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Jay Erisman

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  1. Ralph! How wonderful to hear from THE WORLD'S TOUGHEST DISTILLER. I'll be in New York for WhiskyFest in November, and hope to see you then. All the best, Jay Erisman The Party Source
  2. Thanks, Chuck, for this thought provoking post. I've had the pleasure of meeting Chuck Cowdery numerous times in various Bourbon-related contexts, and he is a first-rate fellow and, though he's not involved with whiskey production, deserves the title of Bourbon Master. Visit the forums at straightbourbon.com for a taste of Chuck's well-balanced and thoughtful digressions. I agree with Chuck on the need for a title of "master" to carry some weight. A master of anything ought really and truly to be a master. And I do think a microdistiller who, for example, buys bulk grain alcohol, runs it through a column, and filters the hell out of it, does not deserve the title of "master distiller" in the sense that, to name just one example, Elmer T. Lee of Buffalo Trace Distillery deserves his title of "Master Distiller Emeritus" for running one of the world's best distilleries since the late 1940s. That said, the title of "master distiller" that is now bandied about by the Bourbon industry (and they do it in Scotland too) is as much an invented term for marketing purposes as it is an actual honorific. Charles McGonegal asks if there is "an established guild that would credential American distillers." There is not--but neither is such a guild active in the Bourbon industry. A master distiller of Bourbon is whoever the marketing gurus need to push their whiskey. As Jim Rutledge of Four Roses--a whiskey master if there ever was one--once put it to me, "I'll be a master distiller whenever they tell me what that means." I assure you that back in the day, Elmer T. Lee was a "just plain" distiller (thanks, Charles M.!) of Ancient Age and other world classic whiskeys. If you asked for Colonel Blanton's business card after the end of Prohibition, it did not say "master distiller". And Master Distiller Jim McEwan of Bruichladdich Distillery in Scotland--easily one of that country's very best whisky makers--plans to be buried with only "Cooper," his original job at Bowmore Distillery, inscribed on his headstone. In fact, the Bourbon industry is quite capable of some subtle abuse of the term. Consider Wild Turkey, where Jimmy Russell is one of the grand old men of the Bourbon industry. If you've ever met Mr. Russell, or heard him speak, you will not forget it. Master distillers do not come any better than Jimmy Russell. Yet today, some Bourbon connoisseurs consider that decisions at Wild Turkey today get made by marketing executives. Their Russell's Reserve line of whiskeys bear Jimmy's surname, yet are bottled at 90 proof--while Mr. Russell has championed 101 proof his entire career. A whiskey bottled at 90 proof, with that man's name on it, is something of a non sequitur. As whiskey expert Jim Murray puts it in his Whiskey Bible (3rd edition) regarding the 90 proof RR, "Someone has goofed here." Now, don't get me wrong--the Russell's Reserve whiskeys are very good stuff, perfectly delicious Bourbon and Rye. But do they reflect the wishes of the man whose signature they bear? Or has Wild Turkey appropriated in a sense the name of their "master distiller"? In fact, RR has turned into another product line for Austin Nichols Co.--the label never even mentions Wild Turkey. I do take exception with Chuck's assertion that there aren't any good micro/craft distilled whiskeys in America. Certainly this fledgling industry is dominated by white spirits. And some of the brown microspirits out there fall into the category of "hmm, that's...interesting," as opposed to "wow, that's a world-class whiskey!" But I think the several Old Potrero Rye whiskeys from Anchor Distiller hold their own against anything from Kentucky. What is not "honest" about an innovative, 100% rye malt whiskey, made from scratch in a little pot still? St. George Single Malt is another good example, made from several malts, aged in French, American, and port wood barrels and delivering an almost ribald fruitiness that is a long way from Bourbon and awfully good on its own terms. I think that's more honest than cashing in Jimmy Russell's name recognition for a new label of weaker (that is to say, cheaper) whiskey. Which raises another point: there are some microdistillers who have acceded to the level of "master". Such as Hubert Germain-Robin, making probably America's best brandy since 1982 in Ukiah, California. Georg Rupf at St. George Spirits is another example, as much a master of fruit eau de vie as the Europeans Chuck refers to in his post. Mr. Rupf's assistant Lance Winters probably deserves the title as well. Old World guilds typically required a craftsman to pass a test to earn the title of master. Arguably, Mr. Winter's spirits like Hangar One vodkas and his superb Qi tea liqueurs (I haven't had his absinthe yet, but I'm sure it will slay me) mean he has passed the test. How about Steve McCarthy at Clear Creek in Oregon? Duncan Holaday in Vermont probably hasn't been in business long enough to earn "master" status--but what else can you say about someone who takes two signature products of his home state--maple sap and milk--and from scratch turns them into ripe, rich vodka? What is not "good, honest, [and] well-made" about that? Please everybody, suggest some other names, but some prerequisites might include years of experience, facility with all the processes of distilling (so bonus points are awarded for those who ferment a mash), and of course making some really excellent hooch, even if it doesn't fit in a traditional category like Bourbon. Thanks again, Chuck, and I look forward to our next dram together, Jay Erisman The Party Source Bellevue, Kentucky
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