Picaroon Single Barrel Rum from Blackwater Distilling™

Heading to or from the Delmarva beaches leads to the Bay Bridge, Kent Island, and a chance to taste and tour Maryland's oldest post-prohibition distillery: Blackwater Distilling™. They were founded in 2008 and gained traction with their Sloop Betty Handcrafted Wheat Vodka - a vodka labeled "Produced and Bottled by Blackwater Distilling” since they don't actually distill the vodka or the cane sugar (Cachaça) used in this unique blend. 

On the other hand, their Picaroon Maryland Rum is labeled with "Distilled and Bottled by Blackwater Distilling" since the rum is distilled entirely onsite using raw cane sugar based on the French Caribbean tradition. And the cane juice is fermented using a yeast strain that was isolated during a natural sugar cane fermentation in the island of Martinique and at temperatures present on that island.  

Blackwater traditionally releases three versions of this Picaroon Maryland Rum, a White, Gold, and Dark. Interestingly, the Gold is colored using caramel made in-house (the distillery is a stickler for quality).  The Dark is a barrel-aged Picaroon Rum, which has been stored in new, 53-gallon, charred, American oak barrels. During bottling the rum is mellowed by blending in some of the un-aged Picaroon White Rum. 

More recently, the distillery has released a new member to the family -- the Picaroon Single Barrel Rum. As its name implies, all bottles in the series come from a single barrel and each batch is one-of-a-kind, labeled with handwritten barrel and bottle numbers.  I purchased a bottle and am baffled with each sip. Don't misunderstand. It's very good, but the complexity reminds me more of a soft whiskey with a hint of cane sugar sweetness.  The 50% abv is tempered somewhat by cinnamon and other baking spices and overall, a very intriguing rum.

Landing Craft Beer in Lewes Delaware

For a couple years now a neighbor has been bringing home and sharing delicious sour beer from his weekend visits to Lewes, Delaware. Eventually, I found time to see where these beers call home during a weekend at the beach.  In 2018, Big Oyster Brewery was named the Brewers Association's Second Fastest Growing Brewery and their beer is available throughout the Delmarva peninsula and as far north as Allenton and west to D.C. I arrived at the Big Red Barn after the lunch crowd and had a quiet seating to revisit sours such as the Black Lips Blackberry Sour Ale and the Donut Kill My Vibe - Blueberry Lemon kettle sour. Both delicious beers. So was the "Gobsmakced" Hazelnut Porter which is a dry English porter with just subtle hazelnut intermixed with the expected porter flavors. However, my favorite beer was the simplest. The German styled Public Pilsner is a light yet flavorful bready pils where a growler goes well with bing watching college football on a Saturday afternoon.

Crooked Hammock Brewery is located less than a mile down the road which makes a beer tour very convenient.  They have also expanded into Middletown, Delaware and North Myrtle Beach providing easy access to Route 301 commuters and Coastal Carolina visitors. In Lewes, expect a large restaurant, possible live music (finally), and plenty of beer.  I went through a double flight of four and recommend the Lift Ticket Golden Stout for something very interesting (pleasantly less sweet than expected) and the Pass the Sauce Apple Cranberry Cobbler Sour.  Thanksgiving in a beer.  The "5" Hazy DIPA is solid and only 8% abv whereas the everyday beer - particularly during a gold outing - is the Four Tires, Two Friends, and a Radio American Lager.  Grab a six-pack of this beer. 

If you want to add a distillery and winery to your trip, Beach Time Distilling and Nassau Valley Vineyards are nearby, just check their hours before you visit. theCompass Craft Beverage Finder has directions and their contact information. Cheers.

Hiking with #theCompassCBF in Maryland's Catoctin Mountains

Cunningham Falls State Park and Catoctin Mountain Park are neighboring state and national parks located in the Catoctin Mountains in Thurmont, Maryland.  They are physically separated by Route 77 and offer trails ranging from easy to challenging with the moderate CMP Wolf Rock and Chimney Trail and the easy CFSP Cunningham Falls Lower Trail the most popular.  Last week we hiked the 3.4 mile Wolf Rock and Chimney Trail and added 1.4 miles by including the Thurmont Vista. Next time we will embark on the Catoctin Mountain Extended Loop Trail that includes all three of these overlooks plus the CFSP Cunningham Falls Lower Trail. And another beauty of these parks is that several wineries have sprung up near their borders. Travel northwest and you arrive at Red Heifer Winery. Head just north of Thurmont to Catoctin Breeze Vineyards. Or drive a little southeast to Links Bridge Vineyards. 

