In the three years I’ve been writing about the Chicago Independent Spirits Expo, I think I’ve said all there is to say about the challenges of deciding what to taste at an event that boasts hundreds of spirits from several dozen distillers. This year, for a change, I stopped worrying about it. The Illinois distilleries were mostly grouped together in one corner of the room, so I started there, moving on to the other tables after I’d tasted as much as I could of the locally made spirits.
Blaum Bros Knotter bourbon, finished in Madeira casks: Even before the Internet shitstorm erupted around sourced whiskeys, Blaum Brothers was being as transparent as possible about the fact that the whiskey they’re currently selling isn’t made in-house; in case consumers miss the punny name, the front of the label says, “the finest straight bourbon whiskey we never distilled” (they are, however, making and aging whiskey–their rye will come out in 2016 and their bourbon in 2017). Meanwhile, their current product is a lovely bourbon, spicier than most; the version finished in Madeira wine barrels is a bit smoother with a little fruitiness to it.
Peach Street pear brandy: The peach brandy from Colorado’s Peach Street Distillery is quite nice, but it was the pear brandy that blew me away. It tastes more like pear than most pears I’ve eaten do.
