[Whiskey Decision] Hazmat Whiskey: Not for the Faint of Heart ⚠

No, your spicy tolerance hasn’t improved. It's been revealed that for the past few decades, jalapeño producers have been deliberately breeding the heat out of peppers to make them more "marketable." And the masterminds behind this dastardly scheme? None other than the students of Texas A&M University.

The upside? Experts predict that the market will eventually shift back towards intentionally spicy jalapeños. In the meantime, the best bet is to buy from local, small-scale farmers or even grow your own peppers at home. So the next time you bite into a suspiciously mild jalapeño, just remember: it's not you, it's them.

In today's dispatch, we're diving headfirst into:

• Hazmat Whiskey: Not for the Faint of Heart

• Worthy Reads: Sampling some of the best from around the web

• Rewind: Some of our most popular Instagram posts from last week

• Cocktail: Keeping the hot theme - ‘Old Pepper’

Hazmat Whiskey: Not for the Faint of Heart

In the whiskey world, there's a fine line between pleasure and pain, between a warming buzz and a flaming punch to the gut. And if you want to walk that line like a drunk tightrope acrobat, you need to acquaint yourself with "Hazmats" - whiskeys that hit 140 proof or higher.

Why "Hazmat", you ask? Because at 70% ABV, these bad boys are considered just as dangerous as the chemicals in your average meth lab, and the FAA gets more than a little twitchy about the idea of them flying the friendly skies.

But for a certain breed of whiskey drinker, that's all part of the twisted appeal. Think of Hazmats like the ghost peppers of the culinary scene - if you can hang with the heat, you'll be rewarded with flavors so intense they border on transcendent. It's the difference between a jalapeño popper and a Trinidad Scorpion chili - the latter ain't for the timid.

George T. Stagg (GTS), the granddaddy of the modern barrel proof scene, is like the Walter White of Hazmats. They didn't invent the category, but damn if they haven't set the standard. Of the 13 Hazmat bottles we could dig up from before 2016, a whopping 10 were GTS releases. The only other bottles to crash the 140+ proof party were William Larue Weller in 2014, Elijah Craig Barrel Proof batch C914 in 2014 (a high water mark they haven't hit since), and A. Bowman Release No. 3 way back in 2012.

Since 2016, Buffalo Trace, once the undisputed king of the Hazmat hill, has left the 140+ proof throne vacant. In the wake of their absence, a crew of contenders have stepped up to stake their claim, unleashing one-off haymakers like Jack Daniel's Coy Hill and Kings County Single Barrel. But so far, no one has managed to establish the kind of consistent Hazmat dominance that GTS once enjoyed.

Yet even in this chaos, one thing is clear: the Hazmat arms race is only heating up. Since 2021, this category exploded into the mainstream, we've seen more 140+ proof releases (19) than in the previous decade combined. The whole whiskey world seems to have woken up one day and decided that 100 proof just doesn't cut it anymore.

So why would anyone subject themselves to the punishment of a Hazmat dram? Same reason some lunatics jump out of a perfectly good airplane - to find the edge of human experience and vault boldly over it. In other words, not for everyone. But if you're the type who lives for the hotter, the higher, the harder, Hazmats just might be your Nirvana. Approach with caution, drink with respect, and for God's sake, keep a fire extinguisher handy. These bottles ain't playin' around.

Remember, you don't have to like it, but you damn well better respect it. Cheers.

📰 Worthy Whiskey News (a.k.a. our favorite reads)

• On the rise: Mexican Whiskies. From the birthplace of corn comes a new wave premium whiskey.

• If you like lists, honors and whiskey, this is right up your alley - the 2024 World Whiskies Awards.

• Why your next whiskey could have been sleeping with the fishes.

• Need an excuse to travel internationally? Redbreast’s latest release is a Duty Free exclusive.

📸Rewind: A selection of our most popular IG Posts

• Booker’s True Barrel makes an appearance on Chart Leaders

• We find out what your drinking for International Whiskey Day

• E.H. Taylor Barrel Proof UCUF has pulled back from its high of $841

• Did we set the bar too high for the Yamazaki 12 Scavenger Hunt?

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Quote of the Week

🌶The Old Pepper🌶

Because who doesn’t want to cry while drinking a cocktail? You might want to keep a fire extinguisher on hand. Don’t say we didn’t warn you.
Courtesy of 1792Bourbon.com

Old Pepper Cocktail Syrup Ingredients:

• 1 cup Sugar in the Raw turbinado

• 1/2 cup water

Old Pepper Cocktail Ingredients:

• 1½ oz. 1792 Full Proof

• ¾ oz. Turbinado Syrup

• ½ oz. freshly squeezed lemon juice

• ¼ oz. Crystal hot sauce

• 3 dashes Worcestershire sauce

• Garnish: 1 chile de arbol

Old Pepper Cocktail Syrup Directions:

• Combine sugar and water in a saucepan over medium heat.

• Bring to a boil and stir occasionally.

• Reduce heat and simmer until sugar is dissolved and syrup has formed.

• Remove from heat and let cool.

Old Pepper Cocktail Directions:

• Add ingredients (except for chile garnish) to a cocktail shaker with ice.

• Shake until cold.

• Strain into an ice-filled glass and garnish with chile.

What a ride it's been this week, huh? Thanks for joining us on this journey through the world of good spirits at great prices.

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Thanks again for being here. Let's raise a glass to the week ahead.