Brad Paisley to Launch ‘American Highway’ Bourbon

December 2, 2021 by evebushman

BARDSTOWN, Ky., /PRNewswire/ — Global country music superstar Brad Paisley will launch “American Highway” Bourbon this month, a whiskey aged in barrels stored in a 53-foot semi-trailer that followed his 2019 nation-wide tour for 7,314 miles across 25 states, from coast to coast.

Global country music superstar Brad Paisley launches “American Highway” Bourbon

“Bourbon is like songwriting, it’s a blend of things coming together to make something incredible,” said Paisley. “These are really special barrels that saw more of the United States than most people I know.”

The fluctuating climate of the barrels’ journey expanded and contracted their staves, imparting oak and char that cultivate the characteristics flavors of America’s native spirit. This well-traveled batch was then blended with three-year, 13-year and 15-year-old Kentucky bourbons to create the final product. The next batch, to be released in 2022, was aged on the Rolling Rickhouse during Paisley’s 2021 tour.

Paisley sums up the creative process that derived his bourbon: “It’s so similar to what goes into a great guitar. The right woods, the right craftsmanship, the right alchemy that makes this intangible, magical thing, and that’s what makes this so great to me.”

“American Highway’s” literal path-to-market wasn’t the only unique aspect of its creation: Rather than just sourcing whiskey and lending a celebrity name to it, Paisley worked closely with award-winning bourbon distiller Bardstown Bourbon Company to create the final blend. Located in Bardstown, Kentucky the “Bourbon Capitol of the World,” this modern bourbon distiller creates custom whiskey, bourbon and rye for more than 30 different brand-owners worldwide and has won critical acclaim for its releases.

Paisley collaborated with a team of experts at Bardstown, including VP of New Product Development Dan Callaway. “You don’t get to see many celebrities that have such a technical palate,” shared Callaway. “It was a super collaboration that resulted in a travelled bourbon in an exemplary expression.”

Callaway describes the bourbon as “A blend of four rye-forward bourbons ranging in age from 3 to 15 years. The flavor profile is incredibly unique. Subtle, complex, spicy, well-traveled. As we like to say, it was, ‘born in Kentucky, aged across America’.”

With just 30,000 bottles of the initial release produced, the 96-proof blend has a suggested retail price of $99.99. The bourbon will be available in AL, CA, CO, DC, DE, FL, GA, IL, IN, KY, MD, MI, MS, NC, NV, NY, OH, TN, TX, WI and WV, and exclusively online through www.seelbachs.com.

The stats:
Proof: 96 / ABV 48%
Mashbill: 28% 3YO 71/21/0/9; 25% 3YO 60/36/0/4; 24% 13YO 74/18/0/8; 23% 15YO 78.5/13/0/8.5
Suggested Retail Price: $99.99 per 750ml bottle

For more information on American Highway Reserve Bourbon, or to find out where you can purchase locally, visit: www.AmericanHighwayReserve.com.

About Brad Paisley:
Brad Paisley has earned his place in country music history as one of the genre’s most talented and decorated male solo artists. Over the past 21 years, his songwriting and unmatched showmanship have won him numerous awards, including three GRAMMYs, two American Music Awards, 14 Country Music Association Awards and 15 Academy of Country Music Awards, among many others. A member of the Grand Ole Opry since 2001, Paisley has written 21 of his 24 No. 1 hits, and in 2008 became the first artist to achieve 10 consecutive Billboard Country Airplay No. 1 singles. The 2010 CMA Entertainer of the Year’s past works have amassed over 4.6 billion worldwide career streams. Paisley continues to collaborate with Peyton Manning in a multi-year ad campaign with Nationwide insurance. In 2015, the global superstar partnered with Boot Barn® to develop Moonshine Spirit by Brad Paisley, an exclusive line of jeans, hats, T-shirts, jewelry, belts and woven shirts. A prolific entertainer, Paisley’s first prime-time special, Brad Paisley Thinks He’s Special, aired on ABC in December 2019 and has garnered over 18.1 million viewers to date. Paisley and his wife, Kimberly Williams-Paisley, are co-founders of nonprofit organization The Store, a free-referral based grocery store, which aims to empower low-income individuals and families in the Nashville area. For more information, visit www.thestore.org.

