The Sip Archives – Page 4 of 10 – Whiskey for the Ages

A Slow Pour – Time Capsules

Posted on 06-October-202106-October-2021 by whiskeyfortheages

Hello, sippers! It has been some time since I posted an installment to this series, where we just sit with a glass of a favorite and chat about anything and everything. Go get yourself a healthy pour, because we are getting thoughtful with today’s Slow Pour, “Time Capsules!” And let me know what you’re sipping in the comments! I’ve got some Elijah Craig Barrel Proof Batch C919, myself.

For the past several weeks, I have had a whiskey thought dancing around in my head: the impact of atmosphere on whiskey and how we think about that impact. Hopefully, most of the time, you’re left with a good impression of your first pour of something. And hopefully that carries to the next pour of that same bottle. But that doesn’t always happen. Sometimes that good impression gets tarnished the next time we have a dram. It’s how we think about those moments and how they come to be “tarnished” that I’m interested in. And is that word “tarnished” truly appropriate?

“How-Did-We-Miss-You” Bottles

I think we can all agree on how the story usually starts. I know sometimes, Dad and I come home with a bottle to review, and we immediately love it. Or there are times when we crack open a bottle for the first time with company. Maybe it’s around a campfire, or it’s with family we haven’t seen for a while. Maybe it’s a brand new experience.

The point is, we open a bottle, and we love it. It’s everything we could ever dream of a whiskey being. It’s warm. Complex. Affordable. Available. It’s a “How did we miss you?” kind of bottle. We rush to the liquor store the next day or next weekend, and we find the Holy Grail bottle (and let’s be honest – we grab two).

We crack open the bottle and pour whatever it is, prepared to be wowed again.

And then we’re not.

And actually, we’re really not. Suddenly, this bottle that was so perfect before, is mediocre, if not downright terrible and unpalatable.

So, what happened?

The People Influence

I’m sure many of our fellow sippers here already know the answer. It’s the company. And many of you, again, likely know this is always one our biggest talking points. Dad and I are fortunate to be in a position where, not only can we enjoy each other’s company during reviews, there are other people in our circle who drink whiskey as well. (In fact, I daresay, we’ve introduced the spirit to many of our friends and family just for others to talk to!)

As whiskey drinkers, and editors of this blog, we love sharing our knowledge on it. But truly, we love enjoying pours with people the most. And as such, we find it relatively easy to get caught up in the laughs and the moment. New whiskey tastes a bit brighter and better than perhaps it does when we find and bring it home.

Now, believe it or not, but I actually have mixed feelings on this cold reality. If you had asked me at the beginning of the summer about this, I likely would have had a few disappointed choice words. However, this summer, I had a once-in-a-lifetime experience. And it’s amazing what those can do to soften hard “no’s” and edges.

The Memory Influence

This summer, our family laid my grandfather to rest in his hometown in Wisconsin, where he lived all of his life. It was an emotional time, and to be quite frank, the pandemic had not made any of the process easy on anyone. Regardless, we made our goodbyes, and the people who could be there, were.

As my dad discusses in We May Never Pass This Way Again, we found ourselves talking whiskey at the family cabin with relatives and friends everywhere. It was truly an incredible moment.

And the whole week we were there, we’d find ourselves sitting around the bonfire every night with whiskey in one hand, and maybe classic Wisconsin cheese or homemade bread or even s’mores in the other. We had a whole variety of bottles to choose from, and at the time, every bottle was stellar. Everything was creamy, warm, complex… and we’d stay up until after midnight enjoying ourselves and laughing with great music.

Facing Cold Reality

Fast forward to us coming back home to Idaho and picking up our reviewing schedule again. Dad and I (and my sister on several occasions) would end up referencing back to that bonfire and the family with almost every review or casual pour we did. Three months later, and we still do.

Eventually we got around to reviewing a bottle we had back in Wisconsin, the Old Scout Smooth Ambler Boise Whiskey Enthusiasts Private Pick. We had brought a bottle out with us for the trip because it was unique (both in vitals and the fact that it was a private pick). Not to mention, it was new to our collection too.

And I had loved that bourbon while in Wisconsin. While I hadn’t poured it every night that we were there, I did partake in several glasses over the course of the week.

