That all changed one evening in Lexington, Kentucky, when my best friend invited me out to a nice restaurant to try a very special bourbon. The restaurant was Jonathan's at Gratz Park; well known to have one of the finest bourbon menus in the state of KY. We each ordered a pour of Old Rip Van Winkle, "Pappy 20 Year", Family Reserve, wheated bourbon.
Above Photo: Chet Zoeller and the Jefferson Whisky portfolio tasting at Jonathan's restaurant.
The moment I took the first sip, my eyes involuntarily closed and a huge grin crept up on my face. It was, quite possibly, the best thing I ever put in my mouth. Prior to this, I had no idea that bourbon could even come close to this level. This single encounter fueled a desire within me to learn, acquire, hunt down and collect all things "fine bourbon".
A few months after this I moved to Fargo, North Dakota. I was a little sad to think that I would be living in a place where I could only acquire "run of the mill" bourbon. Little did I know that I would be moving to one of the greatest spots in the country for assembling a truly prestigious bourbon collection. Its counter intuitive, and I'll explain why.
Twenty year ago, Fargo was a small, midwestern, agricultural town that grew into a mid size city of now 176,296. Because it's roots are agricultural, it lacks the upscale "food and drink" scene that one would come to expect in a city with a more cosmopolitan population. Geographically, Fargo is four hours west of Minneapolis, four hours south of Winnipeg, six hours east of the oil boom, and a few states north of the bourbon belt. Fargo has a large enough population to bring in good distributors. So, what does all of this mean? Basically, Fargo is where you want to be come bourbon season. It boils down to one fact; I just don't have to contend with a lot of competition in Fargo. Let me explain this in practical terms. My friend in Lexington might be on a waiting list of three to five-hundred people for a specific limited release! In Fargo/Moorhead, I'm on a list of 35 for that same release.
Bourbon season, or "hunting season", as its often called, is that special time of year when we bourbon hunters get our game faces' on. This is a small window of time each year in the Fall, when limited release bourbons are distributed. If you wait until the Fall to try and obtain some of these highly prized labels, you've waited to late! Some of these bourbons do not even go to the store shelves.
Each state is a little different, but let me explain the basic protocol. The labels go from the distillery, to the distributor, then on to a liquor store manager's office. The store manager will call folks that are on a waiting list (if you live in a state where they have a list system). Many stores won't hold these bourbons. It's a first come, first serve system. Depending on the allocation, its can be a one bottle to one customer store policy.
In the case of the 2013 Pappy release in Fargo, they got 15 bottles of Pappy. This means that half of the people on the list did not get a bottle. The entire years supply of Pappy had come and gone in Fargo in 2.5 hours. Seem pretty tough? Remember, Fargo is where you want to be! Compare that to Lexington, KY. My friend arrived at his local Lexington liquor store on the anticipated release date at four AM! He waited in line for eight hours, for his one bottle. He was one of the lucky few. Many more in Lexington were turned away. Not all limited release's are this ferocious.
Within my collection, I have two categories; "go to" and "boutique". There are certain parameters that define these categories. I want to make one thing very clear. It's not like I have a "crappy" category and a "prestigious" category. The distinction has very little to do with quality, and more to do with price and availability. If I can find it somewhat easily around town for $30ish bucks or under, then it falls into my go to category. By contrast, if its a limited edition, annual release, requiring a waiting list, or greater than $30 bucks, then it falls into my boutique category. I dont feel so bad to dip into my go to bourbons more frequently, because they generally replaceable. My boutique labels are for special events such as weddings, holidays and anniversaries. All of my bourbons are purchased with the understanding that they will eventually be consumed. In other words, I'm not opening a whisky museum!
I have learned that one thing is true; price does not dictate quality. There are so many wonderful bourbons out there that are under or around $30 bucks. These labels can be far better, or just as good as bourbons twice their price. Of course, the flip side is that there are expensive bourbons that just aren't that good. How do you sort it all out? To be honest, it does require a fair amount of research and leg work. In order to make these distinctions and formulate opinions, you need to read multiple reviews, get to know store managers, distributors, mark your calendar for release dates, put your name on multiple waiting list, check in regularly, put all of your stores on speed dial, keep a running log of notes and taste, taste, taste!
Sounds like a lot of work? Not if you enjoy it! You know your on the right track when your local liquor stores bestow you with nicknames. For example, in Fargo i'm known as The Colonel or The Bourbon Guy.
I would like very much to share some of thoughts on my favorite bourbons with you. I have decided to dedicate a serious of video postings on this topic. It is my hope that you find them helpful. I'm not planning on getting super specific with rating systems. That info can be found easily on line (the whisky bible, sourmash manifesto, whisky advocate). Instead, I might offer a very simple 1-10 scale (1 being the worst, and 10 being the best). If your not into bourbon, don't worry. I will be returning to my previous blogging format soon. Now if I can only get my video equipment up and running, I'll be good to go!
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