BradPaisley.com | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube

About Bardstown Bourbon Company:

Founded in 2014 by Peter Loftin in the heart of Bourbon Country on 100 acres of active farmland, Bardstown Bourbon Company, 1500 Parkway Drive, Bardstown, Ky., is one of the country’s most modern and technically advanced whiskey distilleries. Celebrating the art of making high-quality, authentic bourbons, the innovative distillery produces custom rye, whiskey and bourbon for prominent brands including High West, Belle Meade, Hirsch and many others through its one-of-a-kind collaborative distilling program. Bardstown Bourbon Company honors tradition and drives innovation with their exceptional destination experience for visitors, offering the only full-service restaurant located within a distillery on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail, The Kitchen and Bar at Bardstown Bourbon Company.

Blue Run Spirits Unveils Its First Distillation From Bourbon Hall of Famer Jim Rutledge – Blue Run Kentucky Straight High Rye Bourbon Whiskey

November 24, 2021 by evebushman

GEORGETOWN, KY. (PRWEB) – The first Blue Run Spirits whiskey with Bourbon legend Jim Rutledge serving as the contracted master distiller is now available. Blue Run Kentucky Straight High Rye Bourbon Whiskey can be found in select retailers in the U.S. and Canada, as well as online at BlueRunSpirits.com. This is the company’s second fall release, following closely on the heels of the instantly sold-out, gold medal-winning Blue Run Kentucky Straight Golden Rye Whiskey.

Blue Run Kentucky Straight High Rye Bourbon is a small-batch whiskey and is the first Blue Run product with Bourbon Hall of Famer Jim Rutledge overseeing the production (on all previous Blue Run products, except Golden Rye, Jim served as the Liquid Advisor). Rutledge distilled this batch at Castle & Key Distillery.

“For a four-year-old Bourbon, I’m impressed with the quality of this release, and I look forward to evaluating the subsequent releases of these barrels – after additional maturation,” said Jim Rutledge.

Blue Run Kentucky Straight High Rye Bourbon is distilled from a 65% Yellow Corn, 30% Rye, 5% Malted Barley mash bill. Just 100 carefully selected barrels were chosen for this bottling, each toasted to a #4 alligator char and aged in Frankfort and Bardstown, KY. Blue Run High Rye Bourbon clocks in at 111 proof.

“As we celebrate our one-year anniversary as a company, we wanted to release something that really made a statement and honored the deep traditions of whiskey making,” said Mike Montgomery, CEO and cofounder of Blue Run Spirits. “The legendary Jim Rutledge helped us craft a bold, spicy Bourbon that even at 111 proof is incredibly sippable, with a pronounced, memorable finish. We are very excited to see how these barrels evolve over time for subsequent bottlings.”

On the tongue, Blue Run High Rye Bourbon is a caramel beauty full of baking spices and a toasted oak frame that crescendos with a stone fruit and black pepper finish. Each bottle features an iridescent coating on the brand’s signature gold butterfly to create a prismatic, rainbow-hued medallion, making it easily identifiable on any back bar.

Since Blue Run Spirits launched in October 2020, the company has released five whiskies: the inaugural 13-Year-Old Bourbon; 13.5-Year-Old Single Barrel Bourbon, which was awarded top category honors at the prestigious 2021 San Francisco World Spirits Competition winning Best Single Barrel Bourbon – 11 Years & Older, as well as a Double Gold Medal; 14-Year-Old Small Batch Bourbon, which won Best Small Batch Bourbon – 11 Years & Older, along with a Double Gold Medal; and the most recent release – Golden Rye Whiskey – which received a Gold Medal in San Francisco.

Blue Run Kentucky Straight High Rye Bourbon Whiskey is available for $89.99 SRP and can be found wherever high-end luxury Bourbons are sold. It will be followed by several holiday releases.

