Lee W. Sinclair 4-Grain Bourbon: Grain to Glass and Beyond

“Distillation is 60% Hard Science, 30% Dark Arts and 10% Intuition” – Alan Bishop, Chief Alchemist

Introduction

Lee W. Sinclair 4-Grain Bourbon is one of the more compelling whiskeys I’ve tried in awhile.  The unique four-grain mashbill of corn, oats, wheat and caramel malt results in a distinctive flavor profile.   This atypical tasting experience set my curiosity in motion and I wanted to learn as much as I could about this very clever Bourbon.

This article will take us from the idea behind Lee W. Sinclair (“LWS”) all the way to the first bottle produced.  There are lots of facts and figures here, but what is difficult to measure (but shouldn’t be missed) is the “spirits” found at Spirits of French Lick and in this Lee W. Sinclair Bourbon.

The Idea

To understand the idea behind LWS we need to understand the man who envisioned it, Alan Bishop.  Alan is the distiller at Spirits of French Lick.  When anyone tries to refer to him as “master distiller” he quickly stiff-arms that title.  Alan doesn’t believe there is such a thing as a master distiller and would find the title “Chief Alchemist” more appropriate to what he does and how he approaches distillation (and probably life, too).

Alan is confident in his craft, but consistently curious.  If you follow Alan on Instagram (@alchemistcabinet) you’ll often find him experimenting with different mashbills or distillation processes or finishing techniques.   And whether you follow Alan on social media or talk with him in person, you’ll find him to be a colorful and quotable character.  An example is the quote “Distillation is 60% Hard Science, 30% Dark Arts and 10% Intuition”.  Alan goes on to explain: “The Hard Science is comprised of the realities that cannot be argued in terms of chemistry.  The 10%, the Intuition, is making sure you don’t blow yourself up and always follow your gut.  The 30%, that’s where the marketing and the bullshit lives.  It’s your story, your label and other things that can be fairly asinine”.

I had the opportunity to meet Alan’s dad, Dale Bishop, when I visited Spirits of French Lick.  When Alan wanted to learn distilling (the home variety) Dale built Alan a still and gave him two instructions: “Don’t blow yourself up and don’t come back until you’ve got something worth drinking”.  Dale is clearly proud of his son and all he has accomplished beyond the home distillation days.  Distilling remains in Dale’s blood and he still loves to work with Alan around the distillery whenever he gets a chance.

So…now back to “The Idea”.  When I asked Alan how he came up with the idea for LWS he said it is a mashbill he’s tried throughout his career.  I was hoping for a story like when Doc Brown hit his head and woke up with the plans for the flux capacitor.  However, when I think about it, the fact that Lee W. Sinclair is something developed over a lifetime actually makes for a better story than some accident-derived moment of inspiration.  The idea for this whiskey came from a time when Alan was concerned only about the Hard Science and the Intuition of distillation.   When a man with the mentality of an alchemist whose only directions were “don’t blow yourself up” and “make something worth drinking”, you really have no choice but to think outside the box.  A four-grain mashbill that includes oat is certainly outside the box.  (Oat was once a common grain in whiskey, but fell from favor with distillers in the 1880s because it gummed up the column stills that were becoming popular at that time.  Very few distillers use oat at all today.)

The Mashbill

This is Jolee Kasprzak (aka “Red”). Her official job is Marketing Manager. Unofficially, her job is keeping Alan in check. She is very good at both.

Lee W. Sinclair is a four-grain Bourbon.  Corn comprises 60% of the mashbill.  The corn is standard Yellow #2 sourced from DuBois County, Indiana.  Wheat, sourced from southern Illinois and southern Indiana, makes up 17% of the recipe.  Spirits of French Lick has started growing their own wheat which may be used in future batches.  The oat grain, which contributes to the Bourbon’s sweetness and creaminess, is 13% of the mashbill.  The oats were sourced from farms in Illinois and Kentucky.  Finally, LWS uses 10% caramel malt which is a 30L brewer’s malt.

Fermentation

Prior to fermentation, the grains are ground down to a very fine (nearly flour-like) consistency.  This process is done every day to ensure the freshness of the grains being used.  From there a layering procedure is followed during fermentation.  On day one, 600 gallons of the mash is added to one of the closed-top 1,200 gallon stainless steel fermenters.  Koji, a Japanese enzyme-producing culture, and citric acid are added, too, along with Fleischman’s yeast (Yes, that “Fleischman’s”).

The second day of fermentation brings another 600 gallons of mash.  Brandy yeast is also added on day two which encourages the emergence of fruitiness.  The combined 1,200 gallons will continue to ferment together at 85-90 degrees for another day to two days to complete the fermentation process.

