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Age Your Own Whiskey

Stevi — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 15:00:39 +0000

My Whiskey Barrel

Along with sudden explosion of new distilleries, there has been a proliferation of white dog whiskeys on the market in the last few years.

White dog is unaged whiskey. Like vodka, it’s a popular first product for a new distillery as it can be immediately bottled and sold to start bringing in income.

Rather than making us wait for their finished product, Woodinville Whiskey gives us the chance to share in the experience with their Age Your Own^tm Whiskey Kit.

The kit features a two liter aging barrel with stand, two 750ml bottles of 110 proof Headlong White Dog at 110 proof (55% ABV), a funnel to get everything inside, and two Glencairn tasting glasses to see how things are going.

Prepping the barrel is easy. Fill it up with good clean water. Then let it sit somewhere that won’t be damaged by any leaks, until no leaks are evident. The point is to let the wood swell with to close any gaps, while not losing any precious liquor.

There was almost no seepage from my barrel from the start, so after a day I drained the water. I tasted a little, which had just the faintest tinge of brown, and was amused to discover there was a slight hint of both oak and sweetness. In went the white dog, and the waiting began.

A key decision in aging spirits is the location of the barrel. The ideal spot will change temperature. This helps the liquor expand into the wood and then contract. This is the whole purpose of barrel-aging. The liquor extracts various chemicals from the charred wood, changing the character of the final product. It also oxidizes with the air that manages to permeate the oak fibers. These processes change the original distillate. It’s up to you to decide when it has reached its prime.

Thirsty Angels

I was tempted to place the barrel on the plant shelf outside my window, but was warned against putting it anywhere it would get direct sunlight. I chose a shelf out of the sun but located where it would gain the most from the heat of the day and the cool of night.

I managed to wait a whole week before my first taste of my experiment. It’s so much easier to take tastes from aging liquor than it is from fermenting beer. The high alcohol levels mean that sanitation is not a huge concern, and oxidation is considered a plus in this process. Simply remove the bung from the top of the barrel, place your glass under the spigot, and turn the spigot on, and you have a taste!

After just one week, the whiskey was noticeably sweeter, with some very raw oak flavor, as well as a light straw color. I continued tasting about once a week. Some weeks it seemed like it was getting really great. And some weeks, it seemed really awful. Talking to Orlin and Brett at Woodinville Whiskey reassured me. They joked about the occasional panicked call to their mentor, Dave Pickerell, former master distiller at Maker’s Mark, about how suddenly the whiskey was ruined. He’d reassure them that it was all part of the aging process.

As different chemicals wax and wane through the process, the taste improves and worsens. The skill of the distiller of an aged product is finding that sweet spot that maximizes the benefits of wood aging while minimizing any negatives.

Finally, after three months, I was satisfied. My whiskey had strong oaken notes, but a nice smooth finish. I choose to bottle at the same strength it went into the cask, rather than adding any water to reduce the proof. While I knew I’d taken a few ounces out of the barrel for tasting, I wasn’t prepared for just how much was lost. I had poured 1.5 liters of white dog, and bottled under 900 ml.

I was very happy with what the angels left me. At bottling proof, it has a slightly stronger wood taste than I like in general when tasted straight. But pouring a jigger over a nice piece of ice brings it into a great balance. I especially like using my whiskey in old fashioned, especially with cinnamon syrup and chocolate bitters.

Of course, I couldn’t leave that barrel empty! I’ll write about my additional experiences in barrel aging. As soon as I put this old fashioned down.

Aging your own whiskey is a great way to appreciate what is really involved in making any aged product. I have a renewed appreciated for the art of the distiller. I can’t wait to see what Orlin and Brett have done on their own. Luckily, I won’t have to wait too long. On November 19, they are releasing their long awaited Bourbon, as well as an American whiskey. I can’t wait to compare it to my own whiskey. Provided I have any left.

I barbacked at Rob Roy

Stevi — Thu, 10 Mar 2011 15:00:16 +0000

…and all I got was this little t-shirt.¹

Shake for the Camera. Photo courtesy of Rocky Yeh.

Despite all my pre-event hand wringing, the Jim & Rocky Barback Pro-Am turned out to be a lot of fun.

Of course, this wasn’t your usual barback shift. At least, I’m told most don’t start with a round of Jägerbombs at the joint across the street.

My job as barback was to make sure patrons had sufficient water,² clear their glasses as they finished their cocktails, keep the counter clean, and help the bartender in whatever way he asked. This ended up including dry shaking, breaking large ice blocks into ones small enough to fit old fashioned glasses, and fetching salt when someone³ asked for an off-menu margarita. Also participating in a round of shots whenever Jim or Rocky deemed it was time to do so.

