by Resting. Adjective.
As in,“There are more than 11.4 million barrels of bourbon resting in warehouses in Kentucky.”
But sometimes resting is not enough in the highly competitive Bourbon Renaissance world in which we live. To stand out in the crowd, some bourbon barrels are expected to do more. Get active, get out there, go on the move.
Moving. Adjective
As in,“Hey, we should see if moving our bourbon all over the place makes it taste better.”
A 1964 Federal Law sets the requirements that distillers must meet to call their whiskey bourbon. Moving is not one of those requirements.
But that’s not stopping entrepreneurial distillers from looking for a new edge when marketing their bourbons.
This new “movement” movement in bourbon may have started with Jefferson’s Ocean Aged at Sea Bourbon. The barrels spend months sailing the world on ships, where the extreme motion and temperatures “hyper-ages the liquid in ways no rickhouse could.”
But the bourbon motion isn’t just on the ocean. Consider American Highway Reserve bourbon. Country singer Brad Paisley took 90 barrels of bourbon on his coast-to-coast 2021 tour. The barrels traveled 7,314 miles in a semi-trailer as part of his tour entourage.
And you don’t even need wheels to move your bourbon. O.H. Ingram River Aged Whiskey travels the Mississippi River in a “first-of-its-kind floating barrelhouse.” Why, you ask? The distillery says, “Our whiskey uses the climate of the river along with its rise and fall to provoke a unique interaction with wood and spirit.”
And don’t forget Never Say Die Bourbon, which bills itself as “the first Bourbon to be distilled in Kentucky, shipped via Atlantic Ocean vessel and then matured in England.”
Wandering Whiskies We’d Like to See
This “bourbon in motion” movement only seems likely to grow. With that in mind, I offer my professional prognostications on a few of the wandering whiskies we may see from distillers in the future:
- Old Forest Fire
Strapping barrels of bourbon to the back of firetrucks means this expression goes through seasons of hot and hotter. A portion of each sale goes to The U.S. Forest Service. And you thought Fireball Whiskey was spicey!
Tasting notes:
Nose: Natural smoke flavors including sweet redwood, dry brush, and pine tar. Not-so-subtle traces of jalapeno linger for days.
- Four Buses
Each week a different barrel makes the 2,789-mile trip from New York to Los Angeles on a Greyhound bus. The barrels change buses in Indianapolis, Tulsa, and Albuquerque.
Tasting notes:
Nose: Body odor and diesel fuel fight for your early attention. Black coffee and stale sandwiches remain on the back of the tongue longer than you’d like.
- Buffalo Race
This unique bourbon tips its hat to the fact that NASCAR traces its roots to Prohibition bootleggers. The Official Pace Car at each NASCAR race will carry a barrel in the back. No need to worry about restrictor plates when you’ve got 500 pounds of white lightnin’ along for the ride.
Tasting notes:
Burnt rubber on the nose. Followed by hints of STP, ethanol, and Skoal snuff.
- Space Mountain Dew
When a whiskey maker and Walt Disney World team up, you know good things will happen. Put a barrel in the back seat of Walt Disney World’s iconic Space Mountain roller coaster and you’ve got a Fast Pass to flavor!
Tasting notes:
Nose: Fresh citrus (Dole whip). Ends with lingering Mickey Bar Ice Cream flavors and nearly overpowering heat and humidity.
- Wilderness Rail
These lucky barrels “experience the rugged splendor of the American West” as they travel in their own climate-controlled Roomettes on Amtrak. Each journey on the Empire Builder railroad route covers 2205 miles from Chicago to Portland.
Tasting notes:
Nose: Burning brake shoes. Followed by a crisp coal and diesel aftertaste.
- Hack Daniel’s
This is New York Whiskey, definitely NOT bourbon. Aged in the trunk of a New York City taxicab that drove really fast (or sat in traffic) at least 12 hours each day for more than six months.
Tasting notes:
Pine tree air freshener on the nose. Finishes with layers of body odor, auto exhaust, curry, saffron, and vinyl seats.
- Jim Beam Me Up (and Down)
Put a bourbon barrel in each elevator in the Beam Suntory Global Headquarters skyscraper in New York City – why didn’t we think of this before? It’s the Rise and Fall of the Bourbon Empire.
Tasting notes:
Nose: That funny elevator smell. Muzak dominates at the beginning, before giving way to spicey body odor at the very end.
- Wild Herky Jerky
This single barrel offering spent an entire season buckled into the seat of a Tilt-a-Whirl ride of a small carnival traveling through the Deep South.
Tasting notes:
Nose: A slight hint of Pepto Bismol. Transitions to toasted cotton candy, raw chewing tobacco, and tattoo ink. Pro Tip: a drop of water brings out absolutely nothing new.
- Minor Suitcase Rye Whiskey
After losing the first few barrels, a system was finally perfected for casks to ride on the luggage carousels at several major airports around the country. Remember, many bourbons taste alike, please check your claim ticket.
Tasting notes:
Lucious jet fuel on the nose. An early mouthfeel of conveyor belt and old leather. Longer sensations of duffel bags and sweet golf clubs.
- New Lift
Bourbon barrels are too big for the St. Bernard dogs to carry around. So, Breckinridge Ski Resort decided to let one ride on its ski lift through an entire season. And yes, this is chill filtered.
Tasting notes:
This youthful expression greets you with dark pine trees. Warm ski wax and wet wool linger on the palate.
- Texas Tea
Who says you can’t strap bourbon barrels to oil derrick pumps? The up-and-down action imparts a high octane flavor unlike any bourbon on the market. The folks at Permian Basin Distillery take pride in creating one of the crudest bourbons in the West.
Tasting notes:
Sulphur and rotten eggs on the nose. A gritty sweet-sand mouthfeel gives way to nutty tar and other complex petroleum-based afternotes.
- Ferris Weller
Life moves pretty fast, someone once said. But your bourbon can move even faster if you put it on the Ferris wheel at Chicago’s Navy Pier. Distilled with water from Lake Michigan.
Tasting notes:
A subtle dead-fish-smell on the nose. A hint of deep-dish pizza, luscious hot dog botanicals, and fruity ripe stockyards.
- Uber Creek
Distilled with water from the Cuyahoga River, this spicey single barrel expression travels the greater Cleveland area in the front seat of a 5-star Uber driver. Don’t worry, the Cuyahoga hasn’t caught fire since the late Sixties.
Tasting notes:
Nose: Skin Bracer Aftershave. Ends with a palate-coating hint of fortified wine and a brown bag lunch.
