Posts Tagged ‘bourbon society’

Big Jones Welcomes Buffalo Trace Master Distiller Harlen Wheatley with a Celebration of the Kentucky Table

Monday, May 7th, 2012

June 7, 2012 we are happy to welcome Master Distiller Harlen Wheatley of Buffalo Trace Distillery to Big Jones for a special dinner to celebrate the whiskeys of Buffalo Trace. This dinner means a lot to me personally as many know, if I’m drinking it’s usually with a bottle of Buffalo Trace nearby, if not Eagle Rare or Blanton’s. I’ve also been a long time fan of the Sazerac collection of rye whiskeys (long time customers can remember when it was our go-to whiskey for the Sazerac cocktail before rye became so hot and it went on allocation) as well as the antique collection including Thomas Handy and George T. Stagg. Of course they are now also the home of Pappy Van Winkle, a tipple every bourbon enthusiast has to take now and again to be reminded just what heights bourbon whiskey can reach. Buffalo Trace is one of the biggest and perhaps most significant players in the resurgence of bourbon whiskey into the minds of epicures, to the extent that I think there can no longer be any doubt that Kentucky stands only with Scotland as the most hallowed ground in the history of distillation.

My grandparents on my dad’s side of the family, Grandma Rose and Grandpa Albert Fehribach, had a little farmstead right on the old Buffalo Trace east of my hometown of Jasper, Indiana, which had been in our family since they settled the area in 1836. Back in those days, the Buffalo Trace was the main road out of Appalachia into Illinois and linking up to the Mississippi River on the far end, but I always knew it as the path of the buffalo from Kentucky to the Wabash River in Vincennes.

The roots of inspiration here are obvious, and rather than dating a menu as I’ve done with previous bourbon dinners, what I’ve tried to do here is collect vignettes of some of the most traditional yet unique foods from the annals of Kentucky cooking. Because of the history of settlement patterns and the realities of climate zones and rainfall patterns, there’s a great deal of crossover here with my own family’s ancestral cooking, and studying the history of Kentucky foodways has been an inspiring look into my own past. This dinner then has double significance representing the foods of my native country, and cooking to serve with some of my absolute favorite bourbons including my own personal standby, Buffalo Trace.

Many of you have surely heard of beer cheese, and perhaps know all about salt rising bread, but I suspect few Chicagoans are familiar with the Western Kentucky standard of barbecue, mutton. We’ll be getting a mutton in from Mint Creek Farm and giving it the long, low slow hickory wood treatment and serving it with the requisite black sauce, a concoction of our house made worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, vinegar, and spices. This barbecue is compelling enough that we are not seeking to “elevate” it in any way, you’re going to get a very traditional plate of mutton barbecue.

Before we’ve even done this public release, at least a half dozen people have mentioned to me the price is too low.  I don’t think so and I’ll elaborate for a moment. The Big Jones Bourbon Society is, first and foremost, an organization of whiskey enthusiasts. When we designed the passport and as we’ve put on these dinners, our goal has been to keep our events and our tastings as approachable as possible. I realize that even at $50, many folks will be priced out of participating and that hurts me more personally than missing out on another $25 or $50 per ticket. At $50 we can cover our expenses and maybe, if the stars align in our favor, make a few pennies. I’m more concerned with building our community and I believe that in the end profit will take care of itself. That said, I’m not concerned with making money on this dinner or any other BJBS dinner. I want as many people as possible to have access to our activities, and to be introduced to distillers we care about. So, while we could easily sell this out at $75 or $100, my conscience could not forgive me for leaving out that many more people who couldn’t afford the higher price point. Let’s sip some bourbon, eat, celebrate these great craftspeople, and worry about money another day.

Please join us for a special evening of culinary adventure and world class spirits. Reserve soon, as it will sell out quickly.

