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Welcome to the Newsletter | We wanted to start sharing with everyone what we are wanting this newsletter to be. We are wanting to share with everyone our passion for spirits food, pairings and most mostly the hobby that all of us enjoy |
Cocktail Corner
Almost, but not quite an Arnold Palmer. An Arnold Palmer is iced tea and lemonade. Add some spirits, and now you have a drunken Arnold Palmer.
You can always use whatever your man is drinking, but this special edition by @whistlepigwhiskey is especially good in this drink, because the whiskey is finished in oolong tea barrels. The tea gives it an interesting, sweet note.
So much of this cocktail depends upon how you like your iced tea. That seems to vary from region to region of the United States, so adjust this recipe to your palette.
3oz ice tea
1oz lemon juice
2oz bourbon
1T honey (adjust for sweetness)
Lemon wedge for garnish
Pour everything into a glass and give it a good stir to dissolve the honey. Add ice at the end and garnish with a lemon. If you add the ice too soon, your honey will not dissolve. Cheers!
Courtesy of Janice Weaver
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Mark Twain once said "If smoking cigars is not permitted in heaven, I won’t go”. As many connoisseurs will say nothing compares to a good cigar paired with your favorite spirit. Honestly we end to agree! in future newsletter we will be featuring what one of the sippers has found to be a great pairing.
For this month we have a wild one. What you see here is the “El Jefe” small batch Brandy from our good friends at Atelier Vie. You can say you only drink bourbon or whiskey but we think this is one bottling that will open you up to new offerings. This beautifully crafted brandy is made in historic New Orleans. Here it is paired with the Rocky Patel Tavicusa cigar. This combination of the full bodied San Andreas wrapper cigar with the 100 Proof brandy just explodes of fruit chocolate and caramel flavors.
Rocky Patel Cigars can be found at most B&M Tobacconists
Orpah El Jefe Brandy is available directly at the distillery.
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At any given time either at a distillery, store, or function one of the Mississippi Sippers gets the same question. Who are the sippers and how do I get in on this? Honestly it surprises people by the answer. In this age of social media it is assumed that we are a large online group. To the contrary we are not. We are actually 14 people that enjoy the same passions of Food Drink, smoke and fellowship. Most of the time we can be found with our favorite drinks, having a meal and enjoying cigars and pipes.
It was roughly 2020-2021 that we started getting together for drinks and cigars. Each time we got together Someone would introduce everyone to a new friend and here we are now. We were at a distillery for an event and we were explaining what we are as a group to the owners and they said something that really hit the nail on the head to describe us. They called us an old school "supper Club" . it has kind of stuck.
Now as we start the newsletter as the same group we find ourselves working with multiple distilleries on R&D, stores to procure barrel picks, planning limited releases, and most recently a private experiences with followers on the insides of really what we are doing. We will be featuring that in the next newsletter.
| Crittenden's Cut Above Bourbon Finished in a Blueberry Wine Cask. This is a 5 year old bourbon that was finished in our own proprietary Organic Blueberry Wine Cask. This will be released in prime blueberry season. Should see it during the month of June! This will be available at Spillway Wine and Spirits | Crittenden's Cut Above Bourbon Finished in Naranja "VDN" barrel. This is also a 5 year old bourbon that was finish in the Vino de Naranja barrel. We partnered with RD to bring this to market. We feel this is a great summer whiskey bringing the orange influence to the finish. This is realasing very soon and will be available at Mendenhall Win | | |
Old Dominick
Huling Station Straight Bourbon
Bourbon Whiskey
Distilled in Lawrenceburg Indiana / 100 Proof 50%ABV 4 Year / #4 Char / Proprietary Mash bill
Distillery tasting Notes:
CHARACTER - Huling Station Straight Bourbon is an homage to the whiskeys of 1866 Memphis, bottled at 100 proof and made from a high-rye mash bill reminiscent of the spirits offered by Domenico Canale.
COLOUR - darkest and deepest amber and henna color.
NOSE - stone fruit, dark cherries, and creamy vanilla with a wisp of rye spice on the nose.
PALATE - hints at cinnamon and rich caramel
FINISH - notes of pipe tobacco and velvety dark chocolate round out the finish..
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Bruichladdich
The Classic Laddie
Islay Single Malt Scotch Whiskey
Unpeated / 100 Proof 50 %ABV / 100% Scottish Barley; Mainland, Islay and Organically Grown
Distillery tasting Notes:
CHARACTER - It’s clean, fresh and lively with both the oak and the grain in perfect harmony.