I learned many lessons during my shift. A few of the most memorable:

The cameraman promised me he’d get out of my way. He was not always able to live up to that promise.
Cobbler shakers confound me. I can’t keep them tightly sealed while shaking them. I can’t get them separated once the drink has been strained out. That’s why I switched to Boston shakers. Naturally, someone⁴ lent cobblers to Jim for the evening so I got to struggle with cleaning them all night.
I do not have a knack for remembering who ordered which drink when. It was embarrassing enough when the bartender asked me for whom I called the drink. It was even worse when several minutes later I was politely asked by the customer whatever happened to that Industry Old Fashioned he ordered.
If I don’t want to use my hands, never attempt to manhandle ice into a glass using a metal ice scoop while standing over the ice bin.⁵
No matter how amusing it seems in the context of the current bar trash talk, when the bartender yells, repeatedly, “THAT’S NOT DONE” — he is almost certainly referring to that surprisingly full mixing glass I am dumping into the sink

A huge thank you to everybody who came to Rob Roy to join in the fun. Thanks to Jim Romdall and Rocky Yeh for inviting me to participate. Thanks to Rob Roy for hosting, and to Jamie Boudreau for allowing us to give him time to go eat dinner at Canlis’ pop-up restaurant.

Check out Rocky’s photos for great shots from all the events, and keep an eye on Small Screen Network to see what they do with all the footage they shot.

And no, I don’t think I’ll be changing careers for any time soon. I’ll bide my time in front of the stick⁶ for the time being.

[1] Actually, I did get a larger shirt at the end of my shift. And lost the red one somewhere between Zig Zag and home.
[2] And goldfish crackers, this being Rob Roy.
[3] Damn you, Evan Martin!
[4] Damn you, Jamie Boudreau!
[5] Luckily, I was stopped before anything bad happened.
[6] See what I did there?

Come Cheer Me On at the Seattle Barback Pro-Am

Come Cheer Me On at the Seattle Barback Pro-Am

Stevi — Fri, 25 Feb 2011 16:00:32 +0000

It started with a text. “Jim and I are doing a thing w/ Small Screen to invite a few bloggers and enthusiasts behind the bar to barback while Jim guest bartends.”

Jim and Rocky and victim

Next thing I knew, I was signed up to barback at Rob Roy on February 27.

I blame the fact I was in the second week of a three week cold that I failed to ask for details before saying yes. Instead, I discovered what I had blithely agreed to when I saw the press release. It begins

Jim Romdall and Rocky Yeh of Vessel in Seattle, renowned bartenders and spirits professionals, will hit the road from Seattle to San Diego challengining amateur mixologists, or as we call them “victims”, to step behind the bar, show their skills and see if they can mix it up all night.

The Jim and Rocky show has already burned a swath from Portland down to San Diego. Now they refuse to be daunted by la Niña as they race back to Seattle to put me and Papa Paul Clarke through our paces. And Small Screen Network will be there to make sure it’s recorded.

As I have no doubt they will make it back, and I will be forced to follow through with my word, all I can ask is that you come to offer moral support on this Sunday night. The fun starts at Rob Roy on Sunday, February 27, at 6 pm. From all reports from the previous events, promises to be fun for everybody…but me.

Death in the South Pacific

Stevi — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 03:25:38 +0000

The theme for this year’s official cocktail contest for Tales of the Cocktail was “Punch It Up.” Entrants were invited to submit a cocktail based on the Planter’s Punch recipe. Today the winner was announced, and I was excited to learn it was Evan Martin’s Death in the South Pacific.

Death in the South Pacific

Death in the South Pacific

0.75 oz. Appleton Estate Extra 12 Year Old rum
0.75 oz. Rhum Clement VSOP rum
0.5 oz. Grand Marnier
0.33 oz. Trader Tiki’s Orgeat Syrup
0.33 oz. Fee Brothers Falernum
3 dashes Absinthe
0.5 oz. Fresh Lime Juice
0.5 oz. Fresh Lemon Juice
0.5 oz. Fee Brothers Grenadine
0.5 oz. Cruzan Blackstrap rum

Add all ingredients except for the grenadine and Cruzan Blackstrap to a Zombie shell glass and fill with crushed ice. Swizzle the drink well to mix and frost the glass and then pour in grenadine. Overfill the glass with crushed ice and then pour in Cruzan Blackstrap.

Garnish:
Take a bamboo skewer and put a brandied cherry through at the very top followed by 1 pineapple leaf (insert through the middle) and then cut off skin from 1 large orange slice and then cut the strips in half. Insert the ends through the skewer having them hang on opposite sides of each other. Then insert the straw through the loop in the bamboo skewer. It should look like a guy hanging off of the drink (cherry=head, pineapple leaf= arms, citrus peel dangling away from each other are the legs)

Evan is a great bartender, and I consider myself lucky that he’s at Naga Cocktail Lounge at Chantanee Thai in Bellevue. Even better, it’s a fantastic drink. He made it for me right after the finalists were announced, and I have to say, I’m not surprised it won. Evan did a great job of creating an accessible, easy-to-drink cocktail that is still complex and rich. He combined a Zombie and Death in the Afternoon to come up with a great tiki cocktail.

