rye

St. Elmo Steak House is Indianapolis classic

St. Elmo Steak House is Indianapolis classic

Posted on by Pat and David
St. Elmo Steak House (127 South Illinois Street, Indianapolis, Indiana; 317-635-0636; stelmos.com) sits in downtown Indianapolis, Indiana, near Lucas Oil Stadium. It's the snazziest America's Classic that we've encountered. “Famous Since 1902,” the dining room turned out to be a bit more formal, fancy, and (frankly) expensive, than we were bargaining for. Fortunately, St. Elmo also boasts a “Chicago saloon-style” bar, built around an actual wooden bar made by the Brunswick family of bowling alley fame for the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago. There are a few tables in the bar area, but grabbed a couple of barstools to watch the action while we ate and drank. St. Elmo's was busy enough to be lively, but not so busy that the bartenders didn't have...Read More
Evan Williams stakes claim to bourbon history

Evan Williams stakes claim to bourbon history

Posted on by Pat and David
When Heaven Hill Distillery opened the Evan Williams Bourbon Experience (528 West Main St., Louisville, 502-272-2611, evanwilliams.com/visit.php) in 2013, it marked the first new bourbon distillery in downtown Louisville since the late 19th century. The brand is named for the man said to be Kentucky's first licensed commercial distiller, Evan Williams. Some folks dispute that, pointing to Elijah Craig. What is known is that Williams erected a still on a spot across Main Street in 1783 and began making corn whiskey that he shipped downriver in oak barrels. Other distillers soon followed suit and by 1800 the street was known as Whiskey Row. Everyone on the street was making, selling, or shipping bourbon. The Evan Williams Bourbon Experience is a delightful blend of low-tech history...Read More
WhistlePig launches Farmstock Rye (and it’s good)

WhistlePig launches Farmstock Rye (and it’s good)

Posted on by David
As a Kentucky-born grandson of a contract whiskey distiller, my allegiance to bourbon as a spirit of choice is practically genetic. But the older I get, the more I'm inclined toward the drier, spicier sensations of good rye for a serious, contemplative tipple. And I've had to become less of a Kentucky chauvinist ever since master distiller Dave Pickerell (above) and founder Raj Peter Bhakta started releasing aged ryes from WhistlePig (whistlepigwhiskey.com) in Vermont. The distillery has 10, 12, 14, and 15 year old whiskeys in release. Those are all made from stock rye spirit that WhistlePig buys from Canada and Indiana. That's how a new distillery was able to bring whiskey to market even before they built their first copper still in 2015. Their...Read More