Bourbon Bargain Alert - Four Roses Single Barrel

 

Four Roses Single Barrel Bourbon Whiskey

Not too long ago I was doing some bourbon research online, searching for anyone who would be carrying the Buffalo Trace Antique Collection when it came out here in South Florida.  Well, in the midst of that search, I noticed that Crown Wine & Spirits had a great bargain on their website.  It listed Four Roses Single Barrel at $29.99!  That's at least a 25% savings from anywhere else I'd seen it advertised.  A google search for "Four Roses Single Barrel" will show 3 results at $29.99, $39.99, and $49.99, with the $29.99 being Crown Wine & Spirits.  Even Total Wine & Spirits had it at $39.99 on my last visit. Today I was in South Miami running some errands so I stopped by and picked up one of the last couple bottles they had on the shelf.  Being that it's been some time since I last saw this deal, I think it could be a set price.

A little background on Four Roses...  Four Roses was named Distiller of the Year by Whisky Magazine in November 2010, a year that happened to be the 100th anniversary of the distillery's building. That award is quite an achievement considering the rollercoaster ride this brand has gone on.  The award can be attributed to Master Distiller Jim Rutledge whose passion for bourbon gave new life to the Four Roses brand, a brand that has been around for over 120 years.

After being sold in 1943 when Seagram's purchased the Frankfort distilling company, the Four Roses brand was turned into rubble.  In 1947, Seagram's, owned by a Canadian liquor baron named Sam Bronfman at the time, took Four Roses (which had become the #1 selling bourbon after Prohibition ended in 1933) off the market and turned it into a blended whisky.  A blended whisky usually refers to whiskey¹ that is blended with a neutral spirit such as vodka or grain alcohol.  Once this change was made, a decision followed to take Four Roses off of the market altogether in the United States.  It had gone from a #1 selling bourbon to a bottom shelf blended whisky in no time at all.

Luck would have it that Four Roses would become the bourbon of choice in Japan in the 1980s and the demand for bourbon from the Japanese market exploded later in the decade.  Rutledge was there to capitalize on this demand.  In 1996, Rutledge lobbied for Four Roses to at least be available in Kentucky and Seagram's granted his wish but said it would not support the decision with any marketing dollars.  Shortly thereafter, Seagram's met it's doom thanks to some poor decisions by Sam Bronfman's grandson, Edgar Jr, who had taken over as CEO.  Lo and behold, Japanese brewer, Kirin, was there to pick up the pieces and they quickly rid themselves of the blended Four Roses whiskey, bringing back Four Roses bourbon at the urging of Jim Rutledge.  The fire was built for the resurrection of Four Roses bourbon the second the new Japanese owners took their first sip.  They knew they had a winner and believe the US market was a gold mine waiting to be excavated.  They were right.

Four Roses Single Barrel Private Selection (photo credit: David Kehr)

The first order of businesss was to focus on introducing a premium spirit and in 2004, Four Roses Single Barrel hit the market.  The following year it received a Gold Medal from the Whiskey Magazine Best of the Best Awards for Best American Whiskey under 10 years of age.  Two years later and Four Roses returned to the top spot as the #1 selling single barrel bourbon whiskey in the state of Kentucky.  In 2006, Four Roses introduced their Small Batch bourbon, one of 6 different brands that now exists under the Four Roses name.  They also have a really cool program for distributors to select their own barrels made from specific mash bills consisting of various proprietary yeasts. These bourbons are bottled at barrel strength - no water is added to alter the flavors or lower the alcohol content.

At $29.99, this is a great deal on a phenomenal bourbon.  It's one of my personal favorites and is always on my home bar. Not ready to spend $30?  Locally you can find Four Roses Single Barrel on the shelf behind the bar at Michael's Genuine Food & Drink as well as Sustain.  I recommend sipping this one neat or with very few (1-3) ice cubes.  A sweet, oak-y nose along with flavors of caramel, dried spice, and a little citrus on the finish are the standouts.  If you are a bourbon fan, this is a must try.

You can thank me later ;)



1. I'm spelling whiskey two different ways on purpose. There is a difference and here is a little history I learned on a tour of the Buffalo Trace distillery. It is said that back in the 1800s Scotch whisky developed a bad reputation for being a cheap whisky because it was being produced quickly through the use of a continuous still known as a coffey still. It flooded the market and tarnished the reputation of whisky producers. As a result, Irish and American producers began inserting an "e" into their whisk(e)y to distinguish it from the poor Scotch being produced.

