Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/44136
This was true of virtually all of the thousands of distillers making whiskey here in Tennessee at that time. The deduction was rather simple: The only corn grown in Tennessee in the 1800s was white corn on a red cob. The significance there is, everyone knows that white corn has a higher sugar content than yellow corn. Our Lincoln County Lightning is made from the same white corn as used by Granddad almost 200 years ago. The high sugar content of our white corn translates to a bold, mellow whiskey," explains distiller Phil Prichard. The nose on Lincoln County Lightning is much lighter and cleaner than many of the other unaged whiskeys. The flavor is pure sweet white cornbread with a nice spicy finish that rounds it out beautifully. Popcorn Sutton's Tennessee White Whiskey One of the last great moonshiners, Popcorn Sutton had one more surprise up his sleeve before he took his own life in 2009 rather than going to federal prison for moonshining. He passed along his recipe and whiskey secrets to his apprentice and former supercross racer Jamey Grosser. Now, thanks to Jamey and country music legend Hank Williams Jr., Sutton's legendary moonshine is now being sold as legal whiskey. Made from a combination of grain and sugar, this whiskey has a nice balance between sweet and spicy, with a nice kick that delights the palate. It's a little hard to come by with distribution limited to Tennessee for now, but if you can get your hands on a bottle, it's well worth it. A piece of a true whiskey legend. Mixing With Unaged Whiskey While unaged whiskey is often consumed straight or on the rocks, its versatility has begun to capture the imagination of mixologists who are using it in classic drinks in place of whiskey, rum or tequila. "The base note of grain and sweet translate great into whiskey cocktails, but also into tradition- ally rum or tequila cocktails as well," comments Paul Hletko, Distiller at Few Spirits in Chicago. Alan Akwai, Bar Manager at Wafu in Portland, Oregon, demonstrated the versatility of unaged whiskey with a riff on the classic Tommy's Margarita recipe. Alan helped transform the drink to match the spicy Asian fair served at Wafu by adding in Sriracha bitters, and used Prichard's Lincoln County Lightning where traditionally blanco tequila is used. LIGHTNING SOUR ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ 1½ oz. Prichard's Lincoln County Lightning ½ oz. lime juice 1 tsp. agave nectar 8 drops Brooklyn Hemispherical Sriracha Bitters Shake with ice and serve up or over the rocks, top with 4 additional drops of bitters. To show off the wonderful rye characteristics of the High West Silver OMG Pure Rye Whiskey, Alan adapted a cocktail from PDT in New York called the Rattlesnake. The High West Silver OMG Pure Rye Whiskey plays very well with the absinthe rinse. It's high enough proof and has enough flavor and complexity to stand out even when mixed with egg, simple syrup and lemon. The herbal aromatics from the Angostura and the lemon from the Meyer Lemon bitters round out this tasty cocktail. OMG RATTLESNAKE ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ 2 oz. High West Silver OMG Pure Rye whiskey ¾ oz. simple syrup 1 oz. lemon juice 1 egg white 4 drops Angostura Bitters 4 drops Brooklyn Hemispherical Meyer Lemon Bitters Absinthe rinse Shake and serve up in an absinthe-rinsed glass, add 4 drops of Angostura and Brooklyn Meyer Lemon Bitters to the top and use a straw to draw a rattlesnake on top. october 201 1 / the tasting panel / 83 Alan Akwai, bar manager at Wafu in Portland worked with us to create some white whiskey cocktails. PHOTO: GEOFF KLEINMAN