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Dave Yancey

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Top 5 American Whiskies for 2022

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greybeardstop5

Top 5 American Whiskies of 2022 We all love the Top 5, 10, and 100 lists. The legendary David Letterman was known for the crazy top 10 lists he presented on his show, and every musician dreams of having a song reach the Billboard Top 100 list. Distilleries, Wineries, and Cigar blenders get excited when one of their creations ends up on a Top list from their fans and publications. However, every list can be subjective to the author’s taste or preference. Does the author like Ryes? Do they prefer old-world wines over new-world wines? When it comes to the world of whiskies, how does their profile differ from yours? As you read my Top 5 American Whiskies, you will likely ask yourself these questions. In creating this list, I looked back to the whiskies I had tried throughout the year and which ones left a memory. I then went back to revisit several different whiskies, was that memory worth revisiting, looking for overall balance in the profile, and most importantly, was this a whisky that I found worthy of wanting to share with my friends? Ultimately, I had to narrow the list down to 5 whiskies. This was challenging; I eliminated some excellent expressions, such as Blue Run Golden Rye, Larceny Barrel Proof Batch B-251, and Jack Daniels Single Barrel Select. Once I had my selections narrowed down to the following 5. I returned to the memories, sat down with each of them individually, shared them with my friends, and began taking notes on the expressions themselves. So, as I sit here with a dram poured, putting the finishing touches on this article, I present my top 5 American Whiskies for 2022. Castle & Key Rye 2021 Batch 1 I know this is my top 5 whiskies of 2022;…

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Featured Reviews Spirits Whisk(e)y

Kentucky Owl Takumi Edition Whiskey Review: journey through a tasting

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Kentucky Owl Takumi Edition

Kentucky Owl Takumi Edition Whiskey Review journey through a tasting Exploring a new whiskey is a journey. A journey that will explore all of your senses, beginning with your sight and ending with your sense of touch and taste. First, you will choose a bottle based on the name, the shape of the bottle, how the label captures your attention, or what you have read about the whiskey. Once you’ve picked the bottle up, you’ll notice details about the whiskey, such as the color, proof, blend, or age. If any of those are not what you are looking for, you’ll put the bottle down and move on to the next. Next, you will use your hearing to experience the whiskey you chose—the sound of the wax, foil, or paper around the cork. The anticipation builds up as you take the wrapper off for the satisfying sound of the cork popping out of the bottle and releasing the aromas that were trapped in the bottle. The aroma brings in the first time you use your sense of smell; however, the sound does not end there; while you are taking in the aroma, you will begin pouring the whiskey into your glass and listen to the sound as the liquid hits the glass. All this time, your sense of sight has been enhancing the experience, but now, this is where your eyes take over as you look closely at the color of the whiskey. Is it a deep amber, a light golden, or somewhere in between? How does it look as you begin swirling the whiskey in your glass? Does the liquid slowly move back down the glass into the bowl? How does it look when you bring the glass to your nose to dive deep into the aromas? It is time…

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Featured News Spirits Whisk(e)y

Diageo acquires Balcones Distilling

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Balcones Texas Single Malt

Diageo acquires Balcones Distilling Diageo acquires Balcones Distilling, one of the leading Texas Distilleries known for their American Single Malt. With expressions such as Texas Single Malt, Lineage Single Malt, and Baby Blue Corn Whiskey, Balcones brings Diageo a long-lived heritage of Texas Whiskey and increases its portfolio, which already consists of well-known brands such as Johnny Walker, Bulleit, and Guinness. You’ll be able to read more about this recent acquisition here.

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Cigars Featured News

Blackened beyond Ride the Lightening

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Blackened Cigars by Drew Estate

Metallica has done it again, Blackened Cigars by Drew Estate Metallica has been known as one of the most influential bands for the past few decades, releasing hit after hit, including “Enter Sandman,” “Nothing Else Matters,” and “seek and Destroy.” What you may not realize is that in 2018 Metallica partnered with Master Distiller and Blender Dave Pickerell and shortly thereafter, Master Distiller and Blender Rob Dietrich to create “Blackened,” a whiskey that lives up to the reputation that James Hatfield, Lars Ulrich, Kirk Hammett, and Robert Trujillo have built for their legendary band. Well, now James Hatfield, along with Rob Dietrich, has teamed up with Jonathan Drew of Drew Estate to create a cigar which they are calling Blackened ‘M81’. A blend that consists of all maduro fermented tobacco with a Mexican San Andres Wrapper, Connecticut broadleaf binder, and fillers that consist of Nicaraguan, and Pennsylvanian Broadleaf, this cigar is sure to bring a punch that pairs beautifully with the Blackened Whiskey and Metallica’s hard-hitting music. Read the announcement over at Drew Estate

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Food Reviews

Mercury Chophouse Review

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mercurychophouse

Mercury Chophouse Review Be Celebrated!  A phrase that I often will tell others, whether it is on their promotions, birthdays, anniversaries, or just because. Recently I decided to take my advice and celebrate by treating myself to a nice dinner. For this celebration, I decided that I wanted to eat at the Mercury Chophouse located in Arlington, Texas. Now, normally I will walk into the restaurant, ask for a seat for one, and enjoy my dinner. This time, however, I decided to make a reservation, mainly because it is a nice steakhouse, and I wanted to ensure that I would have a place to sit, but also out of respect for the restaurant. My reservation was for 6:30 pm on a Friday; When I arrived at the location at 6 pm, I began looking around for parking when the Valet service flagged me down to inform me that Valet was free for the restaurant and told me that the restaurant was located on the 9th floor of the office building where I arrived. Because I was thirty minutes early, I had expected to wait in the lobby when I approached the hostess station. However, they were able to sit me right away.  As the hostess led me to my table, we passed by a nice full bar, grand piano, and some other patrons sitting at nice tables with leather chairs, beautiful lighting, and large windows overlooking the city. My seat was a corner table for two that was part of a long booth. I was able to sit facing the window on the opposite wall and look out over the scenery.  After a few moments, my server stopped by my table and offered me a wine and a cocktail menu which also displayed an impressive collection of spirits. Accepting the…

