May 3 - Drammers Knoxville......
Hello Knoxville Drammers!
Our next tasting will be next Saturday, May 3rd at 7pm with a mix of high-end mezcal expressions, plus some exciting new releases of bourbon (Russells Reserve single barrel, the new Bookers!), Scotch, Irish whiskey and more! You can find details about the full lineup below, and all of them can be found at our retail partner DRINQY.com. A big thank you to Matthew for organizing -- and if anyone is interested in hosting, please let us know, otherwise Matthew has agreed to be our backup host. Here’s the lineup:
Booker’s 2025-01 - Barry’s Batch. The first US release of Booker’s 2025 Collection is Booker’s Batch 2025-01 “Barry’s Batch”. This batch is named in honor of Barry Berish, former Beam Chairman and CEO, who sadly passed early in 2024. Booker’s “Barry’s Batch” is made up of barrels from four production dates that were aged in 5 different warehouses. The age of the batch is 7 years, 2 months, and 4 days. The proof of the batch is 125.7 proof. The breakdown of barrel storage for the batch can be found here.
Russell's Reserve - Drammers Single Barrel Bourbon. Earlier this year, a group of our chapter heads came together at the Wild Turkey Distillery to select this single barrel of Russell's Reserve. The barrel we selected was distilled Oct. 1, 2014, dumped on May 14, 2024 and bottled on June 11, 2024. Barrel #23-0035, aged in Warehouse TY-K, Floor #4, aged 9 years, 7 months, 13 days. Bottled at 55% abv / 110 proof (as many distilleries do these day — instead of cask strength, they pick a number just below cask strength so they don’t have to refile the label with the TTB for each single barrel). The barrel yielded 186 bottles.
5 Sentidos - Tobala Mezcal by Tio Pedro. The Maestro Mezcalero behind this mezcal, Tio Pedro, has worked for many top mezcal producers over the years and recently set out on his own, where among other things he produced this small 92 liter batch. This is only just arrived (which is why it's not pictured above) and features wild tobalas he collected and distilled in Oaxaca in June of 2022. He then rested is in glass until December 2022 adjusting with heads and tails to reach the desired flavor and bottled at 47% abv. This batch was selected by our members on our annual trip to Oaxaca for Day of the Dead last year and is available exclusively to members of the club.
The Hearach - Single Malt Scotch. This is the first legal whisky from the Isle of Harris, and it is fairly hard to come by. We recently hosted an online event with their distillery team, and we're proud to say we brought in more versions of their flagship The Hearach, than anyone else in the country. The Hearach single malt whisky was made using soft Outer Hebridean waters from the Abhainn Cnoc a ’Charrain, which runs over the oldest rocks on earth, and 100% Scottish Concerto barley that was lightly peated at 12-15ppm using peat cut by hand at 'Cleite Mhòr', an area of South Harris where peat has been harvested for generations. This Scotch also benefits from a long fermentation that runs for up to five days, as well as maturation for at least five years in three cask types, Fino butts, first-fill bourbon, and oloroso sherry casks.
Wilderness Trail - Drammers Single Barrel Bourbon. Next up is our single barrel from Wilderness Trail — barrel no 771648, aged 5 years, 3 months, aged in an ISC (Independent Stave Co.) classic #4 barrel, rickhouse E-N25-10-4, Yeast strain FP1. Wilderness Trail as many of you know specializes in wheated bourbon, which is the case here, and they also use a sweet mash process (so they do NOT use backset from prior distillations in subsequent mashes, unlike most distilleries). Drammers had selected a single cask of Wilderness Trail a couple years ago that was accidentally lost by the distillery (they accidentally used it in a small batch blend, ha, which does happen from time to time). So, this is a barrel we’ve been waiting for for a long time now. The barrel yielded 204 bottles.
JJ Corry “An Ban Rion". Our first-ever Drammers pick of Irish whiskey has arrived, not a single barrel but a private blend! Our members in Charlotte, NC got together last Summer to create this blend, ultimately settling on only using Irish Single Pot Still samples (so, whiskeys made from a mash bill of at least 30% malted barley, at least 30% UNMALTED barley, and no more than 5% other grains), and all the samples are ex-sherry cask, with a heavy dose of PX Sherry and a very small — transformative — amount of amontillado sherry cask to bring that some nutty flavors to the mix. 57% abv.
Reina Sanchez Madrecuishe Mezcal. This mezcal is distilled from the madrecuishe agave, which is in the Karwinskii family of agaves, which are easy to recognize because, unlike the other agave varietals, they grow in an oblong shape like a tree trunk. These agaves took over 15 years to grow before they were mature enough to be harvested. It was distilled by the great maestra mezcalera Reina Sanchez, a true legend in the industry who we have had the honor of visiting at her palenque (distillery) in Oaxaca in past years.
Scorpion Mezcal - Tobala Aged 7 Years. When we stumbled upon this, we could hardly believe it. Our friend at Scorpion mezcal had aged Tobala for 7 years (keep in mind that "Extra Anejo" tequila is only 3 years old, and virtually no mezcal other than tequila is aged at all). Our club selected three of these rare gems for the members, and we'll be tasting the Tobala at this event
Espadin Aged 12 Years in oak ($280/bottle)
Tobala aged 7 years in oak ($180/bottle)
Barril aged 6 years in oak ($150/bottle)
We hope you can join us! We'll order in light food (likely pizza, included). Please let us know if you have any questions!
Cheers,
Charlie, Matthew and Drammers Club