September Is Bourbon Heritage Month.

September is Bourbon Heritage Month, as declared by the United States Congress and the Governor of Kentucky. Here are a few interesting facts, taken from Governor Steve Beshear’s proclamation:

• Kentucky’s whiskey-making industry accounts for about 3,200 Kentucky jobs, $115 million in state tax revenue, and $3 billion in gross state product.
• The approximately five million barrels of whiskey presently aging in Kentucky have a tax assessed value of $1.6 billion.
• Kentucky bourbon and other Kentucky-made whiskeys are a major export product and proud symbol of Kentucky tradition and craftsmanship throughout the world.
• 2009 marks the 10th anniversary of the Kentucky Bourbon Trail, one of the state’s leading tourism attractions.
• The annual Kentucky Bourbon Festival, in Bardstown, is September 15-20.

"From jobs to investment to tourism, bourbon is a vital part of the Bluegrass economy that benefits all of Kentucky’s citizens," Gov. Beshear said. "It’s also a key export and a proud symbol of our heritage that’s known and acknowledged around the world. My administration is committed to working with our distillers to help this essential part of our economy grow and thrive."

Whiskey makers are investing approximately $100 million in recent capital improvements at their Kentucky facilities, and whiskey tourism has drawn approximately 1.5 million visitors in the last five years. The Kentucky Bourbon Festival alone attracts about 55,000 visitors, according to Milt Spalding, the festival’s executive director.

The New Old Taylor, First Batch.

As archivist at the Filson Historical Society for the papers of E. H. Taylor, Jr., Mike Veach discovered that Taylor favored white corn, not yellow, and used 2 1/2 times the normal amount of barley malt -- about 25% malt. With 10% rye and the rest white corn, that was Taylor's mash bill. He distilled it to about 107 proof and put it in the barrel that way, aging it for about 8 years.

The picture above, courtesy of Mark Brown, is that recipe, last week, in the micro-distillery fermenters at Buffalo Trace. The first batch of the new Old Taylor has started its journey.

The New Woodford Reserve Masters Collection Is ...

"Seasoned Oak Finish." What's that? The oak for whiskey barrels is typically seasoned for three to five months. Seasoning just means the cut stave and head pieces are stacked up, either outside or in a huge shed, and allowed to naturally dry. For this experiment, the Brown-Forman Cooperage let a batch of wood age this way for three to five years. They made barrels from it, but they just toasted them, they weren't charred.

Then they took mature Woodford Reserve bourbon, aged the usual seven or eight years, and put it in these special barrels for about 8 months. The result is a whiskey that tastes like it has been aged for maybe 15 years, but with only the good parts of long aging. The bad parts that make you say "too woody" aren't there.

All of the Masters Collection releases have been interesting, but often not so tasty that you want a second glass, let alone a second bottle. This stuff is awesome. It's really good, especially if you like a 12-years plus bourbon.

It should be out soon, at about $90 a bottle.

Another Dubious Achievement for Illinois.

I've been meaning to write something about liquor taxes, especially since Illinois (where I live) has decided to lead the nation in yet another dubious capacity, this time with the highest liquor taxes.

Instead of writing about it myself, I'll refer you to this excellent piece by Sonja Kassebaum who is, among other things, a small distiller here in the Chicago area.

As Kassebaum points out, higher liquor taxes take a toll on the hospitality industry: bars, restaurants, and the people they employ. I've also read an analysis that shows how, because liquor taxes are so high already, higher taxes that supress demand can actually be counter-productive, in that if the higher rates are offset by weaker sales, tax revenues can actually decline.

But that's for another day.

Coming soon from America's whiskey makers, new top-end releases

American whiskey season is roughly the same as football season, and both are in pre-season now. Here are some of the big things that either are on shelves or shipping soon.

Parker's Heritage Golden Anniversary. A limited edition bourbon to commemorate Parker Beam's 50 years as master distiller at Heaven Hill Distillery. 100° proof, $150, out now.

Jefferson's Presidential Select. A McLain & Kyne bottling of 17-year-old Stitzel-Weller wheated bourbon. 94° proof, $90, out now.

Four Roses Mariage 2009 Limited Edition bourbon. Four Roses is unique because it makes ten different bourbon recipes. This is a mixture of two of them, one at 19-years-old, the other at 10. 112.4° proof, $70, out mid-September.

Buffalo Trace Antique Collection 2009. This is actually five limited edition whiskeys: William LaRue Weller Wheated Bourbon, Eagle Rare 17-year-old Bourbon, George T. Stagg Bourbon, Thomas H. Handy Rye, and Sazerac 18-year-old Rye. Various proofs, prices $60+, out October.

Buffalo Trace Experimental Collection 2009. Two releases, both double-barreled. The 1993 vintage spent 8-years in a new barrel followed by 8 more in another new barrel. The 1997 vintage spent 8-years in a new barrel follwed by 4 more in another new barrel. If you want to experience what that tastes like, buy both. If you just want the one that tastes good, buy the 1997. Proof and price unknown. Out October.

Rittenhouse Very Rare 25-year-old Single Barrel Rye. Heaven Hill has done something very interesting here, they have sold this same batch of whiskey at 21-, 23-, and now 25-years-old. Proof and price unknown. Release date unknown.

Really, We Have To Fix Health Care.

I was flip about it yesterday to make a point. It's not enough to be opposed to the specter of government-run health care, nor is it enough to insist that health care be considered a right, you have to support some kind of reform plan, because the current system is so broken, it's ridiculous.

Perhaps because of all the idiocy spouted by both the right and left on this subject (I've tried to do my part), some thoughtful and useful analysis has begun to emerge. The CEO of Whole Foods, John Mackey, has written an essay based on free market principles that deserves consideration, not a knee-jerk boycott. David Goldhill, coming from a different direction, has a good one in The Atlantic.

I supported Barack Obama because I believed he stood for finding a sensible middle ground where people try to solve problems, not score points. I still believe that. I hope the administration's plan is to keep trying for as long as it takes to put a health care bill together that provides real solutions.

For example, the state of Illinois offers a 'public option' that allows people to buy state-subsidized health coverage if they are unable to obtain benefits through an employer, and unable to buy affordable coverage in the marketplace. Free marketers have no cause to complain about such a plan because it is available only to people the market has rejected, typically for existing medical conditions or high risk factors such as obesity.

Don't ask if that's socialized medicine, ask if it's a good or bad idea.

There are good ideas out there about what form a sensible plan could take, but you have to tune out a lot of noise to hear them.

Fix It Now!

Here's my dumb guy analysis of the health care situation. We have this incredibly costly system that accounts for 17% of our economy, a share that is growing, and one of the system's most crucial information transfers consists of one practitioner scribbling something on a scrap of paper, which is then physically carried by the patient to another practitioner, who acts on it. Does anyone think that's a sign of a rational system, worthy of the greatest nation on earth?