bourbon

Woodford Reserve, the Official Bourbon of the Kentucky Derby, is once again honoring the country's favorite horse race with the release of a Kentucky Derby commemorative bottle (pictured above) full of their celebrated whiskey. The 2011 limited edition design features the work of award-winning artist and Virginia native Brett Amory.

Amory showcases two horses racing in those final moments towards the finish line with the only splash of color on the bottle. "The build up to the Derby is unlike any other sporting event," Amory notes. "Louisville is absolutely transformed, and people from all over the world come to join the excitement. I wanted to capture on canvas that one key moment they all came to see."

The limited edition liter-size bottle will be available in early April in 42 US states at a suggested retail price of $42.99. In addition to purchasing a true collector's item, consumers can enter Woodford Reserve's Kentucky Derby Sweepstakes with a chance to win a VIP trip to the 2012 Derby. They can enter by either registering their bottle's unique number printed on the neck label, by entering any random five digit code at www.WellCraftedDerby.com, or by mail.

Upon registering, entrants will be given a randomly-generated post position, from 1-20, for the 2011 Kentucky Derby. If the horse that starts from their assigned post position wins, he/she will be entered in the grand prize trip drawing. Official Rules are available at www.WellCraftedDerby.com; no purchase is necessary but you must be 21 or older to participate.

When Bulleit Bourbon hit the shelves in 1999, it's high Rye content, as well as its unique apothecary-style bottle put it on the map right away with Bourbon fans. A dram more than a decade after it started rolling through the market, Bulleit has come forth with a straight rye.

Rye is on the rise, especially with bartenders who seem to have rediscovered it in the last couple of years. But rising popularity is still relative. Heaven Hill, for example, says it can produce a year's worth of its Rittenhouse Rye in about a day. Some of the popularity and increased consumption is coming about because of new brands and expressions, though, like Jim Beam's Ri1.

Straight rye whiskey must have at least a 51 percent rye mashbill. But Bulleit Rye is 95 percent with the remaining 5% from malted barley. That contrasts with Bulleit Bourbon, which is just 28 percent rye.

Tom Bulleit, founder of the brand, says he has been working on the rye for seven years. The company says that it sources its rye from Germany, Sweden, Canada and the United States. Bulleit Bourbon is made at the Lawrenceburg, Kentucky, Four Roses Distillery.

Bulleit Rye is aged in new, white-oak barrels that are charred to the maximum #4 level, says the company, before being filled. The whiskey is bottled at 90 proof (45 percent alcohol by volume), the same as Bulleit Bourbon. And the suggested retail price is $27.99.

Private jet juggernaut Flexjet is offering an alluring incentive to new fractional owners via a promotion with Kentucky's Keeneland, one of the world's leading thoroughbred racing and auction facilities. The three-day Unbridled experience centers around the 2011 Breeders' Cup World Championships this fall. Known as the thoroughbred industry's most prestigious championship event, the Breeders' Cup attracts fierce competition for the richest prize-money event in the world with over $26 million in purses at stake. There's a lot more to the Unbridled experience, however, as you'd expect considering the cost for a 1/16th fraction (or 50 hours / year) on one of the company's Learjet 40XRs starts at $362,500.

Each owner and their guest will enjoy the Breeders' Cup races in the comfort of a finish-line owner's suite at the iconic Churchill Downs, one of the world's greatest racetracks and home of the Kentucky Derby, as well as an invitation to attend sun-up morning workouts. A one-on-one meeting with a renowned thoroughbred trainer and an insider's look at a famed horse farm are also in the offing. The Unbridled experience is available in limited quantities at no extra charge for Flexjet customers purchasing a new fractional share now through June 12, 2011; the all-inclusive experience takes place November 3 - 6.

Premium Bourbon Jim Beam has tapped actor Willem Dafoe for an unusual TV ad campaign.

Directed by Dante Ariola and created by New York ad agency StrawberryFrog, the ad uses Dafoe to talk about the choices we make in life and how they define who we are. "Life boils down to a series of choices," says Dafoe in the voiceover. "All choices lead you somewhere; bold choices lead you where you are supposed to be."

