Whiskey and golf are a perfect match — particularly single malts, which are as Scottish as the game itself. But a dram of American whiskey is a good way to end a day on the links as well. For those of you who are unfamiliar with golf history, Bobby Jones is something of a legend in the sport. He was an amateur player, considered by some to be the best non-professional ever, who ultimately cofounded the Masters Tournament and achieved a Grand Slam in 1930. He was also known to enjoy his whiskey (three fingers was said to be his pour of choice). As a tribute to this titan of the game, last year Piedmont Distillers introduced The Clover Whiskey, a series of single barrel expressions that can only be found at a curated list of private golf clubs and resorts. A brand-new expression will be released this fall.
The whiskey is sourced from distilleries in Tennessee, Kentucky, and Indiana — presumably MGP and George Dickel are among the main producers. After selecting barrel lots, the whiskey is transported to the Piedmont in North Carolina where it is proofed, chill-filtered, and bottled. Currently, the lineup consists of a 4-year-old single barrel straight bourbon (from Indiana) and a 10-year-old single barrel straight Tennessee bourbon (this whiskey has undergone the Lincoln County process in which the new-made spirit is filtered through charcoal before barreling). This October, The Clover will release its new expression, a 4-year-old single barrel rye whiskey with a “high rye” mash bill (presumably 95% rye distilled at MGP).
The whiskey is tasty, particularly the 10-year-old, which has deep char and caramel notes. But bottles will taste differently depending on which barrel they come from.
The team behind The Clover is trying to make a difference in the world as well. A portion of the proceeds from sales of the whiskey will go to support the Bobby Jones CSF Foundation, an organization dedicated to the spine and brain conditions chiari and syringomyelia.
Since these are single barrel releases, the liquid is somewhat limited and allocated to the various participating golf clubs. But members can submit a form requesting that the whiskey be made available at their home club.
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