My first in a series of videos aimed at whisk(e)y enthusiasts but bourbon novices: Introduction to Bourbon. This one deals with the definition of Bourbon, and the Bottled in Bond designation. Let me know what you think?
I strongly recommend starting an infinity bottle if you are looking to turn a little bad whiskey, plus a bunch of mediocre whiskey, into a lot of bad whiskey.
At the supermarket today, shopping for groceries (that's how *I* play the game 😉). Saw one of my favorite bourbons on the shelf for $32. Bought one. Gonna drink it. Didn't act the fool. Didn't pay a stranger on the internet a premium. This is what sanity looks like. Embrace it!
You're out there paying $90 for four year old MGP with someone else's name on the label; I'm out here paying $40 for ten year old
@WildTurkey
with Jimmy and Eddie Russell's names on the label. We are not the same. 🦃🥃
I've said it before, and I will say it again: don't spend your time searching for good whiskey. Spend your time making good friends, and you will find good whiskey coming to you. 🙏🥃
This day in bourbon history: Col. Albert B. Blanton went missing, prompting his family to call every liquor store in the area to ask if he was there, maybe in the back?
Bourbon is all about tradition. For example: Col. Albert Blanton loved to camp out in front of liquor stores so he could overpay for mediocre whiskey, a practice that
@BlantonsBourbon
fans continue in his honor.
Just found what is easily the best "Slam Dunk" bottle of
@MakersMark
I have ever seen. Heavy dip, dripping all the way down to the base. This is like "The Arnolfini Portrait" of Slam Dunks. 13/10, no notes. God bless America, and God bless whoever dunked this. ❤️ 🥃🩸
Listening politely to a guy tell me that he's been getting into some more serious bourbons like Woodford Reserve and Basil Hayden, and he's even got a bottle of Jefferson's that he's saving for a special occasion:
I'm announcing my retirement from the whiskey reviewing game. Thank you sincerely to everyone who has supported me and the rest of the Malt team these past few years. 🙏🥃
I'm going to start a whiskey dictatorship. You overcharge for baby Saz? Jail. Make customers buy a couple of shelfers to get an allocated bottle? Right to jail. If you claim that a bottle is a "store pick" when the distiller picked it for you? Believe it or not: jail. What else?
For $250 an hour I will pose as a whiskey expert and convince your significant other that your bottle collection is perfectly reasonable and, if anything, should probably be increased.
Sydney Sweeney reveals in an interview that she is a huge proponent of barrel proof bourbon.
"Tasting at without dilution allows you to experience the full range of aromas and flavors."
She added, "Barrel proof lets the whiskey be what it is, and I think that's beautiful."
This day in bourbon history: Basil Hayden accidentally diluted a barrel of bourbon with nine million gallons of water, which he bottled and sold under his own name.
Nobody will remember:
- Your salary
- Your fancy title
- How "busy" you were
- How stressed you were
- How many hours you worked
People will remember:
- Your Blanton's collection
- How you got all eight letters plus the apostrophe
- Horsies
Stopped into a new (to me) store that, as it turns out, has a good selection and fair prices. Grabbed a pair of old favorites plus a couple I have been meaning to try. What should I open first? 🥃
"Of course that's your contention. You're a first year bourbon collector who naively assumes that price and quality are correlated. You'll buy a few overpriced bottles of MGP, then in six months you'll swear off NDPs and stick to established distilleries..."
How my wife looks at me when I
start explaining to the bartender that, despite both being bourbons from Buffalo Trace with rye as a small grain, Eagle Rare and Blanton's have different mash bills:
Apparently one of my daughter’s friends’ dads is into bourbon, and my wife asked me to share some with him. Seemed like a great excuse for a mass bottle opening exercise! Cheers! 🥃
@MLive
The owner of Stoli left Russia because he was supporting opposition political parties and fell afoul of the Kremlin. They also produce Stoli vodka in Latvia (our NATO ally), not Russia. If anything, this guy should buy more Stoli!
