Here is more detail about the bourbon shortage discussed here on Wednesday, courtesy of Sazerac President Mark Brown. (Sazerac owns the Buffalo Trace and Barton 1792 distilleries.)
On pricing: "Costs have been increasing for energy and raw materials like corn," says Brown. "Any price increases we are implementing, or contemplating, are primarily tied to recovering those cost increases, as opposed to changing any brand’s position."
On brands: "Each and every brand has a specific sales forecast out through its product age plus several years and therefore has its own allocation of whiskey," says Brown. That means for, let's say Eagle Rare Single Barrel, a 10-year-old, that they have allocated existing whiskey stocks based on meeting sales forecasts for 10+ years. If actual sales exceed the forecast in any of those years, shortages could occur, but since forecasts and inventory allocations are periodically adjusted based on actual sales, adjustments to production are made the only place they can be, in the current year.
On staffing: "We are actually ahead of the curve since we anticipate the need to manage sales, allocations and stocks increasing more so in a year’s time from now," said Brown in response to comments here and elsewhere that Buffalo Trace should have hired its new inventory manager sooner.
On the press release itself: "We felt it was time to explain why folks are already seeing gaps on the shelves (i.e. Weller 12) and from our vantage point why those gaps will be occurring on various brands for some time to come," says Brown. "We have had extensive debates about what to do about the supply / demand imbalance and our conclusion is that the best thing to do is stay the course with each brand’s position in the market and spread the available supplies out as evenly as we can."
It should be noted that this is an issue throughout the entire whiskey industry. Sazerac is now on-the-record as to how it intends to deal with the matter. If any other producers decide to weigh in on the subject, you'll read about it here.
Friday, May 24, 2013
Thursday, May 23, 2013
Rumor Mill Identifies Site of Long-Rumored Angel's Envy Distillery
Last summer, part of the former Vermont American Corp. complex in downtown Louisville was razed to make way for the downtown portion of the Ohio River Bridges Project. At the time, Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear announced that the remainder of the complex would be redeveloped and that negotiations with a prospective developer were underway.
The site is just south of Louisville Slugger Field, home of the Louisville Bats, a minor league (AAA) baseball affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds. It is at the easternmost end of the Whiskey Row district that Louisville has been trying to revive.
The Vermont American property has been vacant for decades. The site is heavily contaminated. Vermont American's parent company, Robert Bosch Tool Corp., has agreed to pay for environmental cleanup of the grounds and courtyard.
Meanwhile, Louisville Distilling Company has been talking about opening a distillery in downtown Louisville since before it launched its Angel's Envy brand two years ago. The bourbon whiskey for Angel's Envy is made by an undisclosed distillery, then finished in port casks by Louisville Distilling. The company is owned by Chicago entrepreneur Mark Bushala but Lincoln Henderson, former master distiller at Brown-Forman, is responsible for the whiskey. His son, Wes, and grandson, Kyle, run the day-to-day operation.
Rumors swirling around Louisville are now connecting Louisville Distilling to the Vermont American site. A few blocks west, Heaven Hill is nearing completion of its Evan Williams Experience and another non-distiller producer, Michter's, is trying to develop another old building into a micro-distillery and brand homeplace.
Earlier this week, the rumors gained credence by being reported at Insider Louisville. Asked about the rumors, Kyle Henderson did not confirm the Vermont American site but did announce which Louisville architects won the redevelopment job. He also hinted that an official announcement about the company's future plans would be made by the end of the month. Other sources at Angel's Envy/Louisville Distilling are making no effort to distance themselves from the rumors.
The Angel's Envy brand is doing well and doesn't need the buzz, but the distillery project has increasingly seemed like a pipedream. Since several recently announced new distilleries, including Michter's, have failed to materialize, the Hendersons need to manage expectations.
Even if the location is announced next week, realization of the distillery dream is still a long way off. Environmental remediation of the site has yet to begin. Construction will take about a year. Finally, the distillery equipment will need to be built, installed, and tested.
