At The Bar: Bourbon

Posted by Matt Cipriano | No Comments

I made a change or two this weekend- Our liquor reviews (of which we have a handful coming up) will now all be identifiable by the title of the post, they’ll all be titled “At The Bar:” followed by the type of booze we are reviewing. In the past we have hit Gin and Tequila and Beer, today we have Bourbon.

Back in May I had heard about the Tuthilltown Spirits, a small distillery in upstate New York producing New York’s first bourbons, ryes, rums and vodkas since prohibition. I mentioned them here and tried to hunt down a bottle to try myself. It seemed like every time I went looking or heard about the release of their new batch of Baby Bourbon I was already too late. My local wine shop/liquor store September was already sold out of the small batches. I ended up stepping up my search and contacted the distillery directly.

I finally got my bottle of Baby Bourbon last week and was able to sit down to enjoy a glass on Friday. Now, I admit, I am not a huge bourbon drinker, in fact most of my previous experience with bourbon have been either Jim Beam or Maker’s Mark, both massed produced and both aiming to appeal to the greatest number of folks (which usually means the flavors are a bit generic).

Tuthilltown’s Hudson Baby Bourbon, besides being the only bourbon produced in New York, also use 100% New York grown corn, it is aged in charred American Oak barrels and has a truly distinct flavor. The small batch bourbon comes in distinct little bottles with cork stoppers sealed with wax. Each bottle is labeled and then number by hand, which kind of gives you a feel of the artisanal process of pot distilling whiskey.

The Hudson Baby Bourbon, to me, is not really a summer (or late-summer as the case may be) drink. I think it is more suited for late-autumn or even winter, as you drink it you feel it going down, warming you as it goes. The charred barrel that the bourbon ages in (I am guessing here) gives it a bit of a harsh initial taste (so, if you’re the type of person who thinks Maker’s mark is a bit “harsh,” this is not the drink for you), the more you drink, the more it eases.

I had mine over ice, as the ice melted, the flavors really mellowed out, you could taste a rich smokiness to the bourbon as well as a subtle caramelized sugar taste. My last few sips, after the ice cube had fully melted, were by far the best, the melted ice really released the full flavor of the bourbon and allowed you to taste the different flavors that were present.

Although I will probably be enjoying this all through the winter (especially after long walks home on those below freezing days) I wouldn’t really recommend Hudson Baby Bourbon for the casual bourbon drinker. While Tuthilltown Spirits produces a very good micro-distilled bourbon, if you are more accustom to Wild Turkey or Jim Beam this isn’t going to be for you. On the other hand, if you are a bourbon drinker, or even have a bourbon drinker in your life, you should try to find a bottle of Hudson Baby Bourbon (its presentation would make an excellent gift as well). The Tuthilltown website lists the “arrival” of new “Babies” but they really seem to fly off the shelf, so snatch one up if you can.

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