Culture, Craft, & Charcoal
One of my favorite things to do is pour a new whiskey and fire up my Weber grill. I’m partial to the classic Weber Kettle. Smoking meat on it is a little more hands-on than using a pellet or electric smoker, but that’s part of what I enjoy about it.
Cooking and food, for me, have always been about more than nutrition or sustenance. I remember my Dad teaching me and letting me shadow him as he grilled Sunday dinner. I remember my Ma, on a quintessential summer evening, grilling delicious BBQ chicken legs, answering all my questions and helping us figure out how to time the sides so everything came together. Those memories are part of the reason I still enjoy the process as much as the delicious (hopefully) result.
Changing the charcoal setup. Trying a new rub recipe on a whole chicken. Walking out to the garden to pick fresh herbs. Adding a different wood to the coals to see how it changes the smoke. Teaching someone else something I’ve learned. And, ultimately, sitting down to enjoy the food with some of my favorite people.
That’s also why whiskey feels like such a natural companion to grilling and smoking. There are the obvious connections: char, oak, smoke, spice. But for me, it goes deeper than flavor. There’s an experience in opening a new bottle, reading the label, pouring something I haven’t tasted before, and discovering what’s there. As I’ve gone deeper into the history and production of whiskey, two themes keep coming up: culture and craft.
Both feel familiar standing over a grill. Lately, I’ve been trying different approaches to perfect a smoked whole chicken with an herby rub. Change the charcoal arrangement. Adjust the seasoning. Try a different wood. Add lemon and garlic to the cavity. Pay attention to what works and what doesn’t.
A distiller is doing their own version of that experimentation. Making choices about grain and the mash bill, fermentation, distillation, barrels, aging, blending, and proof, all in pursuit of the experience they ultimately want us to enjoy.
And then the culture…Someone comes over to the grill and asks what I’m doing. We talk about the food. Maybe I explain the setup or why I chose a particular wood. Eventually, we sit down together, eat, pour a drink, and talk. I like to think whiskey has the same spirit around it: education, celebration, curiosity, and enjoyment going beyond the drink itself.
That’s what I experienced last weekend, Weber going and glass in hand:
Redwood Empire Pipe Dream 101 Proof Bourbon Whiskey
Color: Golden
Nose: Sweet, honeysuckle, with a grassy or hay note
Palate: Caramel, candied nuts, a touch of herbs, followed by spice
Finish: Long and peppery
Mash Bill: 73% Corn, 19% Rye, 5% Malted Barley, 3% Wheat
Age: 5-15 years
Proof: 101
Cheers,
