It's time for our annual Bourbon Bash. It will be run similarly to last year.
Bourbon Bash 2022 Rules and Regulations
In-Store pick up of raffle tickets starting Friday 11/25 (Black Friday) through Monday 11/28
- 1 ticket per person. Must show ID to receive ticket.
- During these 4 days all Single Barrel Selections will be on sale
On Thursday 12/1 we will select the winning tickets and record the order in which they were selected.
On Friday 12/2 we post the winning numbers on our website, along with a partial list of available whiskey lots. A special page will be created on the website. The winning numbers will be given a time slot to come in on Saturday 12/10 to make their selection for purchase.
On Saturday 12/10 winners will come in at assigned time and choose their purchase.
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Starting at 9:00 and having a winner assigned every 15 minutes
- Winners who show up late for their assigned time will have to wait until after the current time slot winner has chosen, for instance if the 11:00 winner shows up at 11:35, the 11:15 winner will choose at their assigned time, the 11:30 person will choose at their assigned time, then the 11:00 winner can choose prior to the 11:45 person’s assigned time.
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All winners must show up with winning ticket at store to select purchase
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Any unsold lots will be put out for sale after the last winning time slot
Other Information
- We will create a list of the lots that the winner will see when they arrive, they will make their selection from the list and the chosen lot will be brought to register so they can purchase. The winners selection will be crossed off the list and the next winner will know what is still available, if the winner chooses not to purchase any of the baskets available, we will simple wait for the next winner, there will be no consolation prize if a winner decides not to select any of the available lots.
Starlight Single Barrel Bourbons (3 distinct Single Barrels)
In the Spring of 2021 our tasting team conducted a virtual tour and tasting with Christian Huber, distiller from Starlight Distillery in Indiana. We were impressed by the single barrel samples we tasted and purchased a Single Barrel of Straight Bourbon. The selection is non-chill filtered and bottled at cask strength (120.6 proof). It is an amazing selection. The staves for the barrel on this selection were air dried for 3 years (allowing the tannins to slowly leech out), then toasted low at a 1-2 char level. After being in barrel for 4 years the resulting bourbon has savory aromas of crème brule, leading to notes of brown sugar, and dried fruit, despite the high proof the finish is full and mellow, with very little heat. This selection landed in store in late September and already has a good following.
In August on a trip to Louisville to select single barrels from several Kentucky Distilleries we accepted an invitation to visit Starlight in person. The facility is located over the river in Indiana, a short 25 minute drive from Louisville. The distillery is located on a 600 acre Family Farm that also includes vineyards, a winery, and Farm Market. The hospitality we received from the Huber family was amazing. We tasted in the one of the barrel warehouses and were not disappointed with the variety of choices or the quality of the whiskeys! After about 2 hours of tasting we narrowed our choices for our selection down to 4 barrels. We took a break to rest our pallets and took a motorized tour of the farm, where we picked Regular and Donut Peaches straight from the trees at their perfect ripeness. We returned to the warehouse and narrowed our choice down to 2 barrels. The barrels were very different and both amazing in there own right, so we selected both. The barrels we chose were first a Double Oaked selection and an Oloroso Barrel Finished.
The Double Oaked selection undergoes it regular maturation and then is transferred into an unused charred oak barrel to age an additional 6 months. This process provides intense oak notes, enhanced vanilla flavor, and mellowed rye spice. The Oloroso barrel finished selection undergoes it regular maturation and then is finished in a Spanish Oloroso Sherry barrel for over 8 months. The time in the sherry barrel provides notes of dried cherry and orange citrus that finish with a long supple finish.
The Selections we chose in August just recently arrived at the stores.
All 3 Barrel Selections will be available to taste and offered at 10% OFF on Black Friday, November 26th!
Simsbury: 1PM-4PM
New Britain: 5PM-8PM
Hope to see you all there.