Blue Run Spirits can be purchased in Kentucky, Louisiana (RNDC); Georgia (Savannah); South Carolina and Tennessee (Advintage); Washington, D.C., Maryland and Delaware (Prestige-Ledroit); Illinois and Colorado (Breakthru); California and Florida (Park Street); New Jersey (Fedway Associates); Canada (Evergreen); and online through Seelbach’s at http://www.bluerunspirits.com/shop.

Find Blue Run Spirits online at http://www.bluerunspirits.com, and on social media: Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.

ABOUT BLUE RUN SPIRITS
Blue Run Spirits is a new kind of spirits company, creating a unique luxury proposition by tapping into the deep heritage and craft that makes a truly great whiskey, then elevating it through a modern design and marketing lens to reach a younger, broader and more diverse whiskey drinker. The company’s founders include a Nike designer, the first director-level employee at Facebook, a hospitality executive, a political advisor, and a philanthropist – all huge whiskey fans and individuals who acutely understand how to build demand and buzz for a contemporary consumer product. They are backed by a team of advisors including Nike marketing experts; the Campari communications veteran behind Wild Turkey and the Aperol Spritz; a former spirits distributor; and others with deep industry experience. The Blue Run name is a nod to one of our founder’s upbringing in Georgetown, KY.

Watershed Distillery® Releases Highly Anticipated Batch 002 of Barrel Strength Bourbon Finished in Apple Brandy Casks

September 28, 2021 by evebushman

COLUMBUS, Ohio, /PRNewswire/ — Watershed Distillery announces its most mature spirit to date—a highly limited barrel strength bourbon—released on Saturday, September 18, at the distillery with limited allocation in Ohio retail agencies and select markets across the U.S. to follow. The highly anticipated 2021 Watershed Barrel Strength Bourbon Batch 002 follows the release of Batch 001 in September 2020 for the distillery’s 10-year anniversary, which sold out in under three hours.

Created from some of the last remaining barrels of Watershed Distillery’s original five grain mash bill of corn, wheat, rye, barley, and spelt—an ancient grain grown primarily in Ohio and nod to the distillery’s craft roots—Barrel Strength Bourbon Batch 002 was created from copper pot-distilled bourbon aged four years in virgin char #4 White Oak barrels and finished for 34-45 months in Watershed’s own Ohio apple brandy casks. Bottled without chill filtration at 120.8 proof, this rare and complex spirit was created from barrels 100% distilled, aged, and bottled on-site, and represents the oldest bourbon ever released by Watershed Distillery.

“When selecting the barrels for this batch of our Barrel Strength Bourbon, our Barrel Master Anne Dimmick and I set out to highlight the true depth and complexity of the bourbon we make at Watershed Distillery,” shares Head Distiller Aaron Harris. “We are always looking for that ‘magic’ in a barrel—a rich and bold bourbon with balanced sweetness that truly stands apart from the rest, and we think Batch 002 captures that perfectly.”

Watershed is releasing just 3,060 bottles of this highly anticipated limited offering to seven markets—Ohio, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, New York and Michigan. Suggested retail price is $89.99. Tasting notes for Barrel Strength Bourbon Batch 002 are as follows:

Appearance: Deep Amber
Aroma: Dark brown sugar caramel, roasted oak and rich vanilla
Flavor: The palate brings with it a full-bodied rich viscosity, with complex notes of fig, peripheral spice, and a touch of black cherry and toasted nuttiness
Finish: Robust and balanced with lingering complexity
Age: 6-8 years
Proof: 120.8

Watershed Barrel Strength Bourbon Batch 002 was released to the public at Watershed Distillery (1145 Chesapeake Ave, Columbus, Ohio 43212) on Saturday, September 18, before making its way—in small quantities—to select retail outlets in Ohio and to Atlanta, Chicago, Detroit, Lexington, New York City and Tampa.

To celebrate this limited release, Watershed Distillery hosted a special preview dinner, “The Evolution of Character,” on Thursday, September 16. This event featured a curated menu by Executive Chef Jack Moore, and allowed attendees to experience the special journey this particular bourbon took from grain to glass. All dinner participants had the opportunity to purchase up to two bottles of Watershed Barrel Strength Bourbon Batch 002 in advance of the public release on Saturday, September 18.

