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CIRCUS MAXIMUS
maxim bourbon awards
TIME TO GET DOWN WITH THE BROWN.
BEST FOR MIXING
MAN DRINKS
Maker’s 46
94 proof, $35
≥When master
distiller Kevin
Smith told us
he made a new
Maker’s recipe,
we worried; that’s
a tough act to
follow, Kevvy. But
he crushed it. Like
its fore bear, 46
is still approachable
and sweet.
But thanks to
seared French
oak staves, it’s
stiffer—ideal for
Manhattans and
old-fashioneds.
fi ve things
you don’t
know about
bourbon.
42 MAXIM NOVEMBER 2010
BEST FOR THE
DESK DRAWER
Pappy Van
Winkles
90.4 Proof, $100
≥ Peppery with
a vanilla fi nish,
Pappy V’s superb
sip epitomizes
the rule that the
more hillbilly the
name, the better
the brown. Two
decades of aging
makes this corn
mash the most
unique on the
market. Every
taste is a journey
to classy town.
STAFF FAVORITE
Hudson Baby
Bourbon
92 Proof, $40
≥This micro outfi t
may have gone
mega (recently
bought by William
Grant & Sons),
but it still churns
out the most
approachable lipsmacking
sauce
on the shelf. With
its clean caramelcorn
and biscuitdough
notes, BB
swills easy, so go
slow, gulp boy.
Bourbon is the fi rst 1American-born booze.
Congress declared it
America’s offi cial distilled
spirit in 1964.
BEST NEWCOMER
Angel’s Envy
86.6 Proof, $46
≥This fall Lincoln
Henderson, an
inaugural member
of the Kentucky
Bourbon Hall of
Fame who used to
distill Woodford
Reserve, went
rogue and created
his own
micro batch. It
lives up to the
man’s legend. Big
and smooth, with
an almost oatmeal
cookie taste,
plus hints of pipe
tobacco.
Angel’s share:
What whiskey
distillers call the
percentage of liquor
that evaporates
from the barrel
each year.
It can be made 2anywhere in the U.S.
but must be 51 percent
corn and aged in charred
oak. And no added fl avors.
Sorry, Jack Daniel’s.
BEST SINGLE
BARREL
Blanton’s
Original
93 Proof, $50
≥Blanton’s was
the fi rst single
barrel. In 1984
Elmer T. Lee felt
a few of his casks
were too tasty
to mix, so he just
bottled ’em and,
bang! a new niche
was born. (Sadly,
Elmer never trade-
marked “single
barrel.” We expected
more from
a man named
Elmer.) Taste:
bold with toffee
undertones.
“Straight” means it 3 was aged at least two
years. Almost all whiskey
is cut with H2O to lower the
proof. Uncut bourbon is
labeled “barrel proof.”
BEST BARREL
PROOF
George T. Stagg
143 Proof, $70
≥The alcohol
content is so high
it’s illegal to take
this combustible
concoction on a
plane. Even more
amazing, it’s still
super-sippable,
and it’s the stuff
distillers tip when
they get together
to swap stories.
This white-hot
heat stings the
lips but has deep
maple, citrus, and
clove fl avors.
BEST BOTTLE
FOR DAD
Willett Pot
Still Reserve
94 Proof, $50
≥Willett is the
closest thing to
pre-Prohibition
bourbon. It packs
a wallop, but the
butter, cedar,
and lime notes
soften the blow.
This sauce, in the
signature stillshaped
bottle, is
the gift for the
old man .
BEST BARGAIN
Jim Beam Black
86 Proof, $20
≥Just because
the Beam folks
fi gured out how
to get you their
tasty barrel-aged
treats more costeffi
ciently doesn’t
mean they must
be relegated to
the world of well
drinks. Black is
top-shelf stuff.
It sports Beam’s
spiciness but
swirls with heavy
hints of brown
sugar and leather.
Perfect for the
game-day fl ask.
RESOURCES
“Small batch” is a Distillers are artists.
4 marketing ploy. Uncle 5 Each year they re-
Sam doesn’t regulate the create the brand’s fl avor
term (yet), so the actual from hundreds of new,
VOHR/HALLEY
batch could fi ll a Walmart unique barrels. Drink up
and still be called small. these masterpieces!
MATT
PHOTOGRAPH BY BY TKTKTKTKTKTK STEVE COHENSTYLING,
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