PRODUCT: Drinking With The Hatfields & The McCoys
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From our tween years, we remember the expression “feuding like the Hatfields and the McCoys” (not that we were personally involved in an epic feud).
The hostilities between two clans living in the Appalachian Mountains began in 1865, with a murder. The feud and mayhem continued for decades. There was a miniseries on the History Channel in 2012, and you can review the whole sorry mess on History.com. Whether truth or marketing, The Legendary Hatfield & McCoy Whiskey claims to be made by descendants of those Hatfields and McCoys. It extends the tale with news that the two clans have finally put aside their differences, and have created a new whiskey “rooted in old family recipes, pride of name, and Appalachian tradition.” We received a bottle as a Valentine gift, along with the recipe for a special cocktail (recipe below). Bottled in South Carolina, its an American whiskey, for starters. American whiskeys include Bourbon, corn whiskey, rye and Tennessee Whiskey. Bourbon and Tennessee whiskies are distinguished in flavor from other types of American whiskey, largely because the grain mash used to make them must contain more than 50% corn. By law, all American whiskeys except corn whiskey must be aged in new casks that have been charred on the inside. The 80-proof whiskey is made from a proprietary blend of “corn, barley, malt, special strains of yeast, [and] infused natural flavors.” By comparison: |
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WHAT DOES IT TASTE LIKE? If you’re accustomed to analyzing the flavor components of wine or spirits, you may notice flavor nuances that are not uncommon in other whiskeys: At this price, this is not so much a connoisseur whiskey as a novel spirit for entertaining and gifting. We’d especially give it to someone with whom we’re having a major disagreement (and who has a sense of whimsy). Discover more at LegendaryHatfieldAndMcCoy.com. And consider it for Father’s Day gifts. |
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RECIPE: FULL SNEAK FROM THE LEGENDARY HATFIELD & McCOY BRAND WHISKEY
While no one drinks a photo, this one, with its red ribbon of Port, encouraged us to make a Valentine cocktail. On the opposite end of the spectrum, it also works for Halloween, for a Dracula-themed cocktail. You may be asking, “What’s a full sneak?” We had no idea, and headed straight to our browser. It’s a taxidermist’s pose often used for the trophy head of a buck deer (big antlers!). Perhaps the Hatfields and the McCoys had their share of impressively antlered buck heads? Ingredients Per Drink |
 The Full Sneak cocktail. Photo courtesy The Legendary Hatfield & McCoy Whiskey. |
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Preparation 1. STIR the first three ingredients together over ice. Strain into a tall Collins glass and top with ginger ale. 2. FLOAT the ruby Port on top and garnish with fresh mint or a lemon slice. Whisky is the Scottish spelling of whiskey, a term that originated in Ireland. The alternative spelling was chosen to differentiate the Scots’ national product from Irish whiskey. The “whisky” spelling is used in Canada, Japan and Wales, as well as Scotland. In the U.S., a 1968 directive from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms specifies “whisky” as the official U.S. spelling. However, it allows the alternative spelling, “whiskey.” Most U.S. producers prefer to include the “e,” as do we. Without it, it looks like something is missing. Ironically, distillation was discovered in the 8th century in Persia—a country that has not permitted the sale and consumption of spirits since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Here’s a brief history of whiskey. |
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