But now, coming to the long-awaited review, I sit down… and I find I don’t like it. The shock and initial disappointment I had over this fact had me confused and even frustrated with myself. This bourbon had memories! It was with me and my family for an important event! An event I can’t ever truly go back to, even! And it was one of the most unique bourbons in our collection! I was supposed to love this, not feel that it had been tarnished! (The fact that Dad still did love it, only made matters worse and left me more lost.)

So… I did the review how I saw the bourbon in that moment. And even revisiting this review for the sake of this Slow Pour, I can even see my confusion in my words. And I intend to leave it that way.

Contented Acceptance

The longer I sat with my inner frustrations, however, (aka weeks), the more I realized that it was exactly for those aforementioned reasons that it was alright that I didn’t like the bottle now. The bottle did have memories, and it was a bourbon that I had enjoyed with my family. And now, because I don’t care for the bourbon much, it’s unlikely to get new memories tacked onto it, and my experience with it will be confined to that singular week with my family. And it shouldn’t be a surprise that my setting for it is very reminiscent of the birdhouses surrounding the cabin either.

In essence Smooth Ambler has become a time capsule. It’s a week’s worth of memories in a bottle, and its label I will always get to associate solely with that time. Nothing else can change the magnitude of what that bottle carried.

And I actually find that incredibly special. Do I wish I still enjoyed it? Of course I do. I’d love to be taken back to the bonfire on every pour. But surprisingly, when I open up our bunker to grab a casual pour of the day, and I see Smooth Ambler there… I am taken back. Every time. It looks the same as it did on top of the plates/bowls cabinet at the family cabin. It looks how it did on the tiny kitchen island counter during our massive tasting party Dad references in his article. I can see the birdhouses outside the cabin that I’d look at while sipping this. It’s a time capsule bourbon that I’ve never experienced the likes of before. And I’ll likely even keep the empty bottle once Dad finishes it.

Photo by Johnny Brewer on Unsplash

In Summary, I’m Redefining Things

So long story short (I suppose this is one of my slowest pours of this series), maybe we need to rethink how we revisit bottles that end up being not so great. Is it only a loss? Are they only “tarnished”? – to return to my question at the start of this slow pour. Or, can we call it a learning experience? Can we call it a time capsule of a different time when everything was great? Can we call those bottles the true pause buttons we look for and enjoy when we drink whiskey?

In any case, I think that’s how I am going to choose to look at them from now on.

So I won’t ask if you have any whiskeys that got “tarnished” from one pour to the next. Instead, I think I’ll ask, do you have any Time Capsule Whiskeys? What are they? Click the ..LEAVE A REPLY.. button in the field below if you’d care to share.

A Slow Pour – Time Capsules

written by Hannah Dawson

Whiskey for the Ages editor

Others in the Slow Pour Series:
A Slow Pour – Time to Relax
A Slow Pour – The Empty Bottle

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The Sip – Whiskey Articles
Whiskey Reviews

We May Never Pass This Way Again

Posted on 04-August-202104-August-2021 by whiskeyfortheages

We May Never Pass This Way Again

Dad passed away last November. My brothers and I decided to delay the celebration of his life until safe travel to Wisconsin for family, friends and well-wishers could be assured. The three of us chose to mark his passing on Saturday, 24-July-2021.

THE GATHERING

After the service, the brothers and I invited the throng to the family cottage on the lake built by my grandfather back in the early 1940s. There we had spent the summers of our youth and knew Dad would be near.

As our guests arrived, my brothers and I worked our way through the gathering crowd. We visited, recounted memories and told stories of our father, enjoyed adult beverages, and thanked those had who stopped by. Old friendships were rekindled and the forging of new ones began.

Later in the day, after our meal of pulled pork and chicken, smoked beans, assorted tubs of salad and fruit, chips and various trays of cheese and crackers, some of us migrated inside the cabin. And as we may never pass this way again, all were invited to experience a few pours from the whiskies we’d assembled. There was quite a line up from which to sample …

THE WHISKEY COLLECTION

Hannah and I had brought bottles of Booker’s 2021-02 (Tagalong Batch), Larceny Barrel Proof B521, and a Cask Strength Smooth Ambler Old Scout from a barrel our local Facebook group had secured. (Thank you Boise Whiskey Enthusiasts!) And on the ninety minute journey from the airport to the cabin, a pit stop at 45th Parallel Distillery yielded a bottle of 6-year Bottled-in-Bond New Richmond Rye and another of 5-year Cask Strength Border Straight Bourbon.

