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The Four Roses 'V' yeast that wasn't really a V.


flahute
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I attended the Jim Rutledge 50th Year Anniversary event last Saturday in Louisville. It was a tremendous event that deserves its own write up so I won't focus on details here.

There was a truly impressive tasting menu and one of the items on it was the 17yr old OBSV. 

Before we tasted it, Jim told the story of how it came to be. I had never heard this before - maybe some of you already know.

 

Because I've been sick all week since the event, my memory is a little fuzzy on some of the details, but I remember the important stuff.

As I recall, the distillate was part of a run that occurred right before a holiday (I think Thanksgiving) and a couple day shut down. While the mash was still fermenting they discovered something odd. Under a microscope, the yeast had a big vibrant and full bloom that looked really good. Unfortunately, the V yeast is supposed to have a small and tight bloom. It had mutated. 

They were faced with a problem because they had no idea if it was any good and up to standard. If they dumped all the mash that contained this yeast, it would be a $25,000 to $30,000 loss. They would also be down for a few days with no mash to distill right before a holiday meaning that distillery staff would have no work for more days than they wanted off. (They wanted to work over the holiday actually. Back then, before the boom, they took all the work they could get).

 

They had a tough decision to make. They ultimately rated the mash as a quality level 2 out of a 4 point scale the absolute minimum (I think) for a distillation run. They took the risk and distilled it.

Of course it turned out amazing. Jim has said many a time that this is his all time favorite whiskey. This is notable because he generally doesn't like anything older than 12 yrs and he often times prefers it younger than that.  

 

In addition to the 17yr old Gift Shop release, this distillate was used in both the 2012 and 2013 LE Small Batches. As Jim likes to say, anything it touched turned to gold. 

The bummer in all of this? They didn't save any of the mutated yeast. It's one of his biggest regrets because it was impossible to find again.

 

If you ever come across it, do not hesitate to try it. It's a truly remarkable whiskey. I'd easily place it in my top three of all time. It's probably number one actually.

 

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That's an amazing story, and the kind of stuff that makes this hobby so exciting. I think it's amazing that you were able to try this, and to hear it from the legend himself. Congrats!

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Just had some of the 17 yr gift shop bottling last night at the Indy gathering. It is out of this world. And the 2012 SmB LE is a top five all timer for me. Thanks for posting the backstory!

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I tried that 125th for the first time this weekend - didn't realize it had the unicorn yeast in the blend. Definitely a great dram.

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On 11/13/2016 at 5:39 AM, Old Dusty said:

Just had some of the 17 yr gift shop bottling last night at the Indy gathering. It is out of this world. And the 2012 SmB LE is a top five all timer for me. Thanks for posting the backstory!

I've had the LE Small Batches with this whiskey in it for the past few years and always knew they were special. It was a treat to finally try the 17yr old on its own. It's a good reminder how important yeast can be in the final result. It often gets overlooked.

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Well this thread is right up my alley :). The single barrel of this had a few different giftshop waves, correct? I've read/heard of multiple 16 and 17 year barrels, but I'm assuming they were sold multiple barrels at a time in the giftshop?

 

Regardless the age or exact barrel, this is on my shortlist of 2-3 remaining bottles I need to try. Too bad they didn't do something similar with the 19 year OBSK that featured in 09 Mariage.

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2 hours ago, Auracom said:

Well this thread is right up my alley :). The single barrel of this had a few different giftshop waves, correct? I've read/heard of multiple 16 and 17 year barrels, but I'm assuming they were sold multiple barrels at a time in the giftshop?

 

Regardless the age or exact barrel, this is on my shortlist of 2-3 remaining bottles I need to try. Too bad they didn't do something similar with the 19 year OBSK that featured in 09 Mariage.

Looooooved the '09. One of the few bottles I've kept. And had the empty signed by Jim R. 

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5 hours ago, Old Dusty said:

Looooooved the '09. One of the few bottles I've kept. And had the empty signed by Jim R. 

 

Same here! I have 1 pour left in my bottle and have been dreading the day I must say farewell! I'll probably keep the bottle as well.

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Hadn't ever heard that story before.  Very cool - thanks for sharing that Steve!  I'll add this to my list of "If you ever happen to have someone offer this - JUMP!" :)

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Cool story, but ANOTHER one I'll be searching for in vain... :wacko:  Sometimes I think I get wrapped up in the quest more than the actual drinking! Marketing WIZARDS these distillers are! I go into the LS looking for these unicorns, and then I can't leave without purchasing something... Usually end up with a store pick something or other or another OGD 114, OWA, or ECBP so I guess all's well that ends well!!! 

