5 things to know about Doc Porter’s new bourbon (including how to get some)
Doc Porter’s, the Charlotte start-up distillery located on the lower side of South End, is now celebrating the release of its first bourbon since it opened its doors in fall 2015.
Co-owners Andrew Porter, 29, and Liz Porter, 35, named the grain-to-glass distillery, which has already released a popular vodka and gin, after Andrew’s late grandfather. All of the bourbon components (wheat, corn, and malted barley) in the new release are milled, mashed, fermented and distilled in house.
Sip Charlotte spoke with Andrew Porter, also the head distiller, about what to expect from the newest offering, how to get your hands on some, and what his drinks of choice are for each of Doc Porter’s signature liquors. Here are five things to know:
1. Like Doc Porter’s vodka and gin, the distillery’s high-wheat bourbon is made with local ingredients (60 percent corn, 30 percent wheat, 10 percent malted barley). The source: Jamie Austin Farm in Monroe, run by Jamie Austin. A friend of a friend connected them, Porter says, and now the farm supplies the corn and wheat used in all of Doc Porter’s spirits.”We go through 4,000 to 6,000 pounds of grain a month,” Porter says.
2. The bourbon is aged in a 15-gallon, charred American oak barrel. The small-batch barrels mature faster (within about nine months to a year) than than spirits made at larger distilleries, which often take up to four years. That’s because they use larger industry-standard barrels—usually holding 53 gallons—which means the spirits have less direct contact with the oak.
5. Andrew Porter’s favorite drinks with Doc Porter’s spirits are…: “I end up drinking a lot of spirits straight, constantly analyzing, ” Porter says. But if he does opt for a cocktail with vodka from the distillery, he opts for a good vodka martini with blue-cheese-stuffed olives. With Doc Porter’s gin—which has a lot of citrus flavor—he likes the standard gin and tonic.
As for the distillery’s new bourbon, Porter says you can’t go wrong with a classic Old Fashioned or a Boulevardier—a cocktail similar to a Negroni but with bourbon instead of gin, alongside sweet vermouth, and campari. Serve with a twist of orange peel.
Photos: All product shots by Remy Thurston. Couple shot by Justin Driscoll.
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This story was originally published October 28, 2016 at 1:34 AM with the headline "5 things to know about Doc Porter’s new bourbon (including how to get some)."