S P I R I T S M A G A Z I N E • W I N T E R 2 0 1 4

Hi ghballfor your hostess with the mostest

GIFT SUGGESTIONS

A N E W H I G H - E N D T E Q U I L A

FROM PATRÓN

Whiskey from the Hatfield & McCoy families

THE END OF A FEUD:

Highball is a quarterly

publication of ABC Fine

Wine & Spirits. Copyright

2014 ABC Liquors, Inc.

All rights reserved.

Not all products are

available in all stores. If

the product you’re looking

for isn’t available, ask us

to order it for you!

Hannah Grantz

Editor

hannahg@abcfws.com

Meghan Guarino

Contributing Editor

meghang@abcfws.com

Lorena Streeter

Contributing Editor

lorenas@abcfws.com

In this issue:

An article from our

in-store specialist,

Daniel Eddy (Gainesville).

Are you an at-home

mixologist? Find us

on Instagram

(@abcfinewinespirits)

and tag your crafty

concoctions using

#abcbyob!

Follow us on Twitter

@abcwinecountry.

We’re also blogging

daily at

blog.abcfws.com.

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THEY’VE BEEN FEUDING FOR OVER 100 YEARS

The Hatfields and McCoys have been brought together to create a whiskey

3

FOR THE HOSTESS WITH THE MOSTEST

Daniel has go-to spirits to please all (or at least most)

4

A 94-POINT RATING FROM WINE ENTHUSIAST

Taste the complexity of Mount Gay Black Barrel rum

6

GLEN MORAY 12 YEAR

Scotch for you, or Scotch for a lucky someone

8

A NEW HIGH-END TEQUILA ON THE BLOCKThe gift of Roca Patrón would make anyone smile

7

sip it or gift itA selection of spirits you may not want to share

Winner’s recipe will be featured on our Facebook pageand added to abcfws.com’s cocktail recipe page!

It really is a tale as old as time—only this one is

not exactly a fairytale. Though it does, as it turns

out, have a happy ending. The story of the feuding

Hatfield and McCoy families is one most of us are

familiar with, especially after The History Channel’s

mini-series on the clans. The rivalry between the

Hatfields of West Virginia and the McCoys of

Kentucky runs deeper than the river that separates

them, but all that might just be behind them now.

Thanks to whiskey.

The Legendary Hatfield & McCoy Family Brand

whiskey is a blend of ingredients combined from

the recipe books of both families. For those whose

ancestors once murdered the other’s, and vice

versa, that’s kind of a big deal. Perhaps no one

knows this better than Monsell Darville, the man

who got the two families to agree to come together

(and actually be in the same room for the first time)

to make a whiskey. The “peacemaker” between the

two clans, Monsell sat down with direct descen-

dants John T. Hatfield and Jim McCoy to see if this

idea could really come to life:

The big day of actually bringing them together in

the same room—I know that sounds like it’s not a

big deal to a lot of people, but it was a very big deal

to have these families sit across from each other.

And for someone to discuss the concept of them

coming together in a business venture…well, they

were—“dubious” is being kind—but they eventually

agreed and understood that we wanted to get to

an agreement they were both happy with. So we

developed a friendship and a fellowship that

started from there.

Once they could keep the peace, then it was time to

talk about this “lovely liquid,” as Monsell called it,

that both the Hatfields and the McCoys had been

making “on opposite sides of the Tug River for all

these years.” He asked Jim and John if they thought

it would be possible to create one whiskey, under

both of their names, as the beginning of a long

term enterprise: “Not just a whiskey; we’d love to

make a bourbon and we’d love to make a rye—a

whole portfolio of brands under the family names.”

They were almost in “stunned silence” when they

realized the opportunity that could be in the future

for their families.

“For me, it was pretty darn exciting because

I suddenly realized as it all began to come together

that I was in the middle of a really amazing piece

of American history. To act as an arbitrator, I was

thinking at first, ‘Oh, this is fascinating… but

probably not going to happen,’” Monsell told me.

But it happened. “I was the peacemaker—in literal

terms” he added, “I took great pride in that and still

do to this day now that it’s live and real.”

It took about six months of back and forth before

any family members would consider sharing their

recipe. But once they did and the “secrets” of in-

gredients and measurements were out on the table,

for the most part it wasn’t difficult to marry the

two. “After everything we tasted, we eventually got

to the point when Jim and John tasted a combined

whiskey blend. They put it to their lips and said,

‘You know what? We’re good with this.’” And that

is what we now know as The Legendary Hatfield &

McCoy Family Brand whiskey.

With light vanilla, wet stone and hints of green

grass on the complex, yet balanced nose, the

Hatfield & McCoy whiskey blend has a medium

body, light black pepper, smoke, layers of dried

apricot and black walnut on the palate. It finishes

clean and balanced, with hints of vanilla, caramel

and butter. Sip it straight, add a little water, or mix

it in your favorite crafted cocktail.