Distillation

Meet Innana (left) and barrels at rest in the Chai Cellar (right)

The distiller’s beer now moves to the still.  It should come as no surprise that Alan Bishop’s still of choice is the pot still which Alan calls: “the instrument of the alchemist”.  Alan further explained that a pot still is reflective of its environment allowing the best opportunity for terroir to influence the whiskey.  Consistent with The Spirits of French Lick’s creed, “Respect the Grain”, the pot still is a tool for retention and concentration of flavor from the grains.  While pot still distillation may be inefficient, it is cleaner and allows the distiller (or alchemist) to precisely make and manage cuts.  This creates opportunity for variation and maximizes the influence of that “10% Intuition” in the distillation process.

Alan wouldn’t get on a ship without a name and he won’t use a pot still without a name either.   He prefers to name his pots after mythological or Biblical characters, but always of the feminine persuasion.  Why feminine? As Alan says “ladies and pot stills should have vivacious curves”.   I can’t really argue with that logic not that I would want to.

Where were we?  Oh, yes…the distiller’s beer.  Spirits of French Lick utilizes double pot still distillation.  The distiller’s beer will first visit Lilith, a 1,200 gallon pot still to draw off the alcohol.  From there the liquid moves to Innana, a 600 gallon doubling pot still named for the Goddess of Wheat and Fertility.  It is here that the alchemist can make his cuts and dial in the flavor.

Cooperage

Once Lilith and Innana have worked their magic, the 105-proof distillate moves to two-year air-dried barrels from Kelvin Cooperage.  The barrels have a medium-plus toast and a #2 char.  While Alan believes the #2 char allows for toasted coconut and toasted hazelnut flavors to influence the whiskey, it is also a more grain-friendly char level.  This, again, is consistent with the “Respect the Grain” philosophy.

Aging

The LWS whiskey naps in barrels found in the Chai Cellar, a temperature-controlled storage room in the distillery.  While Spirits of French Lick has more traditional rickhouses available, the Lee W. Sinclair mashbill does not react well to the extreme swings in temperature allowed by those.  Even in the controlled environment of the Chai Cellar, every change in barometric pressure will stir the liquid resting in those barrels.  About 7% is lost each year to the Angel’s Share.  After two years, when the aging for LWS small batch is complete, the Bourbon typically reaches 112-proof on the bottom racks and 109-proof on the higher levels.

Barrel Profiles

Alan produces a unique style of whiskey which he says possesses a “pot still funk”.  This is his term for the rounder, full-bodied, fruitier Bourbon made at Spirits of French Lick.  Three to four barrels make up a batch of Lee W. Sinclair Bourbon and there are four distinct single barrel profiles produced through the distillation and aging processes.  One is an oak-forward profile.  A second is an herbal-basil profile.  A third profile is a floral-jasmine barrel.  The fourth is a cinnamon ester-forward profile like Big Red chewing gum.  While this article is focused on the small-batch Bourbon, there is now a Lee W. Sinclair single barrel program and I am anxious to try some of these.

Lee W. Sinclair

So, who was the man this Bourbon was named after?  The Sinclair family originated in Scotland.  Lee Sinclair was a Free Mason and businessman from Washington County, Indiana.  He owned mills and banks and bought the West Baden Hotel in 1888.  The hotel was destroyed by fire in 1901, but was rebuilt as an architectural marvel known as West Baden Springs Hotel.  The new hotel and spa was popular with the rich and famous from around the world.  Sinclair died in 1916. 

Did I mention his ghost?

The Spirits of French Lick

The word “spirits” carries multiple meanings.  The most obvious in the context of whiskey is that of a distilled spirit.  This falls clearly in the “60% Hard Science” of Alan’s definition of distillation.

A second meaning of “spirits” can be a paranormal one, such as the aforementioned ghost of Lee Sinclair.  Sinclair’s specter is said to haunt the staff areas of West Baden Springs Hotel and Crown Hill Cemetery, where his mausoleum and final resting place can be found.  To appropriately honor Sinclair, Alan placed the first bottle of Lee W. Sinclair Bourbon in Sinclair’s mausoleum.  He also hid bottle number two in a vent underneath the mausoleum to likely be found who-knows-when like some whiskey time capsule.   The “30% Dark Arts” of distillation is fulfilled through the use of Sinclair (and his ghost) in the marketing of this Bourbon.

Finally there is, in my estimation, a “spirit” of tradition found at Spirits of French Lick.  This spirit inhabits the “10% Intuition” Alan uses every day.  It is a tradition of authenticity. Alan successfully carries forth the art of pot still distillation.  In doing so, he honors not only his father but he honors the other distillers (illicit and otherwise) that worked towards perfecting this craft before him.

For the spirit ever lingers…