Last year around the Holidays we tasted from Jack Daniels the “Single Barrel Special Release Barrel Proof Rye”. We were blown away by the quality of the offering but discouraged by the small quantities available. We decided to pursue getting our own barrel of Jack Daniels Single Barrel Rye to add to our extensive Single Barrel Selection. We tasted barrel samples in April, our pick just arrived this week, we are happy to offer “Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel Rye Personal Collection”. This barrel is exclusive to Liquor Depot, and while not finish at Barrel Proof like the Special Release, it is loaded with personality and balance at 94 Proof.
Jack Daniel’s created their “first new grain bill in 100 years” for their rye whiskey line. According to the company, the whiskey uses the same cave spring water from the Jack Daniel’s Hollow and proprietary yeast that’s been used in the distillery’s 150 year old Tennessee Whiskey recipe. The rye is aged in the upper regions of their barrel house where it is exposed to increased temperature variation.
This Historic Creation marries the smoothness of Jack Daniel’s with a unique 70% rye grain bill. Aromas of peppery rye spice bombard the senses with sweet molasses, coffee & dark fruit layering in. A generous amount of butterscotch sweetness is immediately followed by waves of spice. The sweet-spicy flavors are delivered with a thick, creamy mouthfeel that grips the tongue and coats the mouth. A long finish with tapering spice and light oak and a trace of smoke mingle in. This is a big, bold rye that does not overpower.
Just in time for Father’s Day our 2 newest single barrel selections are arriving at Liquor Depot.
Don’t miss either of these great selections.
Town Branch Bourbon Single Barrel 107.6 proof (Lexington, Kentucky)
A key feature of Town Branch is its light, easy drinking character. The odd thing about Town Branch Single Barrel is how the increase in strength has increased the intensity of the bourbon, but without sacrificing it’s easy drinking nature. This Single Barrel bursts with sweet caramel and orange zest, and the rye spices really stand out. While Town Branch Single Barrel may not fit into the “big and bold” category, it’s definitely got big personality. The more intense flavors coupled with the light finish make it ideal for summertime drinking.
Sagamore Spirits Barrel Select Rye 110 proof (Baltimore, Maryland)
Sagamore Spirit Barrel Select immediately inundates me with a rush of dark and dense honey, anise, and licorice from the rye. Getting past the rye, there are hints of dried cherries and berries, maple syrup, wood, and cinnamon on top of grain. The initial sip has a huge surge of honey, licorice, peppermint, and dried citrus peel. It’s a wonderful explosion of sweet and herbal rye flavors. The finish continues with more sweet honey, and licorice notes with growing heat and cinnamon notes.
This recent addition to our Single Barrel Program at Liquor Depot offers a little insight into the selection process.
Liquor Depot’s Knob Creek Barrel was put into barrels on March 14th, 2005. It was put into Warehouse F on the 4th floor in rick 2 on the first tier. It was selected by Liquor Depot on March 16th, 2020 and then bottled at 120 proof.
You can check out the chart below that gives the location of the barrel in the warehouse!
This 15-year-old bourbon comes from a true “Dream Barrel.”
Pairing beverages with hot and spicy foods can be extremely daunting, mostly because of the many layers of flavors and ingredients involved. By following a few simple guidelines, we can find an array of drinks that don’t just work with ‘hot & spicy,’ but actually (and more importantly) enhance both. The prevailing flavors of these cuisines tend toward a combination of hot, spicy, sweet, sour, bitter, and, often an added richness from the incorporation of butter or dairy ingredients. These are the aspects to focus on when choosing a match, and not whether the dish is based on beef, chicken, fish or vegetarian.