2011 Taste of the Grove Lacks Flavor

During this past week while traveling the Pacific Northwest for business, I was catching up on some blog reading on the Miami New Times Short Order blog when an article reminded me that the Taste of the Grove would be held this weekend.  The article also made the ridiculous claim that over 30,000 people attended this event last year.  I'd really love to know where that "fact" came from considering last year the event was held in January and it was freezing cold and rainy all weekend.  I'd be surprised if even 3,000 people attended.

Anyhow, I was happy to be in town to be able to attend and met up with a friend to walk in and check it out.  We purchased $20 worth of tickets and began to do a walkthrough to see what sort of offerings were available.  We quickly realized we would need more tickets after buying two beers at $5 apiece.  I guess I was thinking that was acceptable for an "event" beer but it bothered me later on when I attended a movie at the O Cinema in the Wynwood district and got a Brooklyn Lager for $3. 

After grabbing more tickets we decided on the mixed ceviche offering from Panorama.  I'd had a few meals at this restaurant that were ok but I mostly enjoy their spot on the 8th floor of the Sonesta for a mojito and a great view of the bay.  The ceviche was a nice portion for $8 and contained a variety of seafood.  Clams, scallops, calamari, and even some octopus were tenderized in citrus and mixed with onion, cilantro, and some Peruvian cancha.  For a dish marinated in citrus it really lacked that flavor.  Instead an overpowering dose of garlic was the main flavor punishing our palates.  It was too bad because other than that the dish was quite tasty.

As we looked for our next bite to eat, a highschool band took the stage and began cranking out covers of Nirvana before launching into some death metal that I couldn't recognize.  It was really awkward at a food festival like Taste of the Grove.  I guess they took anyone that wanted stage time.  As we neared the end of the last tent, I smelled smoky barbecue and found a booth offering some ribs, chicken, and conch fritters.  I think it was called Master C Culinary or something like that.  I'd never heard of them but we were hungry and barbecue sounded great.  We had $10 left in tickets and were able to negotiate a deal for a plate of ribs and two conch fritters (instead of 4) with the nice people in the booth who also recommended we had some hot sauce.  The ribs were tender and I was impressed with how meaty they were but the sauce wasn't anything special.  The fritters were just ok.

I was pretty disappointed in the lack of variety at the Taste of the Grove.  Most of the food sold at each booth was stuff you could find at any carnival, fair, or average outdoor festival.  There were sliders, greek gyros, barbecue, and pizza.  Wow, big deal.  It all amounted to a bunch of overpriced, underwhelming food.  Popular Grove spots like Le Bouchon, Greenstreet, and Lulu didn't even take a booth at the festival.  I guess it shows the culinary state of the Grove these days isn't really too impressive at all.

Angel's Envy Coming to South Florida!

Miami is about to get a taste of Louisville.  Next month, I'm told, a new bourbon called Angel's Envy will become available in South Florida as part of the spirit's launch schedule.  Not quite sure how Miami ended up as a launch city for bourbon but I'm lovin' it!

Angel's Envy is the product of living bourbon legend, Master Distiller Lincoln Henderson, who came out of retirement to create this bourbon in a no-holds-barred kinda way.  It's a small batch bourbon aged over four years (5-7 I've read elsewhere) and finished for 3-6 months in two different types of port wine barrels - Vintage and Ruby.  With bourbon, as it ages in the barrel a little is lost to evaporation.  This is known as the "angel's share".  The legend has it that Mr. Henderson told the angels that he'd give them a little more share if they'd leave behind a better product.  They left a product that was so good they became jealous and just like that Angel's Envy was born.  I'd heard a little buzz about Angel's Envy and went to their website to find out who would be carrying it in the Miami area.  Nothing was listed yet so I sent an email.  I got an email back from Samira Seiller, EVP & Director of Marketing for Louisville Distilling Company, and after a short conversation she sent me a few press samples to try.

Angel's Envy testers arrive!

