� magazine and writes about beer , wine , spirits and all things liquid for numerous publications . More of his work can be found at www . jackrobertiello . com .
AMERICAN
GOING WITH THE GRAIN For much of the post-Prohibition era , American whiskeys were made with mash bills that included three ( or sometimes four ) grains : corn , rye , wheat and barley . The different qualities the brands would offer were based on the proportions in the grain bill - Maker ’ s Mark with a high proportion of wheat , Wild Turkey with a high proportion of rye , and so on .
But lately , distillers have turned to not
“ only different grain bills , but even some heritage grains .
At Buffalo Trace in Frankfort , Kentucky , different strains of corn including Boone County White , Japonica Striped and Neon Pink Popcorn have been planted annually and made into whiskey in a small , distillery-side farm .
“ We continue to explore all the variables that go into making whiskey ,” Wheatley says . “ Grain and recipe are always a very important part of the process and we have developed many tests for determining how the grains influence the whiskey .”
At Heaven Hill in Bardstown , a similar project called “ Grain to Glass ” has brought in seed growers to find the optimum strain for a 55-acre spread near the distillery .
“ We get so excited to do all this - grow it , mash it , ferment it , distill it - but we look at it and don ’ t know what we ’ re going to do with it in next five or six years ,” Potter says .
It ’ s nothing new ; more than 20 years ago , Booker Noe and son Fred cooked up batches of rice , oats even triticale at Jim Beam , eventually to be released as the Harvest Collection . It may have been before its time , Harris says . “ Some of that innovation that Booker started led us to the thoughts we ’ re having today ,” he says
For brands like Jack Daniel ’ s , the expansion into rye has been a big opportunity .
“ There are so many brands right now but a lot of them are non-producer brands , so we wanted to be clear that we made it ourselves ,” Arnett says . He decided that , with most ryes in the market at either 51 percent or 95 percent rye grain bill , it would be most interesting for the brand to try a 70 percent bill that would be big and spicy , but well rounded .
BLENDED WELL It took many years , but “ blend ” has shed its bad reputation among whiskey consumers . Some credit can go to High West Distillery , where BouRye , Campfire and other whiskeys were proudly offered as blends of spirits .
Recent notables from larger distillers include the second annual limited release “ Little Book ” whiskey from Beam Suntory , a project in which Booker Noe ’ s grandson Freddie tried his hand at creating new styles .
Named Chapter 2 , “ Noe Simple Task ,” mixes 8-year-old Kentucky straight rye whiskey , 13-year-old Canadian rye whisky aged in a re-charred barrel and 40-year-old Canadian whisky aged in a onceused bourbon barrel . The previous release was a mix of corn whiskey ,
” rye , bourbon and malt .
Beam has toyed with this part of the innovation world often . They also offer Basil Hayden Darkest Rye and Two by Two , a blend of two ryes and two bourbons . “ Basil has always had that approachable , 80 proof , full flavor with a slight shot of rye ,” Harris says . For Darkest , they mingled port with the high rye bourbon , and Beam Suntory has plans for more liquid finishes with Hayden .
The future is also likely to hold more bottled in bond whiskies , especially after Heaven Hill ’ s Henry McKenna 10-year-old bottled in bond took best bourbon at this year ’ s San Francisco World Spirits Competition , which has already made it scarce .
The innovations are unlikely to cease anytime soon . Wheatley puts it best . “ We continue to try and satisfy the variety of flavors and options that consumers demand ,” he says . “ Consumers are interested in authenticity . They want to know where the brands come from and the stories behind them .” •
GRAIN AND RECIPE ARE ALWAYS A VERY IMPORTANT PART OF THE PROCESS AND WE HAVE DEVELOPED MANY TESTS FOR DETERMINING HOW THE GRAINS INFLUENCE THE WHISKEY .
– Harlen Wheatley , Buffalo Trace Master Distiller
JACK ROBERTIELLO is the former editor of Cheers
� magazine and writes about beer , wine , spirits and all things liquid for numerous publications . More of his work can be found at www . jackrobertiello . com .
36 StateWays | www . stateways . com | September / October 2018