DRINKING AToast

American whiskey makers have discovered barrel toasting, a new, subtler approach to a beverage born of fire

- BY JACK BETTRIDGE

The legend goes that Bourbon was born in 1789, when Elijah Craig, a Kentucky minister who didn't find any theological contradiction with also distilling whiskey, was cleaning some residue off the inside of a barrel with flames. The vessel caught fire, he dowsed it and then the thrifty Baptist chose not to throw it away. It was still watertight, so he put whiskey in it. When Craig subsequently tasted the batch, he was pleasantly surprised to discover that the charring had aged and improved the spirit faster than normal.

Historians may point out that the story has more holes than the Pirates’ outfield, but like any good myth it serves a purpose. The legend explains how charring a barrel gives Bourbon its distinct notes of oak, vanilla and caramel, as well as the deep color. And today, among the legal stipulations of the whiskey is that it be aged in new, charred-oak containers (along with a corn-rich recipe, purity standards and age requirements). So, it would seem the last word had been written on how to get flavor from a barrel.

But no. A new approach to treating oak barrels is emerging, one that involves toasting as well as charring the wood. It opens up the possible flavor spectrum to chocolate, nuts, coconut, toffee, cinnamon, nutmeg, mint, even salty and floral hints as well as (of course) toast. And the trend is a boon to smokers who delight in pairing cigars with whiskey. Sweet Bourbon is already a great partner for tobacco, but toasting’s lighter touch creates options that are tailor-made for finding the subtleties in milder smokes.

Toasting as well as charring the wood opens up the possible flavor to include such notes as cinnamon and toffee. The trend is a boon to smokers who delight in pairing cigars with whiskey.