Boat International – August 2019

BOAT LIFE

ILLUSTRATION: ADAM NICKEL

oryears,it’sginthathasdominatedthe

backbarofmanyafineestablishment.

Askanymixologistworththeirsalt

whattheirspiritofchoiceis,however,

andtheanswerisunanimous:bourbon.It’s

beautiful,bewitchingandbeguiling–andAmerica’s

gifttotheworld.Indeed,onlylastnightIenjoyed

ascrumptiousSeelbachcocktailmadewithFour

Rosesbourbon,Cointreau,Angosturabitters,

Peychaud’sbittersandLaurent-Perrierchampagne.

ThecocktailisnamedaftertheSeelbachHilton,

ofcourse,amagnificentoldpileinLouisville,

Kentucky,famousforhavingbeenoneofAl

Capone’soldhaunts.I’vestayedtheremanytimes

andhavenevertiredofbrowsingthehundreds

ofbourbonsonofferintheOldSeelbachBar.

Tobecalledbourbon,awhiskeymustbemade

intheUS,fromaminimumof 51 percentcorn

spirit,withnoadditionofeithercolouror

flavour.Onlycharred,newoakbarrelsmaybe

usedinitsmaturation.

Inpractice,almostallbourboncomesfrom

Kentucky.BeforeProhibition,whichbanned

alcoholintheUSfrom 1920 to1933,therewere

2,000distilleriesintheBluegrassState.Tenyears

ago,therewerejustnine.Happily,eventhougha

thirdofthestateisstill“dry”(including,bizarrely,

BourbonCounty,whichgavethewhiskeyitsname),

thingsareresolutelyontheupandthewhiskeyis

enjoyingunprecedentedexportsales.

Kentuckyhashot,intensesummersandbitingly

coldwinters,theextremesofwhichforcethe

whiskeytosoakinandoutofthecharredstavesof

thebarrel,pickingupcolourandflavourasitdoes

so.Thankstotheuseofvirginoakbarrels,bourbon

Four Roses small batch bourbon

Oneofthemostpopularbourbonsofall–withgoodreason.

It’sfamouslysmooth,spicy,toasty,honeyed,fruityandfullof

toffeeandvanilla.£31,thewhiskyexchange.com

United taste

of America

Bourbon is back, as smooth and

soft as ever, says Jonathan Ray

F

Stagg Jr Kentucky straight bourbon

Stagg Jr is one of many fine whiskies made at Buffalo Trace

Distillery. Bottled unfiltered, it has a whopping ABV of

65 per cent and is fabulously complex, with rich, dark

chocolate notes, candied orange peel, raisins, toffee,

vanilla and buckets of sweet spice. £79, houseofmalt.co.uk

Maker’s 46 Kentucky bourbon whisky

The regular Maker’s Mark is a famously approachable bourbon

and even though this is bigger, bolder, richer and more

complex, it is ridiculously enjoyable and (despite higher

alcohol) similarly easy-going. £41, masterofmalt.com

Elijah Craig small batch bourbon

Launched in 2016 and produced by Heaven Hill Distillery, Elijah

Craig small batch is comprised of whiskeys between eight and

12 years old and is extremely fine, being soft, mellow, sweet

and slightly smoky. £39, thewhiskyexchange.com

Linen shirts should top everyone’s list of summer essentials. Turnbull & Asser’s new Striped Linens collection

is a capsule of eight shirts, available in three styles – Derby collar, Dorset button-down or collarless – all with

one-button cuffs. Fabrics are woven by the Albini cotton mill in Italy. turnbullandasser.co.uk

Linen earns its stripes this summer

is smoother and softer

than most other whiskies

and better for mixing.

Indeed, unlike Scotch,

which tends to be

consumed straight, with

soda or on the rocks,

90 per cent of bourbon is

mixed with coke (such a

shame!) or used as a base

for a cocktail such as a

Manhattan, mint julep,

old-fashioned, Sazerac or

whiskey sour.

I reckon they deserve

to be savoured more on

their own, though. In fact,

I’m sipping some Maker’s

Mark 46 as I write and

the more I sip, the more

I agree with myself...

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