A few days later a couple corked vials of Angel's Envy arrived.  I poured myself a glass later on that evening and I can tell you this - it's a winner!  The nose is nutty with notes of vanilla and dried fruit.  I really enjoyed the viscosity of this bourbon.  It coats the tongue in a velvety way before the flavors of vanilla, dried fruit, and a little shaved chocolate begin to shine through.  The finish continues with the vanilla and shaved chocolate flavors and this is also where the port wine makes its appearance.  I was worried that the port wine finish would make it too sweet but it doesn't.  It really just compliments the other flavors in this bourbon.  At 43.3% alcohol (86.6 proof), there is enough punch to keep the sweetness in check.  One thing I did not try was sipping this bourbon on the rocks.  Each glass I had was served neat and I was enjoying it so much that I didn't think to try it with ice to see how the flavor would open up. 

photo credit: Angel's Envy website

I'm looking forward to Angel's Envy hitting the South Florida market as the last of the sample I was sent was consumed while writing this post.  Whether you're a bourbon drinker or just looking to try something new, Angel's Envy is definitely one to keep an eye out for.

Throwdown with Mango & Lime Tonight @ 8:30pm!

 
Yo!  Be sure to tune in tonight or set your DVR to the Food Network at 8:30pm and catch South Florida's own, Paula Nino of the popular blog Mango & Lime, on Throwdown with Bobby Flay!  Paula was hand-picked by the show's producers to judge a key lime pie contest last year down in the Florida Keys and tonight the show is set to air!  Obviously this show's producers know how to pick 'em!  Will she find dessert bliss in a forkful of key lime pie?  Or will one of our favorite local Miami bloggers leave with nothing more than a case of limey indigestion?  Tune in and see for yourself tonight on the Food Network at 8:30pm!

Tales of the Distiller

Definitely something I'd be checking out if I was in the West Palm Beach area.  I'm not quite sure what Sou' Easter is.  My guess is a cocktail with a southern (southeastern) twist.  Regardless of what it is, this is a great value for this restaurant and you get to enjoy a nice bourbon too!  Not to mention that one of the "prized aged whiskeys" might be the Michter's 25yr old.  I've always wanted to sample that.  Report back if you're able to attend!

2011 South Beach Wine & Food Fest - The Burger Bash

 2011 Burger Bash Tent (photo: Paula Nino)

The South Beach Wine & Food Festival took place again this past weekend on Miami Beach and this year I snagged a ticket to go to the Burger Bash for the first time.  Unlike last year where I purchased a ticket to this event and then booked a business trip that overlapped it, I was in Miami and ready to find some burgers and scarf 'em down!

For those not familiar with the South Beach Wine & Food Festival (SBWFF), it is an annual event held on Miami Beach that glorifies all that is gluttonous and able to be imbibed.  Food Network is a sponsor so there's lots of famous chefs from that station doing cooking demos and signing boobs and stuff.  Pretty cool but not really.  Luckily there are lots of other chefs who descend on South Beach without the need for bodyguards (seriously??).  Well, anyways, one of the events that is part of the festival is the Burger Bash where 26 culinary competitors man a booth underneath a giant tent on the sand, fire up their grills, and serve crazy amounts of burger awesomeness to a packed house.  Amstel Light is a sponsor as well so there are also plenty of beers to fill you up even more.  It was hot under the tent so it didn't take long to get a nice meat sweat going before being covered with smoke billowing from the grills.  Let's just say I left there smelling like awesome topped with awesome and extra awesome sauce.

Burger Bash Menu & Map (Click to enlarge)

With 26 burgers to eat, there is no way you're gonna hit them all (effectively).  My strategy was to eliminate some as soon as I saw the preview menu the day before.  I eliminated 7 that I didn't want to try because I'd already had them, they're local and I can get them whenever, and/or they sound lame:

-Shake Shack (local)

-Burger & Beer Joint (local)

-BLT Steak (local)

-Town Kitchen & Bar (how the hell were they in this thing????)

-QSine (cruise ship burger? lame...)

-South Beach Living (chicken burger?  lame...)

-Simply Delicioso (unless Ingrid Hoffman is topless in the booth)

Charm City Burger Co's "Kurabuta Cowboy" (photo: Paula Nino)

That left me with 19 left to try and a sincere doubt I could handle that.  After all, I'm no Burger Beast.  To make a long story short (for once), I started feeling a little full after about the fourth burger I tried.  They are served cut into fours or as mini-burgers and I was a little hungry so I almost finished 3 out of 4 instead of just taking a few bites and moving on.  The tent was hot and choosing to drink a beer didn't help either.  The best thing I did was bring a little Evan Williams Single Barrel in a flask so I sipped that instead of beer and told myself that the bourbon would help the digestive process.  In the end, I had 12 burgers and a bite of a 13th.  I was on a ground beef high.

