When the Leaves Turn Brown, So Does the Booze: Three New Whiskeys for Autumn

When the days grow shorter and the nights grow colder, when baseball gives way to football and the sweaters come out of mothballs, it can only mean one thing -- it's whiskey season again. Of course, there's nothing wrong with a snifter of Scotch or a perfect Manhattan on a sweltering July evening. But for me, autumn is whiskey weather. Time to put away the fruity pseudo-tinis and faux-jitos and get down to some serious drinking. This year, in addition to all the old favorites that have gotten us through many a previous autumn chill, there are three new whiskeys on the market that will cast a warm glow on your taste buds.

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Four Roses Limited Edition Small Batch

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Four Roses bourbon doesn't have a particularly fancy pedigree and it doesn't cost an arm and a leg. It's a solid, no-nonsense and mighty tasty bourbon that's been around since your great-gran'pappy was knee high to a grasshopper (or 1888, in other words), and for a spell in the '30s and '40s it was the most popular bourbon in the United States. In recent years, however, as the spirits market has gravitated toward rarer and higher-end concoctions, they've gotten a little hifalutin. There are now ten different Four Roses expressions, each one aged and distilled differently. Four Roses' new Limited Edition Small Batch is a mixture of three of those recipes, aged between 10 and 15 years and then mixed at barrel strength. On the nose, it's mellow, fragrant and almost perfumey, redolent of young wood and nutmeg -- when my wife took a sniff she said, "It smells like Christmas." On the tongue, it starts off sweet, with a nifty brown sugar vibe, before the alcohol and oak whack you upside the taste buds; the finish is long and super-dry. While the Small Batch is designed to be a sipping whiskey, I think it makes a nifty bourbon for cocktails as well.

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Four Roses bourbon doesn't have a particularly fancy pedigree and it doesn't cost an arm and a leg. It's a solid, no-nonsense and mighty tasty bourbon that's been around since your great-gran'pappy was knee high to a grasshopper (or 1888, in other words), and for a spell in the '30s and '40s it was the most popular bourbon in the United States. In recent years, however, as the spirits market has gravitated toward rarer and higher-end concoctions, they've gotten a little hifalutin. There are now ten different Four Roses expressions, each one aged and distilled differently.

Four Roses' new Limited Edition Small Batch is a mixture of three of those recipes, aged between 10 and 15 years and then mixed at barrel strength. On the nose, it's mellow, fragrant and almost perfumey, redolent of young wood and nutmeg -- when my wife took a sniff she said, "It smells like Christmas." On the tongue, it starts off sweet, with a nifty brown sugar vibe, before the alcohol and oak whack you upside the taste buds; the finish is long and super-dry. While the Small Batch is designed to be a sipping whiskey, I think it makes a nifty bourbon for cocktails as well.

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All three of these fine American-made whiskies will make you proud of your country. And by buying them, you'll be giving the economy a boost. Meet you at the liquor store, fellow patriots!

 

Follow Tony Sachs on Twitter: www.twitter.com/RetroManNYC

Comments

[Teodora Pogonat]

12:10 AM on 11/07/2010

Made an awesome whiskey sour the other day with a sugar free cocktail mixer. Didn't expect it to taste like the real thing, but it was insanely delish. It was called Go Cocktails! sweet & sour. A friend of mine gave it to me, but you can get them online at http://www.gococktails.com

[CMB1969]

10:44 AM on 10/25/2010

Four Roses has gone high end? Totally missed missed. Thats what I get for sobering up several years ago...
I remember when that was the typical "well" whiskey in New York dive bars...

[nowinsea]

05:14 PM on 10/30/2010

That's actually not their high end. They have a single barrel that's higher end, and past that there's an annual special bottling that's a mix of their different mashbills and yeasts. The "small batch" is a mix of barrels, but the single barrel is the best choice (in my inestimable opinion).

[homer winslow]

01:10 PM on 10/22/2010

Nothing compares to a good 15 year old or older single malt scotch. Laphroig is one of my favorites, but there are some great whiskeys out there as well. The Knob Creek is an excellent sipping whiskey.

[manjectionist]

03:45 PM on 10/30/2010

Laphroaig Quarter Cask is amazing stuff, much better than the usual 10yo (which is already outstanding).

[nowinsea]

05:18 PM on 10/30/2010

Japanese whisky, my friends. The Nikka Yoichi 15yr? The Suntory Hakushu 12? Outstanding.

Sheeit. If you're going to talk peated whisky, the Octomore? Wow.

[Ozark Homesteader]

09:42 AM on 10/15/2010

Four Roses sounds great, but it looks like no Arkansas distributors sell it. Bummer.

[sb250guy]

04:32 AM on 10/15/2010

It's autumn. It's turning cooler. That's a great reason to try these whiskies (not that I need a reason).

[Sparhawk]

11:59 AM on 10/14/2010

i love Single Malt Whiskey, but I'm not too keen on Bourbon. My dad used to drink bourbon and soda when I was growing up. It had a distinct aroma that even today I don't really like. What is the real difference between the two.