Red Heifer Winery is a 56-acre estate situated at 1,500 feet, an elevation where the grapes are allowed to cool after the hot summer day. The winery had previously been a peach and apple orchard farmed by the current owner's grandparents and the first vines were planted in 2010. These vines are a diverse set of vinifera, hybrids, and a couple native labrusca. Last year I had tasted several of their wines, remembering their 2017 Winemaker's Reserve Cabernet Franc and dry 2017 Vidal Blanc in particular. On this visit, I simply picked up a bottle of their estate-grown 2017 Blaufrankish ($28) -- because it's a Blaufrankish.  The winery has a nice winter covid set-up with bubbles and firepits. However, only 21 and up hikers permitted.

I had to stop by Catoctin Breeze Vineyards for a wine club pickup which featured, once again, a dry Vidal - this time the 2019 Intermezzo Vidal Blanc ($24).  The other wines were the 2018 Concerto Bordeaux Blend ($45) and the 2018 Opera Merlot ($36).  These last two reds wines salvaged from the horrible rainy 2018 growing season where the winery had to drop all of their Syrah and most of their Cabernet Franc.  Catoctin Breeze is a great spot to just hang out with weekend live music, food trucks, and usually an abundant portfolio of wine. 

Another spot to hangout, particularly on their patio on the Monocacy River is Links Bridge Vineyards. These long-time growers usually for Old Westminster Winery moved into the winemaking space a few years ago and are known for fantastic estate-grown Cabernet Franc. On this first time visit, we sat at a table next to a fire pit and enjoyed a fall tasting flight. The 2016 Cabernet Franc Bin 10 ($28) is made from grapes grown on their Riverside Vineyard where the oak doesn't overwhelm the fruit. Once again a dry Vidal was available - this time the 2016 Dry Vidal ($18) which is a good example of how Maryland winemakers are able to coax plenty of flavor and acidity from complete fermentation. The 2019 Chardonnay ($25) was also a solid wine, composed of grapes from both the Hillside and Riverside vineyards and with a fruit-forward and fresh profile.  Can't wait to return in the spring for some fishing and wine. 

Grape Spotlight: Somló Juhfark

Courtesy of Kolonics Pinceszet

At 507 hectares, Somló is Hungary's second smallest wine region with Tihany being the smallest. Somló is basically a single hill that was an active volcano millions of years ago when the Pannonian Sea covered what is now central Europe. Today the hill is populated by multi-generational small family farms that were not confiscated during communism. Collectivized and socialist agriculture never gained a foothold in Somló thanks to its small size and the hill's steep slopes. These were inaccessible to machines and large-scale agricultural methods.

Many of these small farms are vineyards planted in the rich volcanic black basalt soil that helps winemakers create minerally driven wines. The soil also helps warm the grapes during chillier days by absorbing heat and then radiating it back towards the vines. Juhfark, in particular, requires this warming because it's thin skins are prone to rot and are very sensitive to frost. It also needs plenty of sunshine to fully ripen which tends to occur on the south-facing slope. For these reasons, Jufark is the "iconic variety-of-choice" for local winemakers.  Its name translates to "sheep's tail", "juh" translating to sheep and "fark" to tail and describes the shape of the dangling grape clusters. 

The origins of Juhfark are unclear. Some believe it was conceived on this hill. Others believe Styria, in neighboring Austria, is its homeland.  Regardless, Somló Juhfark is known for being elegant, balanced, and full-bodied. One such wine is the 2018 Kolonics Winery Somló "Nimrod" Juhfark ($25) available from Taste Hungary. The grapes come from southeastern facing vines that were aged in the 1,060 liter "Nimrod" barrel made from new Hungarian oak. Winemaker Karoly Kolonics names his wine after the barrel in which they aged. This Juhfark reminds me of Fall, a little rustic; with some stone fruit and apple notes, minerals, and smoke; and lifted slightly by a fresh finish. The wine also has plenty of depth and soaking on its skins for 6-12 hours after pressing and from oak fermentation.