We recently went to Joe’s Vegas in Caesar’s to meet Norm Hooten, co-founder of Hooten Young Whiskey, and taste through his whiskies. Hooten shared many of the stories behind his brand and commitment to his long-standing veteran friends that he served in the army with. The famous tale, from the film Black Hawk Down, had actor Eric Bana as Hooten during the 1993 Battle of Mogadishu.
Hooten Young whiskey has been in Nevada for maybe two months but is also available in 40 other states, online and at Joe’s. Hooten’s grandfather made whiskey – with corn flakes on the stove. Hooten’s father also made whiskey – and went to jail for it.
Hotten joined the army at 18. He was quickly recruited for special ops. In efforts to capture Manuel Noriega they had a couple of false starts – one included finding everything but Noriega – his Christmas gifts, cash, cocaine and a box of cigars. The team smoked the cigars and drank whiskey. Having whiskey and cigars with his team became a theme.
Hooten says he buys the best, including from the CEO of Bardstown who he also happened to serve with. That’s the whiskey in his bottled in bond whiskey. He also made his rye 93 proof to commemorate their 1993 battle. And when he has whiskey with his friends he listens to what they want: make it stronger was one such request and Hooten then released a cask strength.
So much of a brand’s importance is its back story. And though I never saw this particular war film, or knew the story behind it, I found myself very much interested in hearing about Hooten’s loyalties to the army and the men he served with. He deserves respect, and lucky for me, so did his multiple award-winning whiskies.
We began the tasting with his bottled in bond bourbon at 100 proof that had notes of roasted nuts and was both hot and very spicy. It was released on the 4th of July.
Next was the 8 year old American whiskey that reminded me of Crème Brûlée and was both smooth and balanced. Made from 99% corn. We purchased one of these.
Then came the 12 year old with lots of butterscotch notes and earned a double gold. The label is black and gold in another nod to the army. We also bought one of these.
Lastly was a 7 year old rye that was very spicy and many guests enjoyed the whiskey in an Old Fashioned cocktail.
Learn more about Hooten Young and the brand here.
Joe’s menu for us did not disappoint either:
Dry Aged Beef Sliders
Aged Cheddar Cheese & Crispy Shallots
Whiskey Glazed Pork Belly Sliders
Grain Mustard & Pickles
New York Strip & Potato Cake
Bordelaise Sauce
Lump Crab Cakes
Joe’s Mustard Sauce
Buttermilk Fried Chicken
Hot Honey
Bananas Foster Mini Tarts
https://www.facebook.com/HootenYoungWhiskey
@Hooten.Young on Instagram
Eve Bushman has a Level Two Intermediate Certification from the Wine and Spirits Education Trust (WSET), a “certification in the first globally-recognized course” as an American Wine Specialist ® from the North American Sommelier Association (NASA), Level 1 Sake Award from WSET, was the subject of a 60-minute Wine Immersion video (over 16k views), authored “Wine Etiquette for Everyone” and has served as a judge for the Proof Awards since 2022 (submit via https://proofawards.com) Cellarmasters, LA Wine Competition, Long Beach Grand Cru and the Global Wine Awards. You can email Eve@EveWine101.com to ask a question about wine or spirits. Follow on Instagram and Facebook.