In between the statements, the commercial surprises and amuses the viewer with images of Dafoe as chess player, circus clean-up man, fashion designer, plant manager, sumo wrestler and trapeze artist. The commercial's last image is of a bottle of Jim Beam, suggesting this is the bold choice bourbon drinkers must make.

Love bourbon? Why not try tasting it like the master blenders do: one barrel at a time. Knob Creek Single Barrel Reserve is a new product from all-American favorite Knob Creek Kentucky Straight Bourbon, coming to a shop near you in February.

Master Distiller Fred Noe (seventh generation distiller and great grandson of Jim Beam) ensures that the best barrels in the Claremont, Kentucky distillery don't get lost in a blend; instead, superior barrels are hand-selected to be bottled at nine years for this Single Barrel Reserve, with the criterion that each barrel contain "a unique expression of Knob Creek's rich, mature flavor." The result is a super-premium, natural spirit with strong vanilla notes and a deep, smoky finish. It's easy to sip and holds its own in a cocktail -- and packs an unexpected punch at 120 proof.

While there are no plans to release a tasting gift box like the below this year, make sure you get yourself two glasses for sampling this spirit you can buy again and again to improve your bourbon acumen. Try it neat first, but in the second glass, add a little water to the dark amber spirit to tease out its particular distinctive flavors. Vanilla is the most obvious at first, but taste carefully for caramel, nuttiness and other subtleties developed over its nine years in American oak.

Knob Creek Single Barrel Reserve is surprisingly affordable at a suggested retail price of just $40 per bottle.

Activist investor Bill Ackman has been given a four-week deadline to propose changes to the board of Fortune Brands, the company that is parent to Jim Beam, Maker's Mark, Laphroaig and Courvosier, as well as Pinnacle and Scotty Cameron golf equipment, which could lead to the break-up of the conglomerate.

Since disclosing his holding last month, Mr Ackman, founder of Pershing Square Capital Management, has kept quiet about his plans. However, his record suggests he wants Fortune's board to explore breaking up its stable of consumer brands starting with its spirits business, which includes Jim Beam whiskey and that distillery's small-batch Bourbon brands, and Courvoisier cognac.

Ackman holds an 11% stake in the company, which has always been viewed as an odd throw-back type conglomerate of disassociated businesses. Besides the spirits brands, and golf equipment, Fortune also operates home and home-security businesses and brands such as Moen, Masterlock, as well as kitchen cabinet brands.

In the past month, Ackman has held talks with Fortune's management about its corporate structure, shareholder value, etc. Ackman has four weeks to file a slate of his own candidates for the company's board to be voted on at the general meeting in April.

The most obvious buyers of FB's liquor businesses are drinks giants Diageo and Pernod Ricard of France. Gruppo Campari, which owns Wild Turkey and other brands, also could be interested in acquiring some of the brands. Bacardi would also be a factor in bidding. It is possible that Fortune Brands spirits brands would go to different companies, each looking for its own strategic additions.

Fortune's other brands include Cruzan Rum, Canadian Club, Effen Vodka, Ardmore single-malt, Harvey's Bristol Cream Sherry, Teacher's Scotch Whiskey and DeKuyper spirits.

Fortune Brands shares are trading around $60.00, up more than 10% since October 7, and up from its 52-week low of $37.05

Four Roses 2010 single barrel, barrel-strength limited edition Bourbon has been out a few months, but it was only recently that I caught up with it for a sample. I wish I had come on it sooner.

Four Roses newest was aged 17 years, an uncommonly long time for Bourbon. The occasion for the release is the 100-year anniversary of the distillery in Lawrenceburg, Kentucky. Bourbon aged that long can turn out mighty woody. But these folks didn't let that happen. The notes are warm caramel, spiced oranges and cloves. The smooth mouth feel belies the high-proof content. But then the liquid gold seems to run down to your ankles, and warms you from within.

