Corner Creek bourbon

[Giobo]

We came across a bourbon called "Corner Creek". Anyone know who makes this?

On a more obscure note: Found a bottle of Old Jordan from the earyl 1940's. The label said it was made by Samuels. Does anyone know if this was a wheated bourbon? Thanks from the Bourbon Boys.

[cowdery]

As for Corner Creek, I think it is one of Even Kulsveen's products.

As for Old Jordan, at least according to the Maker's Mark mythology, Bill Samuels, Sr. introduced the wheated Maker's Mark recipe because he had such a low opinion of the quality of the whiskey that was being make at T.W. Samuels.


--Chuck Cowdery

[Gillman]

If I can pick up an older thread here, I just bought this bourbon, Corner Creek, in Toronto. I find it very good. It does not remind me, as one poster said, of Evan Williams Single Barrel (which has to my taste an unbalanced, over citric taste) but rather like an older, more complex version of Very Old Barton. I find it has a good body, "liquer"-like, and a complex, dryish taste.

The label says it uses wheat, rye and corn. Is the use of both rye and wheat in the mash (and no barley malt?) not unusual?

[bluesbassdad]

I was startled by your comment about EWSB. The bottle of '92 vintage that I have leans heavily toward the caramel/sweet side.

What year is your bottle of EWSB?

Regarding your wheat/rye question, I think there was some discussion in a "wish list" style thread about combining wheat and rye in the same mashbill. IIRC, the unanimous belief was that no one markets such a bourbon today, which apparently is erroneous. (Perhaps it's my recollection that is erroneous.)

The descriptions I have read regarding the fermentation process all imply that the malted barley is needed for fermentation to occur. I'm wondering whether the label information on Corner Creek is completely accurate.

Yours truly,
Dave Morefield

[bobbyc]

L&G have some four grain whiskies that will be coming on soon and BT has some that will have rice or oats in place of the wheat or rye. Things will become more interesting as we go along on this great little adventure!

[Gillman]

Well the bottle (CC) states: "An exceptional marriage of the finest wheat, rye and corn". Regarding the Evan Williams Single Barrel, this is one I never came to terms with since its first release, what, 10 years ago or so?

I love the regular Evan Williams for its rich corn, vanilla, and smoke character, but all years of the Single Barrel I have had have a characteristic lemony taste which seems completely different.

I last had it (there were two versions available) at the gala at the recent festival. I can take it straight, to be sure, but I find ice or water accentuate this citric dry feature.

Everything I've read too suggests there must be some barley malt in the
mash to help convert the starch in the other grains, so..

[cowdery]

I'm looking into Corner Creek but don't know a lot yet. One report says it is an Even Kulsveen product. The label says it is made (i.e., bottled) in Bardstown, which means it's Evan, HH or Barton. The "Corner Creek Distilling Co." is based in Miami, FL. One of the partners in the company is Ted Kraut. He says the brand is in 27 U.S. markets, plus Japan. It is bottled to order "at a small distillery in Bardstown, Kentucky." He also says, "we buy our whiskey in bulk, lay it away 8 years, & bottle on a monthly basis."

As for the mash bill, the company's promotional literature makes the same claim as the label, that it combines wheat, corn and rye. One theory proposed has been that they are mixing some wheat recipe bourbon with some rye recipe bourbon, as opposed to using a four-grain mash bill.

Maybe one of our local spies can determine if there are barrels aging up on Willett Hill.

[boone]

Hey Chuck,

Are ya referring to our SPY CAM DUO? .....Me and Bobby?....Well it's a trio now.... we have added..... Brenda ......Oh....BTW Brenda you are now a member of the SPY Cam TRIO Club ...

We "were" going to watch a movie at Brenda's later this week....but our mission may have changed...

SPY CAM 1

Bettye Jo

[Gillman]

Interesting. I tasted the CC tonight and am now convinced this is a Heaven Hill product, not Barton's as I thought initially.

It has the "damp paper" aftertaste of Heaven Hill, I tested it against my HH bonded that I got during the recent festival.

The comment of Mr. Kraut that he buys it new and ages it 8 years would clinch this theory, I think.

Barton's could make sense except the HH products (under the house name) lack its aromatic character.

[cowdery]

Ya see, Heaven Hill's traditional business model was to sell whiskey to its customers as soon as the whiskey left the still. HH would then age it for them and subsequently bottle it, but the customer "owned" the whiskey as soon as it was made. Presumably, the customer owned a certain number of barrels from a certain season, not specific barrels, but the effect was the same from a business standpoint. The customer, not the distiller, bore any changes in the value of the whiskey that might occur during the aging period. That's why Heaven Hill had so many labels. Virtually everything it sold was customized for its customers. I believe it still conducts some of its business that way. That would make everything Traut says true, even if the whiskey is actually aging in Heaven Hill's warehouses. Then again, why would he have Kulsveen bottle it? Heaven Hill is certainly competitive with anyone in custom bottling, even for small runs like Corner Creek must be. On the other hand, rackhouse capacity has been at a premium for Heaven Hill. Every intact rackhouse in the region has somebody's whiskey in it. Heaven Hill might be very happy to sell bulk new made whiskey at a very favorable price to someone willing to take it off the premises into their own storage.

I'm going to call this Traut guy. Maybe he'll just tell me.

As for the spy mission, one would expect a fair number of barrels to be lying around at Willett Hill even if it is strictly a bottling operation, but full warehouses would tell another story? Really good spies would be sure to get a look at some barrel heads to figure out the whiskey's source.

I'm making my own head hurt. Too many possibilities.