We are about to embark on a North American tasting adventure with this blog. To be more precise, we will be visiting Kentucky, the birthplace of Bourbon! So why is Kentucky known as the “Cradle of Bourbon”? Because it has the ideal environment for maturing and making whiskey. By ideal, I mean warm and subtropical, which means that the weather is neither too hot nor too cold.
Second, when we talk about Bourbon, it means the whiskey contains at least 51 per cent grain, which means it is an important factor in producing a Bourbon, and Kentucky is an excellent place for this. Kentucky has corn growing all over the state, which means there will be plenty of corn to harvest.
Let us start with the tasting! Today I will be tasting Bulleit Bourbon Frontier Whiskey, a fantastic whiskey made with corn, rye, and barley malt. The reason I chose this whiskey for today’s tasting is that when the pandemic struck, I was looking for a decent quality whiskey at a fair price.
Trust me when I say that this whiskey is, in my opinion, very reasonably priced for such a high-quality Bourbon. But anyway that is how I discovered Bulleit Bourbon. So, when we looked at the bourbon, it should be a rich amber, almost rich gold colour. Please let me know what you think.
The first thing you notice about the nose is that it is spicy. Other flavours I recognise include oak, honey, floral (roses), and corn. I was already getting excited because the aromas reminded me of fine bourbon. I tasted apricots and oak on the first drink, which was intriguing.
Of course, it was very spicy, as I had predicted from the nose. It is not surprising because I know Bulleit Bourbon contains a lot of rye, which gives it a nice spicy flavour. As the sampling progressed, I began to detect cinnamon and nutty flavours. It tasted almost like hazelnuts or almonds. The bourbon in my mouth tasted smooth, and it was a pleasure to drink. The finish maintained the fruity note, symbolic of a spicy apple with a touch of honey to round it out.
Individually, the whiskey performed admirably. There is not a single negative thing to say about it. Classically fine and exceptionally pure spirit. This is a must-have whiskey in my opinion, and as I previously said, it is not expensive. And next, let us see how the Bourbon goes with the food I made today. If we go back to the previous time, I did not have such a positive experience with the blend.
This time, I grilled T-bone steak with only salt, pepper, and rosemary. The steak was cooked to perfection, medium-plus, and tasted fantastic. But did it taste well with Bulleit Bourbon? It did, indeed. I can not even compare this experience to the last one because the steak was so tender and flavorful. The bourbon added spiciness and corn flavours to the mix, while the T-Bone added rosemary and juiciness.
It was also performed in complete harmony, which added to the experience’s calming and chill combo. I made a note to try this steak with some Irish whiskey; I believe it will work as well.
After the main course, I took out Couda truffle cheese and some jams to compliment it. Chili and onion jam. The combination of cheese and jams was delicious, but the whiskey did not like the combination of cheese and onion jam. The mouth was good, but the aftertaste was not so great; spicy and truffle don’t really go together. The cheese with chilli jam, on the other side, went well with the Bourbon. They did not have a poor finish, and I had a fine experience.
This is the end of my third whiskey experience on this journey. This time, I learned a lot. I feel like I gained a lot of knowledge by mixing jams with cheese and keeping the spices on the steak pure. That is, after all, the whole point of this blog: to learn more about whiskeys, food, and how well they go together. I am delighted to be able to share this with you all. I hope you like this blog because there will be many more to come. You will also see my activity on my new Instagram profile, so you can stay up to date on anything. Keep an eye out for the next tasting, which will be done soon!
DiamondWhiskey 