Because, much to my shock and dismay, I MAY not actually be immortal, The Pour Fool, which I have LOVED writing for an astonishing 17 years, now, has to make a change, if I’m going to continue at all. Which I am. All those detractors cane have this website gone when my family pries my cold, dead fingers off this laptop. So, for time and energy – in what has turned out to be a stupidly active retirement – this is more or less how it’s gonna be.
And THANK YOU for reading it.
YELLOW ROSE PREMIUM AMERICAN WHISKEY, Yellow Rose Distilling, Houston, Texas:
On a recent trip to New Branufels, Texas, I vowed that, unlike our one previous visit, I would make it out to local distilleries, wineries, and breweries…or, at very least, manage to taste some of what’s made around that part of South Central TX. The amazing Real Ales Brewing is about 30 miles northwest and I tasted four of their beers. ALL were exceptional. I also tasted about ten from other local breweries (with thanks to Krause’s Cafe) but they were a) heavily German-styled, and b) nowhere near as finely-crafted as Real Ales.
On the distillery front, however, I hit it dead-center on my first try.
I did some nosing around online and kept seeing the name Yellow Rose Distilling – Houston’s oldest legal distillery – on Best Of lists and ran across a bottle of their Yellow Rose Premium American Whiskey (around $32, Spec’s Liquors, New Braunfels) on the shelf. I bought one and, that evening, and opened it as we sat around on our son’s back porch.
Okay, I know some more tight-assed whiskey snots will sneer at this stuff. They will nibble it to death for all manner of niggling complaints. BUT, because The Pour Fool is not now and never has been aimed at the self-appointed elite, I try to get to what the core Everyman’s tastes are and what tickles those best. And this bottle, my friends, is a dead-solid perfect Everyman’s whiskey.
This is a blended whiskey so that immediately rules out a lot of single-malt purists, to which I can only say, “Thanks, more for the rest of us!” There is a higher percentage of Bourbon in this, so it blows right past the flavor profiles of similar US as Canadian blends. The palate is sweet – corn, barley, wheat, and God Knows what other grains contribute to it – but it slathers the tongue with caramel, roasted nuts, wildflowers, bananas, mild spices, a tough of black peppery tang, and a moderate, civilized burn. The aroma is those nuts, vanilla, burnt sugar, and an exotic note of eucalyptus. It is 40% ABV, newbie-friendly, and as easy to drink as a cold lemonade.
In the past, I’ve tasted about a dozen-ish Texas whiskies. There are names like Balcones, Garrison, Milam & Green, Still Austin, and Iron Root among those. But those were tastes or shots. This was my first chance to sorta live with a Texas whiskey and I was so pleased with it, I brought one back to Tacoma.
I have a ton of exploring to do in the world of Texas whiskies and I make no claim to knowing the culture well. But I can imagine no better whiskey to kindle my interest in knowing more about Texas brown water and the semi-mystical world of Texas Hooch. 93 Points
The Pour Fool 