Volume 1, Issue 2
October 2017
Whiskey Terroir W H I S K E Y
WHISKEYS INCLUDED: Mellow Corn Straight Corn Whiskey Balcones True Blue Straight Corn Whiskey Crouch Distilling Jimmy Red Corn Whiskey Bruichladdich 2007 Islay Barley Bruichladdich 2009 Islay Barley Bruichladdich 2010 Islay Barley
S O C I E T Y
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B R A Z O S
V A L L E Y
What the Heck is “Terroir”? Welcome to the second edition of the Whiskey Society of the Brazos Valley newsletter and tasting kit. It is my hope that you’ll find the guided tastings relaxing, informative and fun each month. Inside each kit, you’ll find 2 oz. of each of the 5-6 whiskeys of the month, labeled by number, not name, in case you’d like to taste them blind before reading more about them. I do recommend trying them in two groups of three (1-3 and 4-6) which I’ll explain later. In addition, you’ll find this newsletter in your email inbox, including some education on that month’s theme, tasting notes, and some basic info on how to taste your whiskeys. For our second month, I thought it would be fun to take a look at how different grains
can influence the taste of the whiskies we love. For the most part, distillers world wide use virtually identical strains of corn, barley, wheat and rye to make their whiskey consistent,
batch after batch. It was not always this way. Before the modern era, where the raw material grains are treated as interchangeable commodities rather than ways to express a sense of place, local people used the grains that were familiar to them. If they grew something other than Yellow Dent Corn, they would make
their whiskey from something other than Yellow Dent Corn. This concept that place, weather, variety of raw material, etc. is a core tenant of wine appreciation, so it seems strange that that has been mostly lost in whiskey today. In an effort to give us a fun look into how those raw materials, places and people can change the finished product, and express a sense of “terroir” (a fancy French word meaning “sense of place”), we have two groups of three whiskies that, side by side by side, should show some substantial differences in taste based on those raw materials. Enjoy! -Brad
Terroir: A Crash Course
I’d want to taste THAT image in my Scotch!
The French are far from the first folks any of us think of when we think about people associated with whiskey. intrepid Scots, hardy Texans, talented Kentucky folk, they all jump to mind right away. Yet, none of them have a good word to express the “sense of
place” that defines a truly local product. For centuries, our ancestors cultivated what grew well where they lived, and crafted it in the ways they knew how. A whiskey from Pittsburgh in the 1800s was likely to be mostly rye, one from Scotland was all malted
barley, and one from Kentucky was mostly corn, or whatever else was left over in the grain field. Lets take a quick look at the factors that go into this concept of “terroir” Grain: Obviously, different
grains taste differently when
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W h i s k ey
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Terroir: A Crash Course (Continued) distilled, just like different grapes taste differently when made into wine. More subtly, different strains of corn, barley, wheat, etc. have different compositions that create different flavors after fermentation and distillation. Soil: The soil your grain grows in
A Malting Floor
Farming/Production Techniques:
imparts different nutrients to your raw material, which in turn affects flavor. Weather: The weather conditions of
a place can have a large effect on the nutrients inside the grain. For
instance, a drought year could stunt development of the grains and leave you with a different mix of flavors. Additionally, the weather your whiskey is aged in has a huge effect on how quickly it ages and interacts with the wood of the barrel. Different places have different traditions in farming and production. For instance, raw materials produced without fertilizers will have different characteristics than ones that are. Similarly, preparation, fermentation and distillation have a large effect on
flavor, and in places with long traditions, is strongly connected with what has been done for decades, if not centuries before. An example of this is the tradition of malting barley before fermentation, considered a necessary production element in Scotch, whereas in Ireland, it is not.
American Corn If there’s one thing that we, as true red blooded Americans love, its corn. We grow more corn than any other country on earth, the vast majority of it being various sub-varieties of Yellow Dent corn. This is the same variety that is used for cattle feed, corn meal, corn syrup, ethanol, etc. Almost all of the remainder produced in the US is Sweetcorn, the kind you’re
used to eating at cookouts, in your grandmother’s cornbread, and so on. It wasn’t too long ago that the US sported hundreds of varieties of corn in substantial production, such as the distinctively colored Jimmy Red Corn cultivated by native peoples in what later became Georgia and South Carolina, and Blue Corn varieties, com-
mon in Central America, thriving in Texas. Each had specific adaptations to climate and soil that allowed it flourish under cultivation in different climates, making each variety specially suited to represent a place and its weather, people and soil. As such, each tastes substantially different, before and after distillation, giving a sense of the place where each came from.