To help round out our whiskey bar, a cousin contributed an Elijah Craig Small Batch and the husband of another came bearing Belle Meade Reserve. A partial Larceny Straight Bourbon from a past gathering was found and a brother brought bottles of Cask Strength J Henry Patton Road Reserve from the bottler’s tasting room. The other said a friend would be bringing something special in a short while. We were pretty much set.

ASSEMBLY AND PREPARATION

None of us had ever enjoyed a lineup like this before and we were in for an eye-opening adventure. There were all levels of whiskey familiarity in the group; young nieces and nephews, cousins and old family friends alike. Many were novices, though several had toured Kentucky Distilleries.

For me and for the first time in many years, new bottles of whiskey would be opened for pure enjoyment, with no intent of review. Yet I felt a certain amount responsibility (possibly mis-guided) to share the knowledge I’ve acquired over the years. After all, shouldn’t we be ambassadors for our beloved nectar?

All manner of drinking vessels were dispersed; assorted small juice glasses, rocks glasses, and Glencairns. I (with help from Hannah and our donators) explained whiskey was meant to be sipped and enjoyed (not taken in shots, as we did in our youth). We discussed cooperage, flavors, profiles, and the origins of each offering. The documentary “Neat – The Story of Bourbon” was referenced on several occasions.

POURS, QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

We encouraged those who wished, to select a bottle and pour themselves a sample. A few abstained, but most picked from the array before them and when the whiskey began to flow, toasts to Dad were offered. And while Dad preferred Brandy (there was some of that too), I’m sure he would have humbly accepted. As new people trickled in, lessons were repeated and questions answered:

▪︎Early on came, “What is the difference between Whisky and Whiskey?”
~ We discussed labeling and tradition with Scotch, Irish, Canadian and American whiskies.
~ Then came, “Why does Maker’s Mark proclaim their products as Whisky rather than Whiskey?”
▪︎Our selections were primarily Bourbon, so someone posed, “How does Bourbon differ from Scotch?”
~ I’ve not yet dabbled in Scotch, so those with the knowledge explained Scotch regions and the subtleties of each.
▪︎Somebody asked, “What is a Mash bill?”
~ Hannah and I delved into the typical mix of grains used to make bourbon giving a brief overview of the process.
▪︎When bills with rye and wheat were mentioned, someone asked, “What difference does it make?”
~ As there was a variety of both options, small pours of each were offered up as tastings for the inquisitive.
▪︎A couple of people had samples from Larceny bottles.
~ This made for a perfect segue to discuss barrel proof options versus standard fair. (And we had many high proof bottles.)

Our Q&A session continued as people came and went. Glasses emptied and new drams were poured. Occasionally two-fisted drinkers were in the mix as differences were compared.

SOMETHING SPECIAL

About an hour in, my brother’s friend came in bearing a bottle of 10-year Old Rip VanWinkle. We discussed bourbon lore, its lineage and place in the Pappy lineup. Soon the gift was uncorked and my brothers and I toasted Dad again. Someone suggested we return the stopper to save the bottle for another time. I declined, noting this moment and gathering would never happen again and assured anyone who wanted a pour would receive one. The bottle was passed. Surprisingly, it came back to me and I was able to make a second pour (what a nice bourbon).

GIVING BACK

By the end of Dad’s celebration, I felt contentment and peace settling over me. In several previous hours, whiskey had been responsibly shared and enjoyed. I had sipped more than a half dozen new offerings with friends and family, and now have memories from which to draw in future tastings.

As whiskey enthusiasts, we have a responsibly to impart our knowledge to others. And share we should. So buy new bottles. Bring out your “dusties”. Enjoy with family and friends. And as Seals and Crofts wrote, “We May Never Pass This Way Again“.

Love you Dad.