The addition of chiles in a dish can bring out many of the charecteristics mentioned above. Chiles add flavor and sweetness to dishes in addition to heat. Although capsaicin, the chemical that gives chiles their heat, is soluble in alcohol. Alcohol elevates the spicy sensation brought on by capsaicin so, if you’re not careful, you’ll end up feeling the burn — and just the burn. After all, when your mouth is on fire, it’s difficult to taste anything else, so opt for wines and low-alcohol beer. Cocktails and summertime go together like spicy food and summertime — but cocktails and spicy food? That match-up is a bit trickier to navigate. But don’t despair! There’s hope yet for this pairing, whether your tipple of choice is sweet and fruity, citrusy, or bone dry.
Wine
Avoid Oak and High Alcohol
The wines most suited to this spectrum of flavors are wines that are medium to low in alcohol, wines that are refreshing, and wines with crisp acidity. Acidity provides an enhancing contrast to both ‘heat’ and ‘richness’, while also lifting the many layers of flavor in the dish.
Little or no oak treatment is another rule I adhere to when choosing a white wine. Heavy oak dominates and can really dumb down the flavors.
Favor Fruity, Aromatic and Off-Dry Wines
Fruity, aromatic and off-dry whites are some of the best options to consider. Sweetness from the residual sugar in off-dry wines offers a contrast, and balances the heat and spicy flavors. The sweetness also serves to showcase the many different flavors in the dish.
Similarly, fruity and aromatic whites are excellent candidates. While dry, these wines can give the impression of sweetness that works to balance and compliment heat and spice.
Spice It Up with Crisp, Lighter Red Wines
For red wines, the things to watch out for are alcohol and tannin. I find that low to medium tannin wines work best, as wines with a lot of tannin can accentuate bitterness, as well as overpower the dish. As a rule, look for reds that are fruitier and/or spicy in style and have a good level of acidity.
Beer
Of all the alcoholic beverage options out there, beer is probably the best at quelling the heat and quenching chile-induced thirst. For starters, beer tends to be fairly low alcohol — five to seven percent ABV compared to 10 to 15 percent for wine and 40 percent for spirits. Carbonation also helps remove the fiery heat of capsaicin from the palate. But not all beers are created equal — just like not all spicy foods are created equal. The key to finding the best suds for the dish at hand is to pair like with like. When the weight and mouthfeel of a beer matches the dish it’s served alongside, something fantastic happens: complimentary flavors in both the food and beer are accented, making the combination far better than the sum of its parts.
Cocktails
Sweet and fruity flavors are actually spicy food’s ideal mates, as the sugar mutes the burn brought on by high-proof spirits and spicy food and adds refreshment. Cocktails don’t have to be syrupy-sweet to quench the fires of spicy food: Bright citrus flavors offer similar relief. Classics like gimlets, greyhounds, and even lemon drops offer relief, thanks to lively citrus that tames the flames.
Herbal cocktails, like gin-based martinis or a Vesper, are ideal because they combine lively floral aromatics with a clean finish that preps palates for the next bite. Sake and wine-based cocktails create a similar effect, and their lower alcohol content doesn’t highlight capsaicin’s burn.
As we all know wine is made from grapes. Essentially wine is fermented grape juice. Yeasts convert the grape juice sugars into alcohol. The reason that all wines are not vegan has to do with how the wine is clarified and a process called ‘fining’. All young wines are hazy and contain tiny molecules such as proteins, tartrates or tannins. These are all natural, and in no way harmful. However, wine-drinkers like our wines to be clear and bright. Producers use a variety of aids called ‘fining agents’ to help the process along. The fining agent acts like a magnet – attracting the molecules around it. They coagulate around the fining agent, creating fewer but larger particles, which can then be more easily removed. Traditionally the most commonly used fining agents were casein (a milk protein), albumin (egg whites), gelatin (animal protein) and isinglass (fish bladder protein). These fining agents are known as processing aids. They are not additives to the wine. The use of these fining agents is not compatible with the Vegan diet.
