NIGHTCAP: February
Welcome to Nightcap: February. Lots of things took place this month, and not all of it whiskey releated- I had the busiest of months with Mardi Gras and all that comes with it. I posted some pieces that got some great engagement that seemed to have resonated with you the reader and others like you. This site had its biggest month ever, with more unique visitors, and more traffic than I had imagined would ever be possible (we even had a reader from Cameroon!). I am forever grateful for you coming by to read my thoughts and commentary, so thank you.
This months column will be a bit more meandering and all over the place than usual as there wasn’t a great deal of newsworthy items to talk about. Please bear with me as this site will always be an incomplete project, always with the intention of improving and often reflecting my imperfections. I’ve expanded the “Interesting secondary things I’ve noticed” segment to include more commentary. Industry news this month was very light compared to months gone by where it seemed as if every week some distillery was investing truck loads of scratch in expansion of capacity or storage, so I’ll have more musings and observations from Mardi Gras and some bits on the upcoming New Orleans Bourbon Festival to close it all out. Let’s get to it, and thanks for dropping by.
The aftermath of Mardi Gras is a sight to behold.
Three whiskey’s I’m currently obsessed with-
Johnny Drum. Pure 101 proof Willett goodness for a really good price. Enjoy it while you can. I think that recent hype is only going to bring more people to this label, and other Willett products as well, and since Willett is a super small outfit, I believe there will be less of it available for you and I.
Rye & Sons. This Andre’ Mack release is so utterly drinkable, or “crushable” as the kids say, that you won’t regret buying extras due to the surprisingly low price. This is not one of those “would be great in a cocktail” Rye’s, although it is. This is one of those versatile Rye’s that can be enjoyed in a myriad of ways. I’ll have a Ryevieux of it this week, promise.
Pinhook collaboration #2. Sean Joseph’s newest collaboration, this time with a 20 barrel blend from Still Austin in Texas. Here’s the thoughtful gobbledygook- “What happens when you put a master blender and a brewmaster in a room together? You get Edition #2 of @pinhook_bourbon’s Collaboration Series, blended by Pinhook’s master blender, hashtagbourbon, and Brooklyn Brewery’s igarrettoliver. It’s super special and super small batch, which means limited bottles are available.” There is also a charitable component to this release, so I felt even better picking up a second one. If the word “Texas” frightens you when it comes to whiskey, grab your blanket and favorite stuffed animal and get some of this. It’ll help change your opinion of what Texas whiskey is, and can be.
It takes an awful lot of citizen soldiers to clean up the parade routes, and they do it after each parade.
This months Sazerac section-
This thing with Pappy in Oregon is concerning. It’s not the only state where people that control access and distribution are on the take, but it is the latest to be exposed. Another black eye for Sazerac Co. Not entirely their fault mind you, but still, they do warrant some continued criticism here for not doing more to get the coveted bottles into the hands of people that want to drink it. Frankly, I think the entire Pappy and BTAC lineup should go to bars and restaurants only. That’s right, no private ownership at all. Bars and restaurants would then jack up the prices at their peril as they wouldn’t be as “scarce” to them as it is now.
The World Whiskies Awards announced that Weller CYPB was declared the best Kentucky Bourbon of the year 2023. (yawn). I’ll say this, these awards programs sure know their audience and how to keep them captive. Honestly I find awards so boring when they are heavily weighted towards allocated releases. I wish one of these big award programs would have an allocated excluded version, but then again, would anyone care other than me? The way media works is “give them what they want and they will keep clicking.” People always want the things they aspire to have. It’s true in almost every luxury brand, people will ignore comparable things that don’t have heat to get the more expensive thing that is hot. People probably look at awards (and social media) to feed their aspirations or to solidify how they feel about an investment. I’ll keep yawning I suppose.
It’s a party town, so sometimes this is what you get in these streets.
Things I think you should pay attention to-
Sagamore Spirit released a new batch of 8-year-old Rye whiskey for $79. If you were foolish enough to miss the first release of this exceptional Rye, please don’t do it again or we will be compelled to giggle at you.
I’m hearing that an increasing number of local bars and restaurants here in New Orleans are replacing Sazerac products on their menus. Kingfish in the French Quarter makes their Sazeracs with Jim Beam Rye for instance. I applaud this personally, because I like the variety of options and gives bartenders the opportunity to create new variations on classic drinks. It’ll be interesting to see how Sazerac’s new distribution impacts relationships with the bars and restaurants. Right now, a lot of bars aren’t happy based on them losing their allocations during the pandemic. What certain distributors did to the closed bars and restaurants was simply cruel and in my mind, utterly unforgivable and rightly or wrongly, SazCo is paying that price.
A newer Podcast you should be listening to- Blending Bourbon. It features Dixon Dedman of 2XO and David Mark Young from Golden Sheaf. They provide an irreverent and playful look inside of the Bourbon industry from the perspective of creators. It’s a young podcast, and it’s a loose format (boy do they go on tangents) that tightens up as they gain experience in the medium and you the listener get deeper into the episodes. I know, I know, another podcast. Try it out anyway.
