GOLDEN BARREL EXPERIENCE

Experience GOLDEN BARREL

Found this issue’s Golden Barrel yet? Hear from the winner of the Spring Golden Barrel contest, Joe H. about his barrel tasting experience. He attended the Ezra Brooks Distillers Collection selection on July 21 in Columbus.

Search for this issue’s hidden Golden Barrel so you can take part in a future barrel selection with OHLQ. Once you find the hidden barrel, log onto OHLQ.com and click on the Golden Barrel link. See page 2 in this issue for more details. Good luck!

JOE H.’S GOLDEN BARREL EXPERIENCE

How did I feel when I found out I won?

I was shocked when I found out that I had won a seat at the tasting table. As an everyday bourbon drinker, while I know what I like, I would certainly not consider myself to have a super well-defined palate. So, I was excited to be able to offer an “Everyman’s” perspective on the varieties that would eventually be available to Ohio’s many bourbon-loving patrons.

What flavor stuck out most to me? Could I taste the varieties?

We were offered tastings from 12 separate barrels. It was astonishing the differences present between them in each characteristic of aroma, flavor, and finish. Many times I could not put my finger on what I was trying to express until someone else placed a name to it. I recall one barrel which was very cherry-like forward, and when someone finally mentioned Luxardo cherry, that was exactly the experience. That turned out to be my favorite barrel.

What did I learn?

I learned “how the sausage is made”, in the best possible way. After we all decided on which barrels we felt would best represent a broad variety of styles that would appeal to the Ohio market, it was interesting to hear how the barrels would be allocated, to which parts of the state, and what went into those decisions. All in all, it was an incredibly fun and fascinating experience!

BEHIND THE BAR

Sit outside this summer and sip on creative cocktails at StoneWater Golf Club and Rustic Grill.

UNFOREGETTABLE Cocktails

There’s a lot on the menu at StoneWater Golf Club besides golf.

TAPAS & TEQUILA TASTING: L. RESOLUTION PHOTOGRAPHY

SO... WHERE WAS IT?

With a full restaurant, a separate outdoor bar, an events room, and a top-notch golf course, the three sisters who own

StoneWater Golf Club and Rustic Grill restaurant in the east-side Cleveland suburb of Highland Heights are a long drive ahead of most golf course’s 19th-hole offerings. But there’s more, especially for spirits lovers. Kathryn, Lindsey, and Whitney Neidus, the owners who invested in StoneWater in 2015, also offer cocktailmaking classes, spirits-themed dinners, Kathryn Neidus offers bites and separate cocktail menus in their dining locations throughout the year. For instance, StoneWater held a Pork & Bourbon event in February, a five-to go with their cocktails. course dinner that executive chef Kathryn

Neidus prepared with pork provided by farmer James Hamilton of nearby Lenox Kathryn Neidus offers bites

Township. Bourbon pours, curated by to go with their cocktails. local spirits expert Lorilei Bailey, included offerings from Jefferson’s Ocean, Rabbit

Hole, Willett, Eagle Rare, and Augusta

Distillery Buckner’s Limited Edition. The $150 menu included hors d’oeuvres, a pre-dinner cocktail, and a take-home treat. The 30-some customers were able to ask in-depth questions of their hosts and the vendors.

KATHRYN NEIDUS: MIKE PRAMIK; BUCKNER’S SINGLE BARREL: MIKE PRAMIK; TEQUILA LIME CHEESECAKE: L. RESOLUTION PHOTOGRAPHY “We like to keep these events smaller and exclusive,” said Whitney Neidus, StoneWater’s general manager. “A lot of times people who come to these have a passion for whatever the spirit is. So, we want to have them talk to the spirits expert and the chef.” “The regular diner might not know it, but Kathryn and whomever is pouring the spirits go on this journey all night with them,” said Lindsey Neidus, StoneWater’s marketing director. Check the calendar often. StoneWater schedules special cocktail classes and events as the schedule allows and the popular events fill up quickly. Spirits-paired dinners and cocktail classes are held in The Venue, StoneWater’s events space. Although StoneWater is a semiprivate golf club, the course is open to some public play, and the public is always welcome at the club’s Rustic Grill restaurant and its outdoor bar, The Yard. StoneWater also has a publicly available club-fitting and player development facility called the Linksman House. Last year, StoneWater introduced The Yard, a large, outdoor gathering space separate from the main dining room. Located off StoneWater’s 10th tee, The Yard is open from Memorial Day and into the fall. It has a fully stocked bar that offers its own cocktail menu as well as pre-made drinks from Duck Island Cocktails. On Fridays and Saturdays from Memorial Day through the fall, The Yard also features live music in the evening, and guests are End your meal with the popular tequila lime cheesecake made with a salted caramel crust and topped with agave syrup. Tasting events are popular at StoneWater.