Holiday Gifts and Events for Bourbon Fans

The best holiday gift for a bourbon fan is, of course, bourbon. The possibilities are endless.

The next-best holiday gift for a bourbon fan is a bourbon book, bourbon DVD, or bourbon newsletter from the assortment neatly arrayed for you to the right of this column.

Another original choice is a gift set from Bourbon Barrel Foods, such as the Bourbon Barrel-Aged Vanilla and Bourbon Vanilla Sugar combo, just $16. Bourbon Barrel Foods is a small, artisan food maker in Louisville and their signature is products aged in bourbon barrels. The soy sauce is fabulous.

Working with Woodford Reserve, Bourbon Barrel Foods has developed a spiced cherry bitters and a Sorghum Vinaigrette salad dressing. Both are available from Bourbon Barrel Foods and the bitters ($15) is also available on Woodford's site.

Speaking of Woodford Reserve and food, they're one of the few distilleries with an Executive Chef, and she's a good one: Ouita Michel. On Monday, December 17, you can join Ouita for a virtual cooking and Q&A session. Learn why Woodford Reserve pairs so well with holiday foods as Chef Ouita takes you through the Flavor Wheel and provides you with a few yuletide recipes of her own. The broadcast begins at 8PM EST on www.woodfordreserve.com.

Brown Forman's other bourbon, Old Forester, will send you personalized labels that you can affix to a bottle of Old Forester. The self-stick label says the bottle was specially selected for your gift recipient. Best of all, they're free. The labels, that is. You have to buy the whiskey. You can request up to three different labels. Get them from either Old Forester's web site or Facebook page.

Speaking for free gift cards, here's one you can print out and use with any of the fine gifts available here.

Gift Shopping Tips, Part One.

If you're a regular visitor here, you've probably noticed the thumbnails down the right hand side of this page. Maybe you've even checked them out. But being as the season of giving is upon us, allow me to call them to your attention.

I'm preparing a post for Friday that will give some genuine gift shopping tips to please the whiskey drinkers on your list. This post today is a shameless plug for my small portfolio of products and their outstanding giftiness.

First, the book: BOURBON, STRAIGHT; The Uncut and Unfiltered Story of American Whiskey. It's ideal for anyone with the slightest interest in whiskey, from the greenest beginner to the most bourbon-soaked veteran. Clicking here (or on the thumbnail in the right column) takes you to my website. The advantage of buying it there is that I will autograph it for no extra charge. Look for the box that says 'inscription' on the order form.

It's also available on Amazon. They have been discounting it lately, so go there if you want to save a couple bucks. At the moment it's $15.64, you save 32%! (Sorry, no autographs.)

Next comes the DVD, "Made and Bottled in Kentucky." It's a one-hour documentary, produced for public television. It complements the book and, like the book, veteran bourbon fans will enjoy it as much as novices. Click here to get it from my website or here to get it from Amazon.

If you're old school, I have some VHS tapes of it to sell, but only on the web site, no Amazon.

Finally, the newsletter. Consider giving a gift subscription, for the bourbon lover who has everything. I'll admit you have to be pretty into it to want the newsletter, but for a real American whiskey fan there is nothing else like it. It's only available on the web site, here.

For all of the above, use the 'special instructions' box on the web site if you are having the gift shipped to the recipient and would like a gift card included. I don't offer gift wrapping but Amazon does.

Anything you buy through the website is processed by CCNow, my e-commerce provider, so you don't have to worry about me being your main security bulwark. (It would worry me.) I've used CCNow for years and never had a complaint. In addition to all major credit cards, the web site accepts payments through PayPal.

For more information about CCNow, go here.

The last item on the right is a link to the I Wish Lessons web site. There you can buy tickets to my whiskey classes here in Chicago as gifts, or maybe you should call them scholarships. I generally teach all of the whiskey classes I Wish offers in Chicago but before you buy a ticket, confirm with them that I will be the coach (their preferred term) for that particular class. Here are some I know I'm scheduled to teach.

Check back here on Friday for some actual shopping tips about whiskey gifts. It will be the sort of post that someone hoping to receive a whiskey gift might want to print out and leave in a strategic location.

Meanwhile, Happy Thanksgiving!

The 2008 Buffalo Trace Antique Collection Is Here.

The 2008 Antique Collection features the same five limited-release whiskies as last year, with the usual variations as to age, recipe and proof. Here is what whiskey-lovers can expect.

Sazerac Rye 18 Year Old

Two time winner of the “American Whiskey of the Year” award, the 2008 release is comprised of whiskey that has been aging in Warehouse K on the first floor. The first floor enables the barrels to age slowly and gracefully. This vintage has a spicy aroma with very mature notes of oak and molasses.

Eagle Rare 17 Year Old Bourbon

These barrels were distilled in the spring of 1991 and have been aging in Warehouse C. This bourbon was 17 years old at the time of bottling giving it almond, caramel and leather notes with a dry finish.

George T. Stagg Bourbon

The 2008 George T. Stagg was found on the lower floors of Warehouse I and K. This bourbon was distilled back in the spring of 1993 and weighs in at a hardy 141.8 proof—very powerful stuff! The whiskey tastes of dark chocolate, roasted coffee beans and mature oak.

William Larue Weller Wheated Bourbon

William Larue Weller is the Antique Collection’s uncut, unfiltered, wheat recipe bourbon. The barrels were aged 11 years and two months on the ninth floor of Warehouse I. This William Larue Weller release registers at 125.3 proof. It tastes of dried fruit sweetness, soft vanilla and cinnamon spices.

Thomas H. Handy Sazerac Rye

Thomas H. Handy Sazerac is the newest addition to the Antique Collection. It is an uncut and unfiltered straight rye whiskey. The barrels were aged six years and five months on the fifth floor of Warehouse M with a proof of 127.5.


The Antique Collection was introduced nearly a decade ago and continues to grow in popularity.

"It is so exciting to see how these whiskeys change from year to year. We are very proud of all the whiskeys we produce here at Buffalo Trace and these are some of our best," said Master Distiller Harlen Wheatley.

The tasting notes above are from the press release, not from me, but I generally have most of the Antiques on hand, from some year or another. They are always outstanding whiskeys and this annual collection has been one of the great acknowledgements of the growing importance of enthusiast releases to the American whiskey category.

And they make a great gift.