This limited release is the latest offering in Watershed’s premium family of aged spirits. This summer, the distillery moved to a fully-aged stated bourbon portfolio with the launch of Watershed Bottled-in-Bond Bourbon and the relaunch of their flagship Watershed Distillery Bourbon as a 4-6 year blend of three bourbons. For more information on Watershed Distillery, its spirits or to purchase a ticket to the “Evolution of Character dinner,” please visit www.watersheddistillery.com.

ABOUT WATERSHED DISTILLERY
Watershed Distillery is the largest independent Ohio distillery and producer of award-winning craft bourbons, gins, vodka and a variety of specialty spirits. Founded in 2010 by Greg Lehman, Watershed Distillery was inspired by the vision of creating great spirits and shared experiences that bring people together. Watershed Distillery offers seasonal curated events, daily tours and tasting experiences, and is home to Watershed Kitchen and Bar—consistently named one of the top restaurants and cocktail bars in Columbus. Find Watershed online at http://www.watersheddistillery.com or @watershedistillery.

WhistlePig Goes Beyond Bonded with 100.1% Farm-to-Bottle, Single Barrel Rye & Bourbon

June 30, 2021 by evebushman

SHOREHAM, VT. (PRWEB) – WhistlePig Whiskey, the #1 distiller in the ultra-premium and luxury rye whiskey category in North America, celebrates a milestone this Spring with the release of two 100% grain-to-glass whiskeys from the WhistlePig Farm. WhistlePig’s long anticipated FarmStock Beyond Bonded Rye is joined by FarmStock Beyond Bonded Bourbon. Both Rye and Bourbon are harvested, distilled, aged and bottled by hand at the WhistlePig Farm and Distillery in Shoreham, Vermont. With Beyond Bonded, WhistlePig defines a new standard of quality that is not only Bottled-in-Bond, but Single Barrel, fully traceable at every step of the Farm-to-bottle journey, and bottled at 100.1 proof, just beyond the Bonded whiskey standard. With just 24 barrels of Rye and 16 barrels of Bourbon in the 2021 release, Beyond Bonded FarmStock Rye and Bourbon are among the most rare and collectible whiskies ever produced from the WhistlePig Farm.

WhistlePig’s FarmStock Beyond Bonded Rye is a Straight Rye Whiskey crafted from 100% Remington Rye harvested from the ‘North Orwell 1’ field of WhistlePig’s 500-acre Farm. FarmStock Beyond Bonded Bourbon is a Straight Bourbon Whiskey made with a high rye mash bill clocking in at 51% Dent Corn and 49% Remington and Rifle Rye varietals harvested from ‘North Orwell 1’ and ‘North Orwell 2’ fields. Both whiskeys were distilled on WhistlePig’s original hybrid still, ‘Mortimer’, proofed with water from WhistlePig’s Farm well, and aged for upwards of four years in Vermont Estate Oak barrels which were produced from local Vermont oak. The oldest barrel in the release was aged for four years, 8 months and 14 days.

WhistlePig FarmStock collectors will be able to trace the Farm-to-bottle journey via a unique QR code on the label. Each code reveals thirty unique facts about their individual whiskey, from growing conditions to fermentation days to barrel specs to bottling team.

“Today’s craft spirits drinkers, especially whiskey collectors, are incredibly knowledgeable and passionate about process,” says Jeff Kozak, CEO. “After working toward a 100% Farm whiskey vision for more than a decade, our team is proud to invite WhistlePig fans to look under the hood at who, where, when and how our grain-to-glass whiskey is created, and to offer a one-of-a-kind experience from each barrel.”

