They seem to be everywhere these days- call me crazy, because I'm not in on what's cool and hip in the world of infusions, but they really seem to be pushing the envelope to places it hasn't been before, maybe even places that it shouldn't go at all. Honey Whiskey is one thing: Evan Williams, Seagrams and Wild Turkey got in on that action and Jack Daniels followed suit. Excellent stuff- goes down wonderfully and you can drink it straight. In fact, I'd say Tennessee Honey is probably the only version of Jack that I would drink, period.
Others made sense as well. SoCo and Lime is a common enough drink that SoCo infused with lime shouldn't really raise any eyebrows. But Southern Comfort Pepper?
It was just so weird, so odd sounding that I couldn't resist getting ahold of a bottle. And surprisingly enough, it's not that bad-- and even my Uncle Alf, who only drinks Southern Comfort- at least where his whiskey is concerned had to agree that it really, wasn't all that bad.
It's the smell that gets you though. Open the bottle and inhale deeply. I'll be honest, you're going to sit back and think 'ewwwwww' because it just doesn't smell quite right. But fight through that, pour yourself a dram and then take a sip. What greets you is surprising: the essential smooth, caramel texture of Southern Comfort is preserved nicely- and that sweetness cools the pepper off to the point of making it compliment the sweetness without overwhelming it. You swallow a sip and instead of a searing burn a nice warming sensation follows it down and warms you right up from the inside out.
If you drink Tabasco Sauce for breakfast, then by all means, saddle up and buy a bottle. Or two. Or three or four if that's you're thing. If you're not into drinks that kick you in the back in the mouth, avoid this stuff. It's good, don't get me wrong, but it's radical and unusual. Like Anarchist Philosophy and facial piercings, it's not for everyone.
Moving to the other end of the spectrum, I stumbled across Evan Williams Cherry Reserve which, I think I purchased on something of a whim.
Their American Honey is good stuff- it got me started on my Honey Whiskey kick awhile back so I figured I might as well try the Cherry version and see what it had to offer. Besides: cherries and bourbon sort of made sense to me, in my head. Like peanut butter and jelly or cheese and macaroni, somethings are just meant to be and Bourbon and Cherries- at least the Evan Williams version, can also be added to that pantheon.
It was so good, in fact, that I cooked with copious amounts of it immediately, inventing my Cherry Bourbon Chocolate Cupcakes (which were awesome, of course.) But even just by itself, it's got a lot to offer. First, I think as with all good infusions, the essential bourbon flavors are preserved but the cherry infusion cools it down to the point where it's pleasant on the palate and goes down smoothly- again, also to the point where you can drink it straight out of a glass- or even a bottle and be happy as a clam. In short, it's delicious.
But here's the question I've got to ask: do all these infusions help bring whiskey to the masses or do they water down the essential nature of whiskey itself? I think it's a bit of both- there's something challenging about whiskey. You've got to do the research and find what you like and occasionally stumbling across a gem that you can't help but almost adore. These infusions are a nice change of pace, I'll admit- they're more affordable, they're less challenging on the palate and sometimes you just want to grab something cheap, quick and dirty and drink it. Infusions are nice for that- they're good for cooking too. But my sojourn is at an end, I feel. I've got a bottle of Templeton Rye to work my way through and then I think a nice, Solera Vat 15 Year Old Glen Livet is calling my name.
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