What can you do without?

[Gillman]

Dave, sorry, I have one more idea. In the late 1800's, the best blend made by the blending/rectification industry was a combination of two bourbons and a straight rye. That is, most blended whiskey incorporated some neutral-type spirit, which lessened the cost (or rather, increased the blender's margin ). But the finest blends combined straight whiskeys only. I have found a recipe in which two bourbons were combined together with a straight rye. The proportions were 45% for each bourbon and 10% for the rye. This particular recipe called for adding (according to the original batch size) 1% of a fruit syrup derived from prunes and raisins. (The batch size was 20 gallons each of bourbon, 5 gallons of rye, and one-half gallon of prune juice which was a maceration of prunes and raisins in neutral spirit).

When making my version of this blend, I added a dash of juice from a can of prunes, not exceeding 1% (the limit is important, in my view), but you can dispense with the syrup if you like. So, you might take two ounces each of the Elmer Lee and Knob Creek and add a half-ounce or so of one of the young ryes you have. If you like the combination, you can bottle up a batch and increase the proportions accordingly. My first one was made from Jim Beam Black Label, Van Winkle 12 year old Lot "B" Bourbon, and four rye old Pikesville Rye. I chose the wheater VW to make sure the intense rye taste of the Pikesville did not obtrude (the lack of rye in the VW would cut it some slack). I added 1% of prune juice, too. The result was excellent (I mean, really good). In effect, I was increasing the rye component of the mashbills for the bourbons, or that is one way to look at it. The combination of the three whiskeys created complexity. Probably originally, a younger and older bourbon were combined, but the permutations are endless of course. If you try it, do it in the glass, i.e., with small amounts of liquor to see if you like the result. You can adjust the drink to your taste that way, too.

Gary

[OneCubeOnly]

Yikes! As much as I think KC is overrated, I certainly wouldn't pour out half a bottle of it! It's better than all the rail-level bourbons (Jim Beam White, etc.) Heck, my best friend's bourbon criteria is "Beam or better and you're okay!"

Mix with it. Make some bourbon & gingers with it.

Don't get me wrong--it's overshadowed by *ANY* other small batch bourbon, but it's definitely drinkable.

[Gillman]

Oh I agree, I like KC a lot (although it was better a few years ago, in my view). But if someone does not like it, why not turn it into something different, and maybe "better"?

Gary

[bluesbassdad]

Gary,

I keep telling myself I'll try something along those lines... someday. (Jim Butler brings this up from time to time.) I just never get around to it. It's always easier just to pour something that I recall liking. Besides, if I were to follow your suggestion, I'd be forced to keep records of proportions, tasting notes, etc. I'm just almost too lazy for that.

I have one other, totally silly, impediment, as well. When I read the book Red Likker, that was my first awareness of the terms "rectifier" and "rectification", at least in the context of liquor. The hero of the story spoke very harshly of the people who engaged in that practice, describing them as being detrimental to the image of bourbon, if not to civilization as a whole. I would be reluctant to align myself with such dishonorable men.

Nevertheless, you have given me something to try when I run out of new bourbons to try or the money to afford them.

Oh, and one more thing -- I can't imagine ever mixing any Van Winkle product in the hope of ending up with anything better than the principle ingredient.

Yours truly,

Dave Morefield

[Gillman]

Well, I understand and being interested in bourbon history, I must get that book by Cobb. The recipe I cited (except for the very small amount of fruit juice) used all straight whiskey, so none of the rectifier's own product entered into that particular blend. Probably, the mixture I described was developed to offer something consistent to the market on the high end. Sometimes a good idea gets traduced in that producing all-whiskey mixtures likely was how blending started, and later, people had the idea to dilute the blend with neutral grain spirits. As for utilising a whiskey of high grade in the mixture, I don't view it as dishonourable to the whiskey selcted but rather the reverse because the blend I described calls for whiskeys only of the highest quality. And indeed, the better the whiskey that is used, the better the final result. A modern example of doing this on a large scale is adding, as we just read viz. the Four Roses tour, bourbon to Canadian whisky. Indeed, before such additions, Canadian is a type of rectified spirit whereas the blend I described uses no such component. On a small scale, using a bourbon in any cocktail does a similar kind of thing (because a dilutant of some kind and flavouring are usually added). This is all down to personal prediliction and interest, of course; I find it interesting to sample something that was consumed 100 years ago! I have also experimented with making mixtures that incorporate some neutral-type sprits (I used all-rye Polish vodka). The results are still good but here we are moving away from the arena of straight whiskey. The cheaper mixtures offered an alternative to people who, in the late 1800's, could not afford to buy straight whiskey.

Gary

[bobbyc]

We all get caught with a stinker every now and then. If I open a bad one , eventually I will have to drink it or cook with it. I'm far too frugal to toss any of it.

[Paradox]

Tom, try using that Knob Creek to soak chrries in and toss them in the fridge... Then when you make manhattans, you'll have some soaked ones on hand. Good way to use it up and not feel guilty about tossin' it.

[WEG3]

Well tonight the bottle of 90 proof Ezra Brooks was used to soak an angel food cake .... A fitting end to the last bottle of bourbon of less than 100 proof that I will buy of the common pours ....at this stage I feel if I need less i will cut my own of the higher proofs ....

And with that a glass full of ORVW 15y 107 ....straight up it has been that kind of a week ,,, tomorrow I head over to my insurance agent , ...got a letter from the other company ..they want to talk to me ???

Bill G.