Leopold Bros American Small Batch Whiskey

[cas]

I picked up bottle. Barrel #39. Which, by my calculation, is more recent than the others noted here. Plus or minus some roundoff error. I'll give it a try when I return home tomorrow.

Craig

[jinenjo]

It's corn, rye, and barley. About 65% corn, 15% rye, and the rest distiller's malt for our American Small Batch Whiskey.

Thanks for the reply. On the neck tag you only mentioned the two grains. I was hoping you didn't use enzymes to start the fermentation.

I did go and purchase a bottle the other day (#25, I think). I'm very pleased with it. I really enjoy the gentle sweet notes like apricot or peach, and especially the oily texture in the mouthfeel. The body is light, but not thin like some other very young whiskey I've tasted. Looking forward to trying the rye and the upcoming bottles used with the cypress fermenters!

[Leopold]

jinenjo, we used distiller's malt (malted barley) to mash all our spirits. Distiller's malt is simply 6-row malt that germinated and kilned in such a way that it creates the maximum amount of natural enzymes possible. This is needed because of the high percentage of corn and rye in the mash (as opposed to a beer mash), and neither of these grains contain any enzymes.... therefore the distiller's malt has a lot of work to do. We use about 20% in all of our mashes.

The malt is not used for flavor, so thats why we don't mention it on the necktags.

[cas]

I tried this last night and it is nice. It's young, so the flavor is not very intense, but it held up to cheese, crackers, and summer sausage better than I thought it would. A few years in the barrel will make this quite an interesting whiskey.

So - a question. If the pre-prohibition production practice was to dilute before aging, what brought about the change? Was it a deliberate move with some particular end in mind, a change in technology, an historical accident, or some other factor?

Craig

[Leopold]

Other poster with a better historical background like Mr. Cowdery may give a different answer but....

IMHO, the change was made to save money. Higher ABV in the barrel means that you have to buy fewer barrels, and buy less floorspace while yielding the same amount of whiskey. So far as I am aware, the last move to the higher maximum allowable proof occurred in the 60's. Perhaps Mr. Cowdery can correct me if I am wrong on this count.

I look at our American Small Batch Whiskey as a nice table whiskey, so I'm glad you enjoyed it that way. I think that our older iterations will be more to the liking of the Straightbourbon crowd, since far more of the character will come from the barrels.

Our BIB Bourbon will have a different grist and use different yeasts, so it won't simply be the American Small Batch Whiskey that sat in a barrel for longer.

Thank you for your interest.

[nblair]

I like to think that diluting at entry creates a more flavorful product, but have never tasted the same product at different entry proof. This would also correlate with Chuck's theory that slight differences have been made over the years to create a lighter product more in line with consumer's changing palettes.

[cowdery]

The move to higher barrel entry proof was driven by cost and by emulation of Scottish methods. The present 125 proof ceiling was a compromise. Some producers petitioned to lift the ceiling altogether.

[tmckenzie]

I have heard that some of the old time distillers would like to put it in the barrel at 140 proof.

[cas]

Any idea how the proof might affect the solubility or molecular integrity of the barrel components that flavor the bourbon? In other words, does the entry proof influence the effective aging rate and character of the final product in a predictable way?

Craig

[tmckenzie]

I do not know about the chemistry behind it, but it does make a whiskey age faster in my opinion, which may explain why some dusty bottle whiskey seems to be older than its stated age. Most of the micros would think we are nuts for going in at such a low proof as 100.

[Leopold]

Any idea how the proof might affect the solubility or molecular integrity of the barrel components that flavor the bourbon? In other words, does the entry proof influence the effective aging rate and character of the final product in a predictable way?

Craig

The studies I've read about the relation of proof to the extraction of wood sugars are mostly based on wood chips. In other words, they drop charred or uncharred wood chips into a flask with some whiskey or brandy for a fixed amount of time.

The proof does alter the extraction rate of wood sugars and other compounds. But these are very, very complex reactions, and the composition of both the whiskey and the barrels are all over the map, whether we're talking about ryes from two different shops, or Ozark Oak vs. KY oak. Then there's the humidity at different locations, and temperature always plays a role. So for every rule about extraction, there's exceptions.