 Frita from El Mago de la Frita (photo: Paula Nino)

One of my favorite local Miami spots got a booth this year - El Mago de la Frita!!  El Mago was there himself working his magic on the flat top, busting out fritas for the crowd.  Everyone in the El Mago booth was friendly and energetic.  They gave away bottle openers and beer coozies with the El Mago logo on it and I even scored a cigar!  I was proud of them for really making an effort to maximize their exposure.  If you haven't been to see El Mago, I demand that you do so soon.  There you can get your frita with a fried egg and a little cheese if you're a gringo like me.  Plus you can meet El Mago himself, the frita magician.  I was pumped when I saw El Mago walking back to his booth after the winners were announced and got to shake his hand and say "good job".  He didn't win but I'm not sure there were any other burger contestants who've cooked for the President!

The Schlow Burger from Radius (photo: Paula Nino)

My favorite burger overall was Michael Symon's "YO!" burger.  It was topped with provolone and the chef's "ShaSha sauce" and had a thin slice of fried salami and a basil leaf that combined with the burger patty to form a really unique flavor.  I finished that entire burger and it got my vote.  I also enjoyed the burger from Radius, a Boston spot that had won a few years prior, and the burger from Charm City Burger Co who are a local SoFlo burger joint.  Biggest disappointment was Morimoto's burger.  The sauce overpowered the meat and it just tasted bland.  Same with the one from Ritz Bistro One LR.  It boasted of bacon and foie gras but somehow had no distinct flavor whatsoever which floored me.  Also disappointing was how loud the goddamn music was.  I couldn't hear anyone when they were trying to speak to me and most of the time me and whomever I was talking to would have to repeat ourselves 2-5 times before we finally understood each other.

B Spot's winning "YO!" Burger (photo: Paula Nino)

Michael Symon's burger ended up winning the People's Choice Award while Marc Murphy of Landmarc (which I wasn't able to try) won the Judge's Award.  Chef Symon also won the award for "Best Dressed" Burger because of the ShaSha sauce.

You hear stories of SBWFF events with booths that run out of food/drink and/or get oversold but the Burger Bash seemed to get it right.  It's always a good time hangin' with my great friends Paula, David, and Jackie at these events too.  It was a fun night and I met a lot of great people and will most likely do it again next year.

On the Road: Guayaquil, Ecuador

I have to say, I never imagined I would take a trip to South America, let alone Ecuador.  I guess Miami has kinda soured me a little on Latin culture.  That's a really dumb excuse though.  This year is all about new adventure for me, so just last week I found myself deplaning in Guayaquil, visiting a friend I'd made while traveling throughout the US. 

It was a little before midnight when I arrived and we stopped at my hotel before heading to a section of Guayaquil called Las Penas.  My friend and I walked around the hilly area and then she recommended we check out a bar called La Palleta.  This place was really cool, an artsy, funky bar that was cozy and fun.  We ordered a few mojitos and a few snacks - olives, bread, and some clams.  The clams were of the canned variety from what I remember and they were pretty good.  The only thing I didnt like was that they were kinda sandy and gritty.

The next day, we drove to the town of Montanito, a tiny beach town about 3 hours from Guayaquil.  It was packed when we got there around 11am.  People get to the beach really early to enjoy the day.  This was a surf town and lots of surfers were walking about.  After picking up some supplies, including some much needed sunscreen for my gringo self, we headed over to a friend of my friend's house.  His place was recently purchased and being remodeled but it was really, really cool and really big.  It was also right on the beach which, in this area, was semi-private since it was a good way down from the main beach town area.  The beach was beautiful and we spent the day sitting in the sun, walking, and swimming.  The best part, however, was when her friends brought back some fresh ceviches for us to enjoy.  We had a fish ceviche that was very good and super fresh but my favorite was the shrimp ceviche.  The shrimps were cooked perfectly and full of flavor.  I regret not taking pics of these dishes!

