Alan Bishop, the distiller at Spirits of French Lick Distillery, is a big proponent of the Indiana distilling heritage, but also of Hoosier heritage as a whole. Lee W. Sinclair was the businessman who built the West Baden Springs Hotel with its magnificent dome in French Lick, Indiana. Spirits of French Lick chose him to honor with their first Bourbon released that is their own distillate. I think it is a fitting honor.
Alan is very open as to what was done to make this whiskey. First of all, the mash bill is very unique. It is 60% Indiana corn, 13% oats, 17% wheat and 10% caramel malt. He used two yeasts in the fermentation. The first was what he described as a grain forward yeast while the second was a brandy yeast. It went into the barrel at 105 proof and the barrel had a number 2 char and medium toasted heads from Kelvin Cooperage. It is one of his experiments in creating an Indiana style Bourbon. It is different from the whiskey made at the big Kentucky distilleries, but I find it very good at two years old and look forward to older versions in the future.
Lee W. Sinclair 4 Grain Bourbon
Proof: 90
Age: 2 years old
Nose: Corn bread batter with vanilla and hints of fruit, spice and oak.
Taste: Corn, vanilla and apricots with some backing spices – cinnamon and nutmeg, with a little white pepper and oak. Tasted with a dried cranberry and the apricot comes forward with lots of vanilla and caramel, but a big reduction in the spice notes. Tasted with a pecan it becomes very creamy with vanilla and the baking spices.
Finish: Long and dry with oak and white pepper spice. The cranberry shortens the finish and there is very little spice with the oak. The pecan brings out the baking spices with the oak and white pepper.
I chose a Fuente Reserva Xtra Viejo cigar to pair with this Bourbon as I find the smoke very full bodied with notes of chocolate and cedar spiciness. The Bourbon made the smoke richer in chocolate and the spice became a sweet spice of clove and nutmeg. The smoke brought out some citrus notes and enhanced the white pepper in the Bourbon. A very good pairing on a cold, rainy night in February.
Photos Courtesy of Rosemary Miller
March 6, 2019 at 12:32 pm
Mr. Beach, I follow your blog religiously for both its elucidation of the history of the great spirits produced in America and the honesty of your tasting notes, especially because you often detail the distillers mash bill and aging process. However, there is a small error in grammar in this blog which is often made in an attempt to describe something unusual – the use of the term “very unique”. There is no such animal. The use of the word “unique” carries the understanding that whatever described is most unusual or not seen before. There are no degrees of unique. This comment in no way diminishes my admiration for everything you have written. I only wish to point out the uniqueness of the word unique.
March 8, 2019 at 3:26 pm
You are correct. It should simply be unique.
March 18, 2019 at 1:39 pm
On another note, how is it that the Lee. W. Sinclair Four Grain is allowed to use the word “bourbon” on its label? I thought that the legal definition of “Bourbon” meant that the mash was comprised of at least 51% corn? And by the way, your most informative historical perspectives and tasting notes have just about gotten me into cigars . . . almost. My wife says I would need a good outdoor space.
March 18, 2019 at 3:21 pm
The Lee W. Sinclair is over 50% corn so it is a Bourbon.