And know that when you’re drinking it, you’re

not just drinking good whiskey. You’re drinking

American history.

H A N N A H G R A N T Z

B R I N G I N G

F A M I L I E S

TO G E T H E R

W H I S K E Y :

From L-R: Monsell Darville, Jim McCoy, ABC CEO Charles Bailes III and John T. Hatfield at the grand opening of ABC’s new Panama City Beach store

Highball 4

The Perfect Holiday Hostess Gift

D A N I E L E D D Y, A B C F I N E W I N E & S P I R I T S G A I N E S V I L L E

The holidays are here, and if you’re like me, your

mom trained you to always bring a hostess gift

to any event. For most of the year my go-to gift is

a bottle of wine or bubbly, but it’s nice to up the

ante during the holidays and provide something

special for past, present and future Christmas

carols. There are certain tried-and-true liquors that

always make a great gift, but then each year there

are new trends, and gifting what’s just become hot

is pretty cool. If you are visiting good friends, then

perhaps something a little bigger is in order—and

custom gift baskets can make the perfect hostess

gift. You can even give them a complete cocktail in

a basket, with everything required for them to play

barkeep. Consumables make great gifts for every

hostess with the mostest.

“What’s the perfect holiday gift?” When it comes

to spirits, we can get in the spirit with tried-and-

true gift offerings. Here are my branded, reliable,

top 5:

1. Crown Royal Canadian whisky

2. Grey Goose vodka

3. Bailey’s Irish cream

4. Johnnie Walker Black Label Scotch

5. Maker’s Mark bourbon

I find that any of these gifts will be happily received.

Grab a gift bag and you’re done. Easy peasy. But if

you want to keep to the theme, yet step outside of

the box, we can come up with some fun alterna-

tives that still fulfill the tried-and-true category.

Perhaps Wiser’s Canadian whisky, using the

“original” Crown Royal recipe, would be a novel

option. Motif is another charcoal-filtered, smooth

flavored French vodka that can be an interesting

alternative to “l’Oie Gris.” Perhaps we can consider

one of my new trend items and choose a rum

cream instead of Bailey’s, and El Dorado rum

makes a delicious cream liqueur at a reasonable price.

For the darker spirits, branch out from blended

Scotches to a Highland or Speyside single malt.

Deanston Virgin Oak Highland Scotch is delicate

and aromatic, therefore the perfect first foray

into the big bad world of single malts. Instead of

Maker’s Mark, think Cooper’s Mark Small Batch,

a similarly soft-styled bourbon, with hints of spice

and a delicate, almost feminine touch.

And I can’t help but mention new trends.

In my 25 years in the celebrating business, I’ve

seen many spirit trends. So what is “It” this year?

Here are my top 5 trendy offerings to impress

your host:

1. Fireball Cinnamon whisky—there’s a whole

line of flavored bourbons and whiskies that

have just saturated the market to appeal more

to ladies.

2. Horchata cream liqueur, like Cayman Reef

horchata—similar to Irish cream, but with

cinnamon, almond and vanilla flavors, depending

on its Latin American country of origin.

3. Moonshine, like Ghost Tree, Midnight Moon

and Ole Smokey—yes, legal moonshine is

a trend, especially versions like apple pie

or blueberry (with real blueberries!).

4. Bowman Brothers Virginia Straight Bourbon

whiskey—with a history going back to the end of

Prohibition, this Virginia bourbon has all the flavor

of its Kentucky neighbors and a novel story to tell.

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5. Viniq Shimmery liqueur—proof that

we first “taste” with our eyes, because this

stuff looks like it’s from Star Trek back in

the 60s. It’s perfectly safe; the swirls come

from an ingredient in jellybeans and a little

bottle jiggling. Though it looks delightfully

unnatural, the sweet, grapey flavors from

Moscato wine make it very popular.

When it comes to hostess gift baskets, the

theme can be very small or pretty darn big;

it’s all up to you. I love the idea of a themed

cocktail gift basket that might also be your

holiday gift. From something simple like a

classic Martini kit (including gin or vodka,

dry vermouth, olives, a cocktail shaker and

maybe a couple of martini glasses) to our

“Margaritas for Two” basket (often ready-

made in most of our ABC stores), one can

create a theme based on any cocktail. Try

“The Manhattan” basket, or even better, an

“Around the World Too” basket (including

three past trends, St. Germain, Hendrick’s

gin and Pama pomegranate liqueur, plus

agave nectar and Yuzu juice). You can even

create your own signature cocktail gift basket.

Most of our larger ABC stores can make your

custom gift basket, and we’re happy to include

your personal mementos as well as all the

fixings for some great celebrations.

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When you consider high-end spirits, your mind

jumps to beautifully bottled Scotches, rare bourbons

and expensive Cognacs. Rarely are summer sippers

like vodka and rum in the running for hostess gifts

or holiday party cocktails. But why not? They’re

crowd pleasers, sure, but every once in a while, an

exceptionally well-made spirit comes along inching

its way into the world of high-end libations. One

such spirit is Mount Gay Black Barrel rum. Touting

a 94-point rating from Wine Enthusiast, it’s hard

to see this rum as anything other than top-shelf.

