Kentucky: Day 1 - Market Street

It’s been over five years since I’ve stayed at the AC Marriott in the East Market District of Louisville (also known as Nulu), and that was an in-and-out overnighter to pick out a few barrels and get back to California quickly—no real time to explore. I was emailing with a friend from Heaven Hill before arriving and he wrote to me:

“Louisville has changed a lot, and almost every night there are retailers, buyers, restaurant groups, whiskey societies—you name it—all selecting barrels on the Bourbon Trail.”

I could see it immediately from the Bourbon-focused boutique stores (not just the bottles, but clothing, books, lifestyle, etc) to the array of new bars and restaurants lining Market Street as you head east out to Butchertown. Nulu is bustling, even on a lazy summer Sunday evening, and it’s infused with an energy that far surpasses the early rumblings I saw almost a decade ago (when I probably should have bought a house in the neighborhood).

One of the new spots I was most excited to immediately try was Feast BBQ, a heralded location for everything non-vegan. It’s been open since the beginning of 2015, but I missed it on my last trip to Louisville and I made a beeline from the hotel to the front door as soon as we dropped our bags. Bourbon slushies with Jim Beam and ginger ale to start.

Since there were two of us, we broke it down into two plates and shared: brisket, pulled pork, collard greens, potato salad, mac and cheese, beans, cole slaw, white bread and pickles.

I honestly can’t tell you which side and which meat I enjoyed more. Obviously brisket is something we don’t see much of in Los Angeles (at least of this style and quality), so that was a treat, but I think the mac and cheese might have been the most impressive thing on the table—and I’m not even a mac and cheese person.

After dinner, we walked a block over to the Taj Bar and were instantly greeted by two labradoodles who were keen to lick our faces and jump up on our chests. After getting past the welcoming committee, we pulled up a stool at the bar and began chatting with the litany of dog enthusiasts lining the counter.

This is one half of the back bar at Taj, so there’s a great selection of Bourbon and rye waiting for you as you pick your poison. We opted for Old Forester 1920 and Heaven Hill Bonded as we chatted with everyone inside.

From there we wandered over to La Bodeguita de Mima, a 1950s Cuban-themed restaurant and rum bar that also sells cigars (and has a second Venezuelan spot in the back called Señora Arepa). It’s literally next door to the Marriott and that window to the right of the front is actually my room.

I’ve never seen anything this thematically wonderful in Louisville before and this is just one of the many rooms inside what is essentially an old house with stairs and various dining rooms of splendor. Imagine a bigger, brighter, more lively version of La Descarga in LA. We drank a glass of rum before bed, pondered the idea of a cigar, but decided to play it safe and get some rest for the days ahead.

-David Driscoll

Your Experience Vs. Mine

When I mentioned to a few friends that I was flying with Spirit Airlines directly from LAX to Louisville today, most of them grimaced and shuddered. 

“Have you ever flown on Spirit before?” one of them asked with a frown. “I’d take a connection with United over a direct flight with Spirit, even with the delay.”

I ignored it.

Then, after posting a quick photo of the terminal on social media this morning, and mentioning the rarity of a direct flight from California to Louisville, more people piled on. 

“If you actually get there,” one person commented on our Mission Facebook site; “It is Spirit Airlines, after all.”

“Hold on to your seat,” another friend messaged to me via Instagram.

“You guys are flying Spirit? Don’t you know?” sniped another.

Given the pandemic and the fact that just about every airline right now has its own horror stories, I was surprised that so many people had strong, vehement views about any particular company.

But do you know what happened? My flight took off on time. My seat was comfortable. The service was polite and professional. The ride was smooth. The cabin was quiet. The passengers were courteous. We landed earlier than expected. My luggage was in the baggage claim when I arrived. Zero complaints. Nothing but positive things to say.

Based on my single experience with Spirit Airlines, I would gladly fly with them again if today’s trip is representative of what I can expect moving forward. But, having only this one voyage to base my opinion on, clearly I’m not the best person to ask about the track record of the company. It worked out for me, but maybe not for others.

And that brings me to my point.