Today many winemakers use clay-based fining agents, which are particularly efficient at fining out unwanted proteins. Activated charcoal is another vegan and vegetarian-friendly agent that is also used. In addition, the move to more natural winemaking methods, allowing nature to take its course, means more vegan wines. An increasing number of wine producers around the globe are electing not to fine or filter their wines, leaving them to self-clarify and self-stabilize. Such wines usually mention on the label ‘not fined and/or not filtered’.
Once you’ve identified a wine that is vegan friendly (readily available choices listed below), it’s time to pair your vegan dish with the right vegan wine. It can be difficult to pinpoint specific vegetables that match specific wines; therefore, pairing vegan meals with wine according to the herbs, spices, oils/fats, and sauces used in a dish is the best way of achieving a delicious combination. In general, soft buttery white wines (and some light-bodied reds) go well with simple citrus, peanut sauce, yellow coconut curry, and other various ethnic foods. Medium to bold red wines pair well with tomato-based sauces. Reds can also pair well with chili sauces, salsas and various curries.
*Examples of popular and well-priced Vegan Wines: (Vverified through Barnivore.com)
White:
- Kris Pinot Grigio
- Duckhorn Decoy Sauvignon Blanc
- Bogle Chardonnay & Sauvignon Blanc
Red:
- Willamette Valley Vineyards “Estate” Pinot Noir
- Michael David 7 Deadly Zins & Freakshow Cabernet
- Layer Cake Cabernet, Shiraz, Primitivo
Rose:
- Rose All Day
- Meiomi Rose
Sparkling:
- Zardetto Prosecco
- Nicolas Feuillatte Champagne
Who doesn’t like the thought of a cold refreshing beverage as the temperatures outside continue to rise. Hot summer days are a great opportunity to seek out light, fresh and crisp wines and beers. These choices can be enjoyed on their own after an afternoon of working in the yard or just lying on the beach, and will pair well with lighter summer fair like salads or seafood entrees.
Crisp Refreshing Wines
Sauvignon Blanc: The primary flavors of Sauvignon Blanc are lime, green apple, passion fruit, grapefruit and white peach. Depending on how ripe the grapes are when the wine is made, the flavor will range from zesty lime to flowery peach.
Try: Oyster Bay (New Zealand), Charles Krug (Napa) or Celestin Blondeau Sancerre (France)
Albarino: Albariño is a high-quality, light-bodied white that grows mostly in Spain and Portugal. It’s loved for its high acidity, refreshing citrus flavors, dry taste, and subtle saltiness.
Try: Martin Codax or Kentia
Gruner Veltliner: The primary fruit flavors in Grüner Veltliner are lime, lemon and grapefruit. There is also a green and herbaceous flavor that is often described as white pepper.
Try: Laurenz V. Singing Gruner Veltliner or Groiss Gruner Veltliner
Rose: Roses are among my all-time favorite summertime quaffers. They are so versatile that they are a must-pack with your picnics. They are served chilled, just like white wines, so slide a freezer sleeve over this wine, too. It's also acidic, but the red wine it's made from offers a little more melon/strawberry/red fruit qualities that pair well with many food types.
Beers
Lighter beer styles (frequently lower alcohol) beers are great to enjoy during the dog days of summer. Enjoy offering from local breweries in these styles:
Gose or Sour Beers: Gose beers provide a refreshing crispness and twang. A Gose will have a low hop bitterness and a complementary dryness and spice from the use of ground coriander seeds and a sharpness from the addition of salt. Sour beer is the oldest type of beer in history. Nearly all beer used to be at least somewhat sour before pasteurization and sterilization was entirely understood. Sours come in a wide range of styles and can run the gamut from mouth-puckeringly sour to barnyard funky to fruity and light.
Try: Thimble Island Gosaic (Branford) or Two Roads Sauvignon Blanc Gose (Stratford)
Also: Sierra Nevada Otra Vez (North Carolina)
Pilsner: This style is medium bodied and characterized by high carbonation and tangy Czech varieties of hops that impart floral aromas and a crisp, bitter finish.
