What my ratings mean

I don't like tasting notes. Every person who tastes a whiskey will bring with them the experience that is their life. Every bit of experience will bring with it memories. Scent is closely related to memory and taste is closely related to smell. So everyone will taste or smell something different. It's all subjective. I say that Four Roses tastes like juicy fruit gum. You might very well think I'm crazy. We are probably both right. From the standpoint of our differing life experiences. 

I feel the same way about ratings. Some people use numbers. This makes it feel scientific because you've done math. Some people use stars, like the movies. How glamorous. I use various cartoon faces and hearts because I'm too silly for my own good. My point is any and all of these are correct. They all adequately represent how much or how little a reviewer like any given whiskey. But no matter how it is presented, it's still just a subjective opinion.

I've had conversations with folks on twitter about how certain reviewers always score things high. And that because of this, you can't trust their opinion. I don't agree with that. You don't have to agree with their opinion, but they are probably adequately describing how much they enjoyed a particular whiskey. Everyone is coming from different places.

Here's where I'm coming from: I really enjoy bourbon. Sometimes I enjoy it in a contemplative manner. I sit down and concentrate and really try to tease out all the little smells and tastes that are hidden inside the glass. And if it is interesting, most probably, I'll like it. And then I'll tell you I liked it. Sometimes I enjoy bourbon in my glass while playing cards or watching tv or conversing with friends. I'm not paying a lot of attention to it, but if it tastes good and it's acting as a social lubricant, I'll probably like it. And then I'll tell you I like it. (And put a little smiley face next to it). 

Sometimes I find one that doesn't do either of these things. I doesn't taste good, and it really isn't that interesting. I probably won't like it and I'll put a little frowny face next to it and say I don't like it. Because I buy all of the whiskey I review, odds are I'm not buying many I don't already think I'll like. So there will be few that ever show up here that have a frowny face. 

You'll find a meh now and then. These are ones that didn't taste bad, but I didn't care for them. I didn't like it, I didn't dislike it. It's just sort of in the middle there for me. 

Very occasionally I'll drop a heart on something. This means I love it. No ifs, ands, or buts. I'd take this whiskey over almost any other. 

So to recap:

 A heart means I love this whiskey. I'd have to pause and think (briefly) if forced to choose between it and my wife.

 A smiley face means I liked the whiskey or I found it interesting while tasting it or I enjoyed myself while drinking it. Or I enjoyed the company I drank it with. Or I was having fun. Most bourbons and ryes will be in this category because I like most bourbons and ryes I've tasted.

 A neutral face means meh. I didn't particularly like this whiskey, but I didn't hate it either. It wasn't for me. But you might like it.

 A frowny face means I really disliked this. I probably thought about dumping it out.

There. Simple. Certainly subjective. You are free to disagree with any of it. We all have different experiences. For example. I hate green beans. Some people love them. I used to love them while growing up. Then I worked in a green bean processing and canning facility. All I smelled day in and day out was green beans. My clothes. My hair. My car. 17 years later I still can't go near them. Doesn't mean they are bad, I just don't like them. My experience was different than yours. We like different things.

And that's kinda nice. It gives us something to talk about.

Review: Whiskey—A Global History by Kevin R. Kosar

Whiskey—A Global History by Kevin R. Kosar

This book starts out asking if the world really needs one more book on whiskey. Its very obvious answer is: yes, of course. And it's this one. 

Whiskey: A Global History by Kevin R. Kosar attempts to give a very short overview of the entire history of whiskey in 144 pages. For the most part it does a decent job of it. The author touches on the the history of distilled spirits as a whole and then each of the major whiskey producing regions individually. Toss in the obligatory forecast of the future and recipes at the end and you've got it. Succinct but packed with information.

So does the world really need another book on whiskey? Yes...and no. 

If you are a whiskey enthusiast, this is not the book for you. There are entire books dedicated to the topics covered by each chapter. In fact there are good books dedicated to the subtopics covered by each portion of each chapter. The enthusiast will find things that have been oversimplified to the point of almost being wrong. In short, the whiskey enthusiast will want to avoid this book.

