Named after Baker Beam, grand nephew of the legendary Jim Beam, Baker’s Bourbon is aged seven years and hand bottled at 107 proof. Embracing over six generations of distilling experience, Baker’s Bourbon utilizes a special strain of jug yeast that has been in the family for over 60 years. Aged in new American Oak barrels, Baker’s was awarded a gold medal from Wine Enthusiast and a double gold medalist at the San Francisco Spirit Awards.
Baker’s Bourbon Tasting Notes:
With scents of grain and corn and a good sweet complex aftertaste, having notes of sweet coffee, toffee, caramel, Baker’s is a light and flavorful small batch bourbon. A bit thin, but very solid, the Baker’s Kentucky Straight Bourbon fits in very nicely with the Small Batch Collection from Jim Beam; Knob Creek, Basil Hayden’s, Booker’s and Baker’s. This is an excellent bourbon. Small Batch Bourbons are made in limited quantities, and aged 6-9 years in newly charred American Oak barrels.
Ya don’t need a horse race to enjoy a mint julep cocktail. Check out this great cocktail by the bourbon experts. This year Basil Hayden’s has teamed up with renowned Louisville mixologist Joy Perrine to create our own unique julep! Knob Creek, the world’s #1 selling super-premium bourbon, makes a perfect mint julep, especially when you mix in Knob Creek Single Barrel Reserve which ensures that every julep will have its own unique flavor!
Basil Hayden’s Triple Crown Julep (Created by Joy Perrine)
INGREDIENTS:
4 parts Basil Hayden’s ® Bourbon
4 chopped strawberries
10 Kentucky Colonel or Spearmint leaves
4 Lemon Wedges
1 part water
2 Tablespoons Brown Sugar
PREPARATION:
1. Muddle brown sugar and water in pint glass until sugar dissolves.
2. Add chopped strawberries, lemon wedges and mint leaves and muddle well
3. Add Basil Hayden’s and shake
4. Add ice and shake once again
5. Strain cocktail over crushed ice and garnish with a mint sprig and strawberry
Elmer T. Lee Takes the Top Spot with a Signature Rye Mash Style
By Matt Goldstein & Sommelier Tom Pittakas
Over the last few years Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey has had a major resurgence as the whiskey and spirit world catch on to the complexities and the excellence of the greatest American Whiskey. Not only Bourbon, but American Rye’s are also in the midst of a renaissance as the country’s best distillers are proving we can rival with any whiskey makers in the world. We’d take a $30 Kentucky Straight Bourbon over a $50 Single Malt Scotch any day of the week. Over the past few years we’ve tasted every bourbon we could possibly get our hands on and these are the best bourbons on the market. We tried to stay away from special releases and bourbons that are simply too expensive as there is no need to spend too much money to find the perfect bourbon. Under U.S. law, Bourbon must be made with a 51% corn mash and aged in newly charred oak barrels. Bourbon must be from Kentucky and aged 2 years in order to be called a Kentucky Straight Bourbon.
A two time gold medalist at the San Francisco World Spirits competition and rated 91 by Wine Enthusiast, Elmer T. Lee is produced and distilled at Buffalo Trace in Frankfort Kentucky. With a heavy rye mash for a Kentucky Straight Bourbon, the Elmer T. Lee is very balanced and subtly is its genius. The Elmer T. Lee bourbon is bottled only when master distiller emeritus, the 91 year old Elmer T. Lee decides that it’s time. After all these years, Elmer T. Lee is still a master at his craft. Not only is this rated our top bourbon, but you can find it in the stores for about $35.00 and Elmer T Lee is simply one of the best buys for any spirit on the shelves. Made with a “Rye Recipe,” the Elmer T. Lee focuses more on the rye and grains than the sweetness of the corn mash. The rye style Bourbon makes a subtle, complex yet easy drinking style. Spicy with hints of cinnamon and honey, the Elmer T. Lee is rounded out by beautiful malts and grains. Perfectly balanced and flavorful, this Bourbon comes with our highest recommendation for any whiskey. Elmer T. Lee is still the master of the bourbon craft.
