[et_pb_section bb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”3.10.1″ background_image=”https://whiskey-gourmet.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/background.png”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”3.10.1″ background_color=”#131313″ border_radii=”on|5px|5px|5px|5px” border_width_all=”2px” border_color_all=”#e09900″ custom_padding=”|5px||5px”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_post_title _builder_version=”3.18.2″ meta=”off” featured_image=”off” text_color=”light” title_font=”Josefin Sans||||||||” text_orientation=”center” /][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.18.2″ text_text_color=”#ffffff” header_text_color=”#ffffff” header_2_text_color=”#ffffff” header_3_text_color=”#ffffff”]

[See March 8th update at the bottom]

To be a pioneer, you need to have passion, fortitude and a can-do attitude: this is exactly what Brant Baue, the owner and master distiller, is displaying. I took a very interesting tour at the Jersey Artisan distilling, and I can tell that Brant’s passion is palpable.

Brant Baue

BACKGROUND:

Brant was an electrical engineer and one day, he decided to create the first distillery since prohibition in New Jersey.  This tells a lot about the pioneer spirit that drives the man. He is making two rums (silver rum and dark rum) and a whiskey.

Let’s focus on the whiskey: it is not a barley or corn or rye whiskey, it is 100% made out of sorghum!

WHAT IS SORGHUM?

While it is becoming trendy as the grain is gluten-free, it is an ancient grain named after Syria (in Latin language, syriacus, which became “sorgo” or “sorgho” in Italian). The grain has interesting properties as it grows well in dry and hot areas, which makes it very popular in Africa, Latin America and South Asia. By the volume, it is the fifth grain produced worldwide, after corn, rice, wheat and barley. While there are about one hundred species of sorghum, it is the “sorghum bicolor” that is the most used.

PRODUCTION:

As he does for producing the rum, Brant is using sorghum molasse to make his whiskey. The molasse is fermented

and then distilled.

And it will mature in oak casks.

The inside is well charred (alligator aspect) to allow a good interaction with the wood.

The distillery does it all, from molasse to bottles. Checking the ABV before diluting is critical. Below is a alcohol meter used for this purpose:

TASTING:

James F.C. Hyde 1857 Original Sorgho Whiskey, 43% ABV. Age was 15 months when I drank it.

Nose: sweet, candy, and light butter

Palate: smooth, sweet (feel like maple syrup), almond, vanilla

Finish: rather short, still sweet

 

MY TAKE ON IT:

This spirit is promising, and I will be very interested in tasting the same whiskey with a little more maturity.

Note on March 8th: I tasted recently a new release 22 months old of the same new make, and I noticed a significant improvement in taste: the palate shows deeper and rounder whisky, still nicely sweet with vanilla and some spices and citrus; the finish is longer. Highly recommended! It looks that, as expected, age will bring only good to James Hyde.

More retail points have accepted the spirit, last being in California, and the demand is growing. A crowdfunding operation is ongoing to leverage the scaling up of this promising distillery. The confidence of the investors is high and the crowdfunding is growing quite well. Stay tuned.

 

DID YOU KNOW?

By the way, why this name? Actually James F.C. Hyde was no stranger to sorghum: he used his financial and political power to stimulate the use of sorghum as cereal to distill. He published an important work on the matter in… 1857. This NJ whiskey is a tribute to his legacy.

Do you want to give it a try? Book a tour on line. I loved it!
JERSEY ARTISAN DISTILLING, 32C Pier Lane West, Fairfield, NJ 07004
info@jerseyartisandistilling.com

INTERESTED BY THIS POST?

MAKE SURE YOU DON’T MISS THE NEXT ONE BY SUBSCRIBING TO THE NEWSLETTER BELOW

 

 

[/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][/et_pb_section]