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Distillery Tour: Woodinville Whiskey Co. (Woodinville, Washington)

~ Bill Thornley ~ Leave a comment

Lynn and I were in Washington for a wedding a couple weeks ago and while there toured Woodinville Whiskey Co., a bourbon distillery. You say bourbon has to be made in Kentucky. Well, as I’ve talked about before – it doesn’t! Yes, Bourbon can come from anywhere in the USA.

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We met our friends Tim and Susan at Woodinville Whiskey Company. It’s a small craft distillery that was established in 2010. It’s a really attractive building close to Chateau Ste. Michelle and across the street from Columbia Winery. We took the tour which gave an informative introduction for those who don’t know much about whiskey, bourbon, or distilled spirits.

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Woodinville Whiskey Co. is a small, well designed, and efficient distillery that makes a very good product. All their grain comes from a contracted farm in Quincy, Washington. They can control the quality and supply this way. They also age their barrels on the farm. Quincy is in eastern Washington and a much better environment to age the bourbon because they get the climate and temperature swings you need to get the bourbon in and out of the oak in those barrels. That helps to enhance the flavor.

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They have a very fun tasting room with a friendly knowledgeable staff. Kaytlyn greeted us as we walked in the door and helped us with our tasting and got us on a tour.   You get to taste their Rye, Whisky, Bourbon, and Vodka. In addition to that, you get to taste what turned out to be one of my favorites – their Barrel-Aged Maple Syrup. Wow, what a great maple syrup! I saw they had a gift pack with a bottle of their bourbon, 2 bottles of maple syrup, and 2 logo Glencairn glasses (I could not resist the gift pack).

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After tasting we had lunch in The Hollywood Tavern which has been in that same spot since 1947, and is next door to the distillery. It has inside dining and a fire pit on the patio. The food is amazing. They have a good selection of wine and beer. It hit the spot on an overcast cool day.

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I highly recommend you visit Woodinville Whiskey Co. You can’t buy their product outside of Washington State. If you are in Seattle it’s worth the time to see Woodinville. You can also tour some of the surrounding wineries. It makes for a great weekend!

Bar Review: The Whiskey House (San Diego)

~ Bill Thornley ~ 1 Comment

Last weekend, we drove down to San Diego for a Padres game with our good friends Ray and Jeannine, who own Highland Valley Vineyards (they make some incredible red wines at HVV, and well worth a Sunday afternoon to visit their vineyard). They promised that after the game we would stop in the Whiskey House in San Diego. I knew it was going to be a killer experience when I looked in the door and all the walls were covered with lighted shelves and whiskey, after whiskey, after whiskey!

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They had so many whiskeys I was in awe. They claim to have over 1,400 whiskeys, and I am not going to dispute that claim. WOW I was in “Bourbon Heaven.” Lynn, Jeannine, and Ray had ordered craft cocktails and they were all good. Lynn had an Old Fashioned, and Jeannine a Manhattan. I was just memorized by the list; I had to try bourbon that I had not experienced previously.   The list is huge! Many seemed very reasonable but $299 for a pour of Pappy seemed a little steep.

From their website:

The Whiskey House features over 1,400 whiskeys, craft cocktails, 20 international draft beers, an eclectic wine list and a delectable menu of house made fare. We specialize in house made sausages, fresh ground burgers, exotic cheeses, and charcuterie and downtown’s newest breakfast café, just next door… The Lazy Hippo, offering healthy breakfast items and savory favorites, along with fresh squeezed juices and smoothies.

By the time we got there after a long but successful Padres game the clock was about to turn to AM so we did not try any food but it looked really good. This will be a regular stop for me when in San Diego. The atmosphere is very dark, warm, and inviting. There are is kinds of seating from bar stools, tables, to sofas so you can enjoy your favorite spirit in a relaxed environment.

The next day we took in the races at Del Mar and on Saturday we saw California Chrome win the Pacific Classic. What a great weekend of baseball, whiskey, wineries, horses and good friends. When in San Diego you must put this on your to-do list!

Mount Gay Rum (Barbados)

~ Bill Thornley ~ Leave a comment

Back with a review of another rum distillery from our trip to Barbados. I promise Lynn and I relaxed and sat on the beach during our trip to Barbados. But we also packed in some great activities! In addition to our visit to St. Nicholas Abbey (read my review here), we also stopped by Mount Gay Rum’s distillery.