There are about 2,300 bottles of the 100th Anniversary Limited Edition to go around, retailing at between $75 and $100 a bottle. I'd recommend this to any whiskey cellar. And think about buying two--one to drink and one to shelf.

Woodford Reserve has announced the release of Maple Wood Finish, the latest entry in its exclusive Masters Collection put together by Master Distiller Chris Morris. The new expression (as previewed on Luxist) is one of the most unique Master's Collection offerings to date as it is the industry's first bourbon to be finish aged in barrels made from sugar maple wood.

Though it was thought that whiskey barrels could not be crafted from sugar maple wood, the Brown-Forman Cooperage accomplished the feat, creating a toasted instead of charred barrel. The result is a smooth, elegant whiskey enhanced with hints of maple, honey and cinnamon.

Maple Wood Finish is the fifth in the Woodford Reserve Master's Collection series following the Four Grain, Sonoma-Cutrer Finish, Sweet Mash and Seasoned Oak offerings. Released periodically at the master distiller's discretion, the Master's Collection whiskeys are extremely limited in quantity and bottled only once in a proprietary package inspired by the copper pot stills of The Woodford Reserve Distillery.

The inspiration for the Master's Collection is rooted in the distillery's rich history and tradition. In the mid-1800s distillery owner Oscar Pepper and Master Distiller James Crow studied and recommended use of key processes like sour mashing and charred barrel maturation at Kentucky's historic Woodford County distillery.

These practices are still maintained in the bourbon industry and, today, the distillery receives more than 100,000 visitors annually and is the only one in America to triple-distill bourbon in copper pot stills. The Maple Wood Finish will go on sale throughout the United States on Nov. 1 in limited quantities with a suggested retail price of $89.99.

Knob Creek, the super premium small batch bourbon that's aged for nine years in charred American white oak barrels and bottled at a robust 100 proof, is gearing up for the cooler weather with some recipes for giving both food and drink a Kentucky-style kick in the pants this holiday season. Knob Creek, with its smooth, sweet and rich flavor and signature maple sugar aroma, makes a great accompaniment to many festivities on its own but also works well as an ingredient in everything from hors d'oeuvres to Thanksgiving turkey. Read on for some key recipes:

Knob Creek Bourbon Egg Nog

½ cup Knob Creek Bourbon
6 large egg yolks
¾ cup sugar
2 ½ cups milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
¼ teaspoon nutmeg

Beat egg yolks and sugar in medium saucepan. Slowly beat in 2 cups of milk. Cook over medium heat, stirring
frequently, until thermometer registers 150°F or mixture coats the back of the metal spoon. Remove from heat.
Strain into pitcher. Stir in remaining milk, Knob Creek Bourbon, vanilla and nutmeg. Cover and chill at least 8 hours.
Sprinkle with additional nutmeg.
Makes 6-8 servings.

Knob Creek Holiday Punch

3 parts Knob Creek Bourbon
3 parts cranberry juice
4 parts lemon-lime soda
1 part fresh lemon or lime juice
dash bitters
6 parts champagne
ice block
orange and lemon slices

Pre-chill ingredients. Pour into a punch bowl over a large piece of ice, adding champagne last.
Decorate with slices of lemon and orange. [continued]

There may be many bourbons on the market, but only one can claim to have to have been produced continuously before, during and after Prohibition by the same distiller. That whisky is called Old Forester, and in addition to the standard version, the distillery releases a new Birthday Bourbon every year.

It's an event eagerly anticipated by bourbon enthusiasts. We've reported on these unique small-batch vintages twice before, and now the 2010 version is ready to hit shelves with a $49.99 MSRP.

Because the Old Forester Birthday Bourbon is hand-selected by Brown-Forman's master distiller from specifically dated barrels, no two years' editions are exactly alike, although the accolades won by previous bottlings bode well for the latest.

The 2010 Parker's Heritage Collection bourbon from Bardstown, Kentucky distiller Heaven Hill will be a 10-year old, non-chill filtered, cask strength wheated bourbon! The novelty of this is that Heaven Hill historically uses a Rye mash.

This will be the fourth release in this series. It will begin shipping in late August. Price $80.00. There will only be 4,800 750 ml bottles released.

