America’s next top bottle

Photograph:Shani Baron

Historically, New York bargoers have viewed American whiskey as a cheap way to get drunk. A rough-and-tumble liquor reserved for trashy rock & rollers and rueful country tunes—something you shoot, not sip. City drinkers have been too preoccupied with “flavored vodkas, Cosmopolitans and Scotch,” according to Tonya “LeNell” Smothers, owner of LeNell’s Wine & Spirit Boutique in Red Hook, to bother with the homegrown product.

But as local, regional and artisanal American foods have caught on (witness the barbecue explosion), a serious interest in native whiskey has followed. To wit, a rash of new bars and restaurants focusing on American hard stuff—like ’cue havens Fette Sau and Hill Country, plus old-timey parlors including the Jake Walk, Dram Shop and Clover Club—have opened around the city.

Whiskey is a blanket term for a spirit distilled from fermented grain mash and aged in wooden barrels. The best-known type of American whiskey is bourbon, which by law must be distilled from at least 51 percent corn and held in new, charred containers for two years or more. Then there’s Tennessee whiskey—essentially bourbon that’s been filtered through charcoal—as well as corn, wheat, and rye whiskeys, each with its own set of distilling regulations.

Many bartenders will testify that New York’s taste for American whiskey has increased dramatically. Last January, Dram Shop opened in Park Slope, offering more than 20 American small-batch and specialty whiskeys. Co-owner Clay Mallow says he’ll be expanding Dram’s American whiskey list in the coming months, mostly because it’s unexpectedly outselling Scotch. “We were surprised,” says Mallow. “American whiskey has really caught on.” Similarly, since opening in 2005, the American selection at South Slope’s Bar BQ has doubled to more than 40 tipples to meet customer demand.

The obvious parallel to whiskey’s rise is the city’s thriving locavore movement. Joe Carroll, who opened Williamsburg barbecue joint Fette Sau in March 2007, says that interest in U.S. whiskey “really began to take hold over the last five to eight years, as people became eager to get in touch with our own history and indigenous products.” As a result, “American whiskey was extremely important to our concept from Day One.” The bar houses well over 50 varieties—including a handful of old and rare vintages that he finds at auctions.

The quality-to-cost ratio also plays a role. In March, the team behind the Smith & Vine wineshop opened the Jake Walk in Carroll Gardens, where co-owner and bartender Ari Form stocks his bar with 25 bourbons, 11 ryes and a handful of “Others” (e.g., corn and wheat varieties), many of which go for $10 a glass or under. “More American whiskey is being made that is actually well crafted,” Form explains. “It’s a world-class beverage.” Dram Shop’s Mallow adds, “You can get a great glass of bourbon for far cheaper than a great glass of Scotch.”

But cost isn’t everything. Master mixologist and Imbibe! author David Wondrich thinks that while whiskey’s popularity may in part be due to its affordable price tag, “American whiskeys—especially rye—can definitely achieve the flavor complexities of Scotch, and much of the market is moving toward boutique specialty varieties.”

As with anything that’s in fashion, spirit trends tend to cycle. “There’s a pendulum swing every so many years from brown to clear liquor,” says Smothers. Wondrich agrees, “American whiskey is in at the moment; it’s the ‘antivodka.’” But he feels the amber spirit has too much going for it to lay its popularity on a passing fad—it can be a true examplar of American artisanal traditions, with enough character to please even the most exacting sippers. New Yorkers have discovered local produce and Texas brisket—they’ve now embraced the nation’s booze heritage, too.