Big Jones Welcomes Buffalo Trace Master Distiller Harlen Wheatley

Thursday, June 7 2012

6:30 reception   *   7:30 Dinner

  • Salt rising bread with Kentucky beer cheese, heirloom radishes, and many relishes
  • Fried green tomatoes with country ham & egg salad, and green tomato relish
  • Henry Moore corn spoonbread souffle with scrambled brains & chives
  • A refreshing shot of house-cultured buttermilk with pickled beets & early summer herbs
  • Barbecued Mint Creek Farm mutton with black sauce, kohlrabi slaw, sliced early onion, and creamy new potato salad
  • Local strawberries with shortcake of heirloom buckwheat and ham drippings and whipped housemade cottage cheese

Buffalo Trace bourbons to be poured:

  • White Dog Mash #1
  • Buffalo Trace
  • Eagle Rare 10 year Single Barrel
  • Blanton’s Single Barrel
  • Weller Special Reserve

 

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Our May Whiskey of the Month: Heaven Hill!

Tuesday, May 1st, 2012

Heaven Hill Distillery is a giant, not only in the bourbon business, but in the distilling business, producing world-class liqueurs, brandies, and gins in addition to the bourbons for which it is so famous. Our primary interest being bourbon of course, we know it as the fountain of some of our most revered spirits, Evan Williams, Elijah Craig, Rittenhouse, Parker’s Heritage Collection, and of course, Heaven Hill.

Heaven Hill blended whiskey is a value-priced bourbon, and while we usually feature premium-label spirits as Whiskey of the Month, we thought this is one you should get to know, especially in this tough economic environment, because it’s really, really good, and it won’t cost you a day’s wages for a bottle. This is the best place to start if you want to get to know Heaven Hill distillery, so here goes.

Heaven Hill is one of the younger distilleries in Kentucky, founded in 1935 during the depths of the Great Depression and shortly after prohibition was repealed. It was a bold move. Over the years they’ve introduced some of the most venerated brands in the Bourbon market today. Their namesake bourbon is aged four years in American oak barrels and straight from the bottle explodes with fruity tropical fruit aromas, nutmeg, and a hint of vanilla and char. On the palate there’s a bit of heat as you’d expect from a young whiskey, but the heat quickly gives way to generous spicy flavors from allspice to nutmeg and roasted tea on the finish.

This is a great whiskey for juleps, and guess what time of year it is? Did we really plan it that way? Cheers, and keep sipping bourbon.

 

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Rittenhouse 100 is the February Whiskey of the Month!

Wednesday, February 1st, 2012

We’ve pulled a few strings and made a large purchase in order to bring you a whiskey that’s been hard to come by the last couple of years – Rittenhouse 100, one of our favorite rye whiskies and one of a number of labels that has become rare in these days of the rye whiskey revival. Knowing the current release would soon sell out, we bought a quantity to last awhile and also to be able to offer it as Whiskey of the Month. Rittenhouse 100 also makes us swoon because in spite of the spike in demand for rye whiskies of all types, they have kept their pricing steady over the last few releases, opting to make their money as they always have without gouging their new found fans. We’ve been long time fans, so we’re excited to be able to share this with you. As hard as it is to come by, it remains one of the best values in whiskey today because it is exceptionally good, and reasonably priced. If by chance you find a bottle for sale somewhere, we’d advise you snap it up.

Rye whiskey of course is the most storied of American spirits, made since colonial times and playing a key role in the inspiration of the whiskey rebellion. A great rye is a trip though time in your glass and Rittenhouse 100 delivers. It is produced at Heaven Hill in Bardstown, KY in the tradition of the storied Pennsylvania “Monongahela” whiskies of yore. It’s a mouthful, starting with a toasty nose of toffee, cocoa, and oolong tea, and a thick, rich texture on the palate with just a touch of sweetness, dried fruit, and mocha and laurel on the finish, with a touch of mineral leaving a metallic note. It’s complex stuff, worthy of a good ponder, and the sort of stuff that built this country. Cheers.

It’s free to join the Big Jones Bourbon Society, just ask your server or bartender to sign up on your next visit. You’ll receive a passport to forty of our more than sixty whiskeys. On each visit, members are welcome to one complimentary pour of the Whiskey of the Month (WOM) which will usually (but not always) be a straight Kentucky bourbon whiskey. Big Jones Bourbon Society members will also receive invitations to members-only events such as whiskey tastings and whiskey socials.

Of course you’re welcome to enjoy any whiskey on our list at any time. We’ll mark off your passport as you taste each of the forty whiskeys, and once you’ve tasted them all, you will earn the distinction of Master Taster, and win tickets for two to a one-of-a-kind all-out whiskey dinner. As the ranks of Master Tasters grows, we will host a series of monthly dinners for Master Tasters only.

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