENDED 94 The Irishman Vintage Cask (2021 Release), 54.8%, $165 Honey, viennoiserie, and floral top notes combine with baked orange, ground hazelnut, baking spices, and dunnage floor to produce a solid nose with plenty…

91 Slyrs Fifty One Single Malt, 51%, $95 Plenty of intrigue on the nose, with floral top notes, light vanilla fudge, the juiciness of blood orange, pomegranate, and a sprinkling of whole pepper. Syrupy texture with flavors dominated by pears, slowly overcome by the long buildup of spice—pepper, clove, and cinnamon—with a final act of black cherry, black currant jelly, and praline. Dilution provides a shortcut to those fleshy dark fruits. Quite delicious and heartily recommended. —JM 89 Slyrs Classic Single Malt, 43%, $85 All the colors of the rainbow: a vibrant citrus nose with early herbal notes that quickly yields to scents of fresh gooseber-ries, key lime pie, and orange peel. Initial vanilla and caramel suggest new American oak on the palate, before a surge of sharp citrus acidity…

4 Million Years Ago Early man ends a day of swinging from trees by jumping down to test out bipedalism and grabbing fermented fruit off the forest floor. The Future When we’re living on the Moon or Mars, we suspect happy hours will be better than ever! 15,000 Years Ago Tired from working the fields, our ancestors sip a liquid made from their own fermented grain at the dawn of agriculture. 2020 We all Zoomed into virtual happy hours to keep the party going. 3000 B.C. At the end of a day of meditating to their gods, Druids enjoyed chouchen, a low-alcohol mead made from fermented honey. 1962 Bond, James Bond, grabs a Vesper in public after a day of secret intelligence work. 1500 B.C. After cutting stone and moving…

Everyone’s entitled to their particular whisky homerism, be it scotch, Irish, Canadian, even Japanese or Indian. But when mixed drinks are the order, one whiskey category looms above all others at the cocktail bar: American. For proof, just look to the almost unfailingly good results that come from mixing with bourbon, rye, and Tennessee whiskey. These American straight whiskeys, all made with new charred-oak barrels, bring deep, sweet, bold flavors that stand up to, yet play well with, nearly any sweetener, liqueur, aperitif, or bitters they are likely to encounter. Fruit and fruit juices are also welcome to join these versatile whiskeys, hence the long list of classic cocktails that enjoy their support, like the Old Fashioned, Manhattan, Brooklyn, Sazerac, Mint Julep, Whiskey Sour, Ward Eight, and Rock and Rye.…

Add Honey, You’re Home One of the first classic cocktails to emerge during the 2000s cocktail renaissance, the Gold Rush is essentially a riff on a Whiskey Sour. One slow night at a neo-speakeasy on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, the bored bartender who had just finished his shift and was relaxing with a night cap decided to swap simple syrup with a rich honey syrup when making a traditional Whiskey Sour. Such a simple change, but the result was extraordinary—honey syrup adds sweet depth to the bright fresh citrus and vanilla-caramel notes of Maker’s Mark®. With a few other tweaks, it’s easy to make the Gold Rush your own. Classic Maker’s Mark® Gold Rush 2 parts of Maker’s Mark® Bourbon¾ part honey syrup*¾ part fresh squeezed lemon juice…