Try: Two Roads Ol’ Factory Pils (Branford) or Connecticut Valley Brewing Company Sky’s The Limit (South Windsor).
Also: Oskar Blues Mama’s Little YELLA Pils (North Carolina)
Session IPA: A session IPA combines the hoppiness of an IPA with the lower alcohol content of a session beer.
Try: Stony Creek L’il Cranky (Branford) or Two Roads L’il Heaven (Stratford)
Also: Founders All Day IPA (Michigan)
More...
A little over a year ago our Tasting Panel visited Makers Mark in Loretto, Kentucky to select a single barrel from their new Private Select “Exclusive Oak Stave Selection” Program. While tasting through the process of creating our own signature blend, we were astounded by the myriad of flavors that the different components released. The tasting got us to thinking about how to use these different flavors to pair the bourbon with food.
A few simple suggestions will help you enjoy the experience of pairing a course or even a meal around bourbon and different bourbon cocktails.
1. Good goes with good
Before you even think about sophisticated bourbon-food pairings, know that you can never go wrong with pairing a really excellent bourbon with a really excellent dish. A great way to start is chose a dish you already love to eat, then start by pairing it with a bourbon cocktail, then progress to bourbon on the rock, eventually try enjoying the dish with the bourbon served neat.
2. Go with bold flavors
If you're doing a whole dinner with bourbon pairings, the food should progress in intensity.
Over several courses the issue of bourbon numbing taste buds can become a concern, in order to avoid this issue, Simply increase the flavor of the food with each successive course. It’s perfectly acceptable if either the food or beverage is the star of any particular course, no need to worry about the two being in perfect flavor harmony. Let a bright acidic cocktail take center stage when served with heavy dish with gravy or a cream sauce or let your BBQ ribs shine while sipping a lighter Bourbon & Lemonade.
3. Don’t Forget Pairs with Dessert
When pairing desserts with bourbon we are lucky enough to have a rainbow of bourbon options to choose from. Older aged bourbons can draw tannins from the increased time in Oak Barrels, these tannins pair excellently with cake, chocolate and, Pecan Pie (which has bourbon in it). For an easy digestif, start with a glass of the Makers Mark Private Select and add a dash of Amoro (Italian Bitter Spirit) then dive into that dessert.
Liquor Depot offers a selection of over 25 Single Barrel Bourbons, Whiskeys, Rums & Tequillas. Each Single Barrel carries unique nuances not found in the ordinary bottlings of the spirit. Stop in and let us help you select the perfect choice for you to start your tasting adventure.
Matching wines with pasta immediately makes you think Chianti, Sangiovese and Pinot Grigio, and why not? Italian pasta simply comes to life when paired with its national soulmate, Italian wine. When it comes to choosing the perfect wine and pasta match, your choice in color and weight of the wine should be guided by the flavors and ingredients in the pasta – what’s in the sauce, whether the cheese is pungent and rich or mild and sweet, whether the pasta is filled with any ingredients, and what meats are used to accompany the dishes.
Let’s start with the most popular, and most common style of pasta – tomato sauce. The combination of tomatoes and complementary ingredients like basil, extra virgin olive oil, parmesan cheese and garlic give you the perfect palette to pair with crisp dry whites like Pinot Grigio or Arneis or aromatic, flavorful red wines. The acid in tomatoes pairs well with slightly tangy wines. For reds try a cherry-scented Nebbiolo or savory Dolcetto. Try to avoid big, ripe reds like Cabernet Sauvignon or Shiraz as the acid in the sauce may make them taste harsh and could enhance the tannins.
Our Picks:
- White: Bollini Pinot Grigio, Bongiovanni Arneis
- Red: Renato Ratti Ochetti Nebbiolo, Luigi Einaudi Dogliani Dolcetto
Pastas including the herbal, garlic and cheese of pesto combined with fresh basil makes a lovely match with light-bodied, soft reds or crisp dry whites. Try Pinot Grigio, Sangiovese or Barbera.
