From the outside, David and Laura Dial’s spacious Arden home doesn’t look like the kind of place one might find a delicious subterranean secret. But at the very bottom of the basement stairs, a keen observer might notice a bookshelf that seems just slightly out of place, and if they continue on, they might realize the bookshelf opens to reveal a room, shelved on three sides, with glass cases, ambient lighting, a timbered ceiling, and a veritable treasure trove of bourbon.
“We can’t believe how well the room turned out,” says Laura. “We are both blown away. Sometimes we literally stop and say, ‘Is this really in our house?’”
The Dials’ Bourbon Room, which contains somewhere between 600 and 700 bottles, was a labor of love and good taste. Prior to moving to Asheville in 2022, the couple kept their collection in industrial shelving racks in the unfurnished basement of their home in Upstate New York. David is a recipe blogger who grew up in Charleston, SC, and Raleigh and was eager to come home to the Carolinas; Laura is a researcher in metallurgy who works mostly from home. Both are keen on the Asheville food scene, and when they found their local home, they dreamed of having a dedicated space for their whiskey collection. A small, windowless room in their new basement screamed with potential.
The Dials’ Bourbon Room contains more than 700 bottles, many of them rare or special-edition. Colonel E.H. Taylor (top left) is a brand that dates back to 1870. Photos by Karin Strickland
With the help of Asheville-based custom cabinetmaker Kevin Massengill, the Dials began brainstorming plans to make the idea a reality, including the hidden-bookcase doorway, automatic lighting, dimmable lights inside built-in display walnut cabinets, and the wooden ceiling beams that evoke a charming, rustic getaway.
It’s a special place for the Dials, rooted in memory. Their taste, so to speak, for collecting whiskey was cultivated by years of sipping that storied beverage with Laura’s uncle at family reunions, sharing stories and enjoying each other’s company. When he passed away, Laura’s uncle instructed his family members to each take a bottle from his cabinet and think of him when they drank. David and Laura took a bottle of Colonel E.H. Taylor Small Batch, a brand dating back to 1870, and whenever it ran low, they would go buy a new one.
After a time, they struck up a friendship with a manager at the local liquor store, chatting about new arrivals and single-barrel store picks, which ultimately led to new friendships with other whiskey lovers.
“Bourbons are enjoying an incredible resurgence,” says David, who points to America’s renewed interest in classic cocktails — “think the Old Fashioneds and Manhattans from [the period drama] Mad Men.”
Many pubs and restaurants now feature signature craft cocktails that use the products of local distilleries. And David notes: “The rise of social media has also played a role. Bourbon enthusiasts can connect virtually to share thoughts about their favorite whiskeys.”
However, “The result of this boom means that many bottles that were once easy to pick up on store shelves have become harder to find,” he explains. “As we realized that certain bottles were becoming rarer, that naturally led to us looking for those bottles … and then eventually having a bourbon collection and an entire room dedicated to it.”
When it comes to a favorite bottle of bourbon, the Dials insist they don’t have one. “It depends on what we’re in the mood for that night,” says Laura. But they’re always looking for new whiskeys that have multiple layers of flavor — as well as colorful backstories.
Several years ago, while still in New York State, the Dials tried a store pick of Penelope Toasted with strong notes of vanilla and cinnamon. “I think we ended up buying six bottles from that barrel — after all, once those bottles are gone, you can’t get any more,” David points out. “We also had a similar experience with a store pick of Old Elk Wheated. This one featured strong caramel and toffee notes, and I think we ended up with seven bottles by the time all was said and done. It’s amazing how different one single barrel can be from another. It’s the same liquid that goes in, but the different aging conditions can lead to very different flavors.”
Earlier in the year, the couple got a chance to taste a single barrel of Knob Creek whiskey with father and son Fred and Freddie Noe, the master distillers at Jim Beam. “That barrel ended up going into bottles, and we have a couple of them in our collection,” says David. “Needless to say, when that bottle of Knob Creek gets opened, we talk about the unique memories associated with it.
“That’s the thing about whiskey. It’s more than just a good drink to sip on at the end of the day. The taste or even the smell of a certain whiskey can take us back to specific events in our lives.”