The nose knows: Testing for a new bourbon in 2013
On a weekday morning, a group of men assembled in Las Vegas to make an important decision.
Specifically, they gathered in Wirtz Beverage Nevada's Alchemy Room to create a custom bourbon blend for Aria guests to drink in 2013. The group included Aria beverage director Michael Shetler and Wirtz master sommelier and education director Thomas Burke.
"We try to put people in the room who have a certain pedigree of tasting," said Kent Bearden, Wirtz's craft beer and spirits specialist, who also was tasting.
The men were sampling different barrels of Woodford Reserve, a Kentucky straight bourbon whiskey sent to Wirtz Beverage Nevada from the Versailles, Ky.-based distillery.
By telephone, Todd Roe, a taster with Woodford Reserve, walked the men through their whiskey journey. He advised the group to look for shards, anything floating in their glasses.
"We always consider the finish as well," he said.
The five men were seated behind tables supporting sets of eight glasses, each containing a taste of the Kentucky bourbon. Each taster picked up the first glass, held a piece of white paper up behind it to check the color, then "nosed" it before taking a sip.
Then they all spit, and rinsed with a swig of water.
"Ignore the temperature or heat and try to get the flavor underneath," Roe advised.
He gave examples of rye or honey flavors coming through.
For people sitting at the table, the smell of whiskey wafted up from the glass, strong and pungent, while the light caramel colored liquid rested at the bottom, waiting.
"You kind of want a little balance going forward," Roe said. "That's what gives it complexity at the end."
The tasting aimed to pull out Woodford subsets to make a custom blend for Aria.
"This one's got a lot of sweet notes to it," Roe said of the next sample.
Shetler noted a hint of grassiness in a sampling and asked, "Does that come from the grain?"
After the first round of tasting, two-barrel blends of the chosen favorites were created, resulting in six custom blends to try.
"We take our bourbon seriously," joked Gary Dagerman, district manager, resorts division.
When the men tried the first blend, there was an audible agreement that it was far above average.
"Wow. It tastes like Christmas, doesn't it?" Roe asked the group.
After tasting the other five blends, only one other also received high praise from the tasters.
"You can always buy two ..." suggested Carlos Ross, sales manager, resorts division.
Shetler responded, "Spoken like a true salesman."
Ultimately, the first blend was selected. Aria guests will be drinking it in 2013.
"I'm lucky to taste three of these a year," Roe said of the barrel selection.
When all is said and done, the Aria bottles will read Barrel Select and will feature Aria's logo underneath.
"This selection is only going to be available in Aria and nowhere else in the world," said Jere Quinlan, sales consultant for resorts division at Wirtz. "It offers a unique experience that guests can't get anywhere else."
Contact reporter Laura Carroll at
lcarroll@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-4588.
