Bourbon tastings at the Main Street Wine Bar are generally themed around limited release bourbons that can be found though the State of PA’s online store (download the handy dandy “Fine Wine and Good Spirits” app and start searching). With this app, you can also search for and locate specific bourbons in PLCB stores across the state. This resource comes in handy when a particular bourbon mysteriously becomes scarce in your local store, like what happened recently with Blanton’s. This was a regional phenomenon, and there was a brief period when it appeared that there was nary a bottle to be had in the entire state. A recent search shows ample inventory in the state, but only in the Pittsburgh area. Sadly, Philly seems to be bereft of this exceptional Single Barrel bourbon.
Not to fear, the Main Street Wine Bar has plenty of Blanton’s on the regular bourbon list (see complete list at http://www.mainstreetwinebar.com) and even offers a nice flight that features Blanton’s, Angel’s Envy, and Woodford Reserve. This flight is called the Legendary Distillers Flight in honor of Elmer T Lee (creator of Blanton’s) and Lincoln Henderson (Angel’s and Woodford), both of whom passed away in 2013. The original monicker for this flight was the Dead Distillers Flight, but that seemed a bit too dark for such a lovely thing!
Other interesting flights that compare and contrast related bourbons are the Beam Small Batch Flight that features Basil Hayden’s, Booker’s and Knob Creek (the original Jim Beam Small Batch lineup created by Booker Noe) and the Four Roses Flight that features the classic Four Roses Yellow Label, Small Batch and Single Barrel. As an aside, the iconic yellow label is being dropped to better align the packaging of these three brands (we’ll have to change the menu!):
If you have other ideas for interesting pairings, we can always do ad hoc flights- just ask. What about a Maker’s Mark flight with classic Maker’s, Maker’s 46, and Maker’s Cask Strength? Or a Single Barrel Flight, or a Barrel Proof Flight… The possibilities are endless!
Mini bourbon tastings are available to small groups, just request with your dinner reservation.
See you at the Wine Bar!
The Bourbon Boss
Mountain Bourbon 