The newly refreshed upstairs bar at the Avenue Pub, what a space.
Scenes from Mardi Gras-
On a mid-day before the nighttime insanity of the Krewe of Muses, I dropped into my favorite French Quarter dive bar, Molly’s at the Market. It was early afternoon, and there was one other patron when I walked in. I was determined to catch up on some reading of an actual book, but this is a bar where distractions can happen, and frequently do. As my Turkey 101 neat was pushed gently in front of me, a raucous sound of engines emerged outside. I gazed out the open window, figuring it was a bunch of motorcycles, but it wasn’t. It was the “gathering of the tractors” rolling down Decatur on their way to the assembly area where they would then lead the beloved floats down the parade route. One after another passed by, moving briskly, I counted 30 before they finished. How bizarre to see them without floats in tow.
Just after they finished, a disheveled fellow popped his head in the open window and asked the bartender if they had a microwave here. I suspected he wished to heat up some leftovers that some tourist bequeathed to him on the way by, so it didn’t seem an outlandish question. The bartender kindly replied, “no sir, sorry.” The reply from the window patron was unexpected, but so purely New Orleans- “wanna buy one?” Again, a “no sir, sorry” as if he’d been asked this question hundreds of times before. Not the way I had expected that interaction to go, and when the man wandered off, I asked the bartender if that was the expected reply, and he chuckled and said, “no sir, sorry.” Pure gold.
A group of ladies came in and they all ordered frozen Irish coffees. Molly’s makes a really good one (so does Erin Rose, and Avenue Pub) but you might be shocked to learn that there is no Irish Whiskey in theirs. They use E&J brandy, you know, the kind in the plastic jug. One should know this going in I think, and you’d never have any idea it wasn’t Irish, unless you were there early in the mornings watching them mix it (not recommended viewing). Anyway, as they were happily sipping away, local famous Tamale guy was walking by, and he bellowed with his signature rich deep accent into the window “TAMALES!” Quicker than Billy the Kid the bartender shouted for a pork. In came the pork tamale, and off he went. Post Ida, when I came back to town to drop supplies and check on the house, I found him by Checkpoint Charlies hawking Tamales. No restaurants were serving food anywhere because no one had power. Tamale guy was slinging. I gave him cash and a pallet of water for a couple of porks, enough to keep me going for 48 hours. This guy is a local treasure.
I got an invite to join The Avenue Pub balcony reopening for a couple of different parades and let me tell you, I don’t know if I ever want to do another Mardi Gras parade at street level. Having quick access to a really good whiskey bar, bathrooms, food, and avoiding the massive crowds at ground level was a game changer. While I was there free on a pal invite, I would happily pay in the future because the environment was fabulously stress free. If you’re attending the New Orleans Bourbon Festival expect to spend some time here.
View of Cleopatra from the balcony of the Avenue Pub.
Interesting secondary things I’ve noticed-
AH Hirsch 16-year, aka the best Bourbon you’ll never taste, sold for $4,575, it’s a legend, and people pay a lot for a legend.
EH Taylor Rye had four bottles sell in the same auction for the average price of $271. These are the standards, not the unicorn version, and I’m dumbfounded that people would pay that much for such a basic and n0n-threatening Kentucky Rye.
Taylor Small Batch had 3 listings close at $165 each. Each. I’ve said it before, and I will continue to say it- This isn’t good for Buffalo Trace’s relationship with their fans who are getting squeezed for like the 19th time.
Willett Wheat hit $400. The wheat continues to generate heat on the secondary, but I wonder with the large quantity of listings, is anyone actually drinking these?
The 2-year Willett Rye, their first distillate, sold for $120. I find this very interesting, because you can get the current 4-year for $50-70 depending on where you live. This was clearly a “collectors” buy. No doubt someone trying to add a piece to a vertical.
Willett 8-year Rye closed at $690. Just 4 years ago, I purchased a 10-year Rye for $350 which I thought was a stupid price, and it’s that age old story “if I knew then what I know now” that I’ve now relived for the 98th time in my whiskey journey…
The Boss Hogs will continue to see action on secondary going forward, the 1st release for instance just sold for $13,600. Yes, you read that right, and just in case you d0n’t believe me check it out here. The price of an actual motor car. Siren, the latest release, also just leveled up to STOOPID. Someone paid $1,860 for one. The average price on six other listings this month was $768. Expect further releases to be less easily found because of this insanity. So much for WhistlePig pricing these high to squash the flipper, the market not only caught up, but blew buy their asking price. Which leads to the next bit….
Remember the WhistlePig Piggybank Rye that came in the decanter where you poured the whiskey out the butt side? Four of them showed up at the same time on Unicorn Auctions, and two of them broke $1,000, and between the four listings, they averaged $937 before the premiums and taxes. And some say that decanters are dead.
