In response to last month’s Beer Tasting, Charles Hayes offered to conduct a Whiskey Tasting. He gave a talk on the history of whiskey (Scottish Gaelic for “water of life”) and what it’s made of, punctuated by anecdotes from the American experience. Nine whiskeys were offered for tasting. By the end of the evening we were hammerred!
AMERICAN WHISKEYS
Georgia Moon Corn Whiskey: plain corn “vodka” aged less than 50 days, but not in barrels
Evan Williams: second-best selling Kentucky straight bourbon
Evan Williams Single Barrel: one of the Heaven Hills upscale products
Maker’s Mark: 70 percent corn, 16 percent winter wheat, 14 percent barley
Knob Creek: made by the Jim Beam people, 9-year old, 100 proof, named for the old Kentucky home Abe Lincoln’s family left when his father ran up debts due in part to alcoholism and moved to Illinois.
Michter’s US1 American Whiskey: unblended American Whiskey, not bourbon, but aged in bourbon-soaked barrels
Sazerac Rye Whiskey: made of malted rye by the Buffalo Trace people in Frankfort, Kentucky, though the Sazerac company is in New Orleans, which made the drink famous
SCOTCH WHISKEYS
Johnny Walker Black: the fifth best-selling blend, number one in Thailand Glenmorangie Single-Malt Scotch: aged in American white oak and then decanted into barrels that have held sherry, Madeira, or port. They make their own barrels. IRISH WHISKEY
Black Bush (Irish whiskey): 80 percent malt with two grain whiskeys on the sweet side to balance
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