Louisville's Vendome Copper and Brass, which is nearby, will no doubt make the equipment. Vendome recently increased its estimated time from order to delivery to nine months.
Assuming distillation begins by the end of 2014, an optimistic projection, nothing will be ready to sell before 2019. It's also not known what Louisville Distilling intends in terms of scale. Will it be a small, demonstration distillery like Evan Williams is planning, or large enough to allow the company to stop relying on bulk whiskey purchases? Transitioning a bulk-based brand to home made has never been accomplished but if anyone can do it, Lincoln Henderson can.
Louisville city boosters praise the idea of a craft distillery on the Vermont American site because it will provide another tourism-friendly business across from the ballpark, as well as anchoring the Whiskey Row redevelopment with a whiskey-oriented attraction. Coincidentally, the western end of Whiskey Row is anchored by the Louisville Slugger Museum. The Michter's site is right across the street.
The recently-opened Yum Center arena is also on Main Street, in the approximate center of the redevelopment area, which is also adjacent to the Ohio River. During Louisville's recent Kentucky Derby festivities, Angel's Envy hosted a temporary 'pop-up' bar close to the Vermont American property at 400 E. Main. The neighborhood recently has become home to several popular new bars and restaurants.
We should know more in a week or so.
The site is just south of Louisville Slugger Field, home of the Louisville Bats, a minor league (AAA) baseball affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds. It is at the easternmost end of the Whiskey Row district that Louisville has been trying to revive.
The Vermont American property has been vacant for decades. The site is heavily contaminated. Vermont American's parent company, Robert Bosch Tool Corp., has agreed to pay for environmental cleanup of the grounds and courtyard.
Meanwhile, Louisville Distilling Company has been talking about opening a distillery in downtown Louisville since before it launched its Angel's Envy brand two years ago. The bourbon whiskey for Angel's Envy is made by an undisclosed distillery, then finished in port casks by Louisville Distilling. The company is owned by Chicago entrepreneur Mark Bushala but Lincoln Henderson, former master distiller at Brown-Forman, is responsible for the whiskey. His son, Wes, and grandson, Kyle, run the day-to-day operation.
Rumors swirling around Louisville are now connecting Louisville Distilling to the Vermont American site. A few blocks west, Heaven Hill is nearing completion of its Evan Williams Experience and another non-distiller producer, Michter's, is trying to develop another old building into a micro-distillery and brand homeplace.
Earlier this week, the rumors gained credence by being reported at Insider Louisville. Asked about the rumors, Kyle Henderson did not confirm the Vermont American site but did announce which Louisville architects won the redevelopment job. He also hinted that an official announcement about the company's future plans would be made by the end of the month. Other sources at Angel's Envy/Louisville Distilling are making no effort to distance themselves from the rumors.
The Angel's Envy brand is doing well and doesn't need the buzz, but the distillery project has increasingly seemed like a pipedream. Since several recently announced new distilleries, including Michter's, have failed to materialize, the Hendersons need to manage expectations.
Even if the location is announced next week, realization of the distillery dream is still a long way off. Environmental remediation of the site has yet to begin. Construction will take about a year. Finally, the distillery equipment will need to be built, installed, and tested.
Louisville's Vendome Copper and Brass, which is nearby, will no doubt make the equipment. Vendome recently increased its estimated time from order to delivery to nine months.
Assuming distillation begins by the end of 2014, an optimistic projection, nothing will be ready to sell before 2019. It's also not known what Louisville Distilling intends in terms of scale. Will it be a small, demonstration distillery like Evan Williams is planning, or large enough to allow the company to stop relying on bulk whiskey purchases? Transitioning a bulk-based brand to home made has never been accomplished but if anyone can do it, Lincoln Henderson can.
Louisville city boosters praise the idea of a craft distillery on the Vermont American site because it will provide another tourism-friendly business across from the ballpark, as well as anchoring the Whiskey Row redevelopment with a whiskey-oriented attraction. Coincidentally, the western end of Whiskey Row is anchored by the Louisville Slugger Museum. The Michter's site is right across the street.
