3/21/14
This Week in Drinks
The week's not quite over yet, but it's certainly been a good one for those of us who enjoy a good, stiff drink at the end of the day. Whether you're a beer man, fancy yourself more of a wine lover or prefer a good bourbon, here are some of the best brewed stories, distilled for your convenience.
Sea-Aged Bourbon
Trey Zoeller, founder of Kentucky-based bourbon brand Jefferson's, is as eager as the next guy to release mature whiskeys onto a ravenous market, but hasn't resorted to any of the experimental tactics to accelerate the aging process (using tiny casks and agitating them with ultrasonic waves, or employing pressure to force the interaction between the spirit and the wood). Esquire has the story of how he's simply putting them on boats and sending them to age on the open sea.
Keep your bar organized:
We round up some smarter options for your spirits storage.
The Best Irish Dry Stouts
In honor of St. Patrick's Day, Men's Journal tries some American interpretations of the Irish dry stout. "The best of the style look inky black and have a surprisingly light body and dry finish," writes Lucy Burningham. "They're brewed with some amount of roasted unmalted barley, which creates the dryness."
A Whiskey Rebellion
A feud has erupted among distillers over a seemingly simple question: When is a whiskey "Tennessee Whiskey"? At Jack Daniel's urging, Tennessee passed legislation last year requiring anything labeled "Tennessee Whiskey" not just to be made in the state, but also to be made from at least 51% corn, filtered through maple charcoal and aged in new, charred oak barrels. Which just happens to be the recipe for Jack Daniel's. But other, more artisan distillers have a problem with that.
A Wine Director's Favorite
Now that Chardonnay is shedding its reputation for heavy oak and alcohol, wine directors are once again giving it its due, turning to the bestselling (and most pronounceable) white wine in America for its freshness and food-pairing flexibility. Five top sommeliers tell Details the Chardonnays they'd like to see in their glass.
