Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/35876
The Kentucky Story Behind Devil’s Cut sweat. Barrel sweat is the Kentucky term for taking a freshly-dumped bourbon barrel, adding some water, rolling it around the yard for a bit, allowing it to soak in the sunshine and letting it sit bung-side down. “When you knock the bung out, you’ll catch some barrel whiskey,” says Jim Beam’s Fred Noe, the great grandson of Jim Beam and son of legendary Booker Noe. “Everybody around here in Kentucky has enjoyed barrel whiskey,” Fred admits. At a Beam ideation meeting one day, Noe explained this to his team, and light bulbs went off. “What’s that called?” somebody asked. “Well, the angels’ share is the evaporation in the warehouse, and barrel sweat is the devil’s cut,” Noe explained. And so Jim Beam’s Devil’s Cut was born. Beam’s process for creating Devil’s Cut is more sophisticated than rolling barrels around in the yard, giving Devil’s Cut its full-bodied oak-and-vanilla flavor profile. One of the first people to taste Devil’s Cut was Kid Rock, the celebrity sponsor for its sister product in the Beam A Kentucky treat: Jim Beam’s Fred Noe (center) introduces Devil’s Cut to Bourbons Bistro co-owners John Morrison (left) and Jason Brauner in Louisville. portfolio, Red Stag. According to Noe, the rocker tilted the new bourbon back, uttered a few expletives and said, “I love that, brother.” Rock’s not the only person being seduced by the Devil. At Bourbons Bistro, an internationally-renowned whiskey restaurant in Louisville, owners Jason Brauner and John Morrison find themselves intrigued with its story. “I support any new bourbon niche,” Brauner says. “Bourbon by itself is a great product, but all of these great spinoffs are getting other people involved and opening the market to people who wouldn’t normally try bourbon. I con- sider myself a purist and think there is something to Devil’s Cut. If you look at where the bourbon barrels go—they’re used for scotch, beer, tequila and even soy sauce now.” Brauner says Beam deserves a lot of credit for seeing this obvious opportunity to use their barrels to make a new, high-quality product for a growing bourbon fan base. Thanks to Jim Beam’s Devil’s Cut, the rest of the world can now get a taste of an insider Kentucky treat. —Fred Minnick july 201 1 / the tasting panel / 55 ny bourbon lover within a good hour’s drive of a distillery has likely enjoyed a nice taste of barrel