About four percent of every barrel of bourbon is lost to evaporation for each year of aging.  Distillers call this lost liquor the “Angel’s Share.”  But that’s not all that’s left behind:  Used barrels absorb whiskey, and Jim Beam has developed a process based on an old method for extracting the left-behind bourbon to produce a new product, which will come on the market within the next two months under the name Devil’s Cut.

I interviewed Brand Ambassador and Historian Fred Noe, great-grandson of James B. Beam, during a March tasting of the distiller’s products at our downtown Houston bar, Reserve 101.  Here’s what Fred had to say about Devil’s Cut:

“For our newest product, we adapted an old technique of sweating the barrel to produce what’s known as ‘barrel whiskey.’  Once we’ve poured the bourbon out of the barrel for bottling, there’s still whiskey left in the wood.  With heat, water and a little agitation, we can draw it out.  We figured out a way to do it in a proprietary manner to where we can get more out of that barrel.  It’s a six-year old, 90-proof bourbon with more tannin, more wood, to give it a unique flavor.  We named it Devil’s Cut as a play on the term ‘Angel’s Share.’  It’s something most people have never seen before.”

Fred brought a bottle of Devil’s Cut to Reserve 101 for me to sample before it hits the market.  It has a real oakey flavor—the wood taste is very concentrated—and the tannins produce a dryness on the palate similar to what you’d find in dry red wines.

Devil’s Cut is an example of the experimentation that’s going on throughout the distilling industry, employing old techniques and new science to produce unique products for today’s whiskey drinker.  The concept is great; I like it a lot and believe it will sell very well.  We’ll certainly add Devil’s Cut to our stock of over 170 premium whiskeys at Reserve 101—the best selection in Houston and probably in this part of the country. While we also offer a full line of other liquors, beers and wines, part of our mission is to educate consumers on the joys of fine whiskey.

By Mike Raymond, whiskey expert and co-owner of Reserve 101, Houston

Comments (0)

Subscribe to this comment's feed