A special release of the small batch collection by Jim Beam, the Knob Creek Single Barrel Reserve is 9 years aged in newly charred American Oak Barrels, hand selected, and bottled at 120 proof. Exceptionally smooth for 120 proof, the Single Barrel Reserve has a light but sweet and smoky scent. With flavors of grains, malts, and an overall sweet flavor with notes of oak and wood, vanilla, chocolate and caramel. This bourbon is a flat out masterpiece and perhaps Jim Beam’s magnum Opus, not to be confused with the original Knob Creek, also a stud in the world of bourbon.
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3. Blanton’s Single Barrel Bourbon Whiskey:
Winning our first ever double blind taste test, even before our web site went live, Blanton’s is considered the original single barrel bourbon, a brilliant idea that has caught fire throughout the industry. An everyday work horse for bourbon, Blanton’s is stored in an iron clad warehouse but continuously heated to age and mature the bourbon. Sweet, smoky and creamy, Blanton’s Single Barrel Bourbon is an perfectly balanced whiskey and simply one of the best Bourbon’s on the market period.
Selected as the #1 spirit in the world by the Spirit Journal and defeating perennial 5 times champion in a row, Highland Park 18 Year Single Malt Scotch, the George T. Stagg Kentucky Straight Bourbon is now one of the most coveted whiskeys in the world. Winning award after award and finishing 2nd in our very own double blind taste test, the George T. Stagg is one of the most complex bourbons and whiskeys on the planet. Uncut and unfiltered, and bottled at 141 proof, this Bourbon Whiskey is for the serious whiskey drinker, one who appreciates every complexity in the glass. Once the whiskey cools down, flavors of oak, fruit, and vanilla ice cream give a perfect mouth feel.
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5. Black Maple Hill 16 Year Small Batch Old Bourbon:
Although we did not want to select a bourbon this expensive, we could not resist adding the Black Maple Hill 16 Year to our top 10 list as it is not only one of the best bourbons in the world but one of the best whiskies period. With flavors of caramel, oak and nut, the Black Maple Hill 16 Year is the quintessential small batch bourbon, made in classic fashion, bottled at 95 proof from a single barrel.
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6. Pappy Van Winkle 15 Year Kentucky Straight Bourbon:
Bottled at 107 proof, the Pappy Van Winkle 15 was Rated 98 by the Beverage Tasting Institute.
7. Michter’s 10 Year Old Single Barrel Kentucky Straight Bourbon:
Named the “best american whiskey” by Food and Wine Magazine, not only is this one of the best bourbons in the world, but Michter’s American whiskies might even be better than their bourbons. Single Barrel 94.4 proof.
From the Jim Beam small batch series, the price for Basil Hayden’s is excellent for how well rounded and beautiful this bourbon is. Easy drinking at 80 proof. .
Basil Hayden’s Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey, although great for sipping neat or on the rocks, is also great for classic bourbon cocktails and Christmas cocktails. A small batch bourbon by Jim Beam, the Basil Hayden’s Blitzen’s Bourbon takes the spirit of Santa and the reindeer and shakes up your glass full of Christmas cheer. With bourbon, spices, bitters, apples, cinnamon, walnuts and sugar, this cocktail serves up a sweet and spicy Christmas cocktail. Mix up a cocktail, sit back, relax by the fire and enjoy the holidays.
2 Parts Basil Hayden’s® Bourbon
1 Reindeer Spice Syrup (recipe below)
2 Dashes Angostura® Aromatic Bitters
Orange Peel
Reindeer Spice Syrup
3 Apples, peeled and diced
5 Large Cinnamon Sticks
1 cup Walnuts
2 cups Sugar
3 Cups Water
***
1. Place the diced apples into water and boil, then reduce heat to low.
2. Briefly toast cinnamon sticks and walnuts in a saucepan, then transfer into apple mixture.
3. Simmer for 15 minutes.
4. Gently stir in the 2 cups of sugar, thoroughly stirring, and remove from heat.
5. Once mixture has cooled, strain and press the juice and flavor from the boiled apples back in the mix.
***
1. In an old-fashioned glass, combine all ingredients and stir 20 times.
What better way to enjoy the fall and the holidays with a beautiful bourbon cocktail to warm you up. Try a Basil Hayden’s Small Batch Kentucky Straight Bourbon Cocktail with a little bit of milk stout, some cherry liqueur, and bitters. And if you don’t have all the ingredients, a Basil Hayden’s straight or on the rocks is pretty damn good too. Bourbon is as Bourbon does.