We May Never Pass This Way Again
written July 2021 by Brian Dawson,
Editor, Whiskey for the Ages

State Controlled vs State Licensed Liquor Stores

Posted on 03-June-202111-May-2022 by whiskeyfortheages

This article was prompted by an email we received from one of our readers. Included in the query, our reader raised the issue of State Controlled vs State Licensed Liquor Stores …

_{“Great stuff but considerably more expensive than if you could purchase from Total Wine and Liquor. Why do we still have state controlled liquor stores in Idaho? What about free markets? Time for a change, make them compete on the open market.”}
_{– Whiskey for the Ages reader}

The emailer was commenting on a review of an Elijah Craig Small Batch Private Barrel which happened to be an Idaho State Liquor Division (ISLD) State Pick.

I replied …

_{“Thank you for reading the review and for your comment.}
_{While I am neither for or against state controlled liquor stores, I’m not sure I follow your comment regarding the Elijah Craig Small Batch Private Barrel – Idaho State Liquor Division Batch 1 – 2019 product. I paid $29.95 for the bottle (a “Store Pick”) which is the same I would pay for an off the shelf Elijah Craig 94 Proof bottle (which happens to be on sale for $27.95 now through EO April). Are you able to purchase Elijah Craig Store Picks for less?}
_{As for open markets, that is a GREAT idea for an article. Thank you. Please consider subscribing to our site so you can be notified when we post about this topic.}
_Cheers!”
_{– Brian Dawson, Whiskey for the Ages Editor}

GENESIS

Shortly after replying, I began researching Alcohol Beverage Control (ABC) to learn how it fits into the marketplace. I live in Idaho, an ABC state, and arranged to meet with principles of the Idaho State Liquor Division. Our dialog was most enlightening and I learned much from the ISLD team. I came away with a new view of State Controlled vs State Licensed Liquor Stores. While I generally don’t think government should meddle in its citizen’s affairs, there may be an exception in this case. Read on to discover a little of what I learned.

REPEAL OF THE 21^st AMENDMENT

On Tuesday, 05-December-1933, at 1732 EST, Utah became the 36th state to ratify the amendment to end prohibition. The vote met the three-quarter state’s majority needed to pass the legislation. Within minutes of ratification, legal liquor began to flow.

State Controlled vs State Licensed Liquor Stores

History records there were no more acts of liquor driven debauchery than in the weeks, months and years prior to the end of the grand experiment. In fact, author Daniel Okrent notes in his book ‘Last Call: The Rise and Fall of Prohibition‘ the 21st Amendment actually “made it harder, not easier, to get a drink”.

Legislation of drink added closing hours, age restrictions, Sunday service regulations and much more. While Mississippi was last to repeal its prohibition laws in 1966, Alcohol Control had begun. Regardless of what one might believe, governments in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and all US districts including Guam and Puerto Rico control liquor sales.

FOLLOW THE MONEY

The end of Prohibition gave the federal government a financial windfall. The bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) collected more than $258 million in alcohol taxes in 1934. The money generated accounted for almost nine percent of the US tax revenue! States wanted their share.

In the weeks and months following repeal, 18 states mandated greater control over the sale and distribution of alcohol. The remainder (largely driven by retail entities, influential people and private interest groups) chose to allow licensed individuals and businesses the ability to sell alcohol to the state’s citizens. State Controlled vs State Licensed Liquor Stores was born. This separation remained largely unchanged until 2011. Late that year, Washington state citizens voted to allow the selling of spirits by licensed retailers (more on this later).

THREE TIERED SYSTEM

Together, the states developed a structure of checks and balances to provide safe alcohol to consumers while ensuring simple tax collection. This became known as the three-tier system¹:

▪Manufacturers provide distilled spirits to wholesalers
▪Wholesalers distribute the products to retailers
▪Retailers sell to the consumers

By employing this model, most states set involvement restrictions. Manufacturers cannot be wholesalers. Wholesalers cannot sell to the public. Each tier has their own licensing requirements and follow their own set of regulations.

