Whisky Advocate Fall 2015

When it comes to whisky, value seems to be a moving target these days. With demand outstripping supply, prices continue to go in one direction: up! On top of this, age statements on labels are becoming scarcer, as producers are forced to blend younger whiskies into their depleted older stocks. Making matters worse, you’ll find empty shelf space in the whisky aisle at retail shops, because many of the highly soughtafter brands have now been put on allocation. Are there any values still to be had in whisky? Yes! But you will have to look a little harder, and you could probably benefit from a little guidance. That’s what this issue is devoted to: helping you find value in whiskies you are about to purchase. Wouldn’t it be great if you had…

RAY THE BOOTLEGGER Terry Sullivan passed along this letter he got from Al Kipp, the son of Ray Kipp, the bootleg distiller Terry mentioned in last issue’s “A Lighter Dram.” Dear Terry, Just got the piece. Thanks. [Ray] and his buddy, he claimed, made it all themselves. The only item they had to purchase was the labels, which the mob controlled. Loaded up bottles under the floorboards of some 30’s vintage vehicle and delivered for sale in the lobby of the old Morrison Hotel. Their clients came to them, and the only overhead was supplying the member of Chicago’s finest who oversaw shakedowns in the lobby. Consumption was for visitors only. You got the real article from the local pharmacist with a prescription from the friendly neighborhood physician. A lot of guys were…

Most of our “48 Hours” pieces take you through a city’s inns, bars, hotels, and whisky shops. But the Far North (of Scotland) is a place where distilleries outweigh the other attractions; they’re really the first order of business for a whisky traveler! 48 hours in the Far North begins in the Highland capital of Inverness, which serves as an ideal base from which to venture forth. One of the most characterful and luxurious places to stay in the environs of the city is Culloden House Hotel, used by Charles Edward Stuart (“Bonnie Prince Charlie”) as a base prior to his defeat at the Battle of Culloden, which took place seven miles southeast of Inverness in April 1746. Culloden House Hotel prides itself on its selection of whiskies, and the hotel’s whisky…

1 Don’t follow the herd Choose your own drinking preferences. If prices are soaring for popular distilleries or whisky categories, go looking for value elsewhere. Why not specialize in more obscure Scotch whisky distilleries, develop your preferences for blends, or avail yourself of the huge value to be found in classic-label bourbons? Nose out the good ones, there’s no need to overspend. 2 Buy multi-bottle lots at auction Auction houses bundle up lower-valued whiskies to make the parcels more attractive. When everyone else is running low on cash at the end of an auction, the prudent bidder can judiciously place a few welltimed bids and leave the building with liters of vintage booze. 3 Supersize me Unlike most of the world, our standard bottle size is 750 ml, so we have a little extra to…

It was a blazing hot Sunday in Manhattan and the patio of Eleven Madison Park, one of the country’s toniest triple-Michelin-starred restaurants, felt like a hoedown, urban hipsterstyle. At one point, Julian Van Winkle, the elder of the clan that lends its name to the near-mythical bourbon, stepped in to join the roots rock band on tambourine and cow bell. His son, Preston, held court with longtime industry friends. Some revelers drank mint juleps, others dropped $95 for a spot of Pappy Van Winkle 23 year old. Few consumable products—or consumer goods in general—drive people to a level of mania that makes Kasper Gutmans’s pursuit for the Maltese Falcon look like a trip to the mall. Except, of course, for Pappy Van Winkle, the bourbon that’s become, to quote Bogart in…

Four Roses master distiller Jim Rutledge, 71, recently announced that he will retire on September 1 of this year, from a career that spanned the lowest and best years of the past 50 at Four Roses. The “best years” are largely thanks to him. Rutledge’s career began in 1966 in Seagram’s research and development lab in Louisville, analyzing botanicals for Calvert gin. In 1977, he transferred to New York, where he served as Seagram’s chief industrial engineer and dabbled in long-range production planning, giving him a unique skill set for the job at Four Roses. These are Rutledge’s three fondest career memories. Keeping the Distillery Open – In 1992, Rutledge returned to Kentucky with a long title: area administrative manager and barrel warehousing manager at Coxs Creek. Two years later, Rutledge was asked…