If I had a nickel for every time I’ve heard a whiskey drinker, either online or at an event, make a definitive statement of quality about a brand or a batch of bottles after a single sip (or one 50ml sent to him in the mail), I’d be rich by now. 

Simultaneously, even when someone does have multiple takes with a whiskey brand, and proceeds to poo poo that label as a result of their own personal experience, it doesn’t necessarily mean you and I are going to feel the same way or encounter those same negativities.

Yet, if I had a dime for every time someone told me they’d shied away from a particular bottle or brand due to negative reviews online or from a friend, I’d—again—be a very wealthy man. 

You can’t always rely on the experience of other people.

If I had relied solely on the advice of friends and strangers, and avoided the direct flight to Louisville in lieu of a “better” airline, I’d be sitting in Detroit or Chicago right now, praying that my connecting flight wasn’t delayed or canceled due to the sheer chaos that is air travel at the moment. My luggage could be lost during the transfer. I might be waiting even longer due to weather issues in other parts of the country. 

Instead, I’m at the Marriott in downtown Louisville getting ready to have my first cocktail of the evening and deciding what I want to eat for dinner. I’m elated! It’s a balmy 84 degrees and I have additional hours to spend exploring the delights along Market Street while the sun is still shining.

Again, that’s not to say that the experiences of my friends and colleagues with Spirit Airlines are exaggerated or untrue, it’s just that they didn’t mirror my personal experience. Just like it’s possible to have bad service at a restaurant, or a rude bartender at the cantina on any given evening. That doesn’t mean someone else will encounter the same hostility.

And I can say the exact same thing about hundreds of wines and whiskies I’ve tried over the course of my career. Back in the day, I used to take great pleasure in finding fantastic casks from the least popular distilleries just to prove this point. My old boss used to do the same with “bad” vintages of Bordeaux. One time we had lunch with Frederic Engerer from Château Latour and he only poured wines from the worst vintages (all of which were incredible, of course) to teach us the same lesson.

If you’re willing to go out on a limb, life will often surprise you. In the case of Spirit Airlines, I’m certainly glad I gave it a chance. My personal experience was superb and I would take the direct flight from LAX over and over again if it’s this smooth in the future.

We’ll see about the way back!

-David Driscoll

A Kentucky Preamble

Hanging out at the Garage Bar in Louisville back in 2016

It’s been a busy week, especially given that I’m headed out to Kentucky this Sunday for a week of barrel tasting and distillery visits with most of the majors. I’m excited to land in Louisville as I haven’t been to Bourbon Country since the summer of 2019, which seems like an eternity ago after visiting multiple times a year for almost a decade. Louisville has long been one of my favorite places to hang out and I have a lot of wonderful memories attached to it, with its growing number of watering holes and delicious bites. I’m getting hungry and thirsty just thinking about it!

While I’m looking forward to the trip itself, my personal relationship with Bourbon right now is rocky at best. Our romance has been on the decline for a while now, but lately it’s been worse than usual. When you begin to associate one of your favorite beverages with a mindset that no longer appeals to your life’s philosophies, it makes drinking it far less enjoyable. On the whole, I’ve been avoiding Bourbon because it reminds me of the worst aspects of retail.

I’ve always looked at the romance of drinking via a character like James Bond, or the world’s most interesting man. My goal was and has always been to know as much about every liquid as I could, and to use that knowledge to improve my experiences and those of my friends and family. If I walk into an Italian restaurant, I want to know what to order from the wine list to pair with my meal. If I’m at a steakhouse, I want to know the right gin for my Martini. It’s about sophistication, of course, but it’s also quite practical. My ambitions with alcohol never involved being seen as an expert in a single category, but rather as knowledgeable across the board.

The backbar at the Garage in Louisville

What’s interesting to me, however, is that fewer and fewer people I encounter these days look at drinking through the eyes of someone like 007, where a worldly and all-encompassing suave is seen as desirable. Today’s ideal is more like the comic book guy on the Simpsons, where an obsession with a singular nerdism, coupled with a surly, sarcastic demeanor and an almost antagonistic approach to anything less than the best (“worst…whiskey…ever”) seems to be aspirational rather than embarrassing or off-putting (which it should be). But that’s the problem with getting older: subsequent generations have different motivations, which only reminds you of the fact you’re now out of touch.

