This Blog’s NEAT
A blog for the whiskey-curious.
Whiskey Expert (that’s me) answers questions
I was asked by Tasting Table to answer a number of whiskey related questions. They wanted to know all about warming up your palate before a whiskey tasting and how the best way to cleanse your palate during a tasting. They were even curious about pairing whiskey cocktails with fish dishes. I’ve included summaried of my answers along with links to the full articles.
Testing ChatGPT’s Booze Knowledge
The industry as a whole feels somewhat intimidating and vast! So typically people will get comfortable in one category and not branch out to other categories because they are unknown. I understand this from a personal level and want to help others open their minds to other categories by making it simpler to understand the different types of spirits categories and subcategories without completely dumbing things down. I turned to ChatGPT to see if it could help me and to test it’s distilled spirits knowledge!
Gift Ideas for Whiskey-Lovers
I’m currently bundled up on the couch online shopping for Christmas gifts. My default is to give everyone whiskey themed gifts because that’s what I know best. Luckily, most of my friends and family are whiskey drinkers anyways. If you’re looking for gift ideas for the whiskey lover in your life, then here are 5 types of gifts that would be perfect for any whiskey lover… along with many examples!
Touring Stranahan’s Colorado Whiskey
Jerry and I took an impromptu trip and our first stop was Denver. We only had time to visit one distillery while we were there. I chose a distillery that produces exclusively single malts, sourcing 90% of the barley that they use from local farms and paving the way for the American single malt category. They were founded in 2004 making them the first distillery to open in Colorado after prohibition. You already know who I’m talking about… we visited Stranahan’s Colorado Whiskey!
Yeast vs. Bacteria: Visual Comparison
Want to know how to tell yeast and bacteria apart just by looking at them under the microscope? It’s easy!
A Visit to Van Brunt Stillhouse
Recently I was able to spend some time in NYC and was so excited to pop in to Van Brunt Stillhouse located in Brooklyn. They are a farm distillery embracing the fact that whiskey is an agricultural product and they just celebrated their 10 year anniversary the week before we got there. I would highly recommend checking out Van Brunt Stillhouse! You can really taste that each whiskey was artisanally handcrafted.
How did “proof” come to be?
Proof is simply just twice the percent alcohol by volume (ABV). But it seems silly to have both ABV and proof listed on a bottle of distilled spirits. So how did proof come to be? The development of the term “proof” in reference to alcohol concentration has many stories. Not all of them are historically accurate and I’ve definitely told the more fun ones that may or may not just be myths. Ultimately what it comes down to is taxes. Talking taxes is no fun, so allow me to start with the fun stories!
Meaningless Terms on Whiskey Labels
There are so many meaningless words on whiskey labels that just add more confusion to which bottle you should buy. These frivolous words don’t give any indication to what the whiskey will actually taste like and as consumers, what we really care about is whether or not we’re going to enjoy the whiskey. So let’s go over them!
I Ventured to Ventura Spirits
Last weekend I ventured 1 hour & 45 minutes up the coast to Ventura Spirits, located in Ventura, CA. And it is such a cool, down-to-earth distillery producing craft spirits… I don’t use the word “craft” lightly. All of the ingredients used for their spirits are sourced from local farms around Ventura and they constantly have the goal of reducing waste in mind. If you are ever on the west coast, Ventura Spirits is definitely worth a visit!
12 Days of Top-Shelf Whisk(e)y
This year, I curated four different whiskey advent calendars to choose from. Each one was filled with either 12 or 24 delicious whiskies from all over the world. The advent calendar I chose for my countdown to Christmas was, of course, the 12 Days of Top-Shelf Whisk(e)y. Here are my tasting notes!
NEAT Bourbon Chase
This past weekend we ran about 200 miles through Kentucky just to drink bourbon. Was it worth it? Abso-frickin-lutely! We also had some other fantastic experiences that you might not think to do while in Kentucky (not including running). So whether you’re an avid runner or are just interested in unique things to do in Kentucky, here’s a play by play from our neat weekend!
