by Yannis Valavanis

After my first exploration of bourbons – if you happen to remember from my previous article – I decided to delve deeper into the product, as my whole experience with the category had sparked my interest. The spirit was willing, but finding available bottles proved somewhat challenging. In the Greek market there aren’t many products in this category beyond the widely known brands, and to be honest it wouldn’t have been wise of me to buy bottles at random without having sufficient information about their contents, other than what I had read online, which was mostly brief and rather superficial.

I started with the well-known method of tasting in bars and restaurants, although this was somewhat difficult due to the limited commercial popularity of Bourbon and Rye in our country. Immediately, a bar–restaurant came to mind that I had visited recently, specializing in smoked meats and similar dishes. Completely spontaneously, I even gave the evening a title in my mind: “Food & Whiskey from the American Frontier.”

As I remembered well from my last visit, the food was excellent – of course by American standards, which means some people will absolutely love it and others may never want to see it again. But every cuisine has its own character, and to avoid making this too long, it was time for the bar.

With the help of the bartender – an essential requirement here – and after the necessary explanations, I ended up drinking Willett Family Estate, Four Years Old, Kentucky Rye Whiskey, 55.6% Alc. Quite a long and descriptive title. No comments, please.

I had set out for bourbon and ended up drinking rye. I got things a bit mixed up, but a little extra grain never hurts – we expand our tasting horizons. Very good and very strong, with many aromas of ginger, caramel, and chocolate, while the rye clearly takes the lead, leaving a powerful finish—as expected. Very spicy and peppery, I would say, but I certainly won’t complain, since I enjoy strong flavors, just as I do with smoked foods.

Since it was a night dedicated to tasting, the appropriate accompaniment was required: a cigar of a new label. Either we conduct our research properly or not at all. The new addition was found on the Habanos shelf: Trinidad Vigía. Because whenever something new appears, it must be tried immediately—you might never see it again. Those in the know will understand. Earthy aromas, an oaky flavor, and a slight spiciness; with a 54 ring gauge (21.43 mm) and 110 mm length, it proved perfectly matched to the intense aromas of the Willett.

I could say that the tasting was an absolute success in every respect – both in terms of exploration and enjoyment. If you manage to obtain these products somehow, as they are quite rare nowadays due to the scarcity of Habanos and the small production of Willett, I would recommend them without hesitation. As for me, I’ve already started researching the whiskey from now on. With Habanos, however, we’re now in the realm of “whatever comes along.”