Scottish Barley Barley is substantially more variable than Yellow Dent Corn in the distilling world, but still only 10 varieties are approved for distilling by the main industry group in the UK and commonly used. Since there are more varieties, its more common to find variation in important charac-
teristics, such as the amount of starch, amount of nitrogen, amount of enzymes, etc. that end up having an influence on the fermentation and thus, the flavors in the final product. While Scottish producers generally seek to commoditize their Barley to achieve a more consistent
flavor that they can tweak through post distillation methods, like aging, barrel finishing, etc., Bruichladdich produces some hyper local examples of terroir driven whiskies that will help us see how a difference of a few miles or a different year’s growing season can have on the final product.
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#1: Mellow Corn
Tip: Try tasting these whiskies in two groups of three this month, to get the full side by side experience! Or don’t, they’re your samples to enjoy!
Yellow Dent Corn has been the staple of American Bourbon since at least WWII, coincidentally, that appears to be the last time Mellow Corn’s label was updated. Kidding aside, there are few corn whiskeys produced in the US that aren’t designed to be short term aged rotgut. This is the shining exception! Following the minimum four years aged in a gov’t bonded warehouse and bottled at 100 proof rules of the Bottled-In-Bond designation, Heaven Hill distillers displays everything that’s easy and delicious about
distilled Yellow Dent Corn flavor at a very attractive price. Use this as your benchmark for what Yellow Dent Corn tastes like, versus the others included. 90% Corn, 10% Rye and Barley. ABV – 50.0% Some Things to Look For: This dram shows off the essence of what Yellow Dent Corn brings to whiskey. Look for flavors that remind you of corn meal or corn syrup, as well as a hint of spice from the proof.
#2:Balcones True Blue Balcones, located in Waco, TX, is a huge proponent of using Hopi Blue Corn (Atole) at their base corn. This 100% Atole whiskey is the bigger brother to the Baby Blue you often find on shelves around here. This limited release is substantially shorter aged (2 years) than the Mellow Corn, but bottled at the same proof, so you can see, side by side, the difference
just the different varieties of corn, as well as the Texas heat, can have on two otherwise similar whiskies. ABV - 50.0% Some Things to Look For: Balcones isn’t known for shy whiskies, and this is no exception. This whiskey is rich and dark, partially owing to the Atole used, partially owing to the
really warm weather in Waco versus the many other places whiskey is aged. Look for rich, sweet caramel, fruits and vanilla, as well as some of the more typical corn flavors. Also note the color difference to the Mellow Corn and Jimmy Red.
#3 Crouch Distilling Jimmy Red Corn Straight Corn Whiskey: Different Nearly extinct a few years ago, this whiskey is made from 100% Jimmy Red Corn grown in a recent revival effort in coastal South Carolina. One of only two distilleries using the corn, Crouch found that its very easy to ferment, which was probably a large boon to the poor farmers who used it for distilling 100 years ago in the
area and likely didn’t have barley (what most distillers add to a mash to help fermentation) to work with. This corn variety is actually a favorite of Julian Van Winkle, of the family that makes “Pappy”. ABV — 40.0% Some Things to Look For: This is a much younger whiskey,
aged 5 mo. Instead of the 2 and 4 years of the other two. The red corn brings out some cool fruits like dragonfruit, which one doesn’t usually find in whiskey.
than Bourbon, this designation indicates at least 80% Corn in the mashbill and aged at least 2 years in USED barrels, as opposed to Bourbon, which is always in NEW barrels.
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# 4 : B ru i ch l a d d i ch I s l ay Barley: 2007 While we focused on variety of corn with the first three, the last three are all the same producer, using barley from the isle of Islay. In an attempt to show how much weather, soil, place, etc. matters, Bruichladdich got a few local farmers to start growing barley again on the island for the first time in ages, and began using it for this hyper local whiskey line. They’re all 100 proof, unpeated malt (though you get some light peat flavor coming through from the water used),
from a single year and 6 years old, so you get a true side by side. This one is from Rockside Farm, about a mile form the distillery, overlooking the Atlantic. ABV – 50.0% Some Things to Look For: This youthful spirit is rather fruit forward, so look for some citrus, like oranges, to accompany the usual malty cereal flavors of unpeated Scotch.