Beyond Bonded Rye follows WhistlePig’s original FarmStock Rye Crop series, released between 2017 and 2019, blending WhistlePig Farm Rye and other aged Straight Rye Whiskeys. The third and final edition, featuring 52% Farm-to-bottle Rye, will continue to be available alongside the limited release FarmStock Beyond Bonded Rye. Beyond Bonded Bourbon takes the whiskey world by surprise as WhistlePig’s first ever Bourbon release, after quietly seeding, harvesting and distilling the grain alongside their Rye varietals and other experimental crops.

Behind the scenes at WhistlePig, you’ll find Distiller Emily Harrison. Beyond Bonded Bourbon is especially close to her heart, having started out in Kentucky’s large bourbon distilleries before discovering her true passion for craft whiskey, and following it to Vermont. Emily leads a team of 4 distillers at WhistlePig Farm and manages the Farm-to-bottle process from the beginning. This includes creating crop plans with WhistlePig’s farmer, checking quality of the mash ingredients and distilled whiskey, and creating schedules for mashing, fermentation and distillation. Emily works closely alongside Meghan Ireland, WhistlePig’s Chief Blender, who in college, after reading an article about a female chemical engineer turned Master Blender, knew that she also wanted to get into the craft spirits industry. At the WhistlePig Farm, Meghan picks up when the barrels are filled, seeing the process through to ensure WhistlePig maintains its award-winning quality and taste.

“Beyond Bonded has been our most ambitious experiment to date. Whiskey making is a labor of love, with challenges at every step of the process” says Emily Harrison, WhistlePig Distiller. “In Vermont, the short growing season and extreme temperatures make for much tougher farming than in the south. After harvest, Rye is a notoriously difficult grain to distill, but we’ve always believed that the benefits of its complexity are well worth the effort. FarmStock Beyond Bonded shows its incredible potential once again, in both Rye and Bourbon. Seeing it leave the Farm is a dream come true.”

Earlier this month, to debut the Beyond Bonded collection, the first ever barrel of Beyond Bonded FarmStock Rye, Barrel No. 0001, was auctioned off at Dana Mecum’s 34th Original Spring Classic in Indianapolis. After whiskey fans across the country bid on Barrel No. 0001, the winning bid resulted in a total contribution of $100,100.00 to Farm Aid.

Hitting shelves across the United States this month, with no barrel or bottle being exactly alike, both Beyond Bonded Rye and Bourbon will be offered with an SRP of $99.99 per 750ml bottle. The next limited release of Beyond Bonded is expected in Spring 2022.

About WhistlePig Whiskey

Founded in 2007, WhistlePig has become the #1 distiller in the ultra-premium and luxury rye whiskey category in North America, featuring the bold and often untapped flavor of Rye. WhistlePig is leading a surge of innovation in the emerging field of North American whiskey. As the most decorated Rye whiskey – having received the coveted ‘Best in Show Whiskey’ title from the 2017 San Francisco World Spirits Competition, WhistlePig is widely viewed as the world’s finest Rye. With the opening of its distillery on its 500-acre Vermont farm in the fall of 2015, WhistlePig has also become one of the leading farm-to-bottle Rye whiskeys in the world. For additional information, please visit whistlepigwhiskey.com.

Blue Run Spirits 13.5-Year-Old Single Barrel Cask Strength Bourbon – Winner of Top Category Prize At the San Francisco World Spirits Competition – Now Available

May 27, 2021 by evebushman

GEORGETOWN, KY. (PRWEB) – A Bourbon treasure hunt is about to commence as Blue Run Spirits unveils its Spring release, which recently won Best in Class and a Double Gold Medal at the prestigious San Francisco World Spirits Competition. Blue Run 13.5-Year-Old Single Barrel Cask Strength Bourbon launches today as ten separate limited-edition bottlings from ten different barrels, each hand numbered to denote the proof, barrel number and bottling date, enticing whiskey sleuths to find the entire collection and whiskey enthusiasts around the country to discover their favorite flavor profile. Each bottle comes in a custom, handmade black lacquered wooden box, adding to the collectability.

