For November we wanted to honour our whiskey making chums from across the pond by producing a pack that contained 4 variations of American whiskey. So we came up with The Thanksgiving pack which contains a Rye, a Wheat, a Corn and an American Single malt. We wanted to steer clear of the traditional bourbon that people often associate with the American Whiskey industry and show you some other amazing whiskies that they produce. We hope you enjoy our Thanksgiving pack. Bowsaw Straight Corn American Whiskey 43% (We think this makes a good first dram) Let’s start with a little fact for you, this whiskey takes it’s name from the saw that is used by the cooper’s with which they cut the top of the whiskey barrel off. Bowsaw Whiskey is distilled and matured in Owensboro and Louisville Kentucky, where they have over 350 combined years of whiskey making knowledge to tap into!! Louisville is prime whiskey territory, with Angels Envy, Mitchters, Heavens Hill and Old Forrester also located in the area. The mash content consists of 91% Corn, 5% Barley and 4% Rye. On the nose: Really sweet, with hints of peanut butter along with a spiced latte from a high street coffee shop. To taste: Creamy and clingy and still really sweet, hints of chocolate chip pancake with syrup poured over them. The finish: The sweetness has stepped aside slightly and now there's a light spice, but it’s very light
Woodford Reserve Kentucky Straight Wheat Whiskey 45.2% (Maybe have this Second) We’ve gone to one of our favourite distilleries, who are based in Woodford County, Kentucky for this wheat whiskey, which has a mash bill of 52% wheat, 20% malt, 20% corn and 8% rye. This wheat whiskey is apparently based on historical recipes and as this distillery has been producing whiskey since 1812 these could be pretty old recipes. The influence of the core Woodford Reserve Bourbon has also been taken into consideration when producing this whiskey and this is apparent in the taste profile. On the nose: Vanilla and floral with a dab of pear To taste: Vanilla again, with more pear and some apple too, as well as chocolate and coconut The finish: The chocolate hangs about, but the vanilla has vanished and been replaced with a subtle spice
Belmont Farm Kopper Kettle American Single Malt 43% (Try this third) An American Single Malt, that can’t be right you may be saying, well there's a fair few being produced in the USA and this one is up there with the best in our opinion. The Belmont Farm distillery is based in Culpeper, Virginia and for the past 30 years they’ve been distilling their whiskey in a solid copper pot still. This is a slower distillation process than a column still would provide, but according to the distillers at Belmont they achieve a more aromatic and fresh whiskey using this process. The maturation process is the same as a bourbon, in that the whiskey sits in American new Oak barrels for 3 years, before purified mineral water from the farm is added to bring the whiskey to a bottle ready 43%. The mash bill is 100% malted barley. On the nose: Sweet and floral with honey and cereal To taste: Cereal and honey and chocolate To finish: Fruit and chocolate Rittenhouse Straight Rye 100 Proof 50% (we’d try this last) Sticking with the theme, this whiskey commemorates the Rittenhouse Square in Philadelphia and is distilled and matured at the Bernheim distillery which is based in Louisville Kentucky. The distillery forms part of the Heaven Hill family and this whiskey has picked up numerous awards over the years and appeared in several ‘whiskies to try before you die’ lists. Despite this whiskey having a 50%ABV, we didn’t feel that it needed a drop of water to tame the burn. But that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t try this, if you see fit, remember you drink whiskey how you like it!! The mash bill for this whiskey is 51% rye, 35% corn and 14 barley. On the nose: Gentle and aromatic spices and dried fruits To taste: Fruity, with oranges being most notable, along with soft spice, oak and honey To finish: Orange and spicy.