Dale on the Trail
MONTHLY BLOG - MARCH, 2009
RYE WHISKEY I CRY
Recently Fred Noe and Bobby Gleason of Beam whiskies came to the Museum to celebrate the rich tradition of American whiskey making. Fred is the son of the late Booker Noe. Booker learned whiskey making from Carl Beam the descendant of T. Jeremiah Beam, who began making whiskey in Bourbon County in 1795. Fred did not study distilling while Booker was alive, but has immersed himself in the business since Bookers death. Fred reports that he “locked” himself in the distillery until he understood everything there was to understand about the technical end of whiskey making. Fred always had a grasp of the lore and tradition, and is a formidable teller of tales like his daddy before him.
Fred led a tasting of the Beam line of whiskies, from Jim Beam to the small batch collection and he also introduced to the NOLA crowd of bartenders to (ri) ¹ the newly released rye, a perfect rye to try in their Sazeracs. Bobby Gleason, the national ambassador of Beam whiskies, presented a wonderful array of classics and original cocktail to highlight the different styles of bourbon and rye produced by Beam. Bobby explained some of his bottlings / cocktails pairings:
“ I use the Knob Creek at 107°, in my whiskey sour because the slight acidity and sharp attack are a perfect match for this sweet and sour style cocktail, but when I am looking for a bourbon with a the spicy rye character for a Manhattan I will use the Basil Haydn Bourbon because it has a higher rye content in the mash bill; or if the guest is a rye drinker of course I will use one of our Rye whiskies.
My taste for a Manhattan runs to the Bookers which even uncut, (the current bottling is coming in at 126°), seems more rounded and rich than the Knob at 20° degrees less proof.
Don't miss the upcoming Beam Brands World Cocktail Week Event at the Museum on May 8th, when both Bobby and Fred will return for our big bash. Chris McMillian and I will attempt to create the largest flaming Mint Julep to ever light up the Big Easy, and we've got some of the finest restaurants coming by to serve our guests delicious food. It's a fundraiser for the museum...you can buy your tickets for it right here:
WORLD COCKTAIL CELEBRATION in the Big Easy
Cheers,
Dale