This is a book for those who don't know much about whiskey and don't actually want to know a lot. If you subscribe to the theory that most people (feel they) are too busy to actually spend the time to learn anything, then this is the perfect book. It gives just the barest of information on each subject and never succumbs to the temptation to really delve deep on a topic. It doesn't even give in to the normal conceit of including tasting notes. The audience of this book is neither advanced enough nor would they probably care. I applaud that. Knowing your audience is hard. And this book knows its audience. So, for the busy person, or for someone who is just starting their whiskey journey, I highly recommend this.

This book was read in digital form on an iPad.

Through My Eyes: The Kentucky Bourbon Festival 2012

Me (grinning like a happy fool) and Four Roses Master Distiller, Jim RutledgeIf you've been reading for the last month, you'll know that I spent a week in visiting Kentucky in early September. (And yet I've been able to get a month's worth of blog posts out of that one week, weird.) I've been writing about visiting the distilleries. Those are the sexy topics that might get blog traffic when people search, but honestly I didn't go to Kentucky primarily to visit distilleries. I chose that week for one particular reason. That was the week of the Kentucky Bourbon Festival in Bardstown, KY.  

It was my second time in Bardstown. Last time I was there I stayed right in Bardstown. I like Bardstown, but I don't want to stay there overnight again. It's a small town, everything closes at 5 pm and if you are staying there you can go to one of a handful of bars or watch tv in your hotel room. Sadly I did both on my first trip there.

I'd never been to the Kentucky Bourbon Festival (KBF) before this. But, I kind of gathered from the reading I did ahead of time that things wouldn't be too far off from my first visit. At least not until the festival started. The grounds opened on Friday afternoon and I was going to be there starting Sunday. So I wasn't going to be staying in Bardstown. I stayed in Shepherdsville, KY, a town about a half hour toward Louisville from Bardstown. This was the best decision I made because it also meant I was only a half hour or so from downtown Louisville. And I found enough night life there to keep me from being bored on a Wednesday night. I was on vacation after all.

So the KBF itself was basically a small town festival with a few ticketed bourbon themed events. And honestly, I grew up in a small town. I love that about it. They took the typical beer garden and replaced it with a spirit garden. They took out the silly rides and replaced it with a bunch of bourbon or Kentucky themed t-shirt shops or local product booths. Love that. But other than that, if you picture a small town festival in a park you'll be really close. There are food trucks, there's a fenced off place to drink and exhibits. I spent an entire evening just sitting on a bench outside the Wild Turkey booth watching people go by. It was nice. 

But the ticketed events were where we had the most fun as first timers. I hear if you're a repeat visitor you have a few unofficial events that the same people go to and see the same people who they consider friends. I didn't have that so paid the money and I went to some of the ticketed events. I went to the All-Star Sampler, Let's Talk Bourbon, and the Bourbon Cocktail Mixology class. Most were fun and I'd go again, one in particular I would not. So let's dig into them a little.

The Kentucky Bourbon All-Star Sampler

Little groups of people chatting and eating and drinking at the Kentucky Bourbon All-Star Sampler™

This was such a fun event. It was held in what looked to be an industrial park on the north side of Bardstown. Inside a very large open building all the members of the KDA set up booths. From Jim Beam and Wild Turkey to little guys like Town Branch and my good friends MB Roland. They provide a nice spread of hors d'oeuvres. A bag to put things in and let you loose to talk to the distilleries. Or at least the employees of them. The micros mostly had the distillers on hand for you to talk to. Four Roses and Wild Turkey had Jim Rutledge and Jimmy Russell respectively. And then the best part—they all give out samples. Heaven Hill and Makers Mark gave out very nice glasses that now sit on my shelf. Woodford Reserve donated the money they were going to spend on glasses to charity. Others had disposable logo glasses or not as they wanted. 

I loved this event. It was so much fun. My wife got her photo taken with Jimmy Russell. I got my photo taken with Jim Rutledge. My buddy from MB Roland got interviewed by BourbonBlog. Heck, I got interviewed by BourbonBlog (though another lady threw me by hijacking the interview and I was drinking...sigh). There was a good sized group of people in attendance, but because it was a big space and there were a limited number of tickets sold, it felt intimate. I would totally go back, but if you go to this, remember there are 6 big guys and around that number small guys, and they all give samples...arrange a driver. Please.