The unveiling of Blue Run 13.5-Year-Old Single Barrel Cask Strength Bourbon comes on the heels of Blue Run’s inaugural release in October of 2020. Blue Run 13-Year-Old Bourbon received exceptional reviews and sold out quickly. With Jim Rutledge as the company’s Liquid Advisor, this new batch of Blue Run will delight Bourbon drinkers around the country. Rutledge is a 50+ year whiskey industry veteran and a managing partner of J.W. Rutledge Distillery.

Each of the ten barrels comes from the same mash bill, same yeast, same still and same warehouse, but how the liquid reacted to the wood and its position in the warehouse can delicately change the characteristics of the whiskey. Blue Run 13.5-Year-Old Single Barrel Cask Strength Bourbon has the brand’s characteristic smooth and mellow flavor; a long, sweet and dry finish; little to no burn on the back end – even at cask strength – and a long tail.

Between 104 to 150 bottles will be available from each barrel, with the proofs varying from 124 to 132. The secret to which barrel the Bourbon came from can be found on the hand-numbered label, which gives a hint at that whiskey’s particular characteristics and flavor profile:

Barrel #1: Mellow sweet corn and brown sugar apple butter that develops into mellow oak tannins

Barrel #2: Deep chocolate and honey-drenched s’more

Barrel #3: Gorgeous crème brûlée with a burst of dark brown sugar and streaks of ginger

Barrel #4: Creamy toffee with bites of cocoa and black pepper

Barrel #5: Sultry black cherry and oak with clove honey

Barrel #6: Decadent dark chocolate with a marshmallow frame and clove cascade

Barrel #7: Layers of char smoke and rich vanilla wood sugar

Barrel #8: Roasted pecan and nutty campfire smoke

Barrel #9: Spice forward with bold black pepper and baking spices and an herbaceous wrap

Barrel #10: Oak tannin and dark raisin combination with a whip of smoke on the finish

Though each barrel has its own subtle flavor differences, consumers can expect the liquid in each bottle to have a deep glow, streaked with bronze highlights; an alluring aroma of molasses and brown sugar with a toasted, nutty frame that reveals itself around baking spices and cocoa; and a long, sweet and dry finish wrapped in dark cherry highlights.

“This limited-edition, high-proof release offers a uniquely customized experience based upon each whiskey fan’s palate, pairings and passions,” said Mike Montgomery, CEO of Blue Run Spirits. “While a bottle of Blue Run Bourbon will definitely stand out on your bar, it’s the flavor we are most proud of and glad to see experts like the judges at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition agree.”

Blue Run 13.5-Year-Old Single Barrel Cask Strength Bourbon will be found in May initially in Kentucky, California, Delaware, Georgia, Maryland, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Washington, DC, as well as online. But here’s the twist: No state will receive bottles from all ten barrels. Each will get up to nine, encouraging collectors to reach out to friends to help amass the entire collection. The product will also be available through Seelbachs.com, with bottles from a different barrel made available every few weeks (but again, with only nine available). Seelbach’s will also offer a very limited number of ten-bottle complete sets.

Blue Run’s latest release will stand out on store shelves due to the modern design by Devon McKinney, the creative mind behind some of the world’s most-sought-after sneakers. The brand’s signature butterfly medallion, a nod to the Commonwealth of Kentucky butterfly the Viceroy, will be matte black on the Blue Run 13.5-Year-Old Single Barrel Cask Strength Bourbon bottle. This new offering will come housed in a striking, handmade black lacquered display box made of sustainable birch and imprinted with gold leaf.

Blue Run Bourbon will be available at $229.99 SRP. The company’s next release, a 14-Year-Old Small Batch Bourbon that also won Best in Class and a Double Gold Medal at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition, will be launched this summer, followed by a Gold Medal-winning Rye Whiskey in late summer.

Blue Run Spirits’ distribution partners include Republic National Distributing Company (RNDC) in Kentucky; Breakthru Beverage Group in Illinois and Colorado; Savannah Distributing Company in Georgia; Advintage Distributing in South Carolina and Tennessee; Prestige-Ledroit Distributing Co. in Washington D.C., Maryland and Delaware; American Spirits Exchange in California; and Evergreen Beverage Canada in Canada.