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There are three tours to choose from: their Signature Rum Tour, the Interactive Cocktail Tour, and Bajan Buffet Lunch Tour. We decided to just take the Signature tour. It was most informative, you saw a short film, and did a lot of tasting.

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On the tour you get to try everything but the 1703. Rum, like whiskey, is affected by the time in the barrel. That was something the English learned as they shipped it to England and the rum rocked back and forth for weeks in the barrels on board the ship. They offer a complete selection of rum. They offer the Silver, Eclipse, Black Label, XO, and 1703 Old Cask Selection. We bought a bottle of the Silver to make mojitos when we got back to California, and a bottle of the XO for sipping. Surprisingly, sipping Rum is not much different than whiskey, or bourbon.

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After the tour we got a table on the patio and had a wonderful Mt Gay Silver Rum mojito. They were cooking french fries and they smelled great and I can tell you they were great with a mojito. All the food looked really good but we were not hungry.  The Interactive Cocktail Tour took place in the bar right next to us and out on the patio, so we watched it for a bit while we sipped our mojitos. The class looked like a lot of fun and after watching it I would recommend it.

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A little bit about Mount Gay rum, which I knew nothing about before our visit (mostly pulled from their website)… The Mount Gay Rum story begins in 1703. George Washington spent 6 weeks in Barbados when he was 19 years old. He visited some of the Rum Distilleries and no doubt probably visited Mt Gay. Rum, originally called “Kill-Devil” by the Barbadians who first distilled it, is truly a product of the island with their abundance of molasses combined with their thirst for alcohol lead to this unique discovery in the production of spirits. Sir John Gay was a respected leader and businessman who worked tirelessly in service of the island of Barbados. A friend of Sir John Gay’s, John Sober, inherited a then-unknown distillery and had asked for Sir John’s help in managing it. Sir John Gay took quickly to the business of making rum. He refined the distillation process and began producing a noticeably superior product that we know today as Mount Gay Rum.

Sailing vessels carried exotic trade from the colonies and introduced Caribbean flavors to Europe and the Americas. This period of shipping was an important part of Mount Gay’s Heritage. The Mount Gay Rum Red Cap is a symbol of accomplishment in the sailing community. It can only be worn by sailors who have raced in a Mount Gay sponsored regatta where, upon completion of the course, they are awarded the cap. You can’t buy one in the gift shop, you have to earn it.

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I have never really been a rum drinker and enjoyed my re-introduction to the spirit. I enjoyed our time in Barbados and learning about rum. I will be drinking more rum in the future.

Tasting Rum in Barbados (St. Nicholas Abbey Distillery Tour)

~ Bill Thornley ~ 3 Comments

Surprise! Lynn and I were in Barbados last week. We decided to go on a little island vacation this summer and had a great time. Naturally, while there, we had to taste some of the local spirits – rum!

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When in Barbados you must try the Rum. Barbados is famous for its sugarcane and when you are stuck with sugarcane and great limestone filtered water you make RUM.

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Our first stop was St. Nicholas Abbey. What an incredible find. Lynn had read about it and knew we would love it. One flat tire and driving on the left made a little rum welcome by the time we arrived. The home was built in 1658 by Colonel Benjamin Berringer, and it is one of the island’s oldest surviving plantations. The Jacobean style architecture is unusual for a Caribbean home and one of only 3 in the Western Hemisphere. The other 2 are Drax Hall also on Barbados, and Bacon’s Castle in Virginia.

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When you visit St. Nicholas Abbey you get a tour of the home, the boiling house, distillery, and gardens. Part of the tour includes a home movie shot in the c1935 by Charles Cave and gives a glimpse of life on the plantation and the island. The narration is also fun and so British. They serve a wonderful lunch on the terrace. Plan to spend a lot of time there tasting, eating, and touring.

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The current owners are Larry and Anna Warren who bought it in 2006. They bought the property to preserve it as part of the island’s heritage. They have meticulously restored the property with their sons Simon and Shae. It is their mission to develop St. Nicholas Abbey as a heritage attraction, cultural centre, and self supporting plantation. Part of that mission has brought them to develop St. Nicholas Abbey Rum. This will help to sustain the legacy of the plantation. They are also unique in that they use their own sugar cane to make this rum. They also sell brown sugar, molasses, and other homemade products.

