What’s So Great About Bourbon?
“Okay, we have four barrels of Weller 107 selected here for you guys and gals,” announced our tour guide, Freddie, as we walked into the log cabin room. We immediately gravitated to four barrels in the center of the room. “We are going to taste eight samples; four straight from the barrel from anywhere between 110 to 120 proof, to get your taste buds going, and four diluted down to 107 proof, where we will bottle.”
Surveying our group, Freddie continued, “So remember that you should focus on how the 107 proof tastes instead of barrel proof. Write down your tasting notes and we’ll vote to narrow down as a group until we pick the ultimate winner.”
I took a deep breath to steady my excitement. I’m a Korean-American man with a beard from the Pacific Northwest. Five years ago, I had absolutely no idea what bourbon even was. Now, here I was in Kentucky about to do a barrel pick. How on earth did I fall so hopelessly in love with bourbon?
It takes a lot of time and care to make a quality bourbon. The oak tree is 70 years old before it is cut down and turned into a barrel. The bourbon then ages anywhere from 2 to 23 years. If you really think about it, a master distiller who takes on the head position at 40 years old, will only know by the time he is 60 if his first batch is any good. From there, he will have to wait until he is 80 for the second batch. He is lucky if he is around to taste his third batch.
I enjoy bourbon because it’s a simple yet complex drink. It’s doesn’t take 15 minutes of alchemy before you can enjoy bourbon, just uncork the bottle and pour. In the first pour, you’ll find vanilla, candied nuts, oak and baking spices. Then, add a drop of water and take another sip. Now you’ll find black pepper and a delicate finish that lingers on your tongue. Then wait a few minutes and take a sip. A perfect blend of your first two sips. Three completely different drinks out of the same bottle.
I fell in love with bourbon because it’s so much more than just a liquor that you drink to get drunk. It’s the drink you bring to the campfire and share with friends as you catch up on life. It’s the drink that turns strangers into friends. It’s the drink that brings people from different worlds together. Like me and Freddie.
Buffalo Trace Distillery Barrel Pick
We arrived at Buffalo Trace at 1:00 PM to go on a private tour with Freddie Johnson and then pick out a barrel of Weller 107. I first learned about Freddie after watching the documentary Neat and I was super excited to meet him because he is literally bourbon royalty.
Freddie is a tour guide and third generation employee at Buffalo Trace. His great grandfather, Jimmy Johnson, Sr., was the first African-American foreman in Kentucky back in 1912. His father, Jimmy Johnson, Jr., was the first African-American supervisor in Kentucky. When his father was diagnosed with cancer, Freddie came home to take care of him and also keep a longstanding promise to take on the mantle of working at Buffalo Trace.
When you look at how bourbon is made, it’s not the bourbon that is fragile. It is the people who drink bourbon that are fragile. -Freddie Johnson
Freddie is also a expert storyteller. One day when Freddie was with his father and brother, he brought out a bottle of Pappy Van Winkle he received as a gift and poured some into three glasses. As Freddie was about to put away the precious bottle, his father asked him what he was doing. Freddie responded, “I’m putting this away for next time.”
“There will always be old bottles of bourbon,” his father replied. “But not many moments like this.”
So Freddie brought the bottle back out and the family shared the bourbon and stories about their lives late into the night. Nine months later, both his father and brother had passed away. Freddie summed it up perfectly reflecting on this time in his life: “It’s not the bourbon that is fragile. It is the people who drink bourbon that are fragile.”
Using a whiskey thief, we took samples from each barrel and poured them into glasses. After four glasses were diluted down to 107 proof (53.5% ABV), we were good to go. I picked up each glass and took a sip before I jotted down quick notes on a scrap of paper:
Barrel #4 Barrel Proof: Light nose, chewy up front with a very light finish on end. Long finish.
#4 at 107 Proof: Nope.
[Okay, now my taste buds are warmed up.]
#3 Barrel Proof: Not as good.
#3 at 107 Proof: Light and drinkable.
[This is super fun!]
#2 Barrel Proof: Spicier with some off flavor underneath, not as enjoyable as #4 barrel proof.
#2 at 107 Proof: Lighter and not as memorable.
[Should I take a sip of water? Nah, just power through, Nate.]
#1 Barrel Proof: Delicious.
#1 at 107 Proof: [X mark by this]
[I need a sip of water..]
“Alright everyone, are we ready to vote on the barrels?” Freddie asked, as we all wrote down our final notes. “Okay, pencils down.”
We all nodded and reconvened as a group to start voting. I raised my hand for barrel #4. Some in the group raised their hands for #3, others for #2. When we got to barrel #1, we all raised our hands.
As much as I enjoy bourbon, it’s the world that this drink opened up for me that I cherish the most. My appreciation for bourbon could be your passion for running or cooking or traveling. After all, we are just trying to figure out what makes us happy.
So whatever your drink of choice may be, let’s raise a glass to each other and cheers to all the incredible moments we’ve experienced so far and to all the good times yet to come.
Interested in the hidden history of bourbon? click here
[Breaking update: As of 9/11/18, Freddie was inducted into the Kentucky Bourbon Hall of Fame. A well deserved honor!]