Find Blue Run Spirits online at http://www.bluerunspirits.com, and on social media: Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.

ABOUT BLUE RUN SPIRITS
Blue Run Spirits is a new kind of spirits company, creating a unique luxury proposition by tapping into the deep heritage and craft that makes a truly great whiskey, then elevating it through a modern design and marketing lens to reach a younger, broader and more diverse whiskey drinker. The company’s founders include a Nike designer, the first director-level employee at Facebook, a hospitality executive, a political advisor, and a philanthropist – all huge whiskey fans and individuals who acutely understand how to build demand and buzz for a contemporary consumer product. They are backed by a team of advisors including Nike marketing experts; the Campari communications veteran behind the US launch of Espolòn Tequila and the Aperol Spritz; a former vice president of innovation from Brown-Forman; a former spirits distributor; and others with deep industry experience. The Blue Run name is a nod to one of our founder’s upbringing in Georgetown, KY, where Bourbon began in the Bluegrass State.

Vintage Eve Circa 9/2018 – Mutual Trading Show 2018: An Array of Japanese Food and Drink Reviewed

April 13, 2021 by evebushman

This would be the second year of discovery for us: attending the Mutual Trading Japanese Food and Restaurant Expo. While the wide array of Japanese food and beverages takes center stage, I really like to cover the show to learn something new, and I do every time.

If you just want to see the food and drink, my photos are here. Of special note for me:

Japan’s #1 Nama Sake in a CAN: Funaguchi Kikusui Ichibanshibori. It was served to us three ways: fresh and cold from the can, sweetened with citrus juices and with slices of cucumber. Each was quite remarkable.

Masahiro Shuzo, a company that has “been in business for more than 130 years”, Awamori – a distilled 30% ABV (60 proof) that is produced in Okinawa.

The Umepon liqueur was a favorite last year for us so I was happy to see them back and also try a cocktail version. It is orange and plum liqueurs blended with rice shochu.

I had Dassai sake in my WSET level one sake course, also noted that one of the numbered versions is served at our local Gyu-Kaku Japanese BBQ. (The bottles are numbered and that number correlates with how much the rice grain is milled to. The lower the number the finer the grain, and hence, the finer the sake.) At the show I expected to see the usual 50, but they also had a 23 to sample, which was really delicious.

The brand “Dragon God” sold only to restaurants, had a couple of different sake that I enjoyed. Look for these when you dine out.

Of the displays I was duly impressed by the many award winning beverages, glass and pottery sake serving sets and the array of sashimi, sushi, tofu, sesame seed – from oils to desserts – and noodles. The longest line is always for small servings of ramen. If I were to work with a Japanese restaurant I’d put my money on ramen.

If you want to know what I learned about this year, namely pairing sake with all kinds of food, read on:

Attendees were extremely lucky to have a class offered on food pairing with Antony Moss MW and Chef Nobuo at Teeter House.

Moss is the Director of Strategic Planning for WSET (Wine and Spirits Education Trust) and though he has earned his MW his focus for the last five years has turned more to sake. He said sake pairs easily with food as there are no tannins or acid.

Chef Nobuo said that drinking sake with a meal will “clean whatever stays in the mouth” and the “combination of contrasting things (makes pairings) delightful.”

During the seminar we were given two samples to try: Miyazaki beef and Bluefin tuna. Both were served with a specifically selected cold sake that would enhance the flavor of the dish, and by a show of nods when Moss asked, both pairings succeeded. The selection of a sweeter sake with the beef was truly inspired. Of course both the fish and the beef had been marinated as well as served with a topping, which was all taken into account in the selection of the sake. Long story short, this was just really the beginning of what we would learn about pairing sake with dishes other than sushi.

Moss said that he often enjoys a sparkling sake with English Fish and Chips or an Italian calamari dish. Junmai or Honjozo sake paired better with Bolognese than a Chianti in his educated experience. Moss further explained that during the first half of the 20^th century menus had a “wide mix of styles” in European cuisine, especially French cuisine. There were sauternes on the menu that were paired with steaks. This wholly positive experience he believes “dispels the myth of (having to have) red wine with steak.” What may sound “radical” to us is “deeply rooted with both Japanese and European history.”

