Sips & Sites & Bites

Foley Family Wines recently announced the return of Charles Goodnight Bourbon, a Texas-made whiskey crafted in memory of the Lone Star state legend.

Charles Goodnight Bourbon is distilled and aged in Texas, and is bringing the heat with a higher proof and a bold, new bottle design. 

It first appeared in 2017 as a 100-proof Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey, now Charles Goodnight returns as an homage to its namesake, a legendary Texas cattle driver and the inventor of the chuckwagon in the 1800s.

For this bourbon, the team created a high-rye whiskey with deep oak, rich dark fruit, and brown sugar flavors that’s meant to pair perfectly with a steak.

“I take great pride in the fact that my great, great uncle was legendary cattleman and Texan, Charles Goodnight,” said Bill Foley, a relative of Charles Goodnight, the founder of Foley Family Wines, as well as a Texas native. “Pulling barrels from my commissioned private stock has given me inspiration to craft a true Texas whiskey that pairs as perfectly with a well-prepared steak as a bold Napa Cab does.”

Charles Goodnight Texas Bourbon is a six-year-old, non-chill filtered whiskey that clocks in at 115 proof. The barrel-strength, high-rye bourbon has a mash bill of 60% Texas-grown yellow #2 corn, 36% unmalted rye and 4% barley. It’s triple distilled in a copper-lined Vendome pot still, with no column still distillate. 

As this is a true Texas-distilled and aged whiskey, the state’s severe climate ages whiskey well beyond the label’s age statement, as the hot, dry temperatures in the rickhouse cause the liquid to rapidly expand into the #3 charred wood. 

The distiller finds that this imparts much more of the barrel’s deep oaky, caramel flavors that enhance a spicy, high-rye bourbon.

The distiller’s notes show that on the nose, the bourbon has aromas of apricots, peaches, and nectarines, giving way to toasty oak notes of caramel, brown sugar, sweet vanilla, and a hint of dark chocolate. 

The palate is viscous, and its creamy texture dries out revealing caramel and honey sweetness, cream soda, toasted nuts, dark chocolate, and baking spices. It finishes medium-long, with a taste of toasted hazelnuts and a touch of honey sweetness.

Mixologist Natalie Bovis created a cocktail with this bourbon, called The Smoke ‘Em If You’ve Got ‘Em. It’s made with:

• 1.5 ounces Charles Goodnight Bourbon

• .75 ounce Ancho Reyes liqueur

• .5 ounce lime juice

• .5 ounce amaro

Garnish with a sage leaf.

Pour all ingredients into cocktail shaker, add ice. Set fire to a sprig of sage and hold the glass upside down over it to capture the smoke. Shake the cocktail and strain into a martini glass. Pin leaves to rim of glass as garnish.

The whiskey maker noted that this new bottle was inspired by some of the earliest whiskeys in the country, dating back to between 1763 and 1803. The bottle’s brown glass is offset by the longhorn medallion and barbed wire blown into the glass.

For more information, check out http://www.goodnightwhiskey.com and on Instagram @c.goodnightwhiskey.