BrentElliott

Event Date: Saturday, September 14, 2024 6:00 – 10:00 PM
By Rebecca Herman McBrayer

Wayne and I were absolutely thrilled for this event! Over the past two years, we have passionately enjoyed bourbon dinners that have left an indelible impression, and attending the Supper Club events at James B. Beam Distillery has been nothing short of a culinary adventure. Each occasion brought us exquisite food meticulously prepared and captivating stories that enveloped us in the rich heritage of bourbon.

Event Description: A special evening with 7th & 8th generation master distiller’s Fred & Freddie Noe at Fred’s home in Bardstown, KY with some of their renowned friends. Dinner will be provided by the Kitchen Table restaurant with an opportunity to enjoy pours and cocktails from each participating distillery. You will be delighted with stories during an exclusive round table tasting featuring a product from each brand, and the opportunity to interact with top professionals in the bourbon industry.

The speakers for the evening included: Brent Elliott – Four Roses, Royce Neeley – Neeley Family Distillery, Steve Nally – Bardstown Bourbon Company, Rob Samuels & Bill Samuels Jr – Maker’s Mark, and Fred & Freddie Noe – James B. Beam. Baker Beam was also at the dinner but did not speak on the panel.

The Noe’s Home in Bardstown – A Spectacular Setting

As instructed, we parked at a nearby church and walked to the driveway entrance where we were checked in and joined others in anticipation for it to be 6PM. Although it was an incredibly hot day, we were joyful for no rain and excited that the sun would be setting beautifully as the night unfolded. We met some fantastic people in line and enjoyed a delightful dinner with them – Michael & Dawn Mitchell of Chasing Neat.

Freddie Noe welcomed us, provided a brief overview of the evening, and invited us to enjoy our cocktails.

Neeley Family Distillery Cocktail and Appetizers

As described by Chef Landry – the cocktail was a New Orleans classic Sazerac made with Absinthe from the Neeley Family Distillery. Chef sought to match the absinthe flavors with the herbs in the oysters and the fennel in the spinach tart.

They started passing the appetizers early on and they were terrific! The Hidden Barn Cherry Picker Sazerac was outstanding!

Distiller Icon’s Panel Discussion and Tasting

This experience was nothing short of extraordinary! Having the chance to listen to each of these icons delve into their histories, share their passions, and express their spirits was truly awe-inspiring. The atmosphere was wonderfully relaxed and engaging. We were incredibly lucky to have Andy Treinen, the President of the Frazier History Museum, as our moderator, guiding us through this excellent discussion. There were moments of delightful banter among the speakers and some truly entertaining stories shared that added to the magic of the evening!

Each icon had an opportunity to speak and then introduce their pour.
**Brent Elliott – Four Roses 2024 Limited Edition Small Batch.
**Royce Neeley – Neeley Family Distillery, Hidden Barn.
**Steve Nally – Bardstown Bourbon Company, Discovery Series #12.
**Rob Samuels & Bill Samuels Jr – Maker’s Mark 2024 Cellar Aged.
**Fred & Freddie Noe – James B. Beam, Booker’s ‘The Reserves’ 2024.

At the conclusion of the talks, Chef Brian Landry introduced the menu. He has been working with Fred and Freddie for the last three years and they have done many collaborative dinners. He strives to align well with them and the liquids they place in the barrels. Chef reminded us the the Beam’s saying, “Drink it any damn way you please!” However, he noted that tonight we would be drinking as the distillers’ pleased because they selected the cocktails and then Chef Landry reverse-engineered the menu.

Four Roses Bourbon Cocktail and First Course

Chef Landry – Four Roses Single Barrel Vieux Carre another New Orleans cocktail has a little bit of Benedictine in it, a lot of herbal notes, and it’s finished with some bitters that are heavy on star anise. The pork belly was marinated with soy sauce and then finished with the caramel sauce that has a bit of fish sauce in it. This was served with corn pudding.

The pork belly was cooked to perfection! Plus, the creaminess of the corn pudding was amazing. Fantastic course.

Bardstown Bourbon Company Cocktail and Second Course

Chef Landry – Anytime we come here we have to do Fried Chicken, so we’re going to do a fried chicken thigh with truffle honey, truffle grits, and a wild mushroom au jus that will go with the High Wheat Side Car from Bardstown. The Side Car has a lemon juice and Orange Curacao that will help cut through the richness of the fried chicken.

I’m personally a push-over for fried chicken and love grits – this combo did not disappoint! Wow – the chicken was very flavorful and crispy and the grits were delightfully creamy.