The 2010 release is the first of the series produced at the Bernheim Distillery in Lousiville, KY, which Heaven Hill acquired in 1999. It is where Old Fitzgerald bourbon is distilled.

Parker's Heritage Collection has been very well received since it was launched, and the new release should be sought after when released. The 2009 "Golden Anniversary," so named for master distiller Parker Beam's fifty years practicing his craft, was Malt Advocate's "American Whiskey of The Year."

Bourbon distiller Woodford Reserve will introduce a maple-wood-finished Master's Collection expression later this year.

The Kentucky distillery has developed a following around their Master's Collection, which, in past years, has featured Bourbon finishing in seasoned oak (pictured) and Sonoma Cutrer wine barrels. It has also included an 1838 "sweet mash," as well as a four-grain recipe.

These expressions have become quite collectible, with a bottle of the 2007-released Sonoma Cutrer trading for nearly $200 and up. Pricing information on the new Master's Collection has not been released yet.

The maple finishing is said to give Woodford's taste a sweeter taste profile. With the trend toward infusing cocktails with bacon, one can well imagine some enterprising bartenders using this new Woodford Expression to create a maple and bacon drink. If they can get some egg whites into the glass, they could call it "Breakfast."

Expert mixologist and owner of Manhattan's iconic Flatiron Lounge Julie Reiner wants you to drink bourbon all summer long.

Reiner has created two new cocktails using Basil Hayden's Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey, a spirit she has loved since the age of 18 (scandal!). "I started working in a restaurant in Waikiki when I was 18, and I wanted to know what I was serving. I've always thought Basil Hayden's was very mixable. It's spicy, and that flavor comes through in the cocktail."

Basil Hayden's is indeed spicy, and has twice the rye of regular bourbons. Most notably, the body and flavor are significantly lighter than other bourbons or whiskeys, with a kindly alcohol quantity of just 80 proof. Bourbon and whiskey can sound a bit heavy for summertime imbibing, but after trying it for the first time myself on Wednesday, I'd say Basil Hayden's is remarkably refreshing, and I can see why Reiner chose it for Flatiron Lounge's summer menu.

With Father's Day sneaking up on June 20, it is never too late to get Dad a gift he will appreciate if he keeps a bar and the better liquor retailers are open.

Choosing ten bottles as choices or Father's Day is not easy. But I apply a few criteria for gift giving suggestions.

1. Don't just get Dad a bottle of what he always drinks. If he drinks Wild Turkey week-to-week, think about a Small-batch bourbon that gets opened for special occasions, like when you surprise him with a Sunday afternoon visit he didn't expect.

2. Stay within his wheelhouse. If he drinks whisky 80% of the time, and hasn't made a Rum drink in 20 years, don't spend your money on an expensive Rum just because you like the bottle or the box it comes in.

3. Don't go for Vodka. Even if he drinks Vodka 90% of the time, I have yet to find the bottle of vodka I thought was worthy to give as a gift. It's colorless with barely a distinguishable taste. That doesn't say, "I love you Dad," in my book.

4. Think about introducing him to a new expression that is related to his taste. If he likes Islay (peaty) single-malt whiskies, buy one you don't see on his shelf that is more than he would spend on himself.

5. If he really is focused on one brand, like Glenmorangie Scotch, Jose Cuervo Tequila or Jack Daniels, you can't go wrong by buying him one of those distillery's premium or limited edition expressions. If he buys 12-year old Glenmorangie for himself, for example, he should love it if you buy him the 18-year old or one of the other premium or super-premium expressions.

If you are still stymied, and want an extra degree of novelty, go to www.johnniewalker.com, and take the Father's Day quiz, which asks the gift-giver to match the characteristics of their father to the right expression of JW: Red, Blue, Green, Gold or Black. I took the quiz for myself, and found that the best match for me is Johnnie Walker Gold.

Here are ten bottles I eagerly recommend for Dad, covering a few different categories: whisky, bourbon, rye, Port, Tequila and an after-dinner digestif.