out “Beyond seeing the entire distilling process, we had the chance to walk through the steps of how they actually make their barrels, including the intricate toasting and storage process,” McLaughlin says, noting that there was also a lot of tasting to find a flavor profile to fit their needs. The resulting product, which debuted at Bourbon Steak this spring, has been so popular that they are even using it to season their hand-rolled cigars and in a newly created menu of high-end craft cocktails. www.scottsdaleprincess.com.
Proof at the Four Seasons Resort Scottsdale at Troon North
BARRELING THROUGH
Three places creating a stir with privately bottled spirits BY ALISON BAILIN BATZ
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ith more than 70 major hotels and resorts in the greater Scottsdale area, many of them boasting award-winning restaurants, bars and lounges that cater to the chic neighborhood clientele just as often as they do to overnight guests, how does one set itself apart? “By giving our guests an experience – or series of experiences – that they can’t get anywhere else,” says Andrew McLaughlin, general manager of Bourbon Steak at Fairmont Scottsdale Princess. “But if you would have told us 10 years
As an early adopter of the custom barrel concept, Proof first partnered with Buffalo Trace two years ago on a private bottling of their bourbon. “After a couple years with Buffalo Trace, we wanted to offer our return guests and locals a little change in taste. Enter a custom barrel of Russell’s Reserve Bourbon,” says Shaun Adams, the resort’s sommelier. “This bourbon offers more spice and less caramel than the Buffalo Trace, while still being smooth and oaky.” www.fourseasons.com/scottsdale. ago that we would find an experience like that at the bottom of a barrel, we might have thought you were nuts.” Alas, that sentiment rings true. Today, several of the Valley’s hottest resorts are sending their teams on cross-country adventures seeking high-end spirits, often aged in barrels like wine, to bring back for their exclusive use. Here’s a look at three resorts leading the trend.
Bourbon Steak at the Fairmont Scottsdale Princess “When we heard that Tom Bulleit, who famously resurrected his great, great, great grandfather’s recipes in 1987, might be open to working on an exclusive barrel partnership, our resort beverage manager Matt Doerr and I immediately flew to Louisville, Kentucky, home of Bulleit’s Stitzel-Weller Distillery,” McLaughlin says. Their mission: Become the first venue in the country to have a private bottling of the Bulleit 10-Year Bourbon. SO SCOTTSDALE! |
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Westin Kierland Resort & Spa “There is only one place to get Tequila – Mexico,” says Matt Allen, beverage specialist at the Westin Kierland Resort & Spa. “So across the border we went to Jalisco, where they make Casa Herradura, the only all-natural tequila in the world.” Distilled not once, but twice, to preserve only the best of the alcohol, the tequila is aged, much like the bourbon, in new oak barrels for taste, color and smoothness. In 2015, Allen’s team selected its own barrel of Casa Herradura Double Barrel Reposado once it was tasted, approved and authenticated by the master distiller. “We can’t decide how guests prefer it – in one of our craft cocktails, our margaritas or on its own with a lime,” Allen says. “It’s going too fast. We are due for another trip down south soon!” www.kierlandresort.com.
| JUNE 2016
5/25/16 2:56 PM