Blind Tasting No. 16 Recap
On July 24th we had our first ever rum tasting and it was a blast! Most who joined the tasting were self-proclaimed whiskey drinkers with preconceived notions about rums. One of those assumptions was that rum is always sweet. This is a common misconception, but rum (that hasn’t been sweetened) isn’t any sweeter than whiskey or brandy. And this tasting definitely helped to prove that not all rums are sweet! Read more about rum and what we tasted here!
Blind Tasting No. 15 Recap
St Patrick’s Day (also my dad’s birthday) needs to be celebrated with Irish whiskey. So that’s precisely what we did. We tasted three very unique Irish whiskeys rather than the conventional ones that you might pair with your Guinness. Read more about Irish whiskey and what we tasted here!
Blind Tasting No. 14 Recap
During this tasting we tried three different barrel finished American whiskeys and boy, were they delicious. Barrel finishing is when matured whiskey is transferred to another cask prior to bottling to add an additional layer of flavor and complexity to the whiskey. It’s a relatively new concept that’s becoming more popular in the American whiskey industry. Read more about finishing whiskey and what we tasted here!
Boozy Basics
(Image from Lolo Liquor & Wine)
My parents have done every tasting and course that I’ve offered (they’re very supportive). But after chatting with them and essentially giving them a mini pop quiz the other day, I realized that they really needed a refresher on the whiskey basics. In fact, they needed a refresher on the basics of all distilled spirits. We get into so much detail about various whiskey aspects during the tastings, but I don’t always remember to zoom back out. I mean alllll the way out. So this is for not only my parents, but anyone else who feels like they need a refresher. And I hope the illustrations I’m including well help.
Blind Tasting No. 13 Recap
Last weekend we celebrated Galentine’s Day by tasting three different Welsh single malts produced by Penderyn Distillery. Penderyn produces a uniquely light spirit through a single distillation using a Faraday still, which is named after the inventor, Dr. David Faraday (yes, related to the physicist, Michael Faraday). You might be wondering why we chose to celebrate Galentine’s Day by tasting Penderyn single malts. Well, everyone on their distillation team is female! Read more here!
Blind Tasting No. 12 Recap
I had such a phenol-menal time this weekend during Blind Tasting No. 12: Sneaky Peat and I have definitely overused that pun. Get it? Because phenols come from peat smoke and give peated whiskies their smoky flavors. Anyways… During the tasting we discussed where peat makes its way into the whiskey making process and how it impacts the flavor profile of whiskies. Typically peated whiskies come from the Islay region of Scotland (ex: Laphroaig, Lagavulin and Ardbeg), but we tasted three peated whiskies from different parts of the world. Sneaky sneaky. Here’s what we tried!
Blind Tasting No. 11 Recap
It felt like the holidays just came and went this year, so we kicked off the first blind tasting event of 2021 with whiskeys that taste just like holiday treats! Whether that means Christmas cookies, mincemeat pie, toffee, mulled wine or coquito to you, all of those flavors could be found in these whiskeys (more or less). Check out what we tasted here!
Tasting vs. Drinking
I have a challenge for anyone reading this. I’m assuming you have some beverage in your hand, whether it’s whiskey, another spirit, a cocktail, wine or coffee. If not, go grab one, I’ll wait. Now, take a few moments to place all your focus on what it looks, smells, feels and tastes like. Really, commit…
The Wheat-Off
What happens when seven wheated bourbons step into the heptagon to face one another? The battle will be judged on flavors, aromas, mouthfeel and, of course, accessibility. The fate of each bourbon falls on only one taster, so this tasting is entirely biased. And none will make it out alive (because I’ll drink them all). See what happens here!
Curious about something?
Don’t hesitate to ask!
Let me know if there’s anything you’re wondering about in the world of whiskey. Whether it has to do with making, tasting or buying whiskey, I’ll give you my answer and post it in the blog. Odds are, if you’re curious about something, other people are wondering it too.