I remember receiving an email from a customer back in 2016 after I posted the above photo from Louisville with the Garage’s backbar. He had asked me what we were drinking that night and I said something along the lines of: Maker’s 46, Johnny Drum, and Blanton’s. His response went something like this: “Oh man, why waste your time with Maker’s and Johnny Drum when there’s Stagg Jr. and E.H. Taylor available?” In a nutshell, that exchange is the embodiment of the mindset I’m desperately seeking to escape: this idea that at any given time we should be milking the opportunity to drink the rarest whiskies possible, rather than what might be appropriate for the moment.

The enjoyment of whiskey is what made you cool ten years ago, but today it’s what’s in your glass; just like it’s become more important to have Louis Vuitton plastered all over your clothes than to actually look stylish. Yet, I’m hoping that a week in Louisville will remind me of everything I love about Bourbon and that I’ll return with a fresh enthusiasm for what’s afoot in Kentucky. We’ll be live updating via the blog and Instagram site for the entire trip, giving you all the updates on your favorite distilleries like New Riff, Four Roses, Heaven Hill, Maker’s Mark, Angel’s Envy, and other Kentucky mainstays. 

The fun starts on Sunday!

-David Driscoll

Mission WINE & Spirits

Having worked in wine retail for more than thirteen years at this point, I’ll let you in on a little secret: you can tell how serious a wine store is by checking the back labels on their most prestigious European wines.

The name of the importer will tell you everything you need to know about where they’re sourcing their wine from (so long as you know your importers), boiling the situation down to one of two scenarios:

  • If their Bordeaux back labels list a major American distributor or wine portfolio as the importer, it means they’re buying from a local dealer, which means they’re paying the three-tier mark up. The local dealer is buying it from a negotiant in Bordeaux, importing it, and adding in an extra 15-25% along the way.

  • But if their Bordeaux back labels instead list a small or lesser-known name as the importer, it means they’re likely buying directly from France and using someone locally to clear the goods for a much lower price.

In order to buy directly from France and be successful, however, you have to have a few things at your disposal:

  • Money to pay for larger quantities of bottles

  • The ability to store and warehouse large quantities of bottles upon arrival

  • The ability to move volume in exchange for lower margins

  • A solid reputation among wine consumers to achieve that trust

Buying wine directly from France allows a wine retailer to be more competitive with its pricing, but it also requires a larger commitment because the shipping costs don’t make sense unless you can fill a container with cases.

In short, it requires commitment. Which is why you’ll find buyers for the most successful wine stores in America marching through Bordeaux each year, working out their deals directly from the source, rather than picking off whatever scraps get thrown their way stateside (often at a much higher mark-up).

-David Driscoll

Warehouse 1

Sometimes the booze industry has a sort of an uncanny psychic energy that moves through it, influencing the actions of large corporations.

Like the time I visited Hennessy many years back and told their blending team it would be cool to see something like a "Master's Blend" that came in a completely different bottle, and then proceeded to see that exact project come to fruition later in the year.

Or, like at the beginning of 2022, when Laphroaig launched its first-ever single barrel program and I requested a new set of samples that were exclusively from warehouse #1, then requested that my customized name be called "Warehouse 1" on the label.

"Why is this so important to you?" the team from Laphroaig asked.

"Because warehouse #1 is the iconic shoreline building that actually says Laphroaig on it, recognizable by whisky fans globally, and I want to be able to tell my customers that my barrel is from that specific warehouse," I told them.

"Do you think it matters?" they asked.

"Yes, absolutely," I answered.

I have to believe that the new 2022 edition of Cairdeas was already in the works this past January when we made our barrel selections and this conversation went down, but it's still interesting to see it shake out like this!

Great minds think alike? Perhaps. What's clear, however, is that we both know what our customers want. The new 2022 edition of Laphroaig Cairdeas is here, bottled at 52.2%, using barrels aged exclusively in warehouse #1 (and to be followed by a Mission Single Barrel exclusive also aged in warehouse #1 and also specifically called "Warehouse 1").

