Spirited Provisions For Fall Camping

Every camping trip needs supplies, like whiskey to share, rum for your morning coffee, and of course Calvados for its apple flavor to match the fall. Pack accordingly!
Sep 21, 2016
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    85
    Fruity
    Made with corn, rye, wheat and malted barley, this four grain offering from Tuthilltown is aged in their trademark 3-gallon barrels to minimize aging time, but maximize the liquid to wood ratio. Note: This has been discontinued.
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    86
    Fruity & Floral
    The Lemorton estate is located in Calvados' Domfrontais in the southern part of the region. As opposed to the neighboring orchards to the north, the pear tree plays a significant role here in the brandies and ciders. In particular, the Lemortons tend trees that are 70-80% pear creating a spirit with a distinctive white flower character and tons of juicy orchard fruit. Like most farmer estates in Normandy, the focus is actually cattle and providing milk for the area's legendary cheeses. This is their "entry-level" bottling, but don't let that fool you -- Lemorton's Reserve is a great representation of the Domfrontais and a fascinating contrast to Calvados made only of apples.
  • 8
    87
    Sweet & Spicy
    St. Petersburg Distillery was founded by brothers Steve iafrate and Dominic iafrate, Jr. (lowercase "i" not a typo) to celebrate their pride of the Sunshine State. This is the "Oak" half of the Oak and Palm line from the distillery, a rum made with spices from the Middle East and added caramel coloring.
  • 7
    88
    Sweet & Rich
    As a classic example of what's old is new again, Heaven Hill's Pikesville Rye is the relaunch of a brand that dates back to 1890s, originally produced in Maryland. Though Pikesville was shut down during Prohibition, it reemerged some time later and was the last bastion of Maryland rye production until the 1980s, when the brand was acquired by Heaven Hill and produced in Kentucky. This new incarnation of Pikesville is the work of master distiller Denny Potter, who has selected 3-grain recipe ryes aged a minimum of 6 years from barrels placed at higher elevations of the warehouse, bottled at high but not quite cask strength to retain the rye's character. Note: Heaven Hill is still producing the entry level 3 year old rye, this tasting note refers to the premium version.
  • 6
    83
    Vanilla & Rich
    George Dickel No. 12 is made from a mash bill of 84% corn, 8% rye, and 8% barley. Of course, as this is a Tennessee whisky (their spelling), it does go through the Lincoln County process of filtering through sugar maple charcoal. However, instead of the whisky being continuously dripped through a large vat of charcoal like Jack Daniel's, Dickel distillate is placed in a vat along with the charcoal and allowed to sit for a few days before it is drained. Aged for an unspecified amount of time in new, charred American oak before bottling at 90 proof.
  • 5
    90
    Rich & Full Bodied
    Garryana marks the first release in Westland's Native Oak Series, with others to follow in 2017. Master Distiller Matt Hofmann has created these expressions to showcase Pacific Northwest terroir. The rare Quercus garryana (Garry oak) is native only to that part of the world, and new casks of it were used in the maturation process of part of the whiskey. It is bottled at cask strength (56.2% ABV) and is not chill-filtered. Limited to 2,500 bottles for this first edition.
  • 4
    90
    Spicy & Vanilla
    As the name suggests, each bottle of Knob Creek Single Barrel Reserve is made from an unblended, hand-selected barrel. The bourbon is aged in a rickhouse in Clermont, Kentucky for at least 9 years. However, unlike the standard small batch version, it is bottled at 120 proof instead of 100 proof. Knob Creek Single Barrel Reserve may vary from bottle to bottle as is the nature of the category.
  • 3
    92
    Rich & Full Bodied
    Balcones is known for its maverick whisky approach - playing with mash bills and wood finishes, using techniques unheard of 'til now. Balcones Single Malt is a Texas version of Scotch single malt whisky, made with unpeated 100% malted barley. That's nothing new. What distinguishes it from others is the aging process - combining small batches of the whisky aged in different sized barrels before blending them together to finish maturation in one big barrel. It's also non chill-filtered.
  • 2
    94
    Herbal & Earthy
    When thinking about raicilla, mezcal is usually a good reference point but this something different. Made in Llano Grande in Jalisco, using the agave Rhodacantha, the agave are roasted in an above-ground adobe oven over hot stones. Somewhere between a classic pit for mezcal production and a tequila oven. After that the agave are hand-ground and distilled twice in a wooden-still (made from the Higuera Blanca tree).
  • 1
    95
    Spicy & Vanilla
    Russell's Reserve Single Barrel Bourbon is made with the classic Wild Turkey mash bill -- 75% corn, 13% rye and 12% malted barley. It matures in heavy "alligator" char new American oak barrels and is hand-selected by Master Distillers Jimmy and Eddie Russell. Each honey barrel is then bottled at a hearty 110 proof without chill-filtration in order to preserve maximum flavor.