As you can see from the photo, I didn’t get the full dead guy garnish. But I did get a very delicious drink, and I’m sure I’ll have a few more over at Naga between now and Tales.

If you’re in the Seattle area, be sure to drop in to Naga to congratulate Evan Martin, and then put him to work making you one to try!

Pacific Distillery Dinner at Prohibition Grille

Pacific Distillery Dinner at Prohibition Grille

Stevi — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 18:39:58 +0000

In the Seattle Metro area? Looking for a chance to try some great cocktails featuring Voyager Gin and Pacifique Absinthe? Want to eat some great gourmet Southern cuisine? Want to meet Chef Rocky of Prohibition Grille and Pacific Distillery’s Master Distiller Marc Bernhard?

You’re in luck! Because on Tuesday, June 16, 2009, at 6 pm, Pacific Distillery will be hosting its first ever Distiller’s Dinner at Prohibition Grille, in Everett, WA!

For $50 (plus tax and gratuity), you’ll receive a five course meal paired with premium cocktails. Be sure to make your reservations now by calling 425.258.6100!

Hope to see you there!

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Voyager Gin and the Gin-Gin Mule

Stevi — Sat, 06 Jun 2009 02:20:35 +0000

I’m ready to become a locavore — at least when it comes to gin. That’s because I am lucky enough to live less than a 10 mile drive from Pacific Distillery, producers of the delightful Voyager Gin.

Gin-Gin Mule

Voyager is a single-batch gin that is distilled from 100% neutral grain spirits using a 500 liter copper alembic still. In addition to juniper, Voyager’s botanicals are coriander, licorice root, cardamom, aniseed, lemon, orange, orris, angelica, and cassia. After the botanicals are added to the spirits and distilled, the gin is brought to 84 proof (42% ABV) and bottled.

Pacific is a small, new distillery, and everybody pitches in on bottling day.

Marc Bernhard has put a lot of love into this product, and it shows. On the nose, the citrus and juniper dominates. Straight, there is some hotness from the slightly higher proof, but also a luxurious richness from the base spirits. This is a fairly citrus forward gin, perhaps most similar to Beefeater 24, but I find Voyager more balanced between the citrus and the juniper.

I’ve yet to find a gin drink I don’t like using Voyager. It makes a delightful gin and tonic. It’s great in a martini and even better in a martinez.

I’m not the only one in love with Voyager, either. Robert Hess has featured is on the Small Screen Network in a drink he created called the Clipper Ship.¹

Several great Seattle Metro bars are also using Voyager frequently, including Zig Zag. Last time I asked Murray for bartender’s choice, something with gin, he made me an Alaska Cocktail using Voyager, and it was fantastic.

But we’ve been having something of a heatwave here in Redmond, and a friend gave me a new bunch of mint from his garden, so I thought I’d go with something refreshing. The gin-gin mule, created by Audrey Saunders, is a great drink.

Gin-Gin Mule

2 oz gin (Voyager gin)
0.75 oz lime juice
0.25 oz rich simple syrup (2:1)
8 mint leaves
ginger beer
mint sprig for garnish

Shake gin, lime juice, simple syrup and mint leaves. Strain into ice-filled collins glass and top with ginger beer. Garnish with slapped mint. Sip on a sultry evening.

Voyager Gin is available in many Washington State Liquor Control Board stores. If yours does not have any, be sure to ask them to stock it. Voyager is also being carried by DrinkUpNY, which may be able to ship to your state.

[1] He had already created a cocktail called the Voyager, so he named this one after the ship on the gin’s label.

[Redmond] Wine Tastings

Stevi — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 20:24:00 +0000

Turns out Malt & Vine, a nice, if small, beer and wine shop here in Redmond, has weekly tastings. Beers on Friday night, wines on Saturday afternoon. They’re a little low on whites right now, but plan to be putting in more coolers and bringing more in as the weather warms. Seem like good folk.

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Happy Discovery

Stevi — Sat, 23 Feb 2008 02:58:00 +0000

The Larry’s Market in Redmond Town Center carries vermouths and other fortified wines.

In fact, they have a wider selection than the state liquor store here in Redmond, or most any place I’ve found on the Eastside.

They carry Cinzano, Martini & Rossi, and Vya vermouths, as well as both Lillet blanc and Lillet rouge, and Dubonnet rouge.

Tonight I splurged on a bottle of Vya sweet vermouth. I’m just finishing off the last of the latest bottle of Cinzano, and next on my agenda is to do a taste comparison of the Vya and the Cinzano to see if it’s worth more than three times the price (at least here in Redmond).

Now if only they’d carry Carpano Antica. Here’s hoping that Haggen doesn’t spoil a good thing.