The recently-opened Yum Center arena is also on Main Street, in the approximate center of the redevelopment area, which is also adjacent to the Ohio River. During Louisville's recent Kentucky Derby festivities, Angel's Envy hosted a temporary 'pop-up' bar close to the Vermont American property at 400 E. Main. The neighborhood recently has become home to several popular new bars and restaurants.
We should know more in a week or so.
Wednesday, May 22, 2013
Whiskey Shortage Is So Bad, Buffalo Trace Has Issued a Press Release
Whiskey stocks have been tight for the last decade or so, but there has been no shortage of rumors about brands or expressions being discontinued, prices being raised, or products being degraded through reductions in alcohol content or age.
The problem is a simple one. Quantities needed for sale in 2013 were predicted in 2009 or earlier. Most of the bourbon being distilled today won't be available for sale until at least 2017. No one predicted that the current bourbon boom would shift into another gear about three years ago. It's a nice problem to have compared with the alternative, but it can be difficult to manage, as Maker's Mark showed in February with the proof cut fiasco.
The problem is so acute that Buffalo Trace Distillery (owned by Sazerac), no doubt in response to a barrage of inquiries from retailers and consumers, today felt compelled to issue a press release acknowledging the problem.
Despite our producing more every year, it says, demand continues to outpace supply.
“We are making more bourbon every day," says Kris Comstock, bourbon marketing director at Buffalo Trace. "Our warehouses are filling up with new barrels. Waiting for the bourbon to come of age is the hard part. While we wait, there could be temporary product shortages, even on favorites like Buffalo Trace and Eagle Rare.”
Although the press release doesn't mention it specifically, Weller 12 has already experienced localized out-of-stock conditions. The entire Van Winkle line, which is produced by Buffalo Trace, has become scarce to the point of absurdity. Buffalo Trace predicts that fans of its other leading brands such as Blanton's, Buffalo Trace, and Eagle Rare may soon be greeted by bare shelves.
Comstock wants you to know that Buffalo Trace is committed to quality. "We won’t take drastic measures to mitigate the shortages, such as raising prices excessively, lowering the proof or reducing the age of our whiskies,” says Comstock. And any shortages will be temporary.
The only news in the release is that Buffalo Trace will add to its staff someone dedicated to watching and balancing bourbon inventory with sales.
The problem is a simple one. Quantities needed for sale in 2013 were predicted in 2009 or earlier. Most of the bourbon being distilled today won't be available for sale until at least 2017. No one predicted that the current bourbon boom would shift into another gear about three years ago. It's a nice problem to have compared with the alternative, but it can be difficult to manage, as Maker's Mark showed in February with the proof cut fiasco.
The problem is so acute that Buffalo Trace Distillery (owned by Sazerac), no doubt in response to a barrage of inquiries from retailers and consumers, today felt compelled to issue a press release acknowledging the problem.
Despite our producing more every year, it says, demand continues to outpace supply.
“We are making more bourbon every day," says Kris Comstock, bourbon marketing director at Buffalo Trace. "Our warehouses are filling up with new barrels. Waiting for the bourbon to come of age is the hard part. While we wait, there could be temporary product shortages, even on favorites like Buffalo Trace and Eagle Rare.”
Although the press release doesn't mention it specifically, Weller 12 has already experienced localized out-of-stock conditions. The entire Van Winkle line, which is produced by Buffalo Trace, has become scarce to the point of absurdity. Buffalo Trace predicts that fans of its other leading brands such as Blanton's, Buffalo Trace, and Eagle Rare may soon be greeted by bare shelves.
Comstock wants you to know that Buffalo Trace is committed to quality. "We won’t take drastic measures to mitigate the shortages, such as raising prices excessively, lowering the proof or reducing the age of our whiskies,” says Comstock. And any shortages will be temporary.
The only news in the release is that Buffalo Trace will add to its staff someone dedicated to watching and balancing bourbon inventory with sales.