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They are making their rum with classic Bajan balance and finesse. It is a great introduction to rum for Cognac, Whiskey, or Bourbon lovers. It has a mellow sweetness having been aged in bourbon barrels. It is a deep amber color with hints of vanilla, chocolate, cinnamon. Sound al little like your favorite Bourbon? As a review of the rum I can say I enjoyed it as much as any excellent bourbon.

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They sell their rum in 3 vintages. When we were there they offered a 5, 12, and 18 year old rum. What they sell on line through a few stores in the UK may have slightly different vintages. Most of their rum is sold right at the abbey. We spent some time with Anna in the bottling and packaging building. Another great old building they had restored. They have one lady who bottles, seals and labels every bottle. They hand bottle about 8,000 bottles a year. It was fascinating talking with Anna. You could sense her passion for the plantation and the rum. She and Larry along with their sons are doing something they love and putting that passion into every bottle. The bottle is a work of art. The bottle is etched with an image of the great house and sealed with a mahogany cork symbolic of the trees on the plantation. The top of the cork has a leather insert, hand stamped logo on the top.

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Everything has been done with style and class. Larry, a renowned architect, and Anna have shown incredible attention to detail.   From their product, to the tour, to the products they sell in their store it’s all first cabin. Even the tour guide’s uniforms reflect their passion to detail. When you go to Barbados you MUST tour St. Nicholas Abbey. You will be impressed with their rum and pleased you took the time to tour the Abbey and a rum distillery.

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Cooking with Bourbon (IE Cheesy Thumbprint Cookies with Bourbon Jam)

~ Bill Thornley ~ 1 Comment

With all this bourbon talk around my blog, Lynn keeps looking for recipes that use bourbon. She found a fantastic recipe for “Savory Cheesy Thumbprint Cookies.” We were going to the Hollywood Bowl to see the LA Philharmonic and Chicago on July 3rd (Yes, that rock group we all listened to for years!).

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Lynn made these as a appetizer for our pre-concert picnic. WOW these are amazing. Lynn has made cheese pretzels for our annual Kentucky Derby Party for as long as i can remember. Well these have made the list for next year’s party (is it time to retire cheese pretzels??), and just about any time we need a quick, easy, delicious appetizer.

When you first bite into them you taste the sweetness of the tomato jam kicked up with just enough spice from the bourbon. The cheese cookies are crispy with a subtle corn flavor that adds to the surprise as to how delicious, savory and perfect for any party.

The recipe is from The Flavor Bender. They have a fun website with the tagline, Flavor Bender “Because it’s OK to play with your food.”

These Cookies are perfect for a picnic or a formal party. We tried them with bourbon (of course), wine, and champagne. They work with all of them and hold them in under intense scrutiny. There were 85 at the picnic we attended and everyone was raving about them.

Enjoy!

Cheesy Thumbprint Cookies with Bourbon Tomato Jam

Ingredients:

Cookies
8oz / 225g unsalted butter, softened
3.5oz / 100g white cheddar cheese, grated
3.5oz / 100g monterey jack cheese, grated
1 deseeded jalapeno, finely chopped
1 large rosemary sprig, leaves only, finely chopped
½ tsp kosher salt
0.9oz / 25g white sugar
1 small egg
6.7oz / 190g AP flour
5.3oz / 150g semolina

Bourbon and Tomato Jam
1 lb cherry tomatoes, halved
5.3oz / 150g sugar
5 tbsp apple cider vinegar
Up to 1 tbsp chilli flakes/crushed red pepper (optional – but recommended)
1 large clove of garlic minced (about 1 tsp minced garlic)
2 oz diced white/yellow sweet onion
A pinch of cumin
½ tsp kosher salt
3 tbsp bourbon

Directions:

