The air in Armour Yards will crackle with collaborative energy on May 10 as award-winning distillery ASW and grill artisans Big Green Egg unite to release a truly unique spirit: Fiddler Big Green Egg Bourbon.
Ed Fisher founded Big Green Egg after discovering domed clay cookers while serving overseas in World War II. It wasn’t just a new outdoor cooking category he created in 1974, but a global phenomenon that continues to grow today. Big Green Egg’s headquarters is less than 10 miles from ASW Distillery, which opened its doors in 2016, founded by University of Georgia friends and graduates Jim Chasteen and Charlie Thompson, with head distiller Justin Manglitz creating the American whiskey.
Chasteen said the partnership came out of a conversation he had with Big Green Egg CEO Dan Gertsacov. “It became obvious pretty quickly that we needed to collaborate on the wood we were using in our Fiddle Heartwood brand,” Chasteen said of the Georgia white oak heartwood that is cured, seasoned and charred for the staves added to bourbon barrels for finishing. “We were blown away by the enormous impact using Big Green Egg had on our staves,” Gertsakov said. “The way this came together is a tribute to just how small town a big city like Atlanta is.”
Credit: Courtesy of Anne Frain
Credit: Courtesy of Anne Frain
Fiddler Big Green Egg Bourbon begins with ASW’s wheated bourbon mash bill that is 45% wheat content — more than double the amount of wheat typically used for top-shelf wheated bourbons. The high wheat profile lends soft, silky, sweet complexity to the bourbon. The bourbon matured in the hot, humid Georgia summers for almost seven years, including the last two years in a secondary toasted barrel.
Working with Big Green Egg’s team, Manglitz hand-harvested and seasoned white oak heartwood staves from the North Georgia mountains, toasting them in the ceramic smokers at the Atlanta headquarters. Tapping into the radiant heat between the thick ceramic walls, half of the staves are toasted on an XL Big Green Egg using a convEGGtor attachment for indirect heat from the coals. Big talking points for Eggheads, as devotees are called. The other half get charred using direct heat above the fire. “result is two completely unique, completely Georgian bourbons, both of which showcase the depth of flavor you can achieve on the Egg,” said Gertsacov.
The team at Big Green Egg selected two barrels from ASW’s barrelhouse in the West End to add the seasoned staves. Barrel aging unlocks rich flavors, and the two different stave finishes resulted in two distinct bourbons. Both are offered at cask strength (hitting the bottle straight from the barrel, without dilution). Fiddler Big Green Egg Bourbon: Charred Oak was bottled at 59.6% ABV and the Toasted Oak expression at 59.9% ABV.
Manglitz described Charred Oak (charred using direct heat) as having “subtle wood smoke character underpinned with notes of dark chocolate and rich oak, with a long savory finish and ample tannin structure.” Toasted Oak, which had indirect heat in the stave toasting, is much different, he said: “full of dessert and confectionery aspects, with sweet notes of toasted marshmallows, vanilla buttercream, and nougat candy bar.”
EVENT INFO: LAUNCH PARTY
1-4 p.m. May 10. $125 includes bottle of Charred or Toasted Oak. There also will be dishes prepared on the Big Green Egg by Chef Marlo (Food Network “Chopped” champion), craft cocktails and live music. ASW Distillery, 199 Armour Drive NE, suite C, Atlanta, 404-668-6362. Purchase tickets online at www.exploretock.com.
Bottles of the limited-edition bourbon will be available at ASW Distillery beginning May 10 and will sell for $90.
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