From the Turkey to the Derby

First came Chilifest.

And now: Bourbonfest.

Eleven bourbons. Artery-clogging amounts of pork. The Kentucky Derby.

This picture was taken by Eric Mayville (who brought this bottle with his fiancee Julie). The night my Eric and I got engaged, we proceeded to drink half a bottle of Blanton's.

What started with a shot of Wild Turkey thirteen years ago has led to this: The Kentucky Derby Blind Bourbon Tasting.

"Wild Turkey?" you may ask.

Yes, Wild Turkey.

This may seem like an unlikely beginning for my enduring thirteen-year love affair with bourbon. However, it started when I was a wee 22-year old working on the Wild Turkey account at Saatchi. Which is not to say that I actually liked Wild turkey. Far from it, in fact. Although that had less to do with the taste and more to do with my Group Director ordering rounds of Wild Turkey shots whenever our team went out for dinner after working late ("Gotta support our client!"). Needless to say, after a few too many nights ending this way, Wild Turkey earned a well-deserved place on the "Do NOT drink under any circumstance" list (after gin but before tequila).

However, I did have to understand the space - so I learned as much as I could about bourbon: what are the unique characteristics that separate it from other whiskeys and Scotch; who are the client's main competitors; why is Jack Daniels (a key competitor) not considered a bourbon.

As I was educating myself about this spirit, I started trying other brands and realized that they didn't all burn off the lining of my esophagus like those shots, especially when sipped slowly on the rocks. So I cautiously approached Knob Creek and Booker's at the bar...flirted briefly with Woodford's and Basil Hayden's...walked the wild side with Blanton's and Old Rip Van Winkle (selected because of its funny name)...feel immediately and passionately in love with Pappy Van Winkle 20-year - the holy grail of bourbon (this was about eight years ago when a bottle of this glorious substance was around $75...now one is lucky to even find it in a store)...and eventually settled down with Buffalo Trace as my "everyday" house bourbon (meaning there's always a bottle on hand for drinking, cooking, admiring, etc.).

Now it seems like there is an endless variety of bourbons available and a number of great restaurants/bars devoted to this spirit (see Char No. 4 in Brooklyn and On the Rocks in Hell's Kitchen). So what better way to celebrate the biggest event in horse-racing than with a celebration of the beverage for which it's famously known?

We gathered fifteen other drinkers, as many shot glasses, and two designated bartenders (big thanks to Ross and Monica for handling this integral responsibility). After watching the Derby with mint juleps and plenty of snacks, we blind-tasted ten bottles in order - the pours were neat (although a few bourbon neophytes requested rocks) - with a brief interruption after #5 for food.
The bottle of Woodford's Reserve is missing in this picture.

Here's what we drank with the general feedback. Once we had a few under our belt, we started giving each bourbon a racing horse name based on the characteristics.

1. Michtners Small Batch - sweet but with a little heat - a good way to start the tasting
   
2. Rebel Yell - slightly watery, less sweet (sadly, we weren't naming the bourbons yet)
   
3. Buffalo Trace - rich and smooth - caramel flavors - with the horse name of "Tongue's Delight"
   
4. Makers Mark - mellow - aka "Sweet Candy Apple"
   
5. Michtners Single Batch - super sweet smell, flavors of toffee and hints of grass - aka "Grassy Ass"
   
6. Basil Hayden - buttery, not as dark - aka "Middle of the Pack" or "Kick in the Teeth"
   
7. George T. Stagg - super strong, extremely dark, throat-burning and nasal-clearing - aka "Feeling Cowboy" or "OHMYGODOHMYGOD" (I think a few people are still recovering from this one)
   
8. Blanton's - rich, sweet, caramel - aka "Smooth Breeze"
   
9. Rowan's Creek - light, slightly fruity and easy to drink - aka "The Hot Toddy" or "Pop Rocks"
   
10. W.L. Weller - aka "Shiver me Timbers" (descriptions pretty much stopped after #8)
    
11. Woodford's Reserve - sadly, this was a late entry - so no name or feedback

And to ensure that everyone had plenty of sustenance (ie. stomach padding) to fuel a long afternoon of bourbon tasting, here's what was made for the event:

• Duck fat-cooked popcorn (trying to use up the gallon of duck fat in my fridge...this didn't even dent it)
  
• Homemade bacon jam (although not nearly as good as Bacon Marmalade...but I couldn't get any of that in time)
  
• Pretzel bread with mustard seed butter (an idea completeely stolen from 9 Restaurant near our apartment...the best reason to eat there)
  
• Bourbon chicken liver pate (seemed only appropriate)
  
• Pigs in a blanket (actually made with turkey - I know, that surprises me too)
  
• Jackie's sweet and spicy mixed nuts (a welcome addition to the snack table)
  
• Barbecue pulled pork sliders with red cabbage "slaw" (I hate mayonnaise, so made a vinaigrette)
  
• Bacon explosion (two pounds of bacon wrapped around a pound and a half of hot Italian sausage - I figured if I was to ever make this crime against pigs, this would be the time)
  
• Chorizo, ramp and spinach mac and cheese (a dependable classic)
  
• Asparagus salad (the lone green item of the day)
  
• Nutella-chex "muddy buddies" or "puppy chow" (switching out peanut butter for nutella is never a bad idea in my world)
  
• Walnut and almond salted chocolate toffee with bacon (a second attempt at making this...not bad)
  
• Oreo chip cookies (primarily because people get sad when these aren't on the dessert table at our apartment)
  
• Deb's pecan squares (the perfect dessert for a Derby day party)

While clearly not a scientific test, the general favorite of the afternoon was the Buffalo Trace. The most expensive of the pack - the George T. Stagg - was a bit harsh on its own, but one ice cube made all the difference in transforming this from a throat-burning ifreball into an enjoyably quaffable beverage.

I'm sure the results were impacted by the order in which we were served...which means another blind tasting may be required. And who knows...maybe next time we'll even include Wild Turkey.

Bacon explosion wrapped and ready for a three-hour roast in the oven.
Not nearly as scary as I thought, this was destroyed within five minutes.