Today was a momentous day on the Queen Mary in Long Beach. They received their hand-picked barrel of Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel Select, in preparation for the Jack Daniel’s Dinner on July 25. This barrel, hand selected from three barrels when Twain Schreiber, Director of Food and Beverage for the Queen Mary visited the Jack Daniel’s Distillery in Lynchburg, Tennessee, will be served as one of the selection of extraordinary whiskies at the dinner. The dinner will feature five whiskies to go with the dinner, dessert and culminating in the Single Barrel Select being served on the Verandah Deck. The Verandah Deck, with a beautiful view of Long Beach, will have the Single Barrel Select accompanied by cigars from Rocky Patel Premium Cigars.
The dinner will be paired by Twain and Todd Henderson, Executive Chef, so that each course matches the proper beverage. Old No.7, a premium whiskey, the commemorative White Rabbit Blend and Gentleman Jack will accompany hors d’oeuvres and dinner. A very special limited edition Tennessee Unaged Rye will accompany the dessert. The main dinner will take place in the Queen’s Room, the Queen Mary’s dining room originally for the first class passengers. Live music and several fun items and events will accompany the meal.
As Twain said, Lynchburg and the Jack Daniel’s Distillery are amazing places. He toured the cave springs where Jack Daniel’s gets their water for the distillery. After tasting from three barrels, he chose the one that reflects the image of both Jack Daniel’s and the Queen Mary. He felt that that particular barrel “stood out like the ship”. As Twain said, “The Queen Mary is an icon, the greatest ship ever built. Pairing it with Jack Daniel’s, an icon in American distilleries, we are presenting the best of both worlds”. He continued about the barrel that he chose, “ I wanted something that represented the Queen Mary; something strong, bold, and yet rich and mellow”. Only 10% of the whiskey that Jack Daniels produces qualifies for Barrel Select. This Barrel Select Whiskey is one of the greatest icons of the distilling art and I feel it will do justice to the Queen Mary”. “I wanted to give our guests something uniquely special, something that can showcase the distiller’s art”. The barrel itself is signed by Jack Daniel’s Master Distiller, Jeff Arnett. There have only been seven Master Distillers since Jack Daniel’s was founded. The barrel also has affixed to it a plaque denoting that this barrel is special for the Queen Mary.
The Unaged Rye is another special drink for this evening. It is the first new recipe that Jack Daniel’s has used since Prohibition. Twain has bought a quantity of the Unaged Rye, but will only be making half of it available now. The other half he is putting down for five years. After the five years is up, there will be tastings and availability of the Unaged Rye to compare it to aged rye of the same lot. I had a chance to taste the unaged rye and was amazed. A hint of vanilla in the nose, heat as it went down and fading to an extremely pleasing warmth.
The dinner will be taking place on July 25. Tickets are available through the Queen Mary at their website. For $115.00 per person, dinner, whiskey and cigars will be included. As an extra special option on that night, Jack Daniel’s is bringing their engraving machine. Guests who decide to buy a bottle sourced from the barrel can have it personally engraved, as well as the bottle having a plaque denoting that the whiskey is only from the barrel picked for the Queen Mary. Due to the limited quantity of Barrel Select available, the event will be limited to 100 guests. The event is shaping up to be a magnificent affair for aficionados of fine whiskey, presented on one of the world’s most beautiful ships, the Queen Mary.
The Queen Mary 1126 Queens Hwy Long Beach, CA 90802
(877) 342-0738
