Southern Comfort Reserve

[Gillman]

Another "find" in the bunker of some Miami relations, this was purchased in a Caribbean duty free port recently. It states that 6 year old bourbon is blended into the Comfort. It is 80 proof. I like it, the effect of adding real whiskey is to deepen and dry the palate. The back label states caramel is added which takes away a bit from the experience (in my opinion) but still it is very good. I wonder what bourbon is added and the proportions, has anyone tried this?

Gary

[cowdery]

I have not tried this and don't believe it was available when I worked on Southern Comfort 20 years ago, but since Brown-Forman is the manufacturer, and SC is made in Louisville as opposed to Lynchburg, I suspect it is a whiskey from the Old Forester/Early Times family.

[Ken Weber]

Chuck, you are correct. When I worked for BF, SC Reserve was introduced. The advertising mentioned that it was made with real bourbon. This caused problems because consumers started asking about regular Southern Comfort. Since SC is a liqueur, it does not contain any bourbon, or any whiskey for that matter. This caused a tremendous amount of trouble and so Reserve was quickly and quietly dropped. The year was approximately 1994.

Ken

[Gillman]

The bottle I was referring to was bought it in duty free in a Caribbean port (I think St. Thomas) only recently. Does this mean the stock in question is 10 years old? Or does it mean the product is still being made but only for the export market? By the way, I found adding more bourbon made it even better.

Gary

[cowdery]

Long after my time there. Very interesting, thanks.

[Gillman]

Well, I'll answer (partly) my own question. On the way home from Ft. Lauderdale this weekend, I saw Southern Comfort Reserve, the very one sourced in St. Thomas a few months earlier, in the airport Duty Free. So it is made now evidently and I noted the web site printed on the bottle, www.southerncomfort.com, which would not have been printed on a 1994 label. Whether it is sold domestically I cannot say, but it is available internationally. With my penchant for tweaking, I added (in the glass at my host in Lauderdale) a splash of Ezra Brooks 12 year old 101, and it shore did make a good drink better, deepening and lengthening it. This also slightly reduced the moderate (in this version) sweetness of Comfort.

Gary

[ratcheer]

That's exactly what I used to do with the regular 100-proof Southern Comfort 30 or so years ago. I mixed it half and half with bourbon for a Rusty Nail type of drink.

Tim

[Gillman]

Yes and essentially my tweaked Southern Comfort Reserve is what you described. I feel my version of Reserve gains in complexity from using two bourbons (the one it started with and the older one I added). The richness and flavor of the fruits used in the flavoring are in no way hidden by the "bourbonizing" treatment. If anything it improves the drink, bringing out the fruit but adding a depth of caramel and vanillin flavors the regular ol' Southern Comfort lacks. To approximate my tweaked Reserve, I suggest the following: to two parts regular-brand Southern Comfort add one part 6-8 year old bourbon (any brand) and a dash (or more) of 12-15 year old bourbon. Stir well. This is a fine drink and offers many tangs and flavors that are part of the American whiskey ethos and history. Plus, it tastes darn good.

Gary

[cowdery]

My work in the beverage alcohol industry has sometimes required me to drink things I would rather not. Miller Lite comes to mind. I approached Southern Comfort with some reluctance, having had the universal bad experience with it in my youth, but I worked on the brand for six years and grew to like it. I can't say I've had it much since then, however. The Scarlett O'Hara (SC and cranberry juice) was one drink I liked.

Their official conceit that SC is a "whiskey substitute" in traditional recipes precludes mixing it with actual whiskey, at least officially, but I can see it tasting very much like a manhattan.

[Gillman]

Yes, and even more so, an Old-Fashioned.

Gary

[jeff]

The Scarlett O'Hara (SC and cranberry juice) was one drink I liked.

Would that be the infamous "pink drink" Chuck?

[cowdery]

Would that be the infamous "pink drink" Chuck?

Certainly in the same family, although for that I had in mind something more like a pink daquari in a big bowl-type glass, with froth on top, and probably a paper umbrella.