Big Star has been collecting unique whiskeys for the last year and a half, and this week, the corks and caps finally came off.
Wicker Park’s reigning king of tacos and whiskey has launched a reserve list of “rare, incredibly old and interesting bottles” that have been bought at auction, during trips to Kentucky and abroad, and that have come from people who have offered “interesting bottles from their deceased grandfather’s house,” the restaurant said by email.
(You really should have guzzled that bottle on your deathbed, gramps.)
The list begins with six bottles (listed below) that were to be opened Tuesday. Fifteen more are on the way. Among the bottles is Michter’s Celebration Sour Mash, which retails for about $4,000 per bottle, and is believed to be the most expensive American whiskey ever released. Cheap Mexican food and rare whiskey might be odd bedfellows, but at least those $3 tacos will help balance the phenomenally expensive bourbon, both in the belly and when the bill arrives.
Big Star’s initial reserve list includes:
*Blanton’s Gold (Buffalo Trace, $55/2 ounces)
*Elijah Craig Barrel Proof (Heaven Hill, $18/2 ounces)
*Four Roses 125th Anniversary (Four Roses, $25/2 ounces)
*Woodford Reserve Seasoned Oak Finish (Woodford Reserve, $40/2 ounces)
*Pappy Van Winkle 23 (Buffalo Trace, $65/2 ounces)
*Michter’s Celebration Sour Mash (various distilleries, $175/1 ounces)
