MASTERING THE LEFT: Members of the Reserve AMBER SPECTRUM Chambers Club at Harry’s in NYC enjoy upgraded glassware and custom- stamped ice, among other perks. // STAYING ON TOP OF WHISKEY TYPES IS VITAL TO RIGHT: Whiskey options abound at Barrel, a whiskey and cocktail bar in PRESENTING THE CATEGORY OPTIMALLY Washington, DC. BY JEFF CIOLETTI he spirits-drinking public may be far more savvy That’s why it’s key for those actually selling fine about whisk(e)y than in eras past, but that doesn’t whiskies to maintain an educational base that’s mean carrying a vast selection of the spirit is a license always at least a step ahead of the consumer’s. to print money. With total whiskey revenue up 5% and It’s the role of the on- and off-premise retailer to T guide their purchases based on actual information the super-premium tier up nearly 10% in 2017, according to and professional experience—and avoid BS. the Distilled Spirits Council, there’s been an explosion of new “I still hear people saying stuff that just isn’t brands, expressions, barrel finishes, all vying for the attention so,” whiskey expert and author Lew Bryson of consumers who range from aficionados who demand to try cautions. “I heard someone say ‘Jameson is a something they’ve never sampled before, to the novice drinker blended whiskey, you know, like Seagram’s 7.’ It’s better not to say anything than to say the wrong who’s curious but often overwhelmed. thing. You’re not only hurting the whiskey’s PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY OF HARRY’S RESERVE CHAMBERS CLUB The chambers at Harry’s are personalized with brass reputation, you’re hurting your store or nameplates. your bar’s reputation.” TENNESSEE WHISKEY Tennessee Another all-too-common error: listing and bourbon are quite similar. In fact, whiskies that are actually out of stock. It both require 51% corn in their mash bills is not unusual for accounts to come into and both must be aged in new charred-oak a rare bottle; when you do, play up just barrels. The big difference is the pre-barrel how special it is as a temporary addendum filtration: Tennessee whiskey distillers to your regular menu, advises Bryson: apply the Lincoln County Process, which “Put stuff you only get one bottle of on a involves charcoal filtration—either by JOIN THE CLUB? special page that you can replace. Don’t pouring it through charcoal or letting make it part of a bound bible of any kind.” maple charcoal chips steep in the liquid. Harry’s, a staple in Manhattan’s Financial At the most basic level, every whiskey It’s done to pull out some of the harsher District, recently completed a makeover as flavors and produce a whiskey that’s a bit seller needs to be able to frame the a sixties steakhouse. Part of the scene at smoother. diverse types. Parker Girard, Beverage the new Harry’s: the Reserve Chambers Director at Washington, DC, whiskey Club, which provides chic, personal and cocktail bar Barrel, likes to use a chambers for members to store their BLENDED SCOTCH “Blended” means it’s a geometric analogy. “This is the way I treasures. Club membership also entails blend of both malted barley and unmalted describe it to people: Whiskey is a very invitations to exclusive whiskey events and grain whisky from a number of distilleries. broad term, think about it as a rectangle,” first option to purchase newly acquired If the label says “blended malt whisky,” Girard explains. “If bourbon is a square, rarities. The Harry’s Reserve Chamber list it’s a blend of single malt whisky from then Scotch is a parallelogram, rye is a includes such whiskies as Yamazaki 18, a number of distillers. Blended whisky trapezoid and so on. They all kind of fit Hibiki 21-Year and The Macallan 25, along often may be the less expensive option into this broad category and there are with other high-end spirits. (depending on age), but it’s a common really sort of special circumstances that Taylor Merrill, Bar Manager, has myth that blends are inferior. Flavor-wise, make each thing unique.” had a front-row seat for the brown they’re typically less subtle and delicate Girard is also a fan of a particular goods revolution: “For the longest than single malts. metaphor he gleaned from distillery tours: time most whiskey drinkers only knew “The difference between bourbon and rye the standards—Jack, Jim Beam and SINGLE MALT SCOTCH All the contents of is the difference between cornbread and Johnnie,” says Merrill. “We have had such a bottle of single malt Scotch have been rye bread—it’s one of the best analogies an explosion in the category over the last produced at the same distillery. Blend- I’ve heard, as far as the make-up affecting few years. There is new whiskey popping up all the time now. The American single the flavor and all that.” malt category has blown up in the last ten Here is a guide to selling whiskey by years especially.” type—plus some contemporary tips from seasoned re-sellers. MOONSHINE It’s more of a marketing term oak barrels. In order for it to be called than anything else, selling the allure of “straight bourbon” it must be aged at distilling’s illicit heritage (especially in least two years. The flavor has some sweet and around Appalachia, though distillers elements from the corn, as well as some all over the country are making the stuff). pronounced vanilla and caramel notes Moonshine is essentially unaged whiskey, from the barrel. a.k.a. “white dog.” RYE If you’re looking for something BOURBON Bourbon’s mash bill needs to spicier, rye whiskey is it. Its mash bill be at least 51% corn, though many tend must be 51% rye, and the higher the to have much higher corn content. The rye content, the more rich, robust and remaining can be any combination of rye, engaging the spicy flavor and aroma. Like wheat, barley and other grains. It must bourbon, if it’s been aged for at least two years it can be called straight rye. PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY OF HARRY’S RESERVE CHAMBERS CLUB be aged in previously unused charred- WHISKEY WISDOM ing is still involved, as a single malt is a combination of multiple barrels from that distillery to achieve a consistent fla- vor profile. Single malts can range from smoky and peaty—particularly if they’re from Islay—to fruity (a common char- acteristic among many Speyside malts). Flavor notes are a bit more delicate than blended Scotch, often with a dry, nu- anced finish. (rye) and Rob Roy (Scotch). Nail the Gateway Cocktails “A shaken Old Fashioned makes me lose my mind,” Not everyone wants their Among those, of course, are he complains. “And if that whiskey neat; bars should the Old Fashioned and the happened at just one place, have the classics down cold. Manhattan (rye and bourbon I would have written it off “You need to know how to versions). Others on the and thought it was just one make the basic three or four short list include the Mint bartender. But it’s not just cocktails,” says Bryson. Julep (bourbon), Sazerac one place.” tional awards and accolades. There is CHECK THAT FLIGHT a similar single-malt and blend divide; IRISH WHISKEY Irish whiskey, especially the latter type tends to be quite popu- from large, mainstream brands, often lar in highballs. ■ has been regarded as the bridge from other spirits categories, like vodka, into whiskey. It’s known for its smoothness and approachable flavor. Unlike Scotch, most Irish brands are distilled three times; high-volume, mainstream brands usually are distilled on column stills, which makes Jamie Boudreau, proprietor of Seattle’s them smoother. Now, Single Pot Still Irish cocktail mecca Canon, notes that flights Whiskey has emerged as a super-premium often are good launch pads for novice-to- tier of the category, characterized by dark intermediate drinkers, but not so much for fruit and spicy notes. consumers who’ve been around the block a few times. “We do offer flights, [but] they are not tailored to the whiskey expert, JAPANESE WHISKY The Japanese style as they will know what they are looking of whisky is largely based on the for,” Boudreau notes. “In my mind, flights Scotch tradition. But recently Japanese are for novices looking to experience as distillers have been beating the Scotch much as possible, or to showcase differ- at their own game, garnering interna- ent expressions of the same brand.” .