Bhakta 1928 Chief 107 Batch #3

Blending spirits is nothing new. Some producers take all sorts of whiskeys to create something unique. They’ll make ready-to-drink (RTD) cocktails using decent whiskeys as a base. Blending, when done right, is an art form.

 There’s blending, and then there’s thinking way, way outside the box. Imagine sitting on some ancient stocks, going back almost a century, and wondering what you can do with them beyond just bottling them individually. Let’s say you get wild.

 You start with XO Calvados. Calvados is a brandy made from apple or pear cider and exclusively in northwestern France’s Calvados region. While there are over 230 varieties of apple cider used in the production of Calvados, producers will use apples from four categories: bitter, used for flavor; tart, used for its acidity and freshness; sweet, used to aid fermentation; and bittersweet, used for its tannins.

 Next, you peruse your stocks of ancient Armagnacs. Armagnac is France’s oldest distilled spirit, a brandy made from up to ten varieties of white grapes and made exclusively in the Armagnac region in southwest France. It was first recorded in 1310, and its name means burnt wine. You notice a cask that’s been aging since 1928. Nearby are barrels from 1941, 1962, 1973, and 1996. Take portions from each and blend those together.

 Finally, you take an American straight rye whiskey from 2018. Use it as 60% of the base, add your XO Calvados finished in an Islay Cask to form 30% of it, and then the Armagnac as the remaining 10%. 

For the Chief 107 Batch 3 blend, Michael Bosch combined Armagnac vintages from 1973, 1989 and 1996. 

• The Bhakta 1973 Armagnac was chosen as best spirit in the world by F. Paul Pacult’s 2023 Ultimate Spirits Challenge. 
• The 1989 Armagnac just happens to coincide with the year Michael first became a volunteer Junior Firefighter. 
• The 1996 Armagnac is the year that Michael turned 21 years old. 

This release is exactly like Chief 107 Batch 1 & 2, but switching to an Islay finished Calvados gives this unique blend a hint of smoke. 

Unlike most Islay finished spirits, the Peat is only hinted at on the long finish which completely balances with the sweetness found in from the three Armagnac vintages. 

The name “Chief 107” refers to memory Michael’s stepfather, Larry Nemec and the Chief 107 Charities Inc. nonprofit was started to honor his legacy. The nonprofit’s goal is to help volunteer first responders in their educational needs by providing scholarships and to support other charities.