Recently I attended a very fun wine event at Bourbon Steak, the restaurant in the Four Seasons in Georgetown. Aside from the delicious vino and charcuterie, I was given a behind-the-scenes look at a special whiskey only found at the Four Seasons: a special barrel pick from Charlottesville, VA-based Ragged Branch Distillery.
This distillery, located in the Blue Ridge Mountains, was helped along by the late Davd Pickerell, the genuis behind some great distilleries I've visited: J. Reiger & Co. in Kansas City; the revival of the distillery at George Washington's Mount Vernon estate; and Virginia's Copper Fox...to name a few. We used to sell a good number of Ragged Branch products at D'Vines, including their blue label bottled-in-bond which was *super good.* So naturally, when I had the chance to try Bourbon Steak's new offering, I jumped.
The limited-edition bottle is twice-barreled and double oaked, using charred American white oak, individually labelled and numbered: bottle #106, batch #2305. It's wheated, so a bit divergent from most bourbon that is made usually from corn. What's also different here is that this bourbon is cask strength - 126.56pf, or 63.28% ABV.
That's a lot, if you can't tell.
On the nose: as expected, LOTS of alcohol esters, strong oak, and...raisins. Interesting.
On the palate: definitely wood forward, toothy wheat - like the sheaf, not the germ. Alcohol rounds out the Of note: no leather or tobacco. No corn, just wheat all day and lots of flavor from the oak.
Diluted: much softer (as expected) and the wheat becomes a bit sweeter. It loses its bite and although it's a bit easier to sip, I feel that it loses some important flavor notes.
Finish and aftertaste: Alcohol, oak, raisins, and some lingering soft wheat.
Verdict: Really good. I don't rate things or assign number scores, but as a high-octane whiskey, I'd definitely enjoy this neat and recommend it for fans of strong American whiskies. The mash bill isn't unusual and really shines through without the need for ice or water.
Bonus - I had one of the house specialty cocktails, "Yo, You Got Beef ?", comprised of Wagyu fat-washed bourbon (using Washington State's Woodinville Distillery), Cocchi di Torino vermouth, house-made spiced orange bitters, and topped with a dried orange slice...then smoked.
Fat-washing essentially blends lipids (here, fat from Wagyu beef) into some other substance and then the whole thing is frozen, the fat scraped off, and the other liquid retained, which keeps the flavor of the fat. In this cocktail, it imparts a refined, full-on savory flavor, pairing nicely with the wood-smoking. The vermouth is present but not overwhelming and the spice of the bitters provides a refreshing snappiness on the tongue.
Do yourself a favor and check out Bourbon Steak - it's well worth a visit for both the bourbon and the mixed drinks!