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Cigars News

CTP changes term from “grandfathered tobacco product”

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CTP changes term from “grandfathered tobacco product” In an article recently published by the FDA regarding the Center for Tobacco Products, CTP announced that they are changing the term “Grandfathered Tobacco Product” to that “Pre-Existing Tobacco Product.” This is something to keep an eye on regarding Cigars. While the terminology change doesn’t change anything in the here n now, if we see this continue moving forward as regulation, we will see all of the cigar industry heavily impacted. On Aug. 19, FDA’s Center for Tobacco Products (CTP) updated the term “grandfathered tobacco product” to “pre-existing tobacco product” on all the Center’s systems. As described in the Premarket Tobacco Application (PMTA) and Substantial Equivalence (SE) final rules published in 2021, the updated terminology more clearly and appropriately describes these products. You can read the full article here.

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Featured Spirits Whisk(e)y

Exploration of Scotch Whisky

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Exploration of Scotch Whisky

** This article was previously published in the Whiskey Network newsletter as a four-part series by Greybeard**  Exploration of Scotch Whisky It is hard to turn around in today’s society and not have heard something about Scotch. You will see it in the movies, television shows, and all over the media and internet. Scotch’s vast history dates back to the 15th century, with the earliest known distillery in Scotland operating in 1494. This article, however, will not be about the history of Scotch, but instead will be a walk through the different regions in Scotland and the Scotches made there. Before we get into the regions of Scotland, there are five classifications or types of Scotch that we will want to understand. Also, it would be good to briefly cover the regulations of how a Scotch is to be distilled. Scotch Classifications Single Malt Single Malts are one of the most common types of Scotches known. The scotch can be classified as a single malt when made at a single distillery, in a pot still, and using only water and malt. Single Grain Single Grain will follow the exact requirements as a single malt, except other cereal grains can be added to the mash bill. Blended Malt (or Blended Single Malt) Blended Malts will be a blend of two or more Single Malts from two or more distilleries. Blended Grain (or Blended Single Grain) Blended Grain will be a blend of two or more Single Grains from two or more distilleries. Blended Scotch Blended Scotch, which constitutes approximately 90% of the whisky produced in Scotland, will contain both malt and grain whisky. Regulations The regulations which define what a Scotch are: Bottled at no less than 40% ABV Contains no additives other than water and caramel coloring Distilled in Scotland…

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Cigars Featured Opinion

Why I’m not a smoker, but I smoke

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Cigar Ray

Why I’m not a smoker, but I smoke Disclaimer:  Do your research on the effects of smoking on your health and consult with your doctor if necessary. The pleasure of cigar smoking has been around for centuries, with the first depiction of a cigar dating back to the tenth century. With the adventures of Columbus in the fifteenth century, cigars made their way to Europe, thus bringing the tradition of smoking cigars to the rest of the world. While tobacco has been linked to health risks such as cancer dating back to the 17th century, it wasn’t until the 1920’s that the first medical report linked smoking tobacco to lung cancer, and not until the 1950s and 60’s that it was confirmed that tobacco was considered to be a cause of a range of serious diseases. As you are doing your research, you will find in both the conclusion of the reports and the data sets that cigars are considered the same as cigarettes. You can determine this in statements such as the following excerpt from “Cigars: Health Effects and Trends Monograph 9,” published in Feb 1998 and last updated in Dec 2020. The smoke from both cigars and cigarettes is formed largely from the incomplete combustion of tobacco, and therefore it comes as no surprise that cigar smoke is composed of the same toxic and carcinogenic constituents found in cigarette smoke. Nowhere in this publication does it discuss the differences between cigars and cigarettes and how they are made. No mention of how cigars are 100% natural with no additional chemicals added as opposed to cigarettes. You will also notice that when looking at the data sets of this report and many other reports that the cigar smokers used in the studies, the majority are dual smokers, meaning they…

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Cigars Pairings Spirits Whisk(e)y

Don V / Makers Mark Private Select Pairing Review

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Don V / Makers Mark Private Select Pairing

One of the joys of writing reviews on cigars, whiskeys, and the pairings between them is that you will often have the opportunity to try a new cigar or whiskey and pair them that you may not otherwise have. That is the case with Don V by Oscar Valladares. Cigar: The Don V is a collaboration between Oscar and Vick Shah, who owns the Norwood Royal Cigar lounge in Chicago. The Vitola I had the opportunity to smoke was a Toro, Maduro in shade, and a Honduran Puro. One thing that stuck out to me throughout the smoke was that it was consistent in its earth, leather, and gamey notes with very subtle transitions of cocoa between the first and second third and coffee between the second and final third. Whiskey: Makers Mark Private Select starts as a Makers Mark 46 bourbon, but then the selection begins from a choice of any combination of five different staves to finish the bourbon. The particular expression for this pairing came in at 108.5 proof and was aged between 5 and 7 years. The nose presented caramel and black cherries, while the palate brought buttercream oils with black cherries and cocoa. Pairing: You are looking for a marriage of the flavors with any pairings between a cigar and a drink. This marriage will either present through a complementary pairing where similar notes complement each other and enhance those flavors. Contrast pairings are another form of pairing that differs from complementary, where flavors will contrast and balance each other. The final style, which presents a nice marriage between the flavors, will be a balanced pairing, where neither cigar nor drink will impact each other and offer just a pleasant rounded experience. Through each third of the cigar, drawing from the cigar first and then…

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