Friday, May 17, 2013
Feel Free to Buy Something
You probably come here for the content in this column, but it's the stuff in the column to the right that supports it. There are books, such as Bourbon, Straight and The Best Bourbon You'll Never Taste. There's the newsletter, The Bourbon Country Reader. And there's also the one-hour documentary, "Made and Bottled in Kentucky."
The reason these are being brought to your attention today is that there have been some changes made that will interest you dear readers who reside outside the United States. The prices for all of these items, for delivery outside the USA, have been recalculated in light of postage rate changes but also due to the way we now manage our e-commerce. While the prices of some items have gone up, a few have gone down. For instance, the price for subscriptions to The Bourbon Country Reader sent to non-U.S. addresses has gone down, from $28.50 USD, to $25.00 USD, only $5 more than the domestic price.
Again, these changes are only for delivery outside the USA. Domestic prices haven't changed, although they probably will have to the next time postage rates are increased.
Here are a few tips for saving money. Some of these apply to domestic shoppers too. Both books and the DVD are available from Amazon. Because they often will be shipping from inside your country, their prices may be lower for you shoppers outside the U.S. Also, sometimes Amazon does deals and sells below the prices here.
Another way to save money is via Amazon Sellers. This only applies to Bourbon, Straight, but we always have some books that are slightly damaged (and we do mean slightly) available through our Amazon Sellers store at a reduced price. Look for Made and Bottled in Kentucky as the shop name.
Please note that books bought through this web site can be signed by the author, if you wish, at no additional cost. Look for a fill-in space on the order form that says "inscription." Please write exactly how you would like the book inscribed. Please remember that it's the author signing the book, not you. He can't write "All my love, Mom," although he might be willing to write something like "your mother sends her love."
Another suggestion for saving money on the books, especially for The Best Bourbon You'll Never Taste, is the e-book option. The e-book edition of Best Bourbon costs about a third of what the print version does. Both books are available for either Kindle or Nook. You can use a Kindle book on virtually any platform (i.e., i-book for Apple devices) except Nook, and you can use a Nook book on virtually any platform except Kindle.
For newsletter subscribers who want to renew their subscription, there is no separate 'renewal' button. Just use the standard "subscribe now" button. If you want to write 'renewal' in the special instructions box, that's helpful, but we will recognize the name and address of a current subscriber. If you want to renew for more than one year, just buy two subscriptions, although in that case an instruction is helpful, so we know you didn't just subscribe twice by accident (it happens).
Thank you for accommodating this advertising message. We try to keep this sort of thing to a minimum and we hope you appreciate that we don't clutter up the page with Google Ads or other advertising. We appreciate your support.
The reason these are being brought to your attention today is that there have been some changes made that will interest you dear readers who reside outside the United States. The prices for all of these items, for delivery outside the USA, have been recalculated in light of postage rate changes but also due to the way we now manage our e-commerce. While the prices of some items have gone up, a few have gone down. For instance, the price for subscriptions to The Bourbon Country Reader sent to non-U.S. addresses has gone down, from $28.50 USD, to $25.00 USD, only $5 more than the domestic price.
Again, these changes are only for delivery outside the USA. Domestic prices haven't changed, although they probably will have to the next time postage rates are increased.
Here are a few tips for saving money. Some of these apply to domestic shoppers too. Both books and the DVD are available from Amazon. Because they often will be shipping from inside your country, their prices may be lower for you shoppers outside the U.S. Also, sometimes Amazon does deals and sells below the prices here.
Another way to save money is via Amazon Sellers. This only applies to Bourbon, Straight, but we always have some books that are slightly damaged (and we do mean slightly) available through our Amazon Sellers store at a reduced price. Look for Made and Bottled in Kentucky as the shop name.
Please note that books bought through this web site can be signed by the author, if you wish, at no additional cost. Look for a fill-in space on the order form that says "inscription." Please write exactly how you would like the book inscribed. Please remember that it's the author signing the book, not you. He can't write "All my love, Mom," although he might be willing to write something like "your mother sends her love."
