Happy Burns Night!
Posted on | January 25, 2012 | No Comments
Definitely helpful in facing the devil.
Inspiring bold John Barleycorn!
What dangers thou canst make us scorn!
Wi’ tippeny, we fear nae evil;
Wi’ usquabae, we’ll face the devil!–
Robert Burns in “Tam o ‘Shanter”
No Haggis for us tonight, steak sandwiches, but definitely a dram of Scotch. I am thinking Glenlivet 18 year single malt.
Elijah Craig Single Barrel 18 Year-Old Bourbon – The Review
Posted on | January 20, 2012 | No Comments
Driving through a small valley town after a long day in the car, I am getting in need of a drink. I notice a corner bar, “The Duck Club”. I park next to about 12 Ford F-150 pickup trucks (My Honda Civic is not afraid) and go into the bar. Even though it is illegal in California, the bar smells a bit of cigarette smoke. I walk past the shuffleboard tables and go up to the bar. There are hundreds of 1 dollar bills tacked to the ceiling above the bar. I notice to the left of them a lovely painting of dogs playing poker. I ask the bartender for a nervous shot of his best bourbon. He immediately reaches for a bottle and pours a generous amount of what turns out to be Elijah Craig Single Barrel 18 Year-Old Bourbon.
The above paragraph is fictional. However, to skip ahead a bit on the review, Elijah Craig 18 Year is the bourbon you would get in a bar that had pictures of dogs playing poker, if you ordered their best bourbon.
Our bottle was Barrel 2765, Dated 3-1-91.
Elvis would drink this.
Color: A deep orange-amber. A very inviting color.
Nose: Hints of vanilla, a lot of maple syrup, and a tiny amount of perhaps citrus – it is elusive. Also a bit of what I can best describe as airplane glue – ketones.
Taste: Some pepper, caramel and oak. It has a bit of jasmine to it. Yes, jasmine I said. A little bit of water brings out more of the sweetness, it is fairly dry if you do not open it up with water. Some bite at first, overall it is smooth and relaxed. One of us also got coconut.
Finish: A medium to long finish, I get tobacco on the finish. LL Mike got a long, smooth finish. The Palate got looooong spice.
Overall, this is a very good bourbon. Well worth having in your cabinet. It is a single barrel and based on reviews I have seen and other impressions people have told me about I think that there is probably a fair variance between batches. That being said, I have not heard much bad about it at all. I would definitely pick up a bottle if you can. You should find bottles in the $40 to $50 dollar range. If you can find it under $40.00, consider that a bargain.
As I opened with – This is not the best bourbon I have ever had, but it is certainly up there. In my minds eye, this bourbon is the one a bar that has dogs playing poker would have as their best bourbon in the house.
Final notes:
This is billed as the oldest single barrel bourbon in the world. According to the distillers, over half the barrel is lost to the “Angel’s Share” during the aging process.
It is bottled at 90 Proof and produced by Heaven Hill Distillers, Bardstown, Kentucky.
The Bourbon is named for the Rev. Elijah Craig, the man who discovered the method of making true Kentucky Bourbon when he stored his wares in barrels that had been charred in a fire. Rev. Elijah Craig also built Kentucky’s first fulling mill, its first paper mill, its first reopwalk, and the first lumber and gristmill at Georgetown.
My house if I had $100,000,000 and a deathwish.
LMFAO! Maniacal Crow! (Nothing to do with liquor)
Posted on | January 17, 2012 | No Comments
This has nothing whatsoever to do with drinking but I have not laughed so hard in quite a while. And laughter is the best medicine, followed closely by a healthy spoonful of Irish Whiskey (Irish Whiskey has healing properties that other whiskeys do not have, perhaps because of the little people).
Apparently I Live In a Cave – Metaphorically. This Song Rocks! (As it were)
Posted on | January 13, 2012 | No Comments
This morning I was pleasantly surprised to hear this song. It is an awesome new song to add to the vast catalog of drinking songs that exist. However, I was unpleasantly surprised to note that apparently I am clueless as to the wide world since this song has been out for several months and I have never heard it or heard of it. Toby Keith (who my wife is unable to distinguish from Keith Urban) has risen to new heights in my book (As has Carrottop – you must watch the video, don’t just listen – although Carrottop started pretty damn low). So, for your listening pleasure – and viewing –
The Silver Bullet Beats Up Bud!
Posted on | January 11, 2012 | No Comments
According to Beer Marketer’s Insights (which, I might add, is a leading source of beer industry information) has come out with the startling information that Coor’s Light is now the #2 brand of beer by volume in the United States. It has pushed Budweiser down to the #3 spot, the first time in 20 years that Anheuser-Busch did not hold the top 2 spots.
The complete top 5 was:
1. Bud Light
2. Coors Light
3. Budweiser
4. Miller Light
5. Natural Light
It seems that Coors Light (when you include Puerto Rico sales) increased….
Oh, thank the Lord for Peter Griffin. What was I thinking? Who cares and who drinks these beers anyway? I know that you can drink a billion of them without getting drunk or full, but water works the same way, and costs even less (Water, currently under $10.00 per case). Granted, I have consumed my fair share at times (see my related post – “Bud Light – My Involuntary Review”) but really, if you have to drink beer, drink good beer. I mostly drink hard liquor, brown thank you, and wine, but will occasionally drink the Sierra Nevada of the moment or a Bass Ale, or a Guinness. Anyway, to end my post I re-post one of my very favorite posters ever. I laugh every time I see it.
Damn lightweight weasel.
Alcohol Censorship
Posted on | January 7, 2012 | No Comments
Vodka must be lower calorie than I thought.
