The straight story: distinctly American, straight whiskies continue to grow in popularity

Cheers, Sept, 2002 by Michael Sherer

Perhaps nothing evokes the American spirit more than visions of the old West and the rugged individualists who claimed and tamed it, cowboys who, tired and thirsty from days on the trail, socialized in the local saloon with a whiskey or two.

Straight whiskey these days, though, is no shot of red-eye in a dirty glass. More than ever, American whiskies are transcending their own category, offering consumers unique tastes of hand-crafted products based on generations of heritage and distilling experience.

For the past decade, consumers have shown a keen interest in new taste experiences and a willingness to seek out and pay for high quality products. Increasingly, they're turning to straight whiskies to satisfy those needs.

TELL YOUR CUSTOMERS

Like anything else you serve, customers won't know how good American whiskies are unless you tell them. There are lots of ways to drop a few hints.

LISTS With consumers increasingly interested in high end products, more operations are turning to spirits lists, like wine lists, to highlight their offerings. Old Glory, a barbecue resaurant in Washington D.C., for example, carries about 75 straight whiskies. A list is the only way to keep track of them all.

Keen's Steak House in New York specializes in single malt Scotch with 200 in stock. Bourbon, however, has become so popular that the restaurant recently created a list for the 30 brands it sells.

The Oakroom Bar in the seelbach Hilton Hotel in Louisville offers 44 straight whiskies. They're listed in a leather-bound booklet along with cognacs and other premium spirits.

If you carry only a few American whiskies, you may have room for a brief description, a bit of history, or tasting notes.

SIGNATURE DRINKS Since classic cocktails are back in style, a number of operators are pushing those made with straight whiskey and inventing new ones.

15 ria, a Myriad Restaurant Group operation which opened in the new Washington Terrace Hotel in D.C. in July, features "Mini-Manhattans" served in small cocktail shakers. Its signature Apple Manhattan is made with Maker's Mark and Berentzen Apple Liqueur. The restaurant also features a classic Old Fashioned made with Rebel Yell and Mini Juleps made with Knob Creek.

Last winter, HMS Host featured an Apple Manhattan with Maker's Mark and DeKuyper's Apple Pucker in its 400 airport bars. "We wanted to see if we could do an Appletini with a brown good, and it was surprisingly good," said Stan Novack, vice president concept development. "It was a gamble but we took a shot and I was very surprised."

The Oakroom features several signature bourbon drinks, including the Kentucky Longshot, created especially for the Breeder's Cup; the 1917 Seelbach Cocktail, made with Old Forrester; and the Run For The Roses, created this year for the Kentucky Derby.

FOOD Merchandising food and whiskey can do wonders for sales of both. Just look at T.G.I.Friday's successful tie-in with Jack Daniels.

HMS Host's Woodford Reserve Bar in the Louisville airport was designed as a celebration of all things Kentucky -- thoroughbreds, bluegrass, music, bourbon and food. In addition to a full range of bourbons, the menu features food that complements bourbon as well as several items that incorporate bourbon in the recipes. The company plans to expand the concept to other locations next year. 15 ria features a bourbon-cured salmon on its menu. The mini sirloin burgers served in the bar are accompanied by ketchup infused with Marker's Mark.

The Oakroom serves bread made with spent mash in addition to a half dozen other items using bourbon in the recipe. The Seelbach offers special bourbon packages, including room, bourbon tasting, dinner and directions to all the area distilleries.

Bourbon dinners are another way to highlight the differences among straight whiskies. "We often do special dinners, paring bourbons with each course, when a distillery like Buffalo Trace does a charity fundraiser, for example," said Jerry Slater, the Oakroom's maitre d.

Lots of bars now are doing their own infusions, usually with vodka. The sight of a large, fruit-filled bottle on the bar generates a lot of curiosity. The infusions are used in cocktails. The Oakroom makes infusions with bourbon and recently, infused Old Forrester with mango, fresh peaches and ginger. When it officially opens this month, 15 ria will begin infusing bourbons with fall fruits.

TASTINGS Straight whiskey is often at its best when consumed, well, straight.

"Lots of younger drinkers are trying our signature drinks," said Bradley Moore, general manager of 15 ria. "The older clientele is really into sipping and the whiskies themselves."

A good way to let customers experience the varied tastes of straight whiskey and learn more about them is to conduct tastings. Keen's conducts tastings about once a month, and features American whiskey on occasion.

Flights are another way to give customers a chance to sample more than one whiskey. 15 ria offers four whiskey flights showing the range of flavors from sweet and fruity to spicy and peppery Keen's offers several Scotch flights, and while it has no formal straight whiskey flights, they are available if a customer asks Virgils'. BBG in NYC's theater district offers its whiskey flights on their place mats.