  1. Chop the grated cheese roughly and mix it with the rosemary and jalapeno. Alternatively, you can grate the cheese using your food processor, and add the deseeded jalapeno and rosemary leaves, and process finely. Set aside.
  2. In a large bowl, place the softened the butter, sugar and salt and cream it together using a whisk/spatula or wooden spoon. Add the cheese-herb mix and mix it through using a spatula or wooden spoon.
  3. Add the egg and mix it in until well incorporated in the dough.
  4. In a separate bowl, mix the flour and semolina together. Add this in two batches to the butter-cheese mix and mix it to form a dough. You may need to use your hands (well-floured) to bring the dough together. Cover and chill in the fridge for about 30 minutes until the oven has preheated.
  5. Preheat oven to 350°F / 180°C. Line two cookie trays with parchment paper.
  6. Make 1 ½ inch round dough balls and place them on the cookie tray with about 2 inches of space between each (about 14 cookies per tray).
  7. Create a deep well/imprint in each dough ball using a moistened thumb/finger.
    Fill each well generously with bourbon tomato jam (recipe below).
  8. Bake in preheated oven for 20-25 minutes. Switch the position of the two trays in your oven half way through baking (please see note). The cookies should be golden on the bottom and light-golden on top.
  9. Remove from the oven and let them cool slightly. Serve.

Bourbon Tomato Jam

  1. Mix all the ingredients except for the bourbon in a saucepan. Bring the mix to a boil on medium-heat, while stirring to dissolve the sugar. Once the mix has come to a boil, increase the heat to keep it at a boil.
  2. Let the mixture boil while stirring and gently crushing the tomatoes with a spoon as they soften. After about 5 minutes of cooking time, add the bourbon and mix through.
  3. The mixture should keep cooking until the liquid has become syrupy and thick. The time depends on the heat of your stove, and how much liquid is present in the tomatoes. The end product will resemble preserves with tomato pieces in it.
    These can be stored in mason jars until needed (makes enough for 1 ½ batches of these cookies).

A Very Bourbon Father’s Day

~ Bill Thornley ~ Leave a comment

Every bourbon lover dreams of Bourbon gifts. There really is an unlimited list of things you can get a bourbon lover for Father’s Day, or any occasion. Whether it’s bourbon, glasses, barware, clothes, and decorating accessories just to name a few.

I hit the jackpot this year as our kids and my wife all got me bourbon related gifts! I got a set of Glencairn tasting glasses from the Army Navy Country Club where our son is a member. (I also got a tie from Army Navy, and being a tie guy I just loved that as well.) Glencairn tasting glasses have been on my wish list for a while and it’s fun to have a personal set!

Our daughter gave me letterpress coasters that have a Mint Julep recipe on them. They are both fun and practical. Now I can stop stealing coasters when I am in bourbon bars! Seriously, they will be fun to use when guest are over for a cocktail or tasting. The coasters are from Haute Papier. They sell some fun sets with all different drink recipes on them, but given my love for the Kentucky Derby our daughter had a custom set made with just the Mint Julep recipe.

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My new coasters with my new tasting glasses!

I also got a Nike Dri-Fit Golf shirt with “The Bourbon Review” embroidered on it. There are a lot of shirts out there with Bourbon themes. The shirt is from Bourbon Outfitters. They have most anything you would want related to Bourbon gifts.

A lot of distilleries offer a great selection of gifts. If you know your bourbon lover’s favorite brand, go to their website for ideas.

Lastly, I splurged and bought myself a bottle of Jefferson’s Reserve Groth Reserve Cask Finish Bourbon at High-Time Wine Cellars a few weeks ago. Bourbon is always a great gift for any bourbon lover. Picking a bourbon is a little like picking a horse to bet on at the races. Some go for the confirmation or silks (The Package), some use the racing form and past performances (Reputation), and some people go for the odds (Price and Value).

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Whatever method you use your gift will be appreciated. No matter the occasion or reason for the gift, any bourbon lover will love a bourbon gift. A belated Happy Father’s Day to all those Bourbon Dads out there!

My bourbon bottle is empty!

~ Bill Thornley ~ Leave a comment

Or an alternative title is how to decorate with bourbon bottles! My wife, Lynn, got the idea a few months ago to use empty bourbon bottles to decorate at our Derby Party last weekend. As you can see by the pictures below, they make the perfect centerpiece for a party that revolves around Mint Juleps and the Kentucky Derby.

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Our backyard set up for last weekend’s Derby Party

Lynn did some research online looking for ideas on how to use them. She spent a morning at the LA Flower Mart to find the tablecloths and wood rounds that served as the bases. She coupled those with red roses in our silver julep cups. Taylor added the bougainvillea and we had the perfect centerpiece for the Kentucky Derby!