A couple of questions by the audience that I found interesting:

Did restaurants have to provide a different type of glass if we were going to replace wine with sake at the dinner table? Moss contemplated that Riedel does have glasses for every need…however he said the traditional Japanese cup or glass is fine. And if a wine glass was preferred then a small white wine glass would suffice perfectly. He also said not to feel intimidated by this, and to use your personal preferences as a guide.

A second questions was on temperature. As we had been discussing cold sake pairings would warm sake work as well? While Moss enjoyed sake between 40 degrees and room temperature, he said warming up the sake “can be very satisfying.”

Eve Bushman has a Level Two Intermediate Certification from the Wine and Spirits Education Trust (WSET), a “certification in 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 Long Beach Grand Cru and the Global Wine Awards. You can email Eve@EveWine101.com to ask a question about wine or spirits.

Tasting the Latest from the Opolo Vineyards Spirit Portfolio

October 9, 2015 by evebushman

Opolo Vineyards donated two different spirits to the recent Cocktails on the Roof non-profit event I co-hosted. They were very generous in sending a total of 3 cases for our 400-person event…and since they sent the cases to me…I asked if I could pilfer a couple of the bottles to drink…err taste…and they said yes. Truth be told even more, I had tasted their grappa during a recent visit with distiller Paul Quinn but the other spirit I received for our event, the pear brandy, was still being made.

I was very happy to taste:

Williams Pear Brandy

Eau-de-Vie “Water of Life”

42.5% alcohol (85 proof)

Excerpt from back label: “…The aroma and flavor of the brandy should feel exactly like biting into a ripe Bartlett pear. Serve chilled or neat.

Aroma: Yes, I do get fresh cut pears, then a bit of hazelnut, almond, yogurt, vanilla, juniper, lime, mown grass, suede…my imagination ran the full gamut of memories this one called up.

Flavor: Lots of pears in light pear syrup, banana, rye toast, unsalted butter, viscous and a pleasant burn that ends in a nice round finish. (Note: I often use brandies, liqueurs and even flavored vodkas instead of vermouth in a vodka martini. The whisper of a flavored spirit can enhance your vodka, and not make it cloyingly sweet like say a Cosmopolitan or Lemon Drop Martini. This Opolo Pear Brandy would lend itself well to that approach.) 96 Eve pts.

Grappa Lozovaca

42.5% alcohol (85 proof)

Excerpt from back label: “…in Italy (grappa is made) to reduce wasted pomace from wine making. (It) should be served chilled, neat or enjoy with espresso.”

Aroma: Welcoming as there is no burn, toffee roasted walnut, black licorice, baked red delicious apple, creamy finish.

Flavor: There’s the burn, but only at the finish as expected. Robust viscosity and mouthfeel, fresh cut anise, Mandarin orange and meringue. Wholly pleasant. Would be a great aperitif or digestif in my opinion. 96 Eve pts.

From the Opolo Distillery

With Opolo’s rich ties to the Balkan coast, co-owners Rick Quinn and Dave Nichols have combined their winemaking expertise with traditional recipes to create complex fruit brandies. Distilled from the fermented fruit itself, the brandies have not been adulated with added flavors. Our first release includes Grappa from Opolo’s estate grown Muscat Blanc, a William’s Pear Brandy distilled from northern California Bartlett pears and a Nocino, a walnut based liqueur made from our organic estate walnuts. Come by and experience the distillery!

Available for purchase in the Tasting Room.

Eve Bushman has been reading, writing, taking coursework and tasting wine for over 20 years. She has obtained a Level Two Intermediate Certification from the Wine and Spirits Education Trust, has been the subject of a 60-minute Wine Immersion video, authored “Wine Etiquette for Everyone” and recently served as a judge for the Long Beach Grand Cru. You can email Eve@EveWine101.com to ask a question about wine or spirits that may be answered in a future column. You can also seek her marketing advice via Eve@EveBushmanConsulting.com