There are few things in the distilled spirits world that give such a taste reward & feeling of American pride as a small batch or single barrel bourbon. I am a bourbon fan as is my father who at 88 & going strong still appreciates a glass of Wild Turkey or Old Grandad. I am fortunate, I am in a different generation, one that has seen the mastery of the science and method of fine spirits production. There are three slightly different types of fine micro produced bourbons:
1. Single Barrel(The Finest Kind): As bourbon is aged, the barrel & where the barrel is stored all affect the final product. In normal operations hundreds of barrels are combined together and finished to produce a consistent bourbon. In single barrel production the finest barrels are selected by the experts during ageing and pulled aside to age even longer. These are then bottled & labeled with a bottle & barrel # for authenticity. The Father of this was Elmer T Lee of Leestown Distillery who released the first of this type in 1984. An amazing product known as Blanton's. ( My Personal Favorite)
2.Small Batch: which was embraced by Jim Beam. This is based on the idea that bottling single barrels is too quirky and the better approach is to take your finest barrels & blend them together to yield a larger batch of top quality spirits.
3.Small Scale: This approach is to work with the larger production methods of the large distilleries but utilize only premium quality bourbon to start. Maker's Mark is the best Legal example of this. (We can discuss the other type of spirits at a later date)
So the next time to need to unwind, celebrate a great American Holiday or just sip some pure Americana pour some Knob Creek, Bookers, Blanton's, Jim Beam, Maker's Mark or any of the premium American Bourbon's in a glass or over ice. And why not compliment it with a great cigar! ( As an FYI the finest tobacco in the world for wrapping cigars comes from Connecticut)
Happy Labor Day & God Bless America!
