Bourbon in Spain

[luv2hunt]

Those of you who are "well traveled"....is there any bourbon to be purchased in Spain that I can't get here?? My boss is heading to Spain over the holidays and has agreed to hit a liquor store or two....he and his wife will be looking for wines....he can be coaxed into the bourbon aisle

Dawn

[Gillman]

Dawn, I will be in Spain soon and have been checking bourbon resources there.

In Barcelona, a store whose website is www.spiritscorner.com has many offerings not available in the U.S.

Even if your boss will be in another part of Spain, my experience is that any good store would probably have many of what I'll list since they probably get their supplies from the same distributors in many cases.

E.g., the store I mentioned has a 10 year old JTS Brown and numerous brands we don't hear of here like Black Crow, Faster, Marshall's, Old Virginia (in 8 and 12 year old versions), Stars & Stripes (gotta get that one), Rittenhouse Rye 10 years old, and an intriguing item called "Rye Whiskey Van Winkle un-chillfiltered". I thought this might be a version of ORVW 13 year old rye but the latter is listed separately, so not sure what this other one is.

I would search, say "bourbon + Madrid", or whichever city he will go to, to find out the main whisky retailers there and I am sure they will have many of the unusual brands I mentioned.

On the spiritscorner.com site, click on "productos" on the left, then on bourbon on the menu again on the left and you will see the bourbons I mentioned. Good luck.

Gary

[TNbourbon]

Gary -- as I think you know already -- if you don't buy a 10yo Rittenhouse rye, if available, you're a fool! (And I know that's not the case!)

If you don't want one, please bring one (or 12) back to me!

[barturtle]

Gotta get some of that Faster Bourbon...lol

The Unchill filtered seems to be the Van Winkle 1985 Rye that was so heralded

Never seen a Canadian Club 20yo that I can recall

How about a Glen Breton Ice Wine Barrel?

Or Green Spot Irish...

This place in amazing actually...

[Hedmans Brorsa]

I can only second the recommendation for Rittenhouse 10yo. It is not made anymore and the stocks are dwindling fast. Buy!

The 1985 Van Winkle is another goodie. Also on its way out.

[HighTower]

Never seen a Canadian Club 20yo that I can recall

It's available duty free in Australia, and it is amazing. Lots of caramel and vanilla, extremely easy to drink!!

cheers

Scott

[Gillman]

Good eye on that Glen Breton Timothy, I've not seen that locally (to the best of my recollection).

Gary

[squire]

I'm a sucker for cool labels. That Stars and Stripes is just too good. Wonder why we don't get it here.

Squire

[luv2hunt]

I wish I could get the images for the Van Winkle stuff.....I don't have a ORVW in a tall bottle....would be fun just for the different kind of bottle (All mine are squats)

[Dr. François]

In the non-bourbon department, I give my highest recommendation to the Gonzalez Byass Lepanto Oloroso Viejo Brandy. It is the regular Lepanto brandy (also very good) aged in oloroso sherry casks. I have been trying to find it in the US for a few years, but it is unavailable.

[Gillman]

I am finding my attention turning more to brandy since that is the main thing in spirits here (apart perhaps from Scotch whisky!). I will seek out the Lepanto brandy mentioned. Cardenal Mendozo which I mentioned in another thread also seems produced in a sherry cask solera and is extremely good. I did find an antiques store with 30 or so bottlings from 50 years ago - of brandy not Scotch or bourbon. A fellow dusties enthusiast! He agreed with me that generally the production two generations ago seemed superior but is not sure why.

The Sazerac I mentioned on another thread was excellent. I'd advise who are those interested to make one to use if need be California brandy and any good bourbon. Maybe meld a Christian Brothers brand and say EC 12 - both are likely aged in the same warehouse thereby conferring an additional unity.

Use any anise-based drink for the dash of absinthe, but very little.

It is interesting to observe here what people drink in restaurants. Beer is huge and the quality is very good especially the staple draft beer you find everywhere (which may be a Spanish brand or perhaps a German, French or Belgian one). Ladies drink tall glasses of draft beer everywhere with their tapas, it is far from being mainly a male drink. Wine is still popular but I'd say beer is more so, at least in the regular type of establishment, and in Catalonia.

Gary

[ratcheer]

Those of you who are "well traveled"....is there any bourbon to be purchased in Spain that I can't get here?? My boss is heading to Spain over the holidays and has agreed to hit a liquor store or two....he and his wife will be looking for wines....he can be coaxed into the bourbon aisle

Dawn

I have never been to Spain, but I think I would like to go there.

Tim

[Gillman]

By the way that store I mentioned earlier only had a couple of brands of bourbon on the premises. The 20 or so items with the strange names and or rare characteristics are only available (I was told) by Internet order from the website I had mentioned, and price depends on availability. It was still a very interesting store to tour, just not from the bourbonic standpoint. It had a huge selection of absinthes for example, really it was something to see.

Gary

[smokinjoe]

I have never been to Spain, but I think I would like to go there.

Tim

Tim, were you in 3 Dog Night?

Cheers!

JOE

[Gillman]

Well, sipping now some Galician white brandy (basically a local white dog made from grapes - Albarino if I read the label right). With a banana on the side. Kind of rough in a good way, much like a grappa or a French marc. I did pick up the Lepanto solera brandy, thanks Dr. F. for the recommendation. Its taste was quite different than the Mendoza which had a chocolately rich old taste. The Lepanto is more medium in palate with a butterscotch and oak taste. The former shows the grape richness more (maybe from the Oloroso casks); the latter is more neutral in taste but quite elegant. There was a more costly Lepanto in a glass decanter-type bottle that I didn't buy, maybe its taste is more like the Mendoza, its color too seemed closer. It tastes like there has been no addition of sugar or caramel.

I would say the Lepanto reminds me of the best California brandies.

Gary

[ratcheer]

Tim, were you in 3 Dog Night?

Cheers!

JOE

No, but I went to one of their concerts. I think it was in 1969.

Tim