2 Parts Basil Hayden’s Bourbon®
¾ parts Heering® Cherry Liquor
1 dash Fee Brothers® Old Fashioned Aromatic Bitters
2 parts Milk Stout Beer
Fresh Nutmeg
***
1. Combine Basil Hayden’s, cherry liquor and bitters in a mixing glass.
2. Add ice and shake.
3. Roll in the milk stout beer.
4. Strain into an old fashioned glass with ice.
5. Garnish with freshly grated nutmeg and cherry on top.
Corby Distilleries: Another Strategic Acquisition by Sazerac
Louisville, KY – Sazerac Company, Inc. announces that it has entered into an agreement to purchase from Corby Distilleries Limited certain Corby-owned brands as well as the shares of its subsidiary that owns the manufacturing and bottling facility in Montréal, Québec, for a purchase price of $32.9 million, plus the value of inventory on hand at closing. The transaction is expected to close on October 31, 2011.
The transaction involves the purchase of 17 brands, including De Kuyper Geneva Gin, De Kuyper Peachtree Schnapps, Red Tassel Vodka and Silk Tassel Canadian Whisky, as well as the Montréal-based manufacturing facility where a significant portion of the brands are produced. On closing, all employees of the facility will be employed by Sazerac, and a number of Corby-owned brands will continue to be blended, bottled and warehoused in the facility through a contract manufacturing agreement entered into with Sazerac.
“Canada has become an important market for Sazerac over the past decade and we are delighted to be able to further increase our presence in the market. We are particularly pleased at the prospect of being able to develop the De Kuyper brand in Canada,” added Mark Brown, Sazerac president and chief executive officer.
“We are very pleased to have reached an agreement on this strategic divestiture,” commented Patrick O’Driscoll, Corby president and chief executive officer. “We had some brand overlap in certain spirit categories and this transaction helps us streamline our portfolio with a more focused and targeted collection of brands, as part of our brand prioritization strategy. It also frees up more of our resources to create growth opportunities for our priority brands including Wiser’s Canadian Whisky, Lamb’s Rum, Polar Ice Vodka and McGuinness Liqueurs; resulting in increased shareholder value.”
The large majority of Corby’s remaining brands will continue to be manufactured in the Hiram Walker & Sons Limited facility located near Windsor, Ontario, which is managed by Corby on behalf of Pernod Ricard S.A.
“Corby is committed to a strategy of value growth and a focused brand portfolio that positions us for long-term growth in key categories with premium spirits and wines,” added O’Driscoll. “This divestiture is an important step in moving that strategy forward.”
About The Sazerac Company
Sazerac is based in New Orleans, Louisiana and is one of New Orleans’ oldest family owned, privately held companies. The company has operations in New Orleans, Louisiana; Frankfort, Bardstown, Louisville and Owensboro, Kentucky; Fredericksburg, Virginia; Carson, California; Baltimore, Maryland; and Montreal, Canada.
About Corby Distilleries Limited
Corby’s portfolio of owned-brands includes some of the most renowned brands in Canada, including Wiser’s Canadian Whisky, Lamb’s Rum, Polar Ice Vodka and McGuinness Liqueurs. Through its affiliation with Pernod Ricard S.A., Corby also represents leading international brands such as ABSOLUT vodka, Chivas Regal, The Glenlivet and Ballantine’s Scotch whiskies, Jameson Irish whiskey, Beefeater gin, Malibu rum, Kahlúa liqueur, Mumm champagne, and Jacob’s Creek, Wyndham Estate and Graffigna wines. The existing Voting Class A Common Shares and Non-voting Class B Common Shares of the Company are traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbols CDL.A and CDL.B, respectively.
Forward Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements, including statements concerning possible or assumed future results of Corby’s operations. Forward-looking statements typically are preceded by, followed by or include the words “believes”, “expects”, “anticipates”, “estimates”, “intends”, “plans” or similar expressions. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance. They involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions and, as such, the Company’s results could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements.
Mike Isabella received his formal chef training at The Restaurant School in New York, taking classes and cooking at some of New York City’s greatest restaurants. After New York, Chef Isabella made his way to Philadelphia where he worked at Alma de Cuba and then several Stephen Starr restaurants. Most recently, Chef Isabella was the executive chef of Jose Andres’ Zaytinya restaurant in Washington, DC.. Chef Isabella recently appeared on Season Six of Top Chef and was the runner-up finalist on Top
Chef All-Stars.