# 5 : B ru i ch l a d d i ch I s l ay Barley: 2009 While this example says its from three farms instead of just one, like the 2007, Cruach, Craggan and Mulindry are all in a small cluster on the opposite side of the bay from the distillery. Whereas Rockside Farm faces the open Atlantic, these three are tucked centrally in the more protected, right side of the island.
ABV - 50.0% Some Things to Look For: These Islay malts all share certain qualities, such as the hint of peat, but this one is noticeably sweeter than the others, despite lacking much fruit. See if you can spot some sweet hay notes, along with honey and other sweeter flavors.
#6: Bruichladdich I s l ay B a r l e y : 2 010 Bruichladdich went with a larger number of farms for the 2010 vintage, but encouraged them to grow the same two varieties of barley, including Oxbridge, which likely comprised much of the crop before barley production dried up on Islay decades ago. Rockside Farm, as well as Sunderland
and Coull Farms (next door to Rockside), Dunlossit (East side), Cruach and Mulindry Farms (Central East) and Starchmill Farm (Can’t find it on a map). The island wide crop shows very differently from the first two, and shows very differently from any other Islay malts you’ve had, as most are made
with mainland barley. The ABV — 50.0% Some Things to Look For: This vintage seems to show off the most minerality/saltiness of the three, as well as the most spice. See if any of that spice reminds you of anything you might have kicking around your kitchen.
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Ta s t i n g G u i d e l i n e s & Club Information How To Taste Whiskey There are four components to tasting whiskey: The glass, your nose, your mouth, and water. Depending on how you use these four elements, you will get wildly different impressions of a whiskey. Lets go through them one by one: Glass: Most people tasting whiskey professionally use a glencairn or a copita. Glasses
that are skinnier at the top then the bottom are ideal, as they concentrate the smells of the whiskey. Rocks glasses are next best, with a shot glass being dead last. Nose: Smell determines the large majority of flavors, not your tastebuds. Smelling (or
nosing) a whiskey should be done with your nose close, but not in, the whiskey glass. Get it too close and you’ll get only alcohol, find an ideal spot just farther than that.
A Glencairn
Mouth: You should take a small sip, being careful to not slurp air as you would with
wine (this will bring out the alcohol burn). Let the whiskey touch all areas of your mouth, before swallowing. Pay attention to both mouthfeel and flavors, as you sense different things depending on where the dram is in your mouth. Water: This is open to much personal preference, but most whiskey benefit from a
drop or two of water (or a couple more if they’re particularly high proof). The water allows additional compounds to come out of solution in the whiskey and more easily be sensed. You can watch the oils (where much of the flavor of whiskey resides) dealing with the addition of water when you first add a drop or two. Some people prefer to avoid all water, some prefer to add ice (though the low temperature isn’t ideal for allowing you to smell/taste more), but many people prefer a drop or two of regular water. Experiment a bit to find what you like. Remember, the ideal amount may vary from whiskey to whiskey.
Close, but not too close!
Club information If you’re reading this for the first time, then WELCOME! The Whiskey Society of the Brazos Valley is an informal club of enthusiasts, founded in 2017, who like to split bottles of whiskey to try more and varied drams than we could on simply our own budgets. Each month, 5-6 2+oz samples are circulated with a newsletter explaining the theme and providing some (hopefully!) interesting and informative content to enhance your experience. The cost to participate is simply the retail cost of the whiskey split evenly and the glass vial it comes in. There is no upcharge for the newsletter, club profit, my profit, etc. Additionally, for each glass vial you return, you’ll get a 50 cent credit towards your next club tasting cost share. There is no ongoing commitment, your cost is simply the cost for the month, should you wish to partake after you receive the newsletter. If you have any suggestions, comments, or know of anyone that would like to participate, feel free to contact me at bpb25@cornell.edu. Thanks! And Cheers!
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