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An empty Basil Hayden’s bottle put to a new use

If you don’t throw parties and want to recycle your empty bottles to buy more bourbon, try eBay. Empty Pappy Van Winkle bottles have sold on eBay for over $200. In a recent auction, a set of 15-20-23 sold for $599.00. A 20-year-old Orphan Barrel Barterhouse bottle sold for $12.00. You can watch and see many of the empty higher priced bourbon bottles sell from a $1.00 to $25 over $100.00. Everybody collects something. And if you are just looking for some unique bottles to decorate with, eBay is a great place to scan for bargains.

You can also use empty bottles to decorate the back of a bar, or even as soap dispensers. With the breadth of ideas you see on Etsy  and Pinterest these days you can find a lot of ideas to use that empty bottle. At the very least, recycle it so someone can make a new use out of the bourbon bottle!

A Bourbon Adventure for Maker’s Mark

~ Bill Thornley ~ Leave a comment

We are in final preparation mode for our Derby party tomorrow. I had to share a little story about efforts to track down a bottle of Maker’s Mark’s limited edition American Pharaoh bottle that I wrote about a couple weeks ago. I had visited both Hi-Time Wine Cellars and BevMo here in Orange County searching for a bottle. Having seen American Pharaoh win the triple crown last year and being a big horse racing fan, I really wanted a bottle – and I really wanted one to display on the bar at tomorrow’s party. Unfortunately both Hi-Time and BevMo hadn’t received any and it sounded like they didn’t think they would be.

In my search I learned that stores in California might not even be receiving any, but that they were on shelves in the East. So, naturally, I called my daughter, who lives in Richmond, Virginia. I asked her if she could check out her local ABC store (state controlled liquor stores in Virginia… boo) and see if they had any or thought they would be getting any. Taylor called two stores and both said they hadn’t received any. She then swung by the store at the ABC warehouse in Richmond. While they hadn’t received any, they offered to do an inventory search for her. The closest store that had any was in Hopewell, Virginia, about 35 minutes away. For some reason, they had received 12! And every other store in Richmond, zero. So, Taylor took off for Hopewell and snagged a bottle just in time to bring it out to California for me for the Derby party.

Below is the photo and text message I received from Taylor when she got home:

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“Who’s your favorite child now? Drove all the way to Hopewell to get you that bad boy”

Last night we checked out what these bottles are going for on eBay. Most it looks like are selling for about twice the shelf price. Taylor now wishes she bought all 12 bottles!

If you’re in the hunt for one of these, good luck! I struck out in Orange County. Curious if anywhere in Southern California has received some? Happy early-Derby Day!

Limited Edition Kentucky Derby Bourbons

~ Bill Thornley ~ 4 Comments
Kentucky Derby festivities are coming up quickly, as we are just 2 weeks away from the “most exciting 2 minutes in sports.”  It’s also the time of year when the bourbon distilleries come out with special bottles and promotions around the event.  As I previously wrote about, the 2016 Woodford Reserve commemorative Kentucky Derby bottle is on the shelves.  I got mine at Hi-Time Wine Cellars in Costa Mesa, Ca.
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This week, I got information on 2 new special bourbon bottles.  As a Makers Mark Ambassador, I got an email from Rob Samuels about a special charity bottle they will have to commemorate American Pharaoh’s Triple Crown Victory.  It is in the silks and stable colors of American Pharaoh and the Zayat Family.  I called the distillery and I was told they will cost between $75-85 depending upon your location.  If you click on their link starting May 1 you can find a location near you to purchase one.   I called Hi-Time Wine Cellars to see if they were getting the Pharaoh bottle and they thought they would but it had not been confirmed.
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Another new offering is from Calumet Bourbon.  They have a boxed set with a Derby glass. The glass has Calumets’ name on it.  It is different graphics than the official Kentucky Derby Mint Julep glass.  Below is a photo Caskers sent me.  May be a real collectible.  This is available from Caskers on line.  I have not seen it anywhere else.
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If you type in Kentucky Derby Bourbon into google you will find lots of listings of bourbon related recipes, goods,  and decorations related to the Derby.   The link below ups for some additional bourbon drinks for your party.

On Vacation

~ Bill Thornley ~ Leave a comment

Bourbon Bill is on vacation this week enjoying one of my favorite drinks while traveling – Wild Turkey, Seagram’s Ginger Ale, and a lime – and watching my favorite tv show, NCIS.  While on my favorite airline – Southwest.  Thanks for the drink, Herb!

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