Prohibition

$24,000 Bowmore Trilogy Stars in Christie's Spirits Sale

On Nov. 14 Christie's will auction fine spirits in New York for only the second time since Prohibition began in 1920, headlined by the first U.S. offering of the extremely rare 1964 Bowmore Trilogy of single malts estimated at up to $24,000. Some $2 million worth of wines and spirits will cross the auction block, including over 40 lots of carefully-curated whisky, bourbon, cognac, armagnac, and rum, plus a fine crop of champagne. The Bowmore Trilogy, comprised of White, Black and Gold Bowmore, was matured below sea level for 42 - 44 years at the famed distillery on Islay in Scotland. Other lots include the Ardbeg Double Barrel, a two-bottle lot sourced from two 1974 whisky barrels in a bespoke leather shotgun case with eight solid silver cups, estimated at $15,000 - $20,000, and a 100 year old armagnac from Baron de Sigognac, est. at $2,000 - $3,000.

[via Duncan Quinn]

Tags: armagnac, Bowmore, Christies, Islay, New York, NewYork, Prohibition, Scotch, Scotland, single malt, SingleMalt, whiskey, whisky

Templeton Small Batch Rye Whiskey

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Spirits

Templeton Rye, a small batch rye whiskey from Iowa, has quite an interesting history; it was first introduced in the 1920s and was made illegally throughout the Prohibition Era. During that time Templeton was at the center of Al Capone's bootlegging empire, and was even shipped to him during his imprisonment at Alcatraz.

The end of the Prohibition came in 1933, but the production of Templeton Rye continued, and the whiskey has only been made privately and in small quantities for loyal patrons since. Templeton Rye launched its first legal product in 2006, and is currently only available in Illinois and Iowa, though that will hopefully change soon.

Following the Prohibition Era recipe, Templeton is aged for more than four years in charred new white oak barrels. While a rye whiskey must by definition be made from a mash containing at least 51% rye, Templeton is made from a mash of more than 90% rye. As the bottle says, it makes for "a smooth finish and a clean getaway."

The unique whiskey presents a rye spiciness and almost bittersweet taste that is found in the rye grain, along with notes of dried fruit, toffee, caramel and allspice. Texturally, the deep amber-colored whiskey is thick and almost chewy. The mellow, yet complex rye has a clean, spicy finish. The rye taste mixed with spiciness and sweet undertones are well balanced, a sign of careful aging.

Tags: Al Capone, AlCapone, Iowa, Prohibition, rye, Templeton Rye, TempletonRye, whiskey, whisky

When Havana Was the "Paris of the Caribbean"

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Books

It's now somewhat synonymous with decay of both a socioeconomic and physical nature, but there was a time before the Socialist revolution when Havana was known as the "Paris of the Caribbean," a place where Americans came to hang out in nightclubs, gamble, smoke cigars, hit on showgirls and drink copious quantities of rum. This prelapsarian paradise is celebrated in Peter Moruzzi's brilliant new book, Havana Before Castro: When Cuba Was a Tropical Playground (Gibbs Smith, $30), filled with hundreds of photos, brochures, postcards, artifacts and other ephemera.

From Hemingway hangout La Floridita, where the daiquiris flowed like water, especially during Prohibition, to the Tropicana and other casinos that were cutting edge in the 1950s thanks to the interest of American mobsters, Moruzzi provides a gorgeous and engaging glimpse of an all but forgotten era. See the gallery for a preview.

[via Men.Style]

Gallery: Havana Before Castro

Ernest Hemingway celebrates his Nobel Prize in 1954 with a daiquiri

Tags: Casinos, Cigars, Cuba, Daiquiri, Ernest Hemingway, ErnestHemingway, Fidel Castro, FidelCastro, Havana, Prohibition, Rum

Blended Scotch Whiskies

by Gustad Mody (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Spirits

Forbes released an article telling us the detailed background on the history of blended Scotch and what to look for in the crowd this year. Master blenders recognize the right components to harmoniously marry single malts to grain whiskies which give us blended Scotch whiskies. An Edinburgh merchant was probably the first to do so in 1853 when he mixed the malt whisky from The Glenlivet with other whiskies to be labeled as Old Vatted Glenlivet, O.V.G. The merge proved to be less aggressive and soothing then the challenging drink of single malts. This and other blends corroborated that two styles of Scotch whisky was more attractive to the general consumer than when sold separately. Even though some of us snobs might refuse to consider Scotch blends, I suggest you give a try from the short list of current respected blends. When a single malt is not around, from the list, I personally enjoy Chivas Royal Salute 21 Year and the 12 Year, Johnnie Walker Gold 18 Year, and Dewar’s Special Reserve 12 Year. What are your favorite blended Scotch whiskies?

Source

Tags: Ambassador Royal Deluxe, AmbassadorRoyalDeluxe, Argyll, Blended malt whisky, Blended Scotch Whiskies, BlendedMaltWhisky, BlendedScotchWhiskies, Cragganmore, Edinburgh, Grain whisky, GrainWhisky, Highlands, Islay, Isle of Skye, IsleOfSkye, Lagavulin, Old Smuggler, OldSmuggler, Pinch The Dimple, PinchTheDimple, Prohibition, scotch, Single malt whisky, SingleMaltWhisky, Speyside, Strathisla, Talisker, Teacher’s Highland Cream, Teacher’sHighlandCream, whiskey, whisky, White Horse, WhiteHorse