OFFICIAL NAME:
Dutchess Private Reserve Straight Bourbon Whiskey. Fancy, huh?
WHAT IT IS:
Small-batch bourbon crafted in Dutchess County, New York. It’s cut with natural spring water from the founder’s Rolling Hills Farm in the Hudson Valley, but don’t worry if that sounds a little Martha Stewart-ish—this stuff is 90 proof, y’all!
WHAT IT TASTES LIKE:
It’s got nice notes of vanilla and oak, and stings the tongue at first sip. Think of it as a delicious little bumblebee that makes you forget about all of your worries. Drink it neat or with a cube of ice and enjoy the burn. If we find out you mixed this with Diet Coke, so help us we will hunt you down and sternly wag our finger at you! Seriously, this sauce is glorious straight sipping.
WHAT’S UP WITH THE LABEL:
Here, Poochie! That dog on the label is Copper the foxhound, named after Millbrook’s copper Holstein still. Foxhounds figure prominently into the history of the region. They first stepped paw in the Hudson Valley in the 1650s, brought over from England to help hunters hunt foxes (duh). Later, during Prohibition, they were put to a much nobler task: Bootleggers trained the foxhounds to howl loudly if government agents were approaching a moonshine distillery. They were like your ADT system of yesteryear (if your ADT system is covered in fur and enjoys barking at falling leaves.)
WHERE TO GET IT:
Check millbrookdistillery.com for stores that carry this liquid gold (well, more accurately, liquid brown). It’s $37.50, and worth every damn penny.