Another suggestion for saving money on the books, especially for The Best Bourbon You'll Never Taste, is the e-book option. The e-book edition of Best Bourbon costs about a third of what the print version does. Both books are available for either Kindle or Nook. You can use a Kindle book on virtually any platform (i.e., i-book for Apple devices) except Nook, and you can use a Nook book on virtually any platform except Kindle.
For newsletter subscribers who want to renew their subscription, there is no separate 'renewal' button. Just use the standard "subscribe now" button. If you want to write 'renewal' in the special instructions box, that's helpful, but we will recognize the name and address of a current subscriber. If you want to renew for more than one year, just buy two subscriptions, although in that case an instruction is helpful, so we know you didn't just subscribe twice by accident (it happens).
Thank you for accommodating this advertising message. We try to keep this sort of thing to a minimum and we hope you appreciate that we don't clutter up the page with Google Ads or other advertising. We appreciate your support.
Sunday, May 12, 2013
A Standards-of-Identity Brain Teaser
Riddle me this, Batman. When is whiskey not whiskey?
Arguably, when it's sorghum whiskey.
Queen Jennie Sorghum Whiskey is a product of the Old Sugar Distillery in Madison, Wisconsin. The rules say whiskey is "an alcoholic distillate from a fermented mash of grain." The U.S. Grains Council describes Sorghum bicolor, the species in question, as the "fifth most important cereal crop grown in the world."
So no problem, right? Sorghum is a cereal, i.e., a grain, so sorghum spirit is whiskey. The Federal regulators obviously agree, because Old Sugar got its label approved and is selling the product now.
But Old Sugar's product, like other distilled spirits made from sorghum, is not made from the plant's seeds--as is the case with whiskeys made from corn, barley, wheat, rye, etc.--but rather from a sweet liquid derived by squeezing the plant's stalk, much like sugar cane.
Sugar cane, it should be noted, is also a grass, like corn and the other cereals, but spirits made from its sugary juice are classified as rum, not whiskey. Phil Prichard, he of the Tennessee distillery that bears his name, has argued that sorghum spirit should be classified as rum. Unfortunately, the rule for rum is explicit. The source must be sugar cane.
But since the sorghum plant's seeds are not used to make sorghum spirit, it's clearly not made from "a fermented mash of grain," and so shouldn't be classified as whiskey either.
Old Sugar follows the rules. Their sorghum whiskey is aged in charred oak barrels. It's not clear if those barrels are single-use, as required for bourbon, et al, but let's assume they are. It certainly is a legitimate distilled spirits product, but is it whiskey?
All spirits made from grain go through a process in which enzymes are used to convert grain starches into sugar, so fermentation can take place. Sorghum juice is sugar already, like cane, and so doesn't go through that process. The resulting liquor tastes more rum-like than whiskey-like, so someone expecting whiskey characteristics might be disappointed.
So, what do you think? The Batputer fried its circuits on this one.
Thursday, May 9, 2013
Louisville's Evan Williams Bourbon Experience Joins the Kentucky Bourbon Trail
Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer made the announcement at the downtown site on historic Whiskey Row where Heaven Hill is building its multi-million dollar artisanal distillery and immersive tourism experience, scheduled to open this fall. (Pictured here in an architectural rendering.)
“I can’t think of a better way to celebrate National Travel and Tourism Week,” Fischer said. “This is a huge step to enhance the city’s Bourbon tourism efforts."
Heaven Hill executives and other leaders of the Kentucky Distillers’ Association, which created the Kentucky Bourbon Trail program in 1999, gave Fischer a commemorative barrel filled with whiskey from all eight distillery stops to mark the occasion.
“Today starts a great new tourism partnership for our signature industry and the city of Louisville that will pay benefits for years to come,” said Max L. Shapira, President of Heaven Hill Distilleries, Inc., the largest independent family owned and operated distilled spirits company in the United States.
“The skyrocketing success of the Kentucky Bourbon Trail tour has been amazing,” he said. “It is a world-class and much-celebrated attraction, drawing hundreds of thousands of visitors from around the world, all eager to spend and savor our unique Bourbon history.”