Once again, the mainstream media shows its cowardice at things in real life. It has just been reported that NBC quailed at the title “Are You There, Vodka? It’s Me, Chelsea,” for the new sitcom based on the book of the same title. Apparently, even though Chelsea is a well-known two-fisted drinker and the show is about a hard drinking woman, vodka in the title is a mite bit too controversial. The show is now titled, “Are you there, Chelsea?”. Bah.
At the same time the story about why the title has changed a number of times. Sometimes the title is too long, sometimes too controversial, sometimes they just want to appeal to a broader audience. Here is a great quote by Chelsea herself – Fast forward a month, and spin had set in. The real reason for the name change, Handler now insists, is deference to the diverse tastes of potential viewers: ”Not everybody likes vodka, unbeknownst to me,” is the star’s newest explanation.
I love that. Maybe instead of dropping vodka entirely, just change it to “booze.” That has broad appeal. Everyone likes some type of booze except Mormons and such, and I doubt they are a big target market for a show that NBC describes her as a”sexually dynamic advanced drinker,” who is jailed for a DUI in the first episode.
There is not too much to rant about here except this is emblamatic of how society can’t seem to wrap itself around the idea that it is okay to mention that people drink alcohol. Nothing wrong with that. Just don’t be a Chelsea. (Although she does have a certain obvious appeal).
Emergency! Washington State Drinkers, Please Help!
Posted on | January 3, 2012 | 2 Comments
I was just bingeling about the Boozosphere and I was reading the Pegu Blog, a very well written boozy blog, entertaining and whatnot, when I read Doug’s alarming post about Washington State.
It turns out that I live in California, the most effed up, brink of disaster, no-one-can-be-stupider, state – but in terms of alcohol, not bad. Bars open at 6:00 a.m., close at 2:00 a.m. (not sure why we need that four hours of closure). Liquor taxes are high, but not the highest. You can buy liquor all over the place. Grocery stores, liquor stores, drug stores – the state does not have a monopoly on it. (We used to have the “Fair Trade” laws that kept liquor as a coveted monopoly, kind of like taxi medallions, but they got rid of those a long time ago, back before we became a nanny state). So, pretty enlightened.
Turns out, also, that Washington State is trying to be dumber than California, but the forces of good are fighting back. However, the laws of unintended consequences show how this very battle may have some serious casualties – small, independent Washington Distillers. What can you do to help? First, read the article in Pegu Blog. Then, as Doug says, patronize the small distillers in Washington HEAVILY during the next six months. (Remember, liquor does not go bad) And, call your state Representative if you live in Washington, or if you just want to pretend you live in Washington. DO IT!
Quit drinking?
Posted on | January 3, 2012 | No Comments
There was a young fellow named Sydney,
Who drank till he ruined his kidney.
It shriveled and shrank,
As he sat there and drank,
But he had a good time at it, didn’t he?
Red Breast 12 Year Old Irish Whiskey – The Review
Posted on | December 30, 2011 | 1 Comment
Today a good and true friend brought over a glass, almost the last he had, of Red Breast 12 Year Old Irish Whiskey. He knew that I was a fan of the Irish Whiskeys and it being the holiday season, giving and all that (well, he in turn took a glass of one of our good bourbons-quid pro quo, sine non igpay atinlay.) This is a pure pot still Irish whiskey, perhaps the only one being produced except for Irish Distiller’s Green Spot. 80 Proof and excellent to look at. It is made at the New Middleton Distillery by Irish Distillers (who in turn are owned by Pernod Ricard.)
Oh yeah!!!
Taking a sip and a sniff it came to me – not overwhelming, mild, it is not overly alcoholic tasting. I think that like most Irish whiskeys it is fairly sweet. The most definite flavor profile was that it was like a very good chocolate to me – there was the mouthfeel on the back of the tongue and a lingering taste of a fine chocolate. It is definitely a dessert or appetizer whiskey. Very mild, it would go tremendously for dessert with a cheese plate. Probably the most genuine chocolate flavor I have ever gotten from a liquor. Not the fake chocolate taste, but instead a true taste like a really good piece of chocolate – the same finish. Not the crappy aimed at kids chocolate, but the really good stuff. Try this, buy this. Perhaps my favorite Irish Whiskey so far.
-The Palate-
Mea Culpa Mea Missa Christmas Days!
Posted on | December 28, 2011 | No Comments
Sorry, I must apologize. I tried to do the 12 days of Christmas Gifts but I got caught up in trying to catch up on the season and did not get all the posts made. I have some of them done, but they are not topical so now I am ahead of the game for next Christmas! Woot!
And now, just to take your mind off it, how about this ad from the Cabana Cachaca liquor campaign?
Now you have completely forgotten about my missing posts.
And if you want some Liquor Soft Core Porn, go here and go to the “Bar” on the map for the Cabana whatever the heck it is website.
The Liquor Locusts
"The harsh, useful things of the world, from pulling teeth to digging potatoes, are best done by men who are as starkly sober as so many convicts in the death-house, but the lovely and useless things, the charming and exhilarating things, are best done by men with, as the phrase is, a few sheets in the wind." ~H.L. Mencken
The Dangers of Thirst
"Let your boat of life be light, packed with only what you need - a homely home and simple pleasures, one or two friends, worth the name, someone to love and someone to love you, a cat, a dog, and a pipe or two, enough to eat and enough to wear, and a little more than enough to drink; for thirst is a dangerous thing." ~Jerome K. Jerome
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The Jug of Empire!
"How solemn and beautiful is the thought that the earliest pioneer of civilization, the van-leader of civilization, is never the steamboat, never the railroad, never the newspaper, never the Sabbath-school, never the missionary -- but always whiskey!" ~Mark Twain