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  • 1 month later...
On 11/17/2016 at 6:49 AM, Auracom said:

Well this thread is right up my alley :). The single barrel of this had a few different giftshop waves, correct? I've read/heard of multiple 16 and 17 year barrels, but I'm assuming they were sold multiple barrels at a time in the giftshop?

 

Regardless the age or exact barrel, this is on my shortlist of 2-3 remaining bottles I need to try. Too bad they didn't do something similar with the 19 year OBSK that featured in 09 Mariage.

Just heard today from a friend who was at a 4R tribute group event that was attended by Jim. He added more detail to the story.

Approx. 18 barrels of this run became gift shop single barrel releases.

The absolutely crazy thing? About 43 barrels of 16-17 yr old OBSV were dumped into the standard Small Batch and Yellow Label brands.

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20 hours ago, flahute said:

 

The absolutely crazy thing? About 43 barrels of 16-17 yr old OBSV were dumped into the standard Small Batch and Yellow Label brands.

That is really a shame!

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On 11/18/2016 at 8:31 AM, JTaylor said:

Cool story, but ANOTHER one I'll be searching for in vain... :wacko:  Sometimes I think I get wrapped up in the quest more than the actual drinking! Marketing WIZARDS these distillers are! I go into the LS looking for these unicorns, and then I can't leave without purchasing something... Usually end up with a store pick something or other or another OGD 114, OWA, or ECBP so I guess all's well that ends well!!! 

 

Now you don't think these fine whiskey-drinking statesmen would spin a yarn cloaked in mystery and intrigue just to create discussion and demand?;)

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16 minutes ago, musekatcher said:

 

Now you don't think these fine whiskey-drinking statesmen would spin a yarn cloaked in mystery and intrigue just to create discussion and demand?;)

Though this can certainly happen, it's not the case here since the bourbon being discussed was long since gone.

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16 minutes ago, flahute said:

Though this can certainly happen, it's not the case here since the bourbon being discussed was long since gone.

 

Or is it?  ;)

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This is one of the reasons Bourbon was such a bargain for many years. There is no telling how much older whiskey was blended for small batches. Not LE, but standard like flahute said.

 

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1 minute ago, mbroo5880i said:

 

Or is it?  ;)

Well nobody knows anything for sure in the world of bourbon but why would a guy who no longer works for the company be planting legends to increase demand? Especially for a company that didn't exactly treat him well on the way out the door.

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31 minutes ago, flahute said:

Well nobody knows anything for sure in the world of bourbon but why would a guy who no longer works for the company be planting legends to increase demand? Especially for a company that didn't exactly treat him well on the way out the door.

 

Steve, 

 

I was just kidding.  I believe the story and the fate of the whiskey.  My comment was more tongue-in-cheek about Diageo's lost barrel program.  

 

Mike

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1 hour ago, flahute said:

Though this can certainly happen, it's not the case here since the bourbon being discussed was long since gone.

 

I'm sincerely making a jest, because I find it all in fun and entertainment, which is the point of enjoying fine whiskey, correct?   Whiskey production is certainly no stranger to legends and lore - I find it all in fun, no harm done.   

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5 hours ago, mbroo5880i said:

 

Steve, 

 

I was just kidding.  I believe the story and the fate of the whiskey.  My comment was more tongue-in-cheek about Diageo's lost barrel program.  

 

Mike

Ah yes, but of course. And in the case of Diageo, all suspicion and ridicule is deserved.

 

 

4 hours ago, musekatcher said:

 

I'm sincerely making a jest, because I find it all in fun and entertainment, which is the point of enjoying fine whiskey, correct?   Whiskey production is certainly no stranger to legends and lore - I find it all in fun, no harm done.   

Due to the fact that there is indeed a lot of legend and lore being peddled to both sell whiskey and charge higher prices than some of it deserves, it's important to separate the fabrication from the truly unique stories from a legend such as Jim.

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1 minute ago, flahute said:

Ah yes, but of course. And in the case of Diageo, all suspicion and ridicule is deserved.

 

 

Due to the fact that there is indeed a lot of legend and lore being peddled to both sell whiskey and charge higher prices than some of it deserves, it's important to separate the fabrication from the truly unique stories from a legend such as Jim.

 

Considering the use of those 43 extraordinary barrels in general blends like FRSmB and FRYL, can you imagine what other fabulous barrels of bourbon Jim created that never made it to market on their own?  It goes to show that not all of the honey barrels end up single barrels.

 

Personally, I am not a real fan of FRSmB or FRYL.  They seem too watered down.  I would love to try these batched at 100 proof.

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