I've had at least thirty emails about this bottle in the last month alone, so expect these to go fast. One bottle limit per person. All in Pasadena for the moment, so use the notes section to move your bottle to a different location (or email me for help).

Laphroaig Cairdeas "Warehouse 1" Single Malt Whisky $89.99 (Limit 1)

-David Driscoll

Repercussions

Without opening too big a can of worms, I would highly recommend reading every word of this morning’s LA Times article about Americans working remotely in Mexico City, and the growing backlash from locals about what is being described as a new colonialism.

Not everyone is going to draw the same conclusions that I did after reading it, but I’m hoping it will at least force some introspection about the repercussions—many of which are unintended—of the modern amenities we enjoy here in America.

What caught my attention was the fascination with how “cheap” Mexico City is by American tourists and expats. As one respondent states in the article: “I’ve met a number of people who don’t really care that they’re in Mexico, they just care that it’s cheap.” Yet, as one local resident reminded readers: “Americans can come here, and they can afford everything and live like kings and queens, but Mexico is not cheap for Mexicans.”

My mind is harkening back to the early days of the initial Bourbon boom, when thousands of Scotch whisky fans, used to paying $60 - $100 for a great bottle of single malt, realized they could get 12 year old Bourbons of an amazing quality for $20 - $25. “Wow, this is so cheap!” they would invariably exclaim. There were so many guys who ended up buying cases of Elijah Craig 12 and Weller 12 because it was “cheap,” more than they could ever actually drink.

We all know how that ended up.

There are numerous parallels to the current whiskey market hidden within this article, including the resentment being directed towards those who are unaware of the impact they’re having on the local community. On the other hand, there’s the economic boom to consider, as numerous businesses are thriving due to the new-found tourism. It’s a pickle.

What I found most interesting, however, was the anger being directed towards Americans over their “indifference as to how their actions are affecting locals.” Imagine walking into your favorite local liquor store to get a bottle of Elijah Craig Barrel Proof for $69.99 and finding out that a group of guys who live hundreds of miles away, and have never once set foot in that establishment, communicated via social media and bought every last bottle remotely before you could get one.

When groups of collectors shop around from store to store, purchasing only the valuable bottles and ignoring the everyday stuff, it fosters a similar resentment from local customers, the repercussion of which is apparent in today’s market in the form of bundles, allocations, and other measures that attempt to preserve those bottles for regular customers.

Consumers who are indifferent to the communities they’re impacting, and are simply looking for the cheapest, best option create a ripple effect that affects everyone else, often negatively. Believe me, the backlash is coming.

-David Driscoll

Three New Exclusive Rum Casks From Hamilton

For those of you who know and love Demerara rum, these bottles need little introduction. But for those of you who don’t know the history behind these Guyanese stills and why they’re so special, I would highly recommend reading through Matt Pietrek’s fantastic post about DDL distillery here. 

You can check out my visit to DDL from 2014 here, but my level of wonkery doesn’t reach Matt’s intensity, so if you want the dirty details I would go through Matt’s post first.

The post I wrote back then that you'll want to check out is about the visit I made to the Uitvlugt refinery where few people I know have ever set foot. This happened because we were scheduled to take a helicopter trip to see the famous waterfall nearby, but my wife had a dream about me dying in a crash the night before and forbade me from going. Since I was the odd man out, I convinced DDL to call the Guyanese government and get me access to the molasses factory where the old Uitvlugt distillery was once located. 

In any case, there’s a lot of information to process there, but let me get right to the bullet points for those of you who don’t want to pore over all that data. 

• Each of these rums is not only from a single barrel, but also from a single still.

• All three stills date back centuries, and all three are made from greenheart wood, a local variety known for its durability (used to make ships back in the day).

• Each of these stills comes from a former distillery now closed (imagine if the old stills from Port Ellen, Brora, and Stitzel-Weller were all put into a single room), continuing the heritage of those very special places.

While I’m a big fan of the El Dorado rums and pretty much all the other Demerara stuff like Pusser’s, I have the same geeky desires as most other spirits nerds out there. I want to know what the stuff tastes like, unadulterated, before it goes into the blend. Simply reading about these historic stills and the flavors they create in their spirits doesn’t have the same impact as tasting those spirits. Once you learn about these incredible stills, of course you want to taste the rums made from them!! Full proof, nothing added, right out of the barrel!

