Cleveland Underground Sugar Maple
Back in 2009, navy veteran Tom Lix started experimenting with whiskey. But not in the traditional sense. Cleveland Whiskey seeks to push the envelope about what is possible with whiskey, from how it is produced and aged to the regular taste profiles generally expected in the industry. The Underground series is the distilleries main line, each offering ages in traditional barrels for about six months before going through a proprietary process involving pressure extractions and differing wood combinations using more exotic woods rarely seen as finishing elements. The Cleveland Underground Super Maple is a bourbon finished with sugar maple wood using this transformative method.
Glenmorangie The Tale of Cake
Glenmorangie has undergone a quiet expansion in branding over recent years. Eschewing the dark wood tones and lofty Highland landscape photos plastered over the marketing boxes, websites and social media of other distilleries, Glenmorangie infused newer releases with bold color palates and creative stories. This is an unashamed move to appeal to segments of the population who might not have considered single malt scotch beforehand or who considered the drink too stuffy, infusing it with a sense of fun and whimsy. The Tale of Cake is the brainchild of Dr. Bill Lumsden, Director of Distilling for Glenmorangie and Ardbeg, and is meant to evoke a “cake moment”, or rather the sense of joy and savoriness he associated with cake at various point in his life. The ex-Tokaji casks this limited edition is finished in are a Hungarian dessert wine.
Balcones Single Malt Reserve 101
Balcones made the world take notice when their single malt began winning blind tastings against more established whiskies from Scotland and Ireland, along with a bevy of competitive gold medals beginning in 2011 and not looking back. They are continually listed near the top of American whiskies in various publications and have an array of core range offerings along with more limited experiments. The Balcones Single Malt Reserve 101 is a single cask of their “1” Texas Single Malt, specifically bought by Houston whiskey bar Reserve 101. Sourced from an early relationship with Balcones co-founder, Chip Tate, this malt is not on their regular menu. Even if you do get a chance to try it, there is no guarantee the staff will tell you where the only liquor store in the city is where you can buy a bottle. We’ve been sworn to secrecy for this barrel (though feel free to visit Reserve 101 and cozy up to the bartenders to see if they’ll spill the details), but encourage everyone to seek out a single cask expression.