Mount Gay’s Barbados distillery was established

in 1703, making it the oldest rum distillery in

the world with over 300 years of rum-making

experience backing their smooth Caribbean spirit.

And while that’s an impressive statistic, there are two

other noteworthy facts about their craft that add

a uniqueness to their product: One, each of their

five rums is made with local ingredients. The water

is naturally filtered through the coral limestone that

makes up the island; it is then filtered three more

times for the purest possible water. And two, every

batch is distilled in traditional double copper pot

stills, adding a boldness to the rums’ character.

The combination of their locally sourced ingredients,

age-old distillation process and precise blending

technique come together in the charred white oak

barrels for aging. But here’s the thing: You won’t see

an age stamp on any of their bottles. Master distiller

Allen Smith believes a rum is ready when it is

mature, and that may not

necessarily be accomplished

on a specific timeline. Mount

Gay rums can be aged

anywhere from six months

to seven years.

And that brings us back to their Black Barrel rum.

This golden elixir is aged for a second time to

achieve the smooth mouthfeel and balance you

find in every sip, because that’s what this rum is:

a sipping spirit. Best described by Wine Enthusiast,

“Finished in ‘deeply toasted and charred’ bourbon

casks, this mouthwatering small-batch rum skews to

the sweeter side, offering bold notes of cola, allspice

and vanilla, finishing brisk and spicy. Sip straight

or mix for the ultimate rum and cola.”

Before you reach for the Coke, we suggest enjoying

this spirit the way it should be—on its own, as a

high-end libation, showcasing each of its complex

aromas and characteristics. And once you’ve

discovered the eloquence of this rum, take it to

a classic Manhattan:

2 oz Mount Gay Black Barrel rum

½ oz sweet vermouth

2-3 dashes of Angostura bitters

Maraschino cherry

Combine ingredients in a mixing glass filled with

ice. Stir well and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish

with a maraschino cherry.

BAH RUMBUG:

A Spirit for the HolidaysM E G H A N G U A R I N O

Barbados

H A N N A H G R A N T Z

You know the bottle, you know the taste, you know

the tequila. But now the iconic, high-end Patrón

spirit that we’re familiar with has added a new label

to its line of tequilas: Roca. Antonio Rodriguez,

production manager for Patrón’s distillery in Jalisco,

Mexico, assures us that Roca is not meant to replace

traditional Patrón: “It is not a substitution; it’s an

addition.” An addition, Rodriquez added, with

an entirely different flavor profile thanks to its

production process.

Roca, meaning “rock” in Spanish, refers to the stone

of the tahona process for which this new tequila

from Patrón has become known for. “There’s a lot

of excitement about Roca because it is innovation

based on the history of tequila. All Rocas are made

in 100% tahona method,” Rodriquez told me. And

what’s the tahona method, you might be wondering?

Because I sure was. To create Roca tequilas, Patrón

replicated the production process from more than

500 years ago, using a two-ton volcanic stone wheel,

aka “tahona,” to crush cooked agave, squeezing out

the agave juice. Then both the juice and agave fibers

are put in wooden fermentation vats for 72 hours.

While traditional Patrón is partially made up of

tahona process tequila, Roca is their first line to be

created entirely in tahona method—making it

perhaps the purest, most traditional tequila out there.

And at ABC Fine Wine & Spirits, you can find

all three offerings of this tahona-only tequila.

Roca Reposado and Roca Añejo are both aged in

single-use American bourbon barrels—Reposado

for about five months, while Añejo is aged around

14 months. Roca Silver is unaged and bottled

immediately after distillation. Each also has a higher

proof than their traditional Patrón counterparts.

Roca Silver is 90 proof, with Roca Reposado

coming in at 84 proof and Añejo at 88 proof.

All three of the Roca Patrón tequilas are sweeter,

earthier and more vegetal than Patrón’s line of

traditional tequilas.

And how does their taste measure up? Rodriquez

can personally vouch for their quality. As Production

Manager, he says he “makes sure every single

batch is made consistently and we achieve the

quality we’re looking for. I make sure everything

is done according to our standards at Patrón,”

which includes tasting the tequila. “It’s a really

hard job to take… but somebody has got to do it.”

R O C A PA T R Ó N

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Tahona stone

Hacienda Patrón

8989 South Orange Ave.Orlando, Florida 32824

Hi g

hbal

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S P I R I T T O S I P : Glen Moray 12 Year Scotch

F I N I S H :

Blackcurrants, toffee and a

hint of licoriceC O L O R :

Mid-GoldenP R O O F :

80̊ R E G I O N :

SPEYSIDE

O N T H E N O S E :

Sweet, fruity and floralT A S T E :

Highland toffee, brambles and ginger marmalade WELL-ROUNDED AND BALANCED