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FAMILY LETTER
Up to Snuff
We take what we sell so seriously that we travel to major distilleries like Buffalo
Trace in Frankfort, Kentucky, to choose our own barrels. The bourbons are then
bottled exclusively for our customers and in our stores within 6 or 7 weeks.
Each barrel of the same bourbon has subtle differences based on where it is aged
in the warehouse. It’s always cooler on the first floor, dryer and hotter on the upper
floors. Distillers either bottle single barrels or marry together ones from specific
spots in the warehouse to get a consistent taste. But when you buy your own barrel,
you get to hand pick which one tastes the best, and you’d be amazed at the subtle
differences between barrels in both smell and taste that had sat side-by-side in the
warehouse for eight, ten, twelve years or even longer!
The process we use for tasting bourbon is the same as for wine: sniff, sip and spit.
You don’t swirl it before sniffing, the way you do wine; you just put your nose in the
snifter and inhale. Tasting is done at barrel-strength and again at 60 proof so you
can get an idea of what the finished product will taste like. The snifter is shaped
like a tulip to help distill the aromas coming off the bourbon. You can smell and
taste vanilla and caramel in most bourbon, just in different proportions, and there
are other notes, too, like fruits, spices and nuts. Some bourbons smell stronger than
they taste; some taste stronger than they smell​.
Choosing our own barrels
of bourbon is a lot more fun
than picking our own field
of potatoes in Idaho and
Vidalia onions in Georgia,
but we do that too. We go all
over the country and all over
the world to taste what we
sell in order to bring the best
products to you.
We also want you to have the
chance to taste before you buy.
That’s why we hold regular
free food and drink tastings
in all of our stores. We’ll also
slice and sample any of our
cut-to-order deli meats and
more than 300 cheeses. Just
ask us for a taste!
Donny Rouse
3rd Generation
On the Cover
Tequila Cured Salmon with
Chimichurri Crème Fraîche
Recipe on page 37.
cover photo by Romney Caruso
• • •
WHAT I’M DRINKING
My taste tends towards longer-aged bourbons,
but in the summertime, when I’m on the
boat or at the beach, I’m all about Fireball
Cinnamon Whisky. Fireball is made with real,
natural cinnamon and Canadian Whisky and
aged in used American bourbon barrels.
Fireball mixes so well with so many things, no
wonder it’s a number one seller.
WHAT I’M EATING
I fish and cook fish all summer long. I’ll be
in Grand Isle for the International Tarpon
Rodeo in July. The waters around Grand Isle
are nationally recognized as some of the best
sport fishing anywhere. There’s no trouble
finding speckled trout, redfish, yellowfin tuna,
blue marlin and red snapper.
• • •
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Donny Rouse — photo by Frank Aymami