▪Participants in each tier are responsible for ensuring that the laws and regulations set by the government are executed¹
▪Tens of billions of tax dollars are collected sent to federal, state, and local governments by manufacturers, wholesalers, and retailers in the alcohol industry¹
▪Large corporate distillers as well as craft distillers and brewers are given equal opportunity to reach consumers¹

STATE LICENCED LIQUOR STORES

RELATIONSHIPS AND BUYING POWER

All states have liquor control, yet not all ABC programs are equal. States which have adopted the licensing model allow licensed retailers to sell beer, wine and distilled spirits from their outlets. Product availability varies and is largely dependent on previous purchases and the relationships businesses and shop owners make with distributors and brokers. Smaller retailers may not have established relationships and/or the buying power to secure rare and/or allocated product.

Wholesale pricing can also vary as big box retailers (BevMo, Binney’s, Liquor Barn, Total Wine and Liquor, Kroger, Costco, etc.) may get preferential rates based on historic purchasing. Most have better selection because they simply buy more. Retail pricing comes down to High School Economics 101: Supply and Demand.

STATE LIQUOR STORE RESPONSIBILITIES, SALES AND PROFITS

Licensed wholesalers and retailers are not exempt from federal income tax. States still regulate and monitor sales and tax collection activities. But when one digs deeper, there are other important financial factors to consider.

License states require credentialed wholesalers and retailers to impose and collect additional taxes on beer, wine and distilled spirit sales. Liquor taxes add revenue to the state’s coffers for use in liquor education, law enforcement in the court system, and of course, the state’s general fund. But taxes add to the cost of goods being sold. Some licenced states impose a 20% or more tax 6-packs, bottles, and/or cases of packaged goods.

And because they can, many retailers set their own retail pricing based on supply and demand. This is why many people in licensed states see popular whiskeys like Eagle Rare and Blanton’s at $80, $100, and $120 or more (even though MSRP is about $35 and $60 respectively). It is also why rare bottles go for much, much more than MSRP. Limited selection and high shelf pricing creates the perfect storm for an out of control secondary market.

In addition, the money earned on liquor sales may not always stay within the state in which they are sold. When licensed retailers are out-of-state corporate operations, profits can and do leave the state. In cases like these, there may be less revenue distribution to local citizens.

EXTENDED FINANCIAL CONCERNS WHICH IMPACT LICENSE STATES

Then consider other negative side effects of lesser local control. License states sell distilled spirits from more retailers at wider hours than in control states. Wider hours creates greater availability. According to studies done by the National Alcohol Beverage Control Association (NABCA), State Licensed Liquor Sales states have …

▪Wider consumption of alcohol by under aged people²
▪Higher crime and less safe roads in the later hours of each day²
▪Greater per-capita alcohol related health care issues²
▪Higher death rates attributed to alcohol²

These factors affect education, the medical establishment, law enforcement, the court system and impact families.

STATES ADOPTING A LIQUOR CONTROL MODEL

As of this writing, seventeen states and jurisdictions in Alaska, Maryland, Minnesota and South Dakota have adopted forms of the “State Control” model³. These jurisdictions control the sale of distilled spirits and, in some cases, wine and beer through government agencies at the wholesale level. Thirteen of these states also exercise control over retail sales for off-premises consumption, either through government-operated package stores or through designated agents.

Control jurisdictions represent approximately 24.8% of the nation’s population. A quarter of the country’s people account for roughly 23% of distilled spirit sales⁴.

State run control programs are not equal. Because each jurisdiction is different, I can only write about Idaho’s methods (as I live here). Your state may be dramatically different.

THE STATE OF IDAHO

From what I’ve learned, I believe the ISLD is quite forward thinking. Idaho avails itself to most federal programs and is an active member of the NABCA. In addition, and in my opinion, the division is on target with their published vision statement:

“The vision of the Idaho State Liquor Division is to be the most respected and the highest performing purveyor of distilled spirits in the USA.”

State Controlled vs State Licensed Liquor Stores was born

Idaho utilizes the NABCA’s Price Quotation Reporting System, which permits Control States to liaison with suppliers. As a result, Idaho consumers pay MSRP for the distilled spirits they find on Liquor Store shelves.

The State of Idaho sources distilled spirits directly from manufacturers, both large corporations and craft distillers. When the ISLD issues a purchase order, the distiller fills the request, based on what product is available at the time of receipt. I believe Idaho gets its share (and then some) of many coveted products.