COLOUR - Sunlight on fields of early summer barley.
NOSE - Barley sugar and a hint of mint open before moving into freshly cut wild flowers; buttercup, daisy, meadowsweet, myrtle, primrose and cherry blossom. Over time, and with the addition of a little water, caramelized fruit notes come to the front, with hints of lemon, honey, tangerine, and a sea salt tang.
PALATE - Refined and refreshing, sweet oak and barley notes come together in perfect harmony. Ripe green fruits, brown sugar and sweet malt follow, showcasing the remarkable flavor of the Scottish barley used in this single malt.
FINISH - Smooth and well rounded, the finish showcases the elegant balance between the vibrant fruit and the subtle sea-spray notes.
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Featured Retailer of the Month
Mendenhall Wine and Spirits
Mendenhall Wine and Spirits is located in downtown Mendenhall MS, about 45 minutes south of the Jackson area. The store has been in business for 4 Years.
What is your bourbon selection like?
- We mainly focus on local distilleries, rare finds that work around the customer flavor profile of sweetness, oak, and fruity. Some of our better selling items at the moment are Crittenden's Cut - Above, Dettling, K.Luke, Penelope and Old Dominick
Do you have and onsite staff member that assists the customers on their selections?
- There is always a staff member available to assist with selecting the perfect bourbon or whiskey
Does your store offer tastings to assist with selections?
- Yes, we do have tasting, mainly focusing on bourbons.
What are some bourbons you'd recommend for someone new to bourbon?
- Crittenden’s Cut Above, Dettling, Penelope, Elijah Craig, Larceny. Evan Williams bottle in bond, Heaven hill bottle in bond, wild turkey rare breed.
What's a hidden gem on your bourbon shelf that customers might
overlook?
- Crittenden’s, Dettling, Old Dominick Cask Strength
Have you noticed any recent trends in bourbon popularity?
- Yes, People are more looking for budget friendly bourbons instead of over hyped bottles.
What are some challenges you face as a bourbon retailer?
- . As a bourbon retailer there is always a challenge of getting allocated bottles, introducing new products to the people work around their palates.
What excites you most about the future of bourbon?
- I think as newer products coming into the market everyday people are getting more open to try newer stuff instead of always looking for allocated bottles.
Is there anything else you would like to share about your store or your passion for bourbon?
- We are located in a small town where you will find a knowledgeable staff shares their passion for America’s native spirit, guiding you through a curated selection of rare, small-batch and craft bourbons. Come for the bourbon, stay for the community.
Have you noticed any recent trends in the spirits industry outside of
bourbons?
- Yes , tequila market is picking up people are more looking for sipping tequila and mezcals.
Is there another spirit category that you store is known for?
- Yes, Tequila and fine wines.
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So You Want To Taste Some Whiskey | | | |
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The Elusive Sippers Blind | |
We all know of the whiskey flights. Many know of the blind flights. We have a couple a year as we can get together for them. Our method is the same regardless of if it is bourbon or as we like to do, mix it up with multiple regions. We chose in the beginning to make it a kit we can travel with but we do not recommend going to that extent if you are keeping the group small.
Items we have in our kit:
- 5 glens per person numbered 1- 5 with tops (we will explain this part)
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A jar for each table with coffee beans
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Water dropper
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Small bowel with a edible palate cleanser
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Numbered mat
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Flavor wheels
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Tasting notes sheet and pens
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Bottles of water for each person
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Score board
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Numbered bag to hide the bottles
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Score board
Typically 1 or 2 members (not participating in the flight) will curate the bottles for the flight. We generally pour the flight 1 hour before attendees arrive once the small sample is poured in each glen it is placed on the mats and the tops placed on them. The bottles are then placed in the corresponding bag hiding what we poured.
As guests arrive, they warm up on the bottle share table, eat finger foods that were brought, and socialize. Then everyone gets to take a seat as a flight. Everyone goes through the fights in the manner they like. They can use the coffee to clear the smells from the nose (like they do at perfume counters), eat the palate cleanser, or add water as needed. After each table has gone through the flight, they discuss the samples, compare notes and rank the flights. They, as a full group everyone discusses their thoughts. Then they are ranked. All of which before anyone knows what was poured. It at that point we let the guesses start coming. That type of spirit? What is the brand? Is there a theme to the flight? Everyone gives their rankings, and they are placed on a score board. At that point we start the reveal beginning with least favorite to favorite by overall ranking. It to this point for us always come out at a huge surprise to everyone. It is a great time to socialize and have some fun enjoying our hobby.
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