I’ve always said that to be successful in the whiskey biz, you need to start with some good spirits and then have a story and a strategy. Three new whiskeys have crossed my desk and my lips lately that fill the bill. Let’s take a sip!
First in the glass is Four Branches Bourbon, a Nashville-based whiskey project put together by four friends who are veterans of the four major branches of the U.S. military. (Sorry, Space Force. You weren’t invited to this party.)
Mike Trott is an Air Force veteran; Rick Franco was a Marine; RJ Casey served in the Army; and Harold Underdown is a former Navy SEAL command master chief. So yeah, these guys are pretty much badasses! Since returning from the service, each of them has worked for the government in other capacities or in corporate security and as consultants on movie sets.
They are also sharp marketers, coming up with the idea of combining four different mash bills to create a four-grain whiskey that contains corn, rye, barley and wheat to represent the four branches. As a group, they sampled a lot of recipes from a major distillery in Bardstown, Ky., and worked with Bardstown Bourbon Co.’s master distiller Steve Nally to create their proprietary blend of spirits aged four to seven years.
They bottled their blend at 96 proof to showcase the extraction from the oak barrels, and that’s an interesting alcohol level that is powerful enough to sip straight but also able to be part of a cocktail recipe without overpowering the other ingredients in the glass. The vanilla from the barrel is definitely a prominent flavor that comes through, but the extra soft notes from the 10 percent of wheat in the recipe are a nice distinctive element of Four Branches too.
Starting out with a pretty limited batch of barrels, the quartet is initially focusing on the markets closest to the distillery. Fortunately, that includes Tennessee, so if you want to try it out and share it with a veteran in your life, you should be able to find it on local shelves.
The second commemorative whiskey on the shelf is Old Hickory Hermitage Reserve Barrel Proof Whiskey, a private-label product from local distributor Lipman Brothers. It’s important to note that this isn’t labeled as a bourbon or a Tennessee whiskey. There are a few reasons for this. First off, it’s not from Tennessee, so that’s out. Secondly, the recipe of 99 percent corn and 1 percent barley could technically be called a bourbon, but it’s definitely more of a corn whiskey. The final reason why it’s not a bourbon is that the product was not aged in new oak barrels as is required by the regulations of bourbon.
Instead, Lipman selected barrels that were at least 10 years old from a major distiller (most probably MGP in Indiana), with the majority of the barrels containing 13-year-old whiskey. Lipman’s master blender Sam Schmetzer put together the blend and then matured the whiskey further in 18-year-old used bourbon barrels before bottling Old Hickory at a robust 117 proof level.
The result is a really unique whiskey, like a crème brûlée in a glass. There’s definitely a burn from the high alcohol level, but a few drops of water help to cut through that and open up the sweeter and fruity elements that are masked by the heavy corn character. Old Hickory Hermitage Reserve Barrel Proof has been very well-received in recent spirits competitions, winning Double Gold and Best of Class from the San Francisco World Spirits competition and a Platinum from Fred Minnick’s Ascot Awards.
At a suggested retail price of around $60 a bottle, it’s pretty expensive for a corn whiskey, but it's worth seeking out when considering the age of the spirits, the high proof and the novelty of a premium corn product.
Our final whiskey, also a tribute to a historic figure, is Hemingway Rye Whiskey Signature Edition, the latest release from Hemingway Whiskey Co., where the Groth and Call families have been crafting some excellent whiskeys in Beaver Dam, Ky.
Hemingway Rye Whiskey Signature Edition is a blend of two straight rye whiskeys, the majority a 6-year-old rye from Indiana along with a 4-year-old crafted by Hemingway’s master distiller Jacob Call. The real magic comes from their special finishing process, giving the whiskey a final nap in rum-seasoned oloroso sherry casks, which contribute some delightful spicy and fruity notes to the final 102-proof product. I really enjoyed the floral and citrus properties of this in a snifter, kind of a combo of orange blossoms and mandarin slices.
I usually prefer to enjoy rye whiskey in cocktails, but this is definitely fine as a sipper. While it might be nice to extend the lifespan of this $80 bottle by using it in a drink recipe, I just don’t think that’s going to happen in my house. Plus, Papa Hemingway would want me to drink it straight out of a dirty glass. Lucky for us, Tennessee is one of the 10 states where Hemingway Rye Whiskey Signature Edition will be available at retail, so maybe I can pick up an extra bottle. You should, too.