Ingredients:
24 1lb Lobsters
Salt
Corn Nuts, crushed
Chive, sliced very thin
Preparation:
1. Poach the lobster in water for 3 minutes.
2. Pull out and ice down.
3. Take lobster out of shells and cut into portions (½ oz rounds).
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BOURBON POACHING LIQUID
Ingredients:
2 cups Knob Creek Bourbon
2 cups Water
½ cup Shallots, sliced
¼ oz Thyme Sprigs
4 lbs Butter
Preparation:
1. Mix together Knob Creek bourbon, water, shallots and thyme and reduce to 1 cup over
heat.
2. Strain liquid and put back on the heat and mount the sauce with butter.
***
CORN SAUCE
Ingredients:
1 Case Yellow Corn
1 quart Mascarpone
¼ cup Grade B Dark Maple Syrup
Preparation:
1. Juice the corn kernels with a vegetable juicer.
2. Place juice in a pot and bring to boil.
3. Make sure to have a whisk and rubber spatula handy, then whisk the sauce until it starts
to thicken. Switch to a rubber spatula and stir until it comes to a boil.
4. Remove from heat and cool to room temp.
5. Whisk in the mascarpone and maple syrup and chill.
***
TO SERVE
1. Slice the lobster into ¼ inch medallions.
2. Spoon corn sauce into spoon and top with medallion.
The True Bloody Mary & Pretty Pretty Good Bourbon Sour
Check out these HBO inspired cocktail’s featuring Basil Hayden’s Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey. From the True Bloody Mary to the Curb Your Enthusiasm Pretty Pretty Good Bourbon Sour and the Entourage inspired Mrs. Ari Lemonade Bourbon; these cocktails will make for a good night of the best series on television. Perry Reeves, “Mrs. Ari” herself, was spotted enjoying her cocktail and overheard saying, “Having a drink named after me, this is the highlight of my career. I drink coconut water and ginger ale everyday! It’s like you read my mind!”
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Basil Hayden’s Pretty, Pretty Good Bourbon Sour
Inspired by HBO’s Curb Your Enthusiasm
Ingredients:
1 ½ parts Basil Hayden’s Bourbon
¾ part JDK & Sons O3 Premium Orange Liqueur
½ part Sweet + Sour Mix
Splash of Soda
Squeeze of Fresh Lime
Garnish: Lime Wedge
Preparation:
Combine all ingredients in a shaker with ice. Shake, strain, and serve in a rocks glass over ice. Garnish with a lime wedge.
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Basil Hayden’s True Bloody Mary
Inspired by HBO’s True Blood
Ingredients:
1 ½ parts Basil Hayden’s Bourbon
2 dashes Celery Salt
2 dashes Hot Sauce
2 dashes Worcestershire
1 tsp Wasabi
Tomato Juice
Lime Juice
Garnish: Celery, Lime Wedge & Blue Cheese Olives
Preparation:
Rim a pint glass with lime juice and celery salt. Fill with ice to the top. Add bourbon, celery salt, hot sauce, Worcestershire sauce and wasabi. Fill remainder of the glass with tomato juice, stir well. Garnish with celery, lime and blue cheese olives.
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Basil Hayden’s The Mrs. Ari
Inspired by HBO’s Entourage
Ingredients:
1 ¼ parts Basil Hayden’s Bourbon
1 part Coconut Water
1 part Pink Lemonade
1 part Ginger Ale
Garnish: Lemon Wedge
Preparation:
Add Basil Hayden’s Bourbon to a highball glass and fill with ice. Add remaining ingredients and stir well. Garnish with a lemon wedge.
The Wild Turkey 101 Bourbon is made with an all natural process, taking much more time than normal whiskeys. Coming out of the barrel at 109 proof, there is little water added to bring this whiskey to the 101 bottle proof. A gold medalist at the 2007 San Francisco World Spirits Competition, Wild Turkey 101 is made with water, grain and yeast and always aged in newly charred American White Oak barrels with the heaviest and deep layer char.
The Wild Turkey 101 is smooth, grainy, very tasty and well balanced. Crisp, with a good dry aftertaste and good warmth, we love this bourbon. Cheers to Southwest for having this bourbon on the flight to Vegas.