More than 2.5 million people have visited Kentucky Bourbon Trail distilleries in the last five years, including a record 509,292 in 2012, said KDA President Eric Gregory. That was the first time the tour broke the half-million mark in a single year.
Gregory called Louisville "a Kentucky Bourbon Trail anchor.” As Kentucky's largest city and business capital, Louisville has much to offer bourbon-oriented visitors. For years, it has offered its Urban Bourbon Trail, a collection of bars deemed hospitable to bourbon seekers. Earlier this year, it debuted "The Bourbon Classic," which is slated to become Louisville's annual bourbon festival. Louisville has many other visitor attractions, such as the Louisville Slugger Museum and Muhammad Ali Center, many great lodging choices, and a dynamic culinary scene.
The Evan Williams Bourbon Experience, located at 528 West Main Street, may mark the beginning of a trend of brand welcome centers based in downtown Louisville. The Main Street neighborhood itself is historic for bourbon fans. Evan Williams' original 1783 distillery was located almost directly across the street from the new visitor attraction and that whole section of Main Street housed dozens of whiskey company offices and warehouses through the late 19th century.
The 'Experience' will offer guided tours where guests will travel back in time to see Evan Williams’ original distillery, Louisville town hall meetings, and wharf scenes and video renderings of turn-of-the-century Whiskey Row. The highlight will be a fully functioning artisanal pot still distillery, with gleaming copper pot stills that are a modern version of the same type of equipment Evan Williams used in his distillery more than 200 years ago.
One of the signature features is the façade of the building (pictured above). The five-story-high Evan Williams Bourbon bottle graphic will transform into a large, glass, flowing Bourbon fountain in the lobby. “We’re confident that this new attraction will continue the revitalization of Whiskey Row and bring the same kind of success that we’ve been fortunate to receive with our Bourbon Heritage Center in Bardstown,” said Harry J. Shapira, Executive Vice President for Heaven Hill.
Marcheta Sparrow, Secretary of the Kentucky Tourism, Arts and Heritage Cabinet, said the Kentucky Bourbon Trail program is “perhaps the most innovative and best example of private sector tourism development Kentucky has ever experienced."
Wednesday, May 8, 2013
God-Like, Robert Parker Conquers (His Word) Bourbon in One Fell Swoop
When you read wine guru Robert Parker's review of 29 bourbons and one rye, as posted by David Driscoll in Spirits Journal, you may wonder if it's not a wicked parody by David. It's not, or maybe it is, but the author is Parker, not Driscoll.
Naturally, people who write about bourbon more than once in a lifetime are not amused. "Scotch and Ice Cream" took the first swat. That was picked up and amplified upon by Clay Risen, he of the New York Times and with a new encyclopedic bourbon book on the way, who quickly posted, "Robert Parker and the Douche-ification of Bourbon."
For all true bourbonians, a sly smirk is probably the best response to all of this. No real harm is being done. Can the Van Winkle line get any more unobtainiumable?
And there is plenty in the review at which to smirk. Parker is a taster and his tasting notes are fine, perhaps even valuable, and generally on the mark. Famous for his 100-point rating system, he is also the prime underminer of same. His lowest score, for Hudson Baby Bourbon, which he describes as tasting "somewhat diluted, simple and harsh" and "over-matched by everything around it," is 82.
It's not a 100-point scale unless you use all 100 points. Here Parker uses an 18-point scale. That's worth a grin.
He also does not appear to know nor care that it's insane to compare Hudson Baby Bourbon to Pappy Van Winkle 23 just because they both have the word "bourbon" on the label. Would he compare a Pinot Noir to a Sauterne? Not without at least noting their inherent differences first.
He also doesn't care much for Woodford Reserve. It's the only Brown-Forman product he tasted. The only Beam product he tasted was Maker's 46. Each got 88 points. Heaven Hill did a little better. They got two on the list, Parker's Heritage Collection 2012 Mashbill Blend (92 points) and Evan Williams 23-year-old (95 points).
Products of the three largest producers of American whiskey only merited four places on a list of 30, according to Parker the Conqueror.