Iguana w/ snapping turtles in the water @ Iguana Park

A few days later I was back in Guayaquil and on my own since my friend had a busy day and had to go to work.  I used my not-so-great-but-not-too-bad Spanish skills to get around, with a plan to hit up a few museums and parks and learn more about the local culture.  When I got to the first museum it was closed so I hit up a park called Iguana Park in the middle of the city.  You'll never believe this but lots of iguanas live there along with snapping turtles and a bunch of pigeons that were so big they looked like roosters.  The iguanas were extremely docile and kids would pull their tails which I thought was kinda funny, a little cute, and kinda cruel at the same time haha.

My taxi driver had told me that the Continental Hotel was a good spot to eat lunch and as I was leaving Iguana Park, I looked up and it was right in front of me.  The spot was called Cafeteria La Canoa.  I was pretty hungry so I stopped in for lunch.  Some fresh, soft bread appeared in front of me along with some spicy salsa.  I ordered Sango de choclo con camarones, knowing that I'd liked the shrimp here in Ecuador so far and also knowing that choclo meant "corn" which is another one of my favorite things to eat.  The dish came out hot, a bunch of shrimp cooked and hidden amongst a bowl of what amounted to corn porridge.  A side of rice was served on the side and I sat at the counter, fishing out a shrimp from the corn porridge and topping it on the rice, then adding a little of the spicy salsa before wolfing it down.  It was a good dish even if it was a tad on the heavy side for lunch. 

 Sango de choclo con camarones

Two younger people came in and were looking for a seat at the bar since the restaurant was packed for lunch.  There were vacant seats to each side of me so I moved over so they could sit together.  They were appreciative and a few minutes later they spoke to me in English, asking where I was from.  They were students at the university and we chatted for a bit, me speaking as best I could in Spanish and them letting me know it was ok to speak English if I wanted to.  Their English was very good, especially the girl who happened to have the same name as my friend that I was visiting.  She had lived in Atlanta for a bit and when she spoke English she had little to no accent.  After chatting with them, I headed back out to explore more of the city of Guayaquil.

I hit up another museum and once again found it was closed.  I later would learn that all museums are closed on Monday.  Just my luck.  With no museums to teach me more about the city, I walked around observing the architecture while I made my way to the Malecon, a long boardwalk down by the river that had shopping and other things to see.  The architecture and art in Ecuador was really cool.  As I walked the Malecon, I eventually came across an artisan market where they had a lot of handmade goods.  I walked the shops and didn't see much that caught my eye.  As I was about to leave, a man invited me into his shop and I took him up on his offer since he seemed like a nice guy.  As I walked through the shop, I noticed a boy playing a guitar.  It was the man's son.  I asked how long he had been playing and he answered a little over a year and asked if I played.  I said that I did and he invited me to play, which I was happy to do as I'd missed my guitar since I'd left Miami.  I played a few tunes and then bought a shirt and a pair of pants from the man as a show of thanks.  It was a good day.

That night I met up with my friend for a Valentine's Day dinner date.  Her father is a member at a place called the Bankers Club (he is not a banker, that's just a name of the place I think) and they had a selection of 2 pre-fixe menus to choose from.  Both of us chose the 2nd option which started with spiny lobster presented beautifully with some mashed potatoes and what seemed to be something similar to a green goddess dressing.  It was fresh, light, and tasty.  The next dish was a soup.  I forget what the vegetable in the soup was (I want to say squash blossom but I'm pretty sure that's wrong.  It was something similar to that though) but it was stuffed with foie gras which I really enjoyed.  After a palate cleanser sorbet, our main course of lamb medallions came out.  It was ok.  I found it to be overly salty but my friend said she enjoyed hers.  We ate dessert while the live band played on.  The lead singer had a beautiful voice, even when belting out a few "happy birthday" tunes to some attendees.  I had an early flight the next morning so after finishing our glasses of wine we headed on our way.

I really enjoyed my trip to Ecuador.  I must admit, I have always been a bit intimidated by South America.  Going to Ecuador really helped me get over that.  I met lots of really cool people and even learned that my Spanish isn't all that bad when I'm forced to use it.  I plan to practice more and hope to visit Ecuador again someday to check out Quito and the other mountainous areas.  Maybe even visit with other friends when they go to places like Columbia too, since I hear I have some fans there hehe ;)