Maybe you caught our previous coverage of Wolves Whiskey here on The Manual. We’ve had the chance before to sit down with Eduardo Gonzalez, the Operations Manager of Wolves Whiskey, and learn a little more about the brand and its unique distilling process. We couldn’t get enough, so we brought him back for more. Only, this time, we’re doing things a little differently. Instead of sharing a traditional interview, both Gonzalez and resident conversationalist Dan Gaul have teamed up to make and enjoy some delicious cocktails.
In true “let’s go” fashion, Gonzalez starts by sharing one of the best moments from that interview. “One of my favorite parts of the conversation is what we like to drink. Being in the spirits industry, your favorite cocktail, you kind of go through phases. But the longest-running phase for me has always been the Boulevardier,” he says.
That’s exactly what we’ll be mixing today, so let’s get this party started.
Boulevardier Recipe:
This is your classic cocktail recipe with three ingredients: Campari, Vermouth, and your base spirit. Today, we’re subbing out the rye whiskey for the Five-Year American Single Malt from Wolves Whiskey.
“Moving forward, American single malt I think is gonna have a lot of opportunity for growth.”
If you want to check it out for yourself we have the recipe:
If you watch the interview, you’ll see Gonzalez and Gaul mixing away. Slightly unrelated, but isn’t it amazing how something like this is possible in this day and age? Two drink enthusiasts mixing cocktails, hundreds of miles away from each other, in real-time, having an excellent conversation. And it’s all made possible by modern streaming technologies.
Anyway, back to the strong beverages.
Tasting the Boulevardier
After mixing, the two exchange a welcome “cheers” and take their first sip. Gonzalez explains how the cocktail affects his senses before diving in, particularly his scent.
“On the nose, you pick up kinda that sweet vermouth upfront, then a nice velvety texture up there — bitterness behind that. I still get that pop of cognac in there from that subtle influence of cognac in the whiskey. It adds a level of complexity to the cocktail,” he says.
“This just felt like home.”
Gaul furthers that by pointing out some unique flavors he recognizes: “You know, I’ve had a few Boulevardiers since we last talked and this one has a different flavor to me. I think it’s because of the Wolves Whiskey here. Almost a nuttiness on the back end for me.”
Gonzalez agrees: “Yeah, a little nuttiness and I get little pops of almost chocolate in there.” He explains everyone will be able to pick up more subtle notes if they try a neat pour of the whiskey.
“We bottled it at 96 proof, and the flavors are just there,” he says. “You get that pop of cognac, that bright fruit from the cabernet barrels, and then you still retain that maltiness characteristic and spice on the mid-palate. That really gives it a beautiful roundness and can hold up very well in a cocktail.”
It’s a sophisticated repertoire of back and forth as the two continue to taste and wallow in the flavors of the cocktail. What about you dear reader? Are you also giving it a try?
Gaul describes it as “soft,” while tasty, and “subtle” without that added burn you normally get from strong liquors and whiskeys. “It’s actually very, very beautiful.”
Sounds good, but how much is it going to cost me?
Starting at around $90 per bottle, the Wolves Whiskey American single malt is a great choice, whether drinking neat or mixing a new-age cocktail.
“It’s definitely at a price point where we want to show the brand to a new group of drinkers and introduce them to what the brand is,” Gonzalez says. “What’s very important when we were coming up with the idea to release this whiskey is still retaining that quality that Wolves is known for. So, as we sourced and tasted barrels from all over the country; it was very important for me to identify barrels that were held up to that standard.”
Bringing the recipe home
Gonzalez explains that during his trials and tastings, trying to find barrels for this particular blend, he discovered many candidates that weren’t up to par.
“I’ve tasted barrels from all over the country and not a lot of them held up to what I thought would be perfect in this bottle. Until we found these barrels in Arizona. It’s a library collection, great age on it. Finding any barrels available with any age in this American single malt category is extremely difficult. Newer category but very exciting and that’s why we wanted to hone in [on it],” he says.
“I love bourbon and I love rye, but [they will always taste like what they are].”
When they finally got it right, he explains, “This just felt like home.”
“Moving forward, American single malt I think is gonna have a lot of opportunity for growth,” he says. “A couple of things I personally love about American single malt is you can age your whiskey in any type of barrel. So, within bourbon and rye, you have a little more restrictions limited to that new American oak, which is fantastic and I love bourbon and I love rye, but [they will always taste like what they are].”
Gonzalez believes, in comparison, that American single malt has more legs for growth and innovation. “American single malt has a little more ability to age, for five years in a California cabernet cask, for example,” he says. “So, you get that pop of red fruit and spiciness from the French oak. And then with that addition of the cognac component on the finishing [it’s] an absolutely beautiful cocktail.”
Be sure to give the full interview a watch and pour yourself a glass or two while you’re at it.