[sb250guy]

04:31 AM on 10/15/2010

Bourbon is made from three grains (one of which must be at least 51% corn). The rest of the ratio is adjustable (barley, rye or wheat can be used). It is aged in new charred oak casks.

Single malt is made from one grain (malted barley) and usually aged in used bourbon or sherry casks). It is usually double distilled as well.

I also prefer single malt but I do find uses for good bourbon from time to time. They really are quite different.

[nowinsea]

05:23 PM on 10/30/2010

"What is the real difference between the two."

Seriously? Barley whisky verses corn whiskey? Besides the extra "e" in (most) American whiskeys, there's little similarity.

[Progress08]

11:02 AM on 10/14/2010

I've discovered a new whiskey too. Templeton Rye. You can make the original "Manhattan" as it was intended. I'm normally not a fan of Rye but with the bitters and sweet vermouth of a manhattan it's quite delicious.

[nowinsea]

05:24 PM on 10/30/2010

Yep. Templeton rye is a tasty whiskey, to be sure. It's named after the city from where a lot of the prohibition whiskey came. Good stuff.

[playon]

04:28 PM on 10/13/2010

Just in time for the post-election blues, when I'm sure I'll need a stiff drink.

[BlueZoo]

03:55 PM on 10/13/2010

Anybody know of a retailer that sells honest-to-goodness branch water? As a young girl, I was introduced to bourbon and branch by my husband's family. They got their branch (water from a real stream) from a retailer in Tennessee. I haven't seen branch water in decades and I'm wondering if it is even available any longer??? Anyone???

[Progress08]

11:05 AM on 10/14/2010

Branch Water is just Bourbon plus water (plain water).

[BlueZoo]

10:54 AM on 10/15/2010

No, branch water comes directly from a stream and not a tap. If you've ever cracked the ice over a stream or rivulet and sipped the water directly, you'd know there is an enormous difference in purity and taste.

[Ozark Homesteader]

09:43 AM on 10/15/2010

Jack Daniels used to bottle natural spring water, and I assume they still do.

[BlueZoo]

10:55 AM on 10/15/2010

Many thanks for the tip! As it happens, we're going to TN next weekend and I'll find out!

[ninja45]

03:49 PM on 10/13/2010

Why list a bourbon "for autumn" that doesn't come out until January?

[Tony Sachs]

09:52 AM on 10/14/2010

Couldn't help myself. I was too excited about it to wait.

[elpapa]

02:02 AM on 10/20/2010

In the mean time the two top tiered Jim Beam bourbons are available...Bakers and Booker (my fav)...the best Booker Noe had to offer, God rest his soul!

http://www.bourbonblog.com/blog/2009/12/14/booker-noe-bourbon-legend-master-distiller/

[corgidog59]

03:46 PM on 10/13/2010

I have tried a number of different bourbons. I will definitely recommend Four Roses. It is a very smooth drinkable bourbon. It does not give you that"burning" sensation like some higher alcohol bourbons do.

[Soulsurfer]

03:34 PM on 10/13/2010

Thanks for the schoolin'...............I'm just getting into Bourbons, and Manhattans in particular. And to all y'all checking in, thanks for your personal favorites too! I'm willing to try'em all................

[Souldrifter]

03:13 PM on 10/13/2010

I may try the Four Roses, just because "it smells like Christmas." However, I will never leave the side of my beloved Gentleman Jack.

[FragBunnie]

03:07 PM on 10/13/2010

These look like something I want to go out and taste right now... 'cept I don't live in an area where the state-run-monopoly stores carry it...

YES ON 1100 and 1105!

[sazerac]

01:54 PM on 10/13/2010

Tony, when you say "sloppy bartenders who are heavy-handed with the vermouth," what do you consider to be "heavy-handed?" The typical proportion for a Manhattan is 2:1 or 3:1 whiskey to sweet vermouth. For a whiskey of the strength of Knob Creek Single barrel 1 part vermouth to 2 parts whiskey would be called for (at least). In fact, I've had perfectly balanced Manhattans made with 2 parts vermouth to 1 whiskey when using a powerfully-flavored barrel-strength Bourbon like George T. Stagg (ringing in this year at a formidable 142 proof).

For me the bane of the Manhattan is the bartender who doesn't put in enough vermouth, adding a mere dash or two, which does not make for a balanced cocktail.

[Tony Sachs]

09:58 AM on 10/14/2010

Excellent comment! I agree, the amount of vermouth you put in really depends on the bourbon. Knob Creek can handle a lot more than a lighter bourbon like, say, Basil Hayden. I generally do a 2.5:1 for more robust bourbons and 3:1 or even 4:1 for lighter brands, but your proportions are definitely more widely used.

[nowinsea]

05:35 PM on 10/30/2010

No, Sir. It depends on more than that. It depends on the type of vermouth. It depends on the ratio. It depends on the customer, most of all...