The Sydney Morning Herald logo
Advertisement

The Gresham offers chance to taste rare bourbon

Natascha Mirosch

The Gresham Hotel is holding an exclusive bourbon tasting tonight.
The Gresham Hotel is holding an exclusive bourbon tasting tonight. Glenn Hunt

One of the most sought-after and collectable bourbons in the world is on tasting at The Gresham in Brisbane's CBD tonight.

According to assistant manager and bar keep Ryan Lane, Pappy Van Winkle is "top of the pops" when it comes to American bourbon, with a bottle of the 23-year-old spirit selling for as much as $5500.

"It's incredibly difficult to source. I've heard rumours of wait lists of up to five years for the average punter in the US. There's a certain number of bottles allocated once a year to countries, so pickings are very slim," Lane says.

A selection of Van Winkle bourbon at The Gresham.
A selection of Van Winkle bourbon at The Gresham.Glenn Hunt
Advertisement

The pint-sized pub has about 100 whiskies on their list and have been holding whisky appreciation classes for the past year.

"When we first opened we didn't intend the Gresham to specialise in rum or whisky or whatever, but there's been a huge upswing in interest in dark spirits and whisky in particular, especially among women," says owner Andrew Baturo.

The Gresham is one of the few places offering the 20-year-old Pappy Van Winkle and has a loyal band of regular imbibers happy to pay the $50 per nip price tag.

Bar keep Ryan Lane at The Gresham.
Bar keep Ryan Lane at The Gresham.Glenn Hunt

"Next to the old safe at the Gresham there's this little staircase where we put the finished bottles on display. We call it the Pappy Graveyard," Baturo says.

Advertisement

So what's so special about this particular bourbon and why is it so rare?

The Stitzel Weller distillery in Louisiana was opened in 1935 by Julian Van Winkle ("Pappy") until the family sold it (along with most of their brands) in 1972.

After the sale, his son Julian Jr. resurrected a pre-prohibition label, the only one to which the Van Winkles had kept the rights, called Old Rip Van Winkle, using stock bought back from the old distillery.

In 1992, the distillery closed down and in 2002, the next generation, Julian Van Winkel III went into partnership with Buffalo Trace to continue production. It's the original bottles from the old distillery, the 23- and 20-year-old, which are increasingly hard to find and that excite whisky lovers.

Then there's the swag of awards and endorsement of high-profile fans such as Anthony Bourdain and David Chang.

Advertisement

"There's a fantastic motto on the bottle that says, 'We make fine bourbon. At profit if we can and at a loss if we must, but we always make fine bourbon," Lane says. "And it's true. They don't change a thing."

While Scotch whisky is made from malted barley and yeast, bourbon must contain at least 51 per cent corn in the mash and generally rye or barley is added.

"Pappy differs in that instead of using rye, they use wheat, which makes it soft and sweet," Lane says. "It's like getting a gentle hug."

Tonight's appreciation class, which starts at 6pm, costs $240 and will be guided by Scott Christie, known worldwide as "That Bourbon Guy". Lane says he'll be running through the history of American whisky, the Van Winkle family, how the bourbon is made and what makes it so special.

"There'll be a tasting of all six expressions including 10-, 12-, and 13-year-olds and the 15-, 20- and 23-year-olds from the family's reserve range," Lane says.

For last-minute tickets, contact 0424 926 887 or ryan@thegresham.com.au.

Restaurant reviews, news and the hottest openings served to your inbox.

Sign up

From our partners

Advertisement
Advertisement