This includes rare, allocated and even seasonally released Buffalo Trace Antique and Pappy selections. Many of these bottles are available for purchase in State run Liquor Stores, with some of the more rare products released through a random draw lottery system. My daughter, Hannah, and I have won the opportunity (through lottery entries) to purchase many of these rare and limited release offerings.

In addition, the ISLD has long relationships with many distilleries. So strong in fact, the division has purchased many single barrel whiskeys for distribution to patrons (think Store Picks). We’ve enjoyed offerings from Brown-Forman, over a half dozen Private Selects from Maker’s Mark, bottles from Elijah Craig, Four Roses, back-to-back years of Knob Creek selections, and I have single barrel picks from Buffalo Trace in my bunker, all purchased at MSRP.

IDAHO DATA

But maybe the biggest benefactors of Idaho’s structured control method are its citizens. Everyone benefits from liquor sales – even non and casual drinkers.

The state operates 67 state owned liquor stores leased from the private sector. The state has licensed an additional 101 private business owners in smaller municipalities. The Idaho State Liquor Division receives no state funding. To transport the 1.4 cases million cases sold annually, the ISLD contracts with a privately held Idaho-owned company, which keeps more money in the state. And because the state buys directly from distillers, the state pays ZERO federal income tax on distilled spirits which helps keep profits high and retail prices low.

In fiscal year 2020, sales of distilled spirits in Idaho exceeded $258,600,000. From these purchases, the state was able to distribute $95,400,000 to cities, counties, courts, substance abuse treatment, and the general fund for benefit of all its citizens. The ISDL projects revenue to top $1.2 billion in the next ten years.

BENEFITS OF REDUCED NUMBER OF RETAIL OUTLETS

Clearly Idaho has fewer retail outlets than License or even other ABC states. To offset the impact of fewer outlets, Idaho Liquor Stores are located on major travel routes. Most stores are near high traffic centers like grocery stores for one stop shopping. I pass three state run Liquor Stores on my 25 minute ride home each evening. If I take a different route, I pass four others. And because Idaho has fewer places to purchase distilled spirits:

▪Consumption is 15% LESS in Idaho than in open states⁵
▪Idaho has lower incident of problem drinking, under-age theft, alcohol-related harms and other health related problems⁶
▪Per capita, Idaho has fewer lost workdays and alcohol related deaths⁷
▪Idaho has safer roadways and a lower alcohol related crime rate in the later hours of each day⁷

WASHINGTON STATE VOTER’S REMORSE

As noted earlier, in 2011 Washington citizens voted to allow the selling of spirits by licensed retailers. In a 2016 case study, many Washington voters would like a do-over⁸. Their primary reasons include the following:

▪The increase in the number of liquor stores (330 before privatization to more than 1,600) has not lowered prices
▪Washington has the highest spirits tax rate in the nation (20.5% since privatization)
▪Liquor prices have increased by an average 15% since 2011
▪Greater per-capita alcohol related lost work hours and health care issues
▪Civil and Family courts have a higher incident of alcohol related cases since the measure’s passage
▪Higher crime and less safe roads in the later hours of each day

The study concluded, if voted on today the measure would not pass. Washingtonian’s were 2.6 times more likely to change their vote because of what has transpired since the measure’s approval.

IN SUMMARY

For sure, I am lucky (for many reasons) to live in Idaho, a forward thinking alcohol beverage control state. I will not say all ABC state citizens are as lucky. In fact I read many social media posts in which the poster decries their state’s meager selection and pricing. I’ve read there are discussions in Pennsylvania to explore changing the state’s alcohol beverage control methods to a licensing model. And North Carolina residents would like access to a wider selection of choices.

CAUTION: Be careful for what you wish for!

In closing, I’ve traveled and purchased alcohol in several licensee states. For the most part, prices paid in Arizona, California, North Dakota and Wisconsin were fair, but shelf pricing was higher than I pay for the same bottles here in my home state. I once shopped two locations in the same Wisconsin city just a few miles apart. Prices on the same bottles were different in each store. And in each store, the selection was decent.

Now it’s your turn. What’s happening in your state? Click the .. LEAVE A REPLY .. button in the field below to tell us your experiences.

State Controlled vs State Licensed Liquor Stores
_{written by Brian Dawson}

_{Whiskey for the Ages editor}

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