James B. Beam Cocktail and Third Course

Chef Landry – For the final savory course, Fred is the master of the grill, so we are doing a 14 oz veal chop. It is an Italian style dish, a Veal Saltimbocca. It is cooked on the grill with garlicky breadcrumbs, sage, and country ham chips from Freddie’s country ham.

This veal chop was indescribably good. Cooked to perfection and seasoned amazingly. Unfortunately, we were so full by the time it arrived that we could only enjoy part of it. To-go bags would have made for a terrific midnight snack!

Maker’s Mark Cocktail and Dessert

Chef Landry – The final course is sweet. The cocktail is a Maker’s Mark 46 Apple Butter Old Fashioned. Then, the burnt cinnamon pot due crème was made with burnt cinnamon sticks that we steeped in cream and then added a bit of orange zest and vanilla. It is finished off with cane syrup granola, salted caramel, and green apples.

As mentioned previously, we were full by the veal chop. Even so, we had to at least taste the cocktail and this scrumptious dessert. There might have been more than one bite involved!

Freddie Demonstrating the Kentucky Whiskey Ham Luge

Freddie is well-known for his cured hams and for hollowing out a portion to pour bourbon over it. This night probably would not have been complete if Chef Landry hadn’t put the challenge out to do this, which Freddie did with ease. But turnabout’s fair play – Freddie then challenged Chef and he accepted with great skill as well! Fun times!

A Great Night to Connect with Awesome People

In addition to Fred Noe signing a bottle of Booker’s ‘The Reserves’ 2024 for us, he and Baker Beam also signed our 1990s mini set of Booker’s, Baker’s, Basil Hayden’s, and Knob Creek.

We also had an opportunity to chat with and get pictures with Royce & Rebekah Neeley, Steve Nally, and Lisa Wicker!

It was a night that we will always cherish! Thank you, one and all, for spending the evening with us!

Embracing the Craft,
Rebecca & Wayne

04/23/24
By Rebecca Herman McBrayer

Last July, following a fantastic two-day 2023 Bardstown Bourbon Collection Mint Julep Tour, Wayne and I stopped by the gift shop of the Four Roses bottling facility in Coxs Creek, KY because we heard they had released the Four Roses Ten Recipe Tasting Experience boxed set and wanted to get one to try at some point.

Wayne and I enjoy Four Roses and often have people ask, “What is your favorite recipe?” We really didn’t know because we haven’t purchased a single barrel bottle that we didn’t enjoy. This past weekend, we had the time to devote to this experience and it was very fascinating and sometimes surprising.

Selected for this Tasting

This tasting was boxed and ready for us – the Four Roses Ten Recipe Tasting Experience that is produced by Four Roses Distillery. The set includes ten 50 ml bottles, one of each recipe. The retail price at the gift shop for the set was $129.00

As discussed in Bourbon Yeast Flavors, Four Roses Bourbon produces a wide range of flavors by blending various yeast strains and mash bills. The use two mash bills – Mash Bill B emphasizes rye, while Mash Bill E prioritizes corn. Five yeast strains impart unique characteristics. These elements are combined to create ten distinct recipes as indicated on the table below.

	Mash Bill B – 60% Corn, 35% Rye, 5% Barley	Mash Bill E – 75% Corn, 20% Rye, 5% Barley
Yeast V – delicate fruit	1 – OBSV – delicate fruit and rye	6 – OESV – delicate fruit and caramel
Yeast K – slight spice	2 – OBSK – rye and baking spice	7 – OESK – baking spice
Yeast O – rich fruit	3 – OBSO – rich fruit	8 – OESO – rich fruit and vanilla
Yeast Q – floral essence	4 – OBSQ – rye and light floral character	9 – OESQ – delicate grains and floral character
Yeast F – herbal notes	9 – OBSF – delicate grains and floral character	10 – OESF – light grain and mint

_{The four-character recipe: O for distilled at Four Roses, B or E for the Mash Bill, S for Straight Whiskey, and the final letter (V, K, O, Q, or F) for the yeast strain.}

Four Roses Mash Bill B

Mash Bill B – 60% Corn, 35% Rye, 5% Malted Barley
Age – at least 4 years (straight whiskey)
Proof – 104

We did the aroma individually, wrote down our notes, and then shared with one another. We did the same with the tasting portion. We also had the Four Roses recipe table. Our conversation and knowledge of the table certainly could have influenced our results.

