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Mar. 16: Brown Forman Master Blender Dr. Rachel Barrie AND Woodford Reserve's Assistant Master Distiller Elizabeth McCall...

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Fellow Drammers,

We're excited to announce a new big online event on Mar. 16th starting at 5pm EST. We'll have the pleasure of welcoming BOTH Dr. Rachel Barrie, the Master Blender for Brown Forman AND Elizabeth McCall, the Assistant Master Distiller at Woodford Reserve. Needless to say, either of them would make for a major event on their own, but as part of Brown Forman's celebration of Women's History Month, they're making them both available to us, which is a jaw-dropping opportunity. The lineup is a work in progress and may chance, but we're thinking it will include at least the below pours, plus more to come:

  • GlenGlassaugh 30yo. A decidedly limited release, per the distillery's website, it was the first expression to be released by the new owners. They describe it as "a rich and complex whisky which has been matured for over 30 years in our coastal warehouses. Bottled at 42%, this is a refined single malt with elegant sherry cask characteristics complimented by luscious fruits and oak spice."

  • BenRiach Smoke Season. BenRiach is mostly known for their unseated whiskies, as you would expect from a modern Speyside distillery. But go back in history, and that wasn't always true -- back in the 19th century the region was popular for heated whiskies. So about 50 years ago, the distillery started the tradition of doing a short peated run (hence "smoke season"), and certainly Dr. Rachel Barrie played a key role in fine tuning this special release. Two-cask matured in both American virgin oak and bourbon barrels - wood types intentionally selected to amplify the toasted sweet notes in Benriach’s smoky spirit. 52.8% abv.

  • Woodford Reserve Master's Collection 5-Malt Stouted Bourbon. On the Woodford side, we'll try at least 2 in their celebrated Master's Collection line, neither of which we tasted in our event with their Master Distiller Chris Morris in 2020. This was their Winter 2021 release, the 17th in the series, and the name says it all: “a whiskey that exhibits the flavors of a classic beer”, it's made five malts mixed up, fermented, and distilled, reportedly giving it a big malty flavor. 45.2% abv

  • Woodford Reserve Master's Collection Brandy Cask Finish. Next we'll turn to an earlier release from 2016, their 11th in the series. Brandy cask finished, so of course bringing out brighter fruit notes in the final product. 45.2% abv.

We'll be adding to the lineup of course, unclear if we'll go over 6 pours or not, but we'll update this when we know more. In the meantime, wanted to get the news out asap so that people could make plans to attend (please note the earlier start time -- 1pm Pacific / 4pm Eastern on a Wednesday -- so call it an extended lunch / early happy hour? :) We hope you can join us!

Cheers,
Drammers Club

  • FORMAT: Online tasting

  • WHEN: Wednesday, March 16th at 2pm Pacific / 5pm Eastern

  • PRICE: $85/person for Members / $110/person for Observers

  • Zoom Info: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86156915482?pwd=K0M2amN3WHRYT25DSEF2ckltd3JEUT09

    • Meeting ID: 861 5691 5482

    • Passcode: 031622