Pre-revolutionary War Recipe from America’s First Whiskey Distillery
By Matt Goldstein
America’s first whiskey distilling company, Michter’s dates back to 1753 when a farmer in Pennsylvania’s Blue Mountain Valley distilled his first batch of whiskey from hardy rye. At one point a Master Distiller left his family’s well-known distillery to join Michter’s so he could be at a smaller, less cost-conscious company where he could make the finest whiskey. Mitcher’s produces single barrel ryes, very small batch unblended American whiskey, very small batch bourbon, and single barrel bourbon. The Mitcher’s American Whiskey is matured in bourbon soaked barrels and bottled at 83.4 proof. This is simply one of America’s best whiskeys.
Mitcher’s Small Batch Unblended American Whiskey Tasting Notes:
WOW! This whiskey is smooth, dry, warm with a sweet finish. The flavor is nutty, buttery, complex and grainy. This American whiskey receives our highest recommendation. It’s an absolute must try!
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The Mitcher’s Legacy:
The rich history surrounding Michter’s harkens back to America’s first distilling company established in the 1700′s by John Shenk, a Swiss Mennonite farmer who settled his family in Pennsylvania’s Blue Mountain Valley. With his farm producing an abundance of rye, in 1753 Shenk decided to build a small distillery to convert his excess rye to whiskey. In time, this little distillery with its hand-hammered stills would come to produce what would someday be known as the famous Michter’s whiskey.
This particular rye whiskey was so valued that when the Revolutionary War broke out, General George Washington purchased it to fortify his men as they hunkered down in their camp through the long, brutal winter at Valley Forge. Michter’s, as the saying goes, was “the whiskey that warmed the American Revolution,” and it continues to warm today’s resurgent American whiskey revolution.
The passage of Prohibition in 1919 forced Michter’s and every other American distillery to shut its doors to the public. Although the distillery did reopen after the 21st Amendment repealed Prohibition, Michter’s changed hands many times over the next few decades and languished to the point where it eventually declared bankruptcy. With primary distilling operations shut, there remained two small pot still systems made in the mid 1970′s by still maker Vendome which were reportedly used in part to instruct tourists about distillation and to make whiskey to be sold in the gift shop. After the bankruptcy one of these two still systems was purchased by David Beam, and the rest of the movable equipment was stripped and sold off from the former Pennsylvania distillery, parts of which eventually collapsed. The remaining whiskey stocks were sold off as well.
Dick Newman
Teaming up with Michter’s President Joseph J. Magliocco in the 1990′s, Richard “Dick” Newman undertook to resurrect the brand in Kentucky. An American hero who served as a U.S. Marine during the Korean War, Newman lost one of his legs in a battle and was awarded a Purple Heart. After leaving the military, Newman began an illustrious career in the spirits business where he eventually ran Old Grandad, Old Crow, and Old Taylor for National Distillers before becoming President and CEO of Austin Nichols, the distiller of Wild Turkey.
A Yale College and Harvard Law School graduate, who in the 1980′s decided to pursue his passion for spirits as President of Chatham Imports and later on as President of Michter’s American Whiskey Co., Magliocco says, “When we set up our whiskey program for Michter’s, Dick and I wanted to get back to the ‘cost be damned’ roots and produce the finest whiskey possible. Our goal was to show that whiskey made in the United States could be the equal of great whiskey made anywhere in the world. At the start, when we would sit with industry executives and tell them that great rye whiskey would be an area of concentration for us, they would sit there dumbfounded and stare at us like we each had three heads. Fortunately, whiskey drinkers started to rediscover rye, and we were more right than wrong.”
Michter’s Master Distiller Willie Pratt is a respected whiskey industry veteran with over forty years of distilling experience. He best explains the philosophy that has guided our product to such high critical acclaim since its move to Kentucky in the 1990’s. “The owners give me a free hand. I produce our product at a much higher cost because I barrel at lower proofs, and heat cycle our barrels with a much larger amount of whiskey lost than the typical “Angel’s Share.” But the whiskey comes out richer and smoother than if I made it the standard way. If a barrel is not at the exact right point of maturation and will benefit from more time, I won’t release it even if the sales guys and the distributors are screaming for more goods. That’s why they tease me and call me ‘Dr. No.’ ”
Michter’s production includes single barrel ryes, very small batch bourbons, single barrel bourbon, and unblended American whiskey.
A Small Batch Whiskey by Jim beam
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