I’ll go into a bit more detail on each still here, but again I would really recommend reading Matt’s article as well.

2012 Hamilton "Mission Exclusive" 8 Year Old DDL Wooden Coffey Still Single Barrel #16244 Cask Strength 67% Rum $69.99

One of three new Guyanese single barrels we've just purchased from rum pioneer Ed Hamilton, each from a heritage still at Diamond Distillery, this 8 year old 67% ABV rum comes from the famed wooden Coffey still from the old Enmore distillery. Built out of greenheart wood, which was used to build ships back in the day, the towering twin columns look like two giant games of Jenga, with their criss-crossing planks that originally date back to around 1880. Getting the chance to taste a singular rum from a single still that dates back over 140 years, without the additional of sugar or additives, and at full proof, is a dream for many rum nerds out there. This expression shows lemongrass and ginger on the nose with a healthy dollop of vanilla. The first sip brings a mouthful of sweet cane, lots of bright, fruity goodness exploding in your mouth like candy Pop Rocks at 134 proof. It's not just a fascinating spirit, it's a historical one, to boot! Consider this an educational experience in addition to being an enjoyable one!

2008 Hamilton "Mission Exclusive" 13 Year Old DDL Port Mourant Still Single Barrel #67 Cask Strength 55.7% Rum $99.99

This 13 year old 55.7% ABV rum comes from the legendary Port Mourant wooden pot still that was previously kept at Uitvlugt distillery before being moved to Diamond around 1999. Perhaps the most famous of DDL's heritage stills, this wooden pot still creates heavy, earthy, sometimes funky rums that are synonymous with the British Navy rum that is still venerated today. Made from greenheart wood, which was used to build ships centuries ago, the still dates back to the 1700s when it was used at the Port Mourant estate. Gold in color, aromas of baked apple and cinnamon with an exotic almost cardamon note that slowly morphs into a greener, funkier element. The palate is a running brigade of cooked tropical fruits, diesel/petrol, and earth with a finish of smoked meats and jerky. The empty glass smells like Jamaican jerk sauce. Getting to taste 13 year old, pure Port Mourant, unadulterated, from a single barrel at full proof is quite experience for many rum fans out there. It's also quite educational!

2012 Hamilton "Mission Exclusive" 8 Year Old DDL Wooden Pot Still Single Barrel #15241 Cask Strength 67.5% Rum $69.99

This 8 year old 67.5% ABV rum comes from the heralded Versailles wooden pot still, which dates back to the early 1800s when the Versailles plantation was located on the west bank of the Demerara River. While similar to the Port Mourant pot still, albeit with only a single vat compared with the double vat of the PM, the Versailles wooden pot creates only about 60% of the congeners you'll find in those heavier rums, so you get a mellower profile that's a bit more user friendly. The rum itself is a pale straw color, as there are no additives and no caramel coloring. The nose is full of tropical fruits with some light funkiness, while the palate shows pineapple, green banana, and dried mango flavors that are surprisingly clean and delineated. The petrol and funkiness of the classic pot still profile comes through on the back end, but it’s never overpowering. This is a fantastic rum for those looking to dip their toe in the high proof and historic rum category, but want something they can actually drink repeatedly and enjoy profusely!

-David Driscoll

A Very Special Cigar Event With Davidoff & Chivas

Let me start by saying mark your calendars once again! This time for Tuesday, August 16th at 7 PM as that is that date for our next Mission cigar event, and you are NOT going to want to miss this one.

We are on for an amazing evening with the incredible Eliseo Gonzalez from Davidoff, who will be handing out four different Davidoff sticks as part of your admission fee, not to mention what I’ve heard are some incredible gifts. The value of the Davidoff schwag alone is worth the price of admission, let alone all the food you’re going to get from the Glenmark and all the booze you’re doing to drink from Chivas, including the Aberlour A’Bunadh, Royal Salute 21 year, and Chivas Ultis.

We have 100 total seats for this event and I've already sold 40 tickets as of this morning.

You can reserve your spot here:

Tickets For Davidoff Event - $125

-David Driscoll