Our Picks:
- White: Ca Montini Pinot Grigio
- Red: San Crispino Chianti Classico Reserva, Patrizi Barbera D’Alba
For pasta served with rich, creamy sauces like carbonara made with prosciutto, eggs and parmesan (no cream!), a rich Italian White or buttery Chardonnay from California makes a perfectly complementary match.
Our Picks:
- White: Tenuta Rapitala Piano Maltese (Sicily), Belcreme De Lys Chardonnay
Cream sauces with mushrooms make a great match for either rich, full-bodied white wines like Chardonnay, or fresh, vibrant reds like Aglianico or Sangiovese (Especially those from Montilcino)
Our Picks:
- White: Sonoma Cutrer Russian River Ranches Chardonnay
- Red: Donna Chiara Irpinia Aglianico, Villa Poggio Salvi Brunello Di Montalcino
Pasta with cream sauce and seafood is delicious with fruity whites like Pinot Grigio, Prosecco and Vernaccia, or fresh reds like a Valpolicella.
Our Picks:
- White: Tommasi Pinot Grigio, Mionetto Prosecco, Fontaleoni Vernaccia di San Gimignano
- Red: Allegrini Valpolicella
Pasta is one of those meals that really loves wine, so take time to experiment a few different combinations to find you own personal favorites and enjoy the pleasures of a harmonious match of flavors.
1993 Balblair Single Cask #3420 Highland Single Malt Scotch
This offering marks Liquor Depots first foray into choosing a single barrel (cask) of Single Malt Scotch. We are excited about our selection and know you will be once you’ve tasted it. This offering comes to us from Balbair Distillery in the Highland District of Scotland. The distillery was established in 1790 and has an impressive track record in producing well aged exquisite tasting Scotches.
Balblair whiskeys are uniquely Vintage, Their bottles are not marked with an age statement, but simply with the year the whiskey was laid down. Every year, Distillery Manager, John MacDonald, tastes, judges and selects straight from the casks, and at exactly the right moment when the balance between the age and the character of the whiskey is just right, he has it bottled. Occasionally Balblair will offer a single cask which has been judged to be very special indeed. These casks represent the finest and most exclusive expressions of Balblair; each cask selected displays unmistakable Balblair style, yet with subtle nuances of taste and character which make it truly unique.
Liquor Depots Selection, Cask #3420 was laid down in 1993, and bottled in 2016, making it a true 23 Year Old Single Malt. The Whiskey is Non Chill-filtered and bottled at 108 proof. The Whiskey is bright golden in appearance. This is a full bodied malt with distinctive aromas of cloves, bananas, butterscotch and green apples. Hints of coconut and honey can also be detected. On the palate it is sweet and spicy with hints of butterscotch and tropical fruits. The finish is full bodied and long lasting. Ask to try a sample during your next visit, you won’t be disappointed.
Liquor Depot Price $97.99
Blanton’s Single Barrel #3
Begins with spicy caramel and vanilla on the nose, with a very pleasant but subtle with little burn. The palate begins with caramel, and orange coating the mouth with a soft but full amount of flavor. A little spice on the back end balances the initial sweetness. As the spice on the back end of the palate fades away, burnt sugars, caramel, and vanilla take over. This is just as pleasant as the rest of the sip and lasts a little longer than most bourbons.
Liquor Depot Price $46.99
Stranahan’s Single Barrel Colorado Whiskey
Our Single Barrel of liquid gold (Jim Murray's Whisky Bible 2014 ) just arrived from Denver, Colorado. Chose in conjunction with Northeast Wine & Spirits. This Small Batch Whiskey is crafted with Rocky Mt snow melt, unchill filtered, unique flavor. Hints of caramel, vanilla, dark chocolate and a light oakiness are some of the hallmark tastes of this unique whiskey.
Liquor Depot Price $56.99