Recipe 01 – OBSV:
***Aroma: Wayne – pear and chocolate; Rebecca – berries
***Taste: Wayne – honey and cinnamon; Rebecca – pear, herbal, and cinnamon
***Finish: Wayne – cinnamon; Rebecca – long baking spices
Recipe 02 – OBSK:
***Aroma: Wayne – honey and rye ; Rebecca – rye bread and baking spices
***Taste: Wayne – honey and rye; Rebecca – rye bread with honey butter on it
***Finish: Wayne – warm baking spices; Rebecca – light, warm cinnamon
Recipe 03 – OBSO:
***Aroma: Wayne – apple; Rebecca – plum and ripe apples
***Taste: Wayne – cinnamon; Rebecca – plum and fig
***Finish: Wayne – nutmeg; Rebecca – nutmeg with white pepper
Recipe 04 – OBSQ:
***Aroma: Wayne – honeysuckle and cinnamon; Rebecca – light cherry and rose
***Taste: Wayne – disappointed, didn’t like; Rebecca – honeysuckle and rye
***Finish: Wayne – NA; Rebecca – light white pepper
Recipe 05 – OBSF:
***Aroma: Wayne – honey, light fruit, and mint; Rebecca – rye, mint, and tea
***Taste: Wayne – tea, mint, and honey; Rebecca – mint tea and rye bread
***Finish: Wayne – light; Rebecca – cinnamon

Favorite Aromas: Wayne – OBSV and OBSK; Rebecca – OBSO and OBSV
Favorite Tastes: Wayne – OBSK and OBSO; Rebecca – OBSV and OBSK
Favorite Overall: Wayne – OBSK and OBSV; Rebecca – OBSV and OBSO

Four Roses Mash Bill E

Mash Bill E – 75% Corn, 20% Rye, 5% Malted Barley
Age – at least 4 years (straight whiskey)
Proof – 104

The same as the other, we did the aroma individually, wrote down our notes, and then shared with one another. We did the same with the tasting portion. We also had the Four Roses recipe table. Our conversation and knowledge of the table certainly could have influenced our results.

Recipe 06 – OESV:
***Aroma: Wayne – vanilla, honey, baking spices; Rebecca – caramel, pear, baking spice
***Taste: Wayne – fruit and honey; Rebecca – caramel and pear
***Finish: Wayne – cinnamon; Rebecca – warm nutmeg and light pepper
Recipe 07 – OESK:
***Aroma: Wayne – honey, vanilla, baking spice; Rebecca – vanilla and allspice
***Taste: Wayne – honeysuckle and cinnamon; Rebecca – baking spices
***Finish: Wayne – cinnamon and pepper; Rebecca – light cinnamon
Recipe 08 – OESO:
***Aroma: Wayne – honeysuckle, vanilla, baking spice; Rebecca – vanilla cream and raspberry
***Taste: Wayne – spicy and honeysuckle; Rebecca – vanilla cream pie with berries on top
***Finish: Wayne – nutmeg and ginger; Rebecca – white pepper
Recipe 09 – OESQ:
***Aroma: Wayne – caramel, honey, vanilla; Rebecca – corn, lavender, and light spice
***Taste: Wayne – wild honey, nutmeg, cinnamon; Rebecca – buttered corn and lavender
***Finish: Wayne – nutmeg and cinnamon; Rebecca – nutmeg
Recipe 10 – OESF:
***Aroma: Wayne – rich vanilla, caramel, slight mint; Rebecca – herbal mint tea and baking spices
***Taste: Wayne – cinnamon and mint; Rebecca – sweet mint tea
***Finish: Wayne – cinnamon; Rebecca – nutmeg

Favorite Aromas: Wayne – OESK and OESF; Rebecca – OESV and OESO
Favorite Tastes: Wayne – OESK and OESV; Rebecca – OESO and OESV
Favorite Overall: Wayne – OESK and OESV; Rebecca – OESO and OESV

Blind Tasting Comparison

Note: The blind tasting was completed on Sunday, the day after the initial tasting.

This turned out to be much more challenging than we anticipated. It was our first blind tasting, and even so, we did break it into 5-pour sets based on Mash Bill B and Mash Bill E.

We started with the “B” group for aroma. This was a silent approach and we did not speak until we each had our top two. We then identified what was on the bottom of the glass but still did not know which one it was. Next we replicated the same approach for the “E” group. Finally, we took the top four that we had each selected and personally ranked them 1-4. Still, no idea which was which.

