Category: Whiskey

Hey all,

Wanted to keep everyone in the loop about a 5 course whiskey dinner involving one of our favorite micro distilleries, Balcones from Texas. Master Distiller Chip Tate will be featuring his acclaimed whiskies while Michelin star Chef Joseph Humphrey cooks up some amazing dishes. Check out the link below if you wanna go, its coming up this Thursday. Cheers

http://www.whiskiesoftheworld.com/whisky-events

Nate

Hey all,

It’s that time a again, Bourbon Club is ready for pick up. This month I’m featuring Bulleit’s new limited 10 year bourbon. It’s the same recipe as the younger expression, so bold spicy notes of peppercorns, lavender, fennel and earth, with a lot more barrel character and lush notes of nougat, crème brulee and burnt caramel. If your not in the club feel free to join at either our Castro or Clement St. location. I’ll also have a few extra bottles on the shelves at both shops. Cheers

Nate

Hey all,

Got a bunch of new whiskies and a few back in stock the last week or two, wanted to keep everyone in the loop. Here’s the laundry list:

New Stuff:
-Jura 16yr Single Malt Set with Glasses
-Jura 3pk Sampler (10yr, 16yr and Superstition)
-Michter’s Sour Mash Whiskey
-Woodford Master’s Collection Four Wood
-George Dickel Rye
-Balvenie 17yr Double Wood Single Malt
-Balvenie 17yr Peated Cask Single Malt
-Balvenie 12 Single Barrel
-Dalwhinnie 25yr Single Malt
-Red Breast 15yr Pot Still Irish Whiskey
-Highland Park 18yr Single Malt
-Talisker 30yr Single Malt
-Bulleit 10yr Bourbon
-E. H. Taylor Small Batch Bourbon
-E. H. Taylor Rye
-Smooth Ambler Yearling (wheated) Bourbon
-Whistle Pig 11yr (111 proof) Rye
-Hooker’s House 21yr Pinot Noir Finished Bourbon
-Collier & McKeel Healthy Spirits Exclusive 2 Barrel Cask Strength Blend

Back in:
-Hibiki 12yr Whisky
-Yamazaki 18yr Single Malt
-Wild Turkey Tradition 14yr Bourbon
-Moylan’s Cask Strength Bourbon
-Moylan’s American Rye
-Buck 8yr Bourbon

Feel free to ask me questions about any of the individual whiskies in the comment section as I’ve tried most of them. Cheers

Nate

Hey All,

Just in time for the winter months, warm up your spirits with 1 of our 4 hand selected cask strength single barrels from Four Roses! We always sell out of our Four Roses barrels so fast, this time we decided to let each member of the staff pick a barrel so we would have more options for everyone to choose from. All of the barrel samples we tried were pre-selected by Master Distiller Jim Rutledge, ensuring they were of the highest quality before we even began to analyze and score them. I myself picked a barrel consistent with what I’ve chosen the last few batches, OBSO recipe and from the highest tiers in the warehouse making it exceedingly oaky and one that gained in strength. Dave, Rami and Scott each picked a different recipe bourbon. We scored them on three main criteria: nose and aroma, taste and mouth feel, quality and length of the finish. We looked for barrels that exceeded expectations in all three categories and added up to a transcendent bourbon experience. I helped over see the selection of each barrel, encouraging the staff to select unique flavor profiles they liked while making sure the bourbons were well rounded and relatively flawless. Here’s what we came up with:

-“Dave’s Barrel” – 55% Alcohol (110 Proof) – Warehouse Tier 1 – Recipe: OBSV (35% Rye) Has delicate fruity flavors of banana, apricot and pear, the higher rye content and a lush creamy finish.

-“Rami’s Barrel” – 62.5% Alcohol (125 Proof) – Warehouse Tier 4 – Recipe: OBSQ (35% Rye) Has an engaging floral essence with notes of rose pedals, peppercorns and nutmeg, with the higher rye content, and a long lingering earthy finish.

-“Scott’s Barrel” – 58.6% Alcohol (117.2 Proof) – Warehouse Tier 3 – Recipe: OESO (20% Rye) Has the lower rye content making it soft and luxurious with notes of ripe red fruits like raspberries, maraschino cherries and strawberries combined with creme brulee and marzipan. Smooth long finish.

-“Nate’s Barrel” – 64.5% Alcohol (129 Proof) – Warehouse Tier 6 – Recipe: OBSO (35% Rye) Has the high rye content making it boldly spicy, also firmer tannins from the higher tier aging. Notes of peppercorns, maraschino cherries, charred oak, gravel and burnt caramel. Amazing amount of depth and a tannic mouth watering finish.

Come and get it! Cheers

Nate

Hey all,

Finally got a counter part to the Yamazaki and Hibiki lines, which have been unavailable lately due to popularity. The similar Japanese whiskies we got in from Nikka were a real treat to try, elegant and supremely well crafted, definitely going to give Suntory a run for their money in the coming years. Nikka currently owns two distilleries: Yoichi and Miyagikyo. Here’s what we got in:

–Taketsuru 12 Year Pure Malt: Made from an artisanal mingling of stocks from the Yoichi and Miyagikyo distilleries. The single malt whiskies are vatted together, helping to marry the flavors, and bottled at an approachable 40% alcohol (80 proof). “Pure Malt” is some what of an invented term by Nikka, but it serves the purpose for what they mean. It’s 100% malt whiskey, not containing the cheaper grain whiskies or neutral spirits that would warrant a “Blended Whiskey” title, but since it’s from two distilleries instead of one they needed a designation other than single malt, hence the name pure malt. The overall flavors are really complex with just a hint of peat, some floral notes and a really lush caramely oak character.

–Yoichi 15 Year Single Malt: This single malt from the Yoichi Distillery is a little more delicate and refined than the 12 year Taketsuru. It’s bottled at a more concentrated 45% alcohol (90 proof) yet has a cleaner flavor and is more soft and silky on the palate. It has engaging flavors of wild flower honey, white florals, cereal grain, brown sugar and nougat. A beautifully balanced whiskey that I’m glad to see is finally available stateside.

Give these a try if you get a chance. Cheers

Nate

Hey all,

Just got in a few bottles of my favorite Talisker release, the extremely limited 25 year. Not much of this made it to San Francisco and while they’ve done small releases like this the last few years, there’s no guarantee they’ll have enough to do a release next year or any time soon. Basically it’s a get it while you can kind of thing. The 25 year has Talisker’s signature brininess and intense peat with a beautifully lush balance of oak from the longer aging. I get flavors of seaweed, camp fire, black pepper, gravel, stoney minerals, browned butter and burnt caramel. Wildly complex and engaging yet approachable and creamy. Definitely a winner!

Nate