If A Body Meets A Body Comin’ Through The Rye
Mutual friend of Torrez “Vidiot” has a long post at his cocktail blog Cocktailians today about attending a rye whiskey tasting class.
The class was given by LeNell Smothers, the proprietress of a well-known boutique liquor store in Brooklyn and the maker of her own label of rye whiskey, Red Hook. Vidiot says they sampled half a dozen different whiskeys (not all of them strictly rye), and his post summarizes the characteristics and qualities of the whiskeys they tried, along with LeNell’s personal notes and recommendations.
I am still very much a complete n00b when it comes to whiskey. Over the space of the last year or so I’ve just started out trying a couple of Scotches, found that I really like Bourbon, and most recently branched out to try some Irish whisky. I would love to find a tasting class like this where someone who really knows their stuff can help the newcomer appreciate what the heck it is they’re drinking. Though I absolutely would not consider myself any sort of expert with wine, I did finally reach the point where I had worked out some understanding of it through my own effort, but I’m probably never going to be a big enough whiskey drinker to get the same level of exposure. I’ll have to look around and see if any of the better liquor stores around my area do events like this; I have to imagine that they do.
April 3rd, 2008 at 3:16 pm
Oh, bourbon - made (legally) right up the road. Have you tried Maker’s Mark. It’s sweeter than most. Straight on one ice cube, with a twist of orange.
I like Canadian Blends of Whiskey too.
April 3rd, 2008 at 3:21 pm
Yes, Maker’s Mark is the one I like the best, although the only other one I tried was Jim Beam, so I don’t have much comparison.
I like it with a little Cointreau and club soda or in a Manhattan.
April 3rd, 2008 at 3:37 pm
Beam and Coke / Jack and Coke / Wild Turkey and Coke = best because they are cheap and you don’t mind mixing them.
Happy hunting.
April 3rd, 2008 at 5:21 pm
Was a time when I liked Bourbon and Coke well enough. Tried it again recently and didn’t care for it. Calls for more research, I guess. ;-)
Brian, rye is worth a try - I’d even be willing to share. Though your taste seems to run to sweeter drinks, a rye Manhattan is a nice change from bourbon. There are also variations with combinations of dry and sweet vermouth.
April 3rd, 2008 at 5:50 pm
There’s sweet and then there’s sweet. I am not much for the booze-and-coke drinks. Vidiot’s tasting might actually inspire me to try whiskey straight.
April 4th, 2008 at 12:21 am
i highly recommend a whiskey tasting class. i attended one a long time ago and got a good basic idea about single malts that way, through the combination of the lecture and tasting an assortment of 13 different good ones. in retrospect, though, i would not advise tasting an entire glass of each.
April 4th, 2008 at 7:23 am
hey, thanks for the writeup.
I’m not generally one for highballs myself — most cola is too sweet for my tastes (though a Cuba Libre made with Boylan Cane or Fentiman’s colas can be great.)
You might like an Old-Fashioned, which is essentially muddled citrus, bitters, and simple syrup — it takes good whiskey and tames its bite a little.
The Old-Fashioned’s cousin, the Sazerac is about to be named the official cocktail of the state of Louisiana, and is another nice way to experience whiskey, preferably good rye. This one uses Peychaud’s bitters and some anise liqueur (absinthe if you’ve got it, pastis like Pernod or Herbsaint if you don’t) for a different flavor profile.
And Manhattans can be great — experimenting with vermouth is fun (try Vya or Punt E Mes for some spicy character, or make a “perfect Manhattan”, which has equal parts sweet and dry vermouth.)
But have fun — and yeah, I’d think the better liquor stores around you might have something like that, or might even be amenable to setting one up if you suggest it. And if you go to a serious bar with a decent collection of whiskeys and bartenders who really know their stuff, you can often get quite an education. Go during a slow time and show an interest, and it’s amazing what you can learn.
Enjoy!