We repeated this exact process for the tasting component. This took much longer because we drank quite a bit of water between recipes to clear our palates.

Once we completed the process, we looked up the codes for each pour. We found it interesting that we each leaned more toward the Mash Bill B (higher rye) and that our taste tended to align more with one another than our nose. Below are our results.

	Aroma	Taste
#1 of Mash Bill B	W: OBSK; R: OBSK SAME	W: OBSV; R: OBSV SAME
#2 of Mash Bill B	W: OBSF; R: OBSV	W: OBSQ; R: OBSK

#1 of Mash Bill E	W: OESV; R: OESQ	W: OESQ; R: OESK
#2 of Mash Bill E	W: OESF; R: OESK	W: OESV; R: OESQ

#1 Preference	W: OESV; R: OBSK	W: OBSV; R: OBSV SAME
#2 Preference	W: OBSK; R: OESQ	W: OBSQ; R: OBSK
#3 Preference	W: OBSF; R: OBSV	W: OESQ; R: OESQ SAME
#4 Preference	W: OESF; R: OESK	W: OESV; R: OESK

W = Wayne; R = Rebecca

We learned that information absolutely influences your palate. That could be what we have watched or read regarding other similar tastings, what the distiller states we might find, and even our ongoing conversation throughout a tasting as that makes it a shared versus individual experience.

Just for Fun – A Bit of Blending

Just for fun, we decided to try some blending. Except for single barrel offerings, most of the Four Roses expressions are expertly blended under the watchful palate of Brent Elliott, Master Distiller. We were curious to see what we might find by blending our top taste choices.

Wayne:
OBSV with OBSQ – Aroma of mint, cherry, baking spice; Taste of honey and cinnamon
OESQ with OESV – Aroma of honey and vanilla; Taste of honey, mint, and vanilla
All Four – Aroma of honey and vanilla; Taste of mint, rye, and cinnamon

Rebecca:
OBSV with OBSK – Aroma of berries, plum, rye, and mint; Taste of fruit, honey, plum, and finished with cinnamon and nutmeg
OESK with OESQ – Aroma of caramel, vanilla, berries, and tea; Taste of caramel, corn, vanilla cream, mint and finished with nutmeg and pepper
All Four – Aroma of rye bread, caramel, and fruitiness; Taste of caramel, vanilla, honey, fruit and finished with nutmeg

This was super fun to do some “blending” at home. It was interesting to see which characteristics had the strength to rise to the top over such a wide range of aromas and tastes happening. On a side note, we each took our remaining six recipes and poured them into a Glencairn to sip on throughout the day.

Discussion and Final Notes

As fans of Four Roses, we really enjoyed this challenge/experience. We now better understand their approach to bourbon and blending and this brought us a greater appreciation for the Small Batch and Small Batch Select (although they are typically 6-7 years old) expressions and helped us to better understand why we might prefer one single barrel over another.

Speaking of single barrels, these samples and tastes will likely never perfectly match a single barrel; although, there should be a family resemblance. A single barrel is selected for its specific characteristics. These samples are straight whiskey and likely in the four-year range. Single barrels are typically aged 7-9 years. An older single barrel should have additional barrel notes. Plus, if you purchase a store picked single barrel, that will have the characteristics of what that selection team desired.

Since we have one more set, we plan to do this again in 6-12 months; however, we will approach it differently to make it a new experience. Perhaps comparing yeast strain as the primary or head-to-head challenges in a bracket system. A bracket approach might be nice as we could do it over several days and avoid palate fatigue. We will let you know when that happens!

Meanwhile, enjoy Four Roses because surely there is a small batch or single barrel that aligns with your palate.

Cheers,
Rebecca

Photos by Rebecca Herman McBrayer

Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey

Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey:
Such whiskeys have all the requirements of bourbon: Made in the U.S, distilled at <= 160 proof, barreled at <= 125 proof, aged in new, charred oak containers, bottled at >= 80 proof.

Straight bourbon means it is aged at least 2 years (and must have an age statement if less than 4).
In addition, to be Kentucky Straight Bourbon, it has the additional requirement that it must be produced and aged at least 1 year in the state of Kentucky.

For additional information on bourbon requirements, please read this post – Bourbon Whiskey.

NOTE: The bourbon in this review was purchased by us. We were not compensated by the spirit producer for this review. This is simply our opinion based on what we tasted on this day. Please drink responsibly.

Your Bourbon Journey

Embracing the Craft

An Evening with Bourbon Icons: A Culinary Journey