Writers whose works I love: Neal Stephenson, Thomas Pynchon, Neil Gaiman, Margaret Atwood, Herman Melville, Ishmael Reed, Leo Tolstoy, Franz Kafka, Feodor Dostoevsky, Anton Chekhov, Emily Dickinson, Walt Whitman, and James Joyce.
Email at PeterRobJon at gmail
Twitter: BrevetCaptain
The Scotch folks will often say there’s no whiskey made outside Scotland that stands up to the Islays or Speyside malts. Pshaw, I say.
If you buy one bourbon this December, see if you can’t find an Old Forrester 2010 Birthday Bourbon. It’s AMAZING. Different from the scotches, of course, but there’s so much going on here. Vanillas, toffees, cinnamons, smoke/char, maple syrup. And smooth. At 12 years in Kentucky, it’s similar to a 20+ year old scotch.
Oooh, yeah. Old Charter. Not bad for a whiskey sour or a whiskey coke, I suppose. Otherwise, not, ah, not good.
In that price range, Ancient Age, Old Grandad (the 100 proof bottled in bond only) and Beam white are much, much better.
A nice run in the woods with Eloise. The scent of honeysuckle in the air is just delicious, and the tree canopy has made the trail almost complete new to my eyes. But that’s not the important thing in this post.
Here’s the important thing: I am looking for a wagering partner to bet me that I can’t go from now until when I leave for Louisville on June 9th without a drink. As in 1. One beer. One dram of whiskey. Wine? I don’t drink grape juice, so that’s not really an issue, but I’ll throw that in too. No ethanol of any kind for six weeks and this includes the Kentucky Derby.
I weighed in this morning at 202. I hate that ugly ‘200’ that comes spinning around like a banner of fail every time I get on my scale. I hate that big bastard block that I have to move over to the 200 slot on the doctor’s scale. This bet is to get me down under the dreaded deuce.
So, here are my stakes: If I cannot go these next 6 weeks without a drink, I will buy you, betting partner(s), a bottle of a really good, hard to find bottle of Kentucky’s finest on my arrival in Louisville. You may pick the brand, the age statement, whatever or trust me to make a good buy and surprise you. I will pay for shipping as well.
I am looking for like bets, and I will take more than one.
If you want, you may wager a nice bottle that I will buy for myself in Louisville and you can PayPal me the bill, or come up with a stake of your own.
Obviously, I am on the honor system here, but J will know of the bet and will not let me cheat.
So who’s got the guts to bet against my willpower?
No one is going to step up and bet that I can’t stay 100% sober for 6 weeks and win a top shelf bottle of bourbon or rye?
C’mon!
The best part about Fette Sau. That’s a lot of whiskey.
That’s a better whiskey collection than some bars in Louisville. Looks like they have the 2008 and 2009 Old Forrester Birthday Bourbons, the 15 and 20 year old Pappy Van Winkles, and three of the Buffalo Trace Antique Collection. That. is. awesome.
Is prettay prettay amazing.
It’s not clear who distilled the bourbon, but the port wine barrel finishing is really quite something. No alcohol burn at all. Incredible pecan finish from the port. Deeeeelightful.
Really quite something. Smooth but nice spicy dram.
Here’s the thing: in a couple of years years, there will be plenty of Pappy 20, Pappy 23, and such. Because Buffalo Trace, being smart, bought the stores from the old Stitz-Weller distillery, and has been barreling good stock ever since they acquired the Pappy label. There won’t be a glut of Old Pappy, but there won’t be a shortage either.
As always, money talks.
However, that doesn’t mean a) that Thompson wasn’t bought for this article, or that b) Simmons et al aren’t hoping that demand for Pappy soars and they can point to Thompson’s article as driving demand and charge more per page view to Subway, Buffalo Trace, etc.
One more point: I hate when writers do this crap—i.e. here’s this underground thing that no one knows about and you need to know about. I’ve been drinking Pappy since 2002. It’s fantastic. And in no way did Julian need the publicity. At this point it’s like saying ‘hey, this Pearl Jam band is popular, you should go see them.’ Whiskey snobs know Pappy. We just don’t want to have to pay $100 a bottle like so many of the great scotches are going for because ‘the market’ will bear that.
It’s the same B.S. that worked it’s way through the wine market with Parker’s ratings. Things got completely out of control—and the French and Californian wine guys who produced big fruited reds and oaky chardonnays made huge bank.
Pappy 23 is whoa woody. Pappy 12 is perfect, in my book. But still, the whiskey game requires a huge investment by the distilleries—not the consumers, as with wine.
Scotland’s Best Whisky Bars | Vintners Rooms, Edinburgh
Photo courtesy of Vintners Rooms
Hmmmm…I do have a number of 2011 vacation days left…
Are there any Scottish tumblrs out there?
Is this Heaven?
bendawson asked: 1) Have you started PT yet? 1a) If so, was the first thing that was done to you the old "Somebody grabs the joint that's wounded and yanks it in an uncomfortable direction? 1b) If not, good luck with PT when you start 2) It's been a ... week. Can I mix my whiskeys together to make a SUPERIRISHWHISKEY?
1) yes, and yes—my surgeon did that last week. HOLY SNIEKIES.
2) you can always blend your own whiskies—I’ve done it with bourbons—Old Forrester and Wild Turkey are interesting together with the wheat and rye notes combining nicely. I’m not a fan of Irish, though—it would be nice if a) the Irish stopped with a second fill of a cask once in a while, and b) let their casks age more than a couple of years. (I keed, but only a little. Irish is weak to my palate.)
Balvenie, double wood.
Nutty and sweet. Lovely dram.
Makers Mark is reversing its decision to water down their whisky.
That went over about as well as New Coke.
I’m not drinking whisk(e)y right now, but I heartily recommend the following bourbons in lieu of Makers anyway:
W.L. Weller 7 and 12 year old
Elijah Craig 12 year old
Old Forrester Signature
