|
A few months back, in a rare excursion away from the world of wine, I asked your leave to change the subject briefly for a talk about tequila. I did this somewhat cautiously, fearing that all you wine enthusiasts would be irritated about any departure from our beverage of choice. But as it turned out, nobody complained, and a surprising number of you wrote back saying, "Hey, great change of pace! Do it again some time." Well, OK, then. Today let's take a little taste of Bourbon, a libation that ought to be more natural to me than wine. As a deeply rooted native of Louisville, I grew up in the epicenter of Bourbon country, an industrial city where a main highway used to be dubbed Distillery Row for its line of famous-name Bourbon producers with their massive, thick-walled warehouses. From the Ohio River Valley through the Bluegrass to Bourbon County - which took its name from the French royal house and in turn passed it along to the local libation - Kentucky is Bourbon country, and a glass of Bourbon and branch water is as much a part of local lore as burgoo or colonels in white linen suits. Not to mention the traditional mint julep at Derby time.
In the old days, many of Kentucky's Bourbon producers were small, family-owned operations. Nowadays - not unlike the wine industry - most of the biggest names are mega-corporate brands, even if they go out of their way to market their wares as artisan-look products. The Pogues, however, are running a real family operation. They're the fourth and fifth generations of a family that had operated the old H.E. Pogue distillery in Maysville, Ky., on the Ohio River upstream from Cincinnati, from 1876 until Prohibition, then reopened in 1935, closing during World War II when the factory was sold and switched over from distilling liquor to making industrial alcohol for military use. Now the Pogues are back. More than a decade ago, Jack Sr. and Jr. began making Bourbon again, launching Old Pogue Distillery in Bardstown, Ky. (the locale of Stephen Foster's original My Old Kentucky Home), using an old Pogue family recipe. Their product, a top-tier 91-proof Bourbon, requires a full nine years of barrel age (compared with just two years for mass-market Bourbons and five years or so for upscale consumer brands like Woodford Reserve and Maker's Mark), so they've only come to market with their first public offerings in the last year or two. It's not a cheap drop by any means - it was offered for $43 for a 750 ml "fifth" bottle at Louisville's Gemelli Wines - but a quick taste revealed a memorable spirit indeed, bold but not brash, subtle but not "dumbed down." Some drinks fanciers regard Bourbon lightly, declaring it a relatively coarse beverage alongside such classy tipples as single-malt Scotch or fine Cognac. But I'd say that a spirit as fine as Old Pogue has no need to hang its head in such company ... and that's not just my Kentucky roots talking. 
Old Pogue "Master's Select" 9-year-old 91-proof Bourbon ($43)
This is a transparently clear Bourbon with a rich bronze-amber color. The aromas are subtle and delicate, the characteristic caramel and brown-sugar scent that charred barrels impart, backed by attractive herbal notes. On the palate, it's smooth as a fine Cognac, needing neither water nor ice to tame it. Clean and warming, it finishes with appetizing nuances of caramel and maple syrup that seem to linger for long minutes. An excellent drink, one that even the most dedicated wine lover might consider as an alternative to Port or Madeira for after-dinner sipping. (Nov. 12, 2005)
WEB LINK:
FIND THIS BOURBON ONLINE:
TALK ABOUT WINE ONLINE If you prefer to comment privately, feel free to send me E-mail at wine@wineloverspage.com. I'll respond personally to the extent that time and volume permit.
PRINT OUT TODAY'S ARTICLE
SUBSCRIBE: Administrivia To subscribe or unsubscribe from The 30 Second Wine Advisor, change your E-mail address, or for any other administrative matters, please use the individualized hotlink found at the end of your E-mail edition. If this is not practical, contact me by E-mail at wine@wineloverspage.com, including the exact E-mail address that you used when you subscribed, so I can find your record. We do not use our E-mail list for any other purpose and will never give or sell your name or E-mail address to anyone. I welcome feedback, suggestions, and ideas for future columns. To contact me, please send E-mail to wine@wineloverspage.com All the wine-tasting reports posted here are consumer-oriented. In order to maintain objectivity and avoid conflicts of interest, I purchase all the wines I rate at my own expense in retail stores and accept no samples, gifts or other gratuities from the wine industry.
Wednesday, Nov. 16, 2005
|
