Bottled in Bond
Getting to know Logan and Mac Hanes at their Basement Rickhouse
story by Donna Hecker & photography by Talitha Schroeder
The Bottled-in-Bond Act of 1897, championed by US Treasury Secretary George Carlisle and fellow Kentuckians E.H. Taylor and Oscar Pepper, set standards for aged spirits, particularly Kentucky bourbon. Consumers who bought a bottle of whiskey with a bottled-in-bond label knew they were getting the real deal – a pure product, produced in a single distillation season by a single distillery, matured in a US bonded warehouse for a minimum of four years, and bottled at 100 proof.
There’s no substitute for the real deal, as we found out when we met Logan and Mac Hanes. Or for the way they’re creating a community of bourbon lovers who bond over bottles with each tasting in their Frankfort, Ky. Basement Rickhouse. Or how they schooled Vanilla Ice on the Kentucky Chew.
Basement Rickhouse is the congenial setting for Mac and Logan’s whiskey experiences. Logan put his construction skills to good use outfitting the couple’s spacious home basement with a rickhouse replica on one wall and a gorgeous bar stocked with dozens of bourbons and a growing collection of rye.
We had stopped by to drop off one of Chef Ouita’s Bourbon Palate Tasting Kits and to quiz them on their favorite ways to drink bourbon. Which are – neat, with a drop or splash of water, on the rocks, and in a cocktail, all in no particular order. As Logan explained, “Each variation adds something to the bourbon.”
We talked about flavor components and foods to pair with bourbon. When Mac and Logan set up a tasting, they try to incorporate different flavors each time. Mac says they’ll include some smoky flavors, like a friend’s smoked party mix, dried fruit, something citrusy. “Some people have never tried citrus with bourbon. It’s a completely different experience for them.”
“Sometimes we’re looking for things that will complement the bourbon and sometimes we’ll get things that are so different that it makes the flavors stand out more.”
Logan jokes, “I think the most common thing we pair it with is a cigar. A glass of water and a cigar on the back porch.”
Of course we had to ask what their dream bourbon dinner would be. A classic old-fashioned to start, followed by a steak, because Mac likes how the sweetness of an old-fashioned “just goes really well before the meat.” They’d drink a glass of something neat with the steak, which Logan would cook on his Big Green Egg for a touch of smoke.
The one thing you won’t find at the Basement Rickhouse is anyone telling you what to taste or what to think about what you’re tasting. As Logan says, “That’s one of the things that makes us unique. We don’t want to put words in your mouth and we absolutely don’t want to put flavors in your mouth.”
“When we set up tastings, we present different options. Our model is the blind tasting. It’s where the hype train goes to die. We love to change minds. Our goal is to get rid of the preconceived notions, positive or negative. Especially the negative. If they tell us they don’t like a particular bourbon or flavor, then we’ll make sure to include that in our blind tasting.”
Mac chimed in, “When someone tells us, ‘I don’t like bourbon’, our answer is to make them a cocktail.” They both derive the greatest joy by helping folks find their own way through a tasting.
“It’s really fun when we’re having events and somebody, who’s usually sitting in a corner by themselves, gets brave enough to start telling us what they’re tasting. Then the next person will say, ‘well, I got this’ and it goes around the room like that, and we tell the group that yes, you can get all of those different flavors out of the same drink.”
Logan was especially touched by the recent experience of a veteran with severe PTSD. “He came up to us after one of our tasting events and told us how (previously) he couldn’t even talk to people. But being involved in the bourbon community gave him the confidence to be able to approach life again. We felt very honored.”
“It’s an experience for a reason and the community makes it. In the beginning, bourbon was what farmers made with their extra corn. You don’t harvest alone and you don’t usually distill alone. So it’s always been a community thing. It’s what people come together to do and hopefully you’re not drinking it alone.”
Then there was the time an insurance company approached the couple with an invitation to its upcoming conference. Logan’s response was “well, we’ve got insurance but that’s pretty much the extent of our insurance knowledge.”
“No, no, they said. ‘We’ve got Rob Van Winkle coming down.’ And in my mind, I’m thinking, okay I know Julian Van Winkle but who’s Rob? Is that a cousin? But they’re like, ‘oh no, you probably know him as Vanilla Ice. We want you to do a tasting of Van Winkle with Van Winkle.’”
So that’s how they found themselves, at an insurance conference in North Carolina, filling Glencairn glasses (and a few Solo cups) with 20-year-old Pappy Van Winkle. And catching Vanilla Ice before he knocked his back by telling him he first had to do the Kentucky Chew.
For the uninitiated, as we were, here’s how to master the Kentucky Chew according to Mac and Logan –
Pour an ounce of bourbon into a Glencairn or other tapered glass.
Swirl the bourbon around in the glass to introduce a bit of oxygen.
Without actually touching the liquid, put your nose into the glass as far as you can.
Sniff deeply while breathing in through your mouth; this one takes a little practice but it gets the aroma all the way back into your olfactory senses and gives you a preview of what you’ll taste.
Now take a small sip and swirl it around your mouth to coat your palate and prime it for the tasting sip, which will be next.
Take a second sip, swirl it around (almost like you’re gargling) and think about what you’re tasting in different parts of your mouth.
Swallow and repeat.
Mac and Logan advise adding a drop or two of water; then an ice cube; and observing how each addition changes the tasting experience. And remember that all kinds of factors will influence your impressions — from how well-hydrated you are, to the kind of day you had, to what kind of mood you’re in, and of course the company you’re with.
Now that you’re equipped with the Kentucky Chew, and maybe one of Chef Ouita’s Bourbon Palate Tasting Kits too, we hope you’ll gather a few friends around and bond over a bottle with your own bourbon community. Because, as Logan and Mac’s Basement Rickhouse motto proclaims, “It’s not about what you’re drinking … it’s about who you’re drinking it with.”
Related Content
Pork Tendy & Boozy Apples
When Chef Ouita Michel and Events Chef Scott Darnell took to the culinary stage at the Kentucky Bourbon Festival in Bardstown, they cooked this deliciously seasonal main course using Kentucky’s native spirit. It features locally-raised pork from Patrick Kennedy’s Stone Cross Farm and apples from Stepping Stone Farm, which recently took over Reed Valley Orchard. And of course, plenty of Kentucky bourbon!
We’ve broken the four part recipe down into easy steps. Shop your local farmers market for pork and visit an area orchard for fall cooking apples.
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