Booker’s Theresa’s batch (2019) went for $170. I know that I keep reminding you how Beam tried to premiumize Booker’s a few years ago and people balked at the $99 price, which then slowly crept up to $99 anyway, and now people are paying more for slightly older batches. Kitchen Table from 2018 went for $320, Tagalong from 2021 for $150. Watch out for Booker’s to become even harder to land if this trend continues.
2 bottles of Bookers Rye closed for $1600 each. Still a lot of money, but a decline in price that was significant. Likely because there were two bottles posted splitting the bidders? Worth keeping an eye on this to see if this was a blip, or are more people getting out of this for other things?
Much maligned Kentucky Owl Dry State (you know, the one that was $900 MSRP) finally closed $200 over MSRP. $1,140. Perhaps it was just ahead of its time?
Batch #3 of Cream of Kentucky Bourbon (Cream, not King) closed at $320. Initially dismissed as overpriced, starting to see it being properly appreciated.
3 bottles of Evan Williams red label closed for an average price of $120. Yeah, you can get that in the gift shop after you take the tour, so what? Well, that supply isn’t infinite, so when the distillery runs out, I expect that these will take off.
Last month Kentucky Owl batch 1 Rye broke through $400 so eight more appeared in this months auctions and they closed at an average $311. Multiple listings always hurt a price temporarily, but still, only $40ish more than the Taylor Rye’s mentioned above which is comical to me.
Pinhook finally getting some secondary interest with their 1st collaboration topping out at $320. As Pinhook continues their fine work, some of these early collabs are probably going to be coveted down the line.
Remember when I wrote the piece “Is Wild Turkey overrated?” Apparently some folks on secondary don’t think so, with the diminutive Old Ripy selling for $185.
Remember, most auction sites charge a 15% buyers premium, so those Taylor Ryes for instance came to $338.93 with tax and buyers premium. THREE-HUNDRED AND THIRTY-EIGHT UNITED STATES AMERICAN DOLLARS FOR TAYLOR RYE! We are doomed as a species.
New Orleans Bourbon Festival need to knows-
The official dates are 3/22-3/25.
You can buy tickets here.
If you’re visiting from out of town, I recommend you arrive on 3/19 or 3/20 (or stay later) so you can experience some of this beautiful city outside of the festival. The programming for the festival will eat up a great deal of your time, so give yourself an extra day or two.
Book dinner reservations NOW if you’re planning on dining at some of the more popular destinations. While there are lots of places to eat, and I will be doing a piece on places to go off the beaten path, if there’s a place you’ve got your heart set on, book it right now, you can come back to this column later.
I will be disseminating a lot of timely information on my stories via Instagram, so if you’re looking for the latest info, this will be how I share it.
The schedule hasn’t been finalized as of yet, but Bourbon Brawl is 3/22. If you want to witness local bartenders competing for prizes, this is your jam.
Not sure if there are any brand dinners this year, but the whispers are that there will be more brand socials than in years past but expect them to start earlier in the afternoon on Wednesday 3/23 perhaps? There are also some likely pre-events Monday and Tuesday.
Later that Wednesday night on 3/23, the official kick off party takes place at the New Orleans Riverside Hilton (2 Poydras Street). Food, drinks, and music are happening, and it’s a terrific meet and greet. This years theme is 1950’s business attire “Mad Men” style. Mad Men took place in the 60’s but you get the idea of it.
Seminars will be taking place 10-5pm on both Friday/Saturday. A lot of these will be can’t miss panels, so when the schedule posts, start planning which ones you want to do, and sign up. Remember, you can’t do them all, so choose wisely.
The Grand Tastings are on Friday and Saturday night from 8pm-11pm. VIP enters at 7pm. These events will be held at the Contemporary Arts Center (900 Camp Street) and will be your place to sample whiskey, eat some eats, and meet the faces behind the labels. There will be live music, a cigar lounge (outside), and so much to do. Make sure you drink water, and remember, you can’t taste them all, I mean you can try if you want… but good luck.
Bring truckloads of Liquid IV packs, or other such methods of hydration, trust me, you will need these before bed, and when you wake up. Use of these will determine your staying power during the week, I speak from experience.
Food is included in the VIP tickets, as well as early entry to the grand tastings, I urge you to get this ticket as it’s worth it for those things alone. Getting into the grand tasting early was HUGE for me personally, as I was able to get to taste 4 Roses LE, Jack Coy Hill, and several other very difficult to obtain pours. So if the limiteds are important to you, get the VIP.
That’s it for this month, thank you so much for dropping by. Nightcap: March will be full of happenings from and around the New Orleans Bourbon Festival, as well as looks at secondary movement, and any interesting whiskey news that comes up. As always, comments and feedback are always welcome.
Cheers everyone.
- Mickey Pinstripe