Let's go around the horn to the other distilleries. Four Roses, two; Wild Turkey, none; Barton 1792, none; George Dickel, none; Buffalo Trace, 11 (including Van Winkle and A. Smith Bowman).
Predictably, Parker's loves him some Van Winkle. The 20 gets a 95. The 23 gets 100. Yes, Pappy 23-year-old is the perfect bourbon, sez Robert Parker.
The rest? A couple micro-distilleries and a lot of non-distiller producers. Seven places on the list are taken by direct or indirect products from Kentucky Bourbon Distillers, which brokered and bottled the whiskeys reviewed, but made none of them.
Parker seems oblivious to the distinction. He does not, he says, know much about Black Maple Hill, except that it "comes from the Black Maple Hill Distilling Co. in Bardstown, KY," which he apparently does not know is an entirely fictional distillery.
And he gives it a 96, one of his highest scores.
Perhaps it's appropriate that Parker loves the product of a fictional distillery, since he freely admits that his foray into bourbon was inspired by his enjoyment of the TV series, "Justified," which is set in Kentucky and whose characters drink improbable amounts of Van Winkle bourbon.
We can only hope Robert Parker doesn't become enamoured of "The Walking Dead" next.
Naturally, people who write about bourbon more than once in a lifetime are not amused. "Scotch and Ice Cream" took the first swat. That was picked up and amplified upon by Clay Risen, he of the New York Times and with a new encyclopedic bourbon book on the way, who quickly posted, "Robert Parker and the Douche-ification of Bourbon."
For all true bourbonians, a sly smirk is probably the best response to all of this. No real harm is being done. Can the Van Winkle line get any more unobtainiumable?
And there is plenty in the review at which to smirk. Parker is a taster and his tasting notes are fine, perhaps even valuable, and generally on the mark. Famous for his 100-point rating system, he is also the prime underminer of same. His lowest score, for Hudson Baby Bourbon, which he describes as tasting "somewhat diluted, simple and harsh" and "over-matched by everything around it," is 82.
It's not a 100-point scale unless you use all 100 points. Here Parker uses an 18-point scale. That's worth a grin.
He also does not appear to know nor care that it's insane to compare Hudson Baby Bourbon to Pappy Van Winkle 23 just because they both have the word "bourbon" on the label. Would he compare a Pinot Noir to a Sauterne? Not without at least noting their inherent differences first.
He also doesn't care much for Woodford Reserve. It's the only Brown-Forman product he tasted. The only Beam product he tasted was Maker's 46. Each got 88 points. Heaven Hill did a little better. They got two on the list, Parker's Heritage Collection 2012 Mashbill Blend (92 points) and Evan Williams 23-year-old (95 points).
Products of the three largest producers of American whiskey only merited four places on a list of 30, according to Parker the Conqueror.
Let's go around the horn to the other distilleries. Four Roses, two; Wild Turkey, none; Barton 1792, none; George Dickel, none; Buffalo Trace, 11 (including Van Winkle and A. Smith Bowman).
Predictably, Parker's loves him some Van Winkle. The 20 gets a 95. The 23 gets 100. Yes, Pappy 23-year-old is the perfect bourbon, sez Robert Parker.
The rest? A couple micro-distilleries and a lot of non-distiller producers. Seven places on the list are taken by direct or indirect products from Kentucky Bourbon Distillers, which brokered and bottled the whiskeys reviewed, but made none of them.
Parker seems oblivious to the distinction. He does not, he says, know much about Black Maple Hill, except that it "comes from the Black Maple Hill Distilling Co. in Bardstown, KY," which he apparently does not know is an entirely fictional distillery.
And he gives it a 96, one of his highest scores.
Perhaps it's appropriate that Parker loves the product of a fictional distillery, since he freely admits that his foray into bourbon was inspired by his enjoyment of the TV series, "Justified," which is set in Kentucky and whose characters drink improbable amounts of Van Winkle bourbon.
We can only hope Robert Parker doesn't become enamoured of "The Walking Dead" next.
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