[AaronWF]

I finally pulled the trigger on a bottle of this yesterday and had a pour or two last night. It comes off as less a before or after-dinner whiskey than a with-dinner whiskey. Very very soft, in fact, lusciously soft and creamy. Kind of pinkish in color, which makes me think of roses, cotton candy, and strawberry milk, flavors I may or may not have detected.

It's interesting that it's a bourbon, but the Leopolds decided not to call it that. I like the concept of a table whiskey that is mild, even refreshing, but isn't dressed up with fruit.

I think I saw it briefly mentioned in this thread that the whiskey is aged in full-size barrels. Is this true?

Can't wait for the upcoming aged products!

[Leopold]

We decided to call not call it Bourbon because we wanted the customer to evaluate the whisky on its own merit. It's not produced in the same manner as mainstream Bourbons. Consumers expect more character from the barrel when purchasing Bourbon, and that's not what this whiskey is about. The BIB expression will be labelled Bourbon.

Yes, we only use 53 gallon barrels. For our purposes the smaller barrels are contraindicated. We want the work we did in the fermenters to shine through.

Hope you felt it was a worthy purchase, and thanks so much for your interest.

[AaronWF]

I love your thinking on not calling it bourbon. I definitely felt that the few 'craft' bourbons I've had did not taste what I thought bourbon tasted like.

Then again, it's nice to know it is technically bourbon, because it broadens my understanding of what bourbon is and can be.

Is the distillate clear when it goes into the barrels? How long does it stay in barrel? What kind of char do you use?

Mr. Leopold, having you here ready to talk about your product, your frank words about your process and desire for your customers to taste the process in the product definitely informs my appreciation of it. It's hard to compare your whiskey to more mainstream products from long-established distilleries, both in taste and in price, but if you keep doing what you're doing, I'll keep checking it out!

[jinenjo]

The BIB expression will be labelled Bourbon.

[tmckenzie]

I have been out to Todds place and I liked everything I tasted. Not only was the whiskey good, but he has a line of liquers that are not too sweet and are great. My favorite was the orange. It is a drink right by itself.

[Leopold]

Is the distillate clear when it goes into the barrels? How long does it stay in barrel? What kind of char do you use?

Yes, all distillate is clear when it goes into barrels. It's in there for under two years, but it's dependent on when I put it down. If I put it down in colder months, it needs more time.

Cheers

[Leopold]

When's the bonded juice to be released?

How about the rye I hear about last year?

--Really liked the Small Batch, by the way!---

The Maryland Rye will be out again this November. Both BIB's are 3+ years away.

Glad you enjoyed the whiskey, and thank you for your continued interest.

[Leopold]

I have been out to Todds place and I liked everything I tasted. Not only was the whiskey good, but he has a line of liquers that are not too sweet and are great. My favorite was the orange. It is a drink right by itself.

Thanks, Tom! It's always fun to have someone in who knows his way around a mash tun!

[jinenjo]

The Maryland Rye will be out again this November. Both BIB's are 3+ years away.

Glad you enjoyed the whiskey, and thank you for your continued interest.

[Leopold]

Unfortunately, California didn't get much.

I think that you can still get a dram at Bar Agricole, but perhaps calling ahead would be best.

Cheers, and thank you for the interest.

[Young Blacksmith]

How would one go about getting this in Texas? No shipments allowed in the lone star state. Contact a distributor?

[Leopold]

We're just about to begin distribution to Texas, so perhaps a month or two it will be on shelves.

Appreciate the interest.

[theglobalguy]

Any plan to continue east to Kentucky or Indiana? Made mistake of not picking up a bottle on my last trip to Boulder, CO...can't wait till the fall to head back out there and grab one.

[luther.r]

Any plan to continue east to Kentucky or Indiana? Made mistake of not picking up a bottle on my last trip to Boulder, CO...can't wait till the fall to head back out there and grab one.

It's stocked at Binny's. If you ever make it up to Chicago you can grab some.