Wow. I'm beyond humbled and amazed that 7,000 of you follow my ill-tempered whiskey ramblings on here. When I wrote my first review five years ago, I could not have imagined this in my wildest dreams. For your support, kindness, and generosity: thank you sincerely! ❤️🥃🙏🙏🙏
Been hearing some of you complain about limited availability of OGD 114. It's back in stock at the
@BinnysBev
near me, but note the "Limit 2!" 🤣 Did you ever think you would see the day?!?
Can't help but reflect on the journey from my first review four years ago to this incredible honor. Most importantly: I couldn't have done it without the support of so many amazing friends. To everyone who offered a kind word or wise advice, I'm incredibly grateful to you. 🙏🥃
On 11/14/20... I shared my story about my dad’s last bottle of bourbon that he opened before cancer took him in ‘92 when I was 10 yr old. The bottle was Maker’s Mark. I am extremely humbled to receive this letter in the mail today from Rob Samuels. Extremely humbled.
I hope, if I ever make a huge mistake as a distillery employee, they make sure everyone knows that it's all good and no big deal by releasing several whiskies commemorating the incident.
Controversial: I don't make a single buck off whiskey reviews. It is a net financial drain, even with the occasional free bottle and many samples from generous friends. With that in mind, you trust me to be more objective than other reviewers who rely on this to pay their bills?
Y’all, I just found out that there are people who drink whiskey and never read a review of it, write about it on a message board, post a photo of it on Instagram, or argue about with strangers on Twitter. I know: crazy, right? 🤯
This day in bourbon history: Col. E.H. Taylor Jr, his wife, and his mother-in-law waited in line for 6 hours to buy one bottle of Weller Full Proof each.
My wife just told me to create a shared iPhone note that lists all the whiskeys I am looking for so she can pull it up and not have to call me from the store, and I have never loved anyone more in my life
#keeper
#marriedtoasoldier
For the bourbon bubble watchers out there: MGP called out "elevated distributor inventory levels" of "Premium Plus" brands (Yellowstone, Remus, Blood Oath, Rebel, Old Ezra, Rossville Union) on their Q4 conference call.
For the record, I am more impressed with someone who spends Christmas Eve sipping Jim Beam with friends and family than I am with someone who spends it camped out in front of a liquor store for six hours, regardless of what bottles they brought home. Relationships > bourbon.
Boy: "Hey Dad, why is my sister's name Rose?"
Dad: That's because your mother's favorite flower is a rose."
Boy: "Thanks Dad!"
Dad: "You're welcome, Wild Turkey Rare Breed!"
I've said it before, and I will say it again: great bourbon is nothing without great friends. I'm lucky to have a lot of the latter, including the one who brought this fine bottle over to open and enjoy. Cheers, Cat! 🙏🥃🐈
My Whiskey Twitter experience in a nutshell:
"Here's a 6,000 word interview with a master distiller in which he divulges all the particulars of his production process." (3 likes)
"Who hates bourbon as much as I do?" (95 replies, 7 retweets, 258 likes)
To anybody upset today because the 19 year olds on your college basketball team didn't beat the 19 year olds on somebody else's college basketball team: have you tried drinking bourbon about it? 🏀🥃
🥔: "How can I get all the best bourbon, like Blanton's and Weller?"
Experienced bourbon drinker: "Actually, there are plenty of great whiskeys out there that don't require you to chase allocated bottles. Many can be found with ease, for a fair price, at any liquor store."
🥔:
Some people spend their time searching for great whiskey. I spend my time making great friends. I end up with great whiskey and something way more valuable. First among equals is
@RBird101
, who sent this bottle. Happy to have it; more happy to have David's friendship. Cheers! 🙏
Public Service Announcement: There is plenty of great whiskey out there that is affordable and readily available (contact me for a list); anyone who would tell you otherwise is trying to scare you so they can profit off selling you something.
If you feel like you're missing out on "the best" bottles and you're considering overpaying, stalking liquor stores, etc, I'd say: go out and make a friend instead. All these bottles have been shared with me by pals; they're great, but it's the sharing that makes them "the best."