Let's Talk Bourbon

This was held in a tent in the parking lot. But was so fun I had forgotten that until I saw the photos.

Oh my god! If you love bourbon, have a car and only can choose one event—make it this one. This is a very nice breakfast. Then there is a seminar on bourbon making by Four Roses Master Distiller Jim Rutledge. I've read a lot about making whiskey and I still learned so much. I was in the front row, taking notes and loving every minute of it. After (and during) the talk, Jim took questions from the audience. Everything from simple questions from novices to more in depth questions from those who had more knowledge. And all of them were answered in the same honest and earnest way. None were deemed too simple. 

After breakfast, the seminar and the questions, there was a tour. It was a bit rushed because of the sheer number of groups they were trying to get through, but still fun. After that (or during if you didn't take a tour) was a social gathering with cocktails and samples. We met new friends and found others in person for the first time. It really was so much fun. I can't say enough. But I run the risk of rambling because even though it was the best event, it was also the simplest. 

Bourbon Cocktail Mixology

The samples and nibbles for provided at the cocktail mixology class. They're arranged pretty.This was the class I was most excited about before I left my house. It's described as a way to learn why certain ingredients bring out the flavors of bourbon. I didn't learn any of that. I learned that Joy Perrine was very entertaining. I tasted about a dozen cocktails. All well made, some to my tastes, some not so much. I got a free autographed copy of her book. Which was nice. But it was not what was described to me. It's an expensive ticket. 

I would have been really happy with this if it were half the price and the description were worded a bit more accurately. But as it stands, I wouldn't go back. I'd drop the $15 on the book on Amazon and skip the event.

Joy Perrine and the cocktails she made during the Bourbon Cocktail Mixology™ class.

So what were the highlights that you can only see during the KBF? The exhibits were cool. The people watching were cool. The ticketed events were mostly cool. The Angel's Envy pop-up bar was cool. I actually enjoyed the BBQ from one of the food trucks. (I went back twice.) I enjoyed the crowds. I enjoyed the live music. I enjoyed meeting with friends, old and new.

What were the misses? I couldn't find the spirit garden (it was hidden behind the food trucks in a baseball field). I had the most fun in Louisville, not Bardstown. I enjoyed the distilleries much more than the festival itself. While I enjoyed the barrel rolling and the cooper demonstration, I didn't understand one and had the same demonstration while at a free tour at the cooperage for the other. Lodging in Bardstown is expensive, but that's to be expected.

Overall the positives outweigh the negatives. I might not go back next year, but I will certainly go back in years after that. I had so much fun. If you haven't gone, I recommend it. If you have, you already have your own ideas, but I still recommend it.

New Stash Additions-no reviews

Just got back from a week in Kentucky, culminated by the Kentucky Bourbon Festival. I won't be talking about that. There will be a bunch of posts about that. About distillery tours and new bourbons...

Wait. I bought a bunch of new bourbons. That means I need to add them to the Stash. There will be tasting notes and talk about each in time. But until then here they are, each is either not available in Minnesota (or not carried near me), or has a special reason for me buying it: 

Ancient Ancient Age 10 year
Very Old Barton 86 proof
Very Old Barton 100 proof
1792 Ridgemont Reserve (selected by Liquor Barn)
Bowman Brothers Small Batch
Four Roses 2012 Limited Edition Small Batch  
Four Roses Single Barrel OBSV (17 year)
Four Roses Single Barrel OBSK (13 year)
Evan Williams 1783
Rittenhouse Rye 100 proof
Larceny
Old Pogue Master's Select
Willet Family Estate Single Barrel Rye 5 year
Maker's Mark (Hand dipped by my wife) 

I'm excited to get all of these. The 1792 that was hand-selected by Liquor Barn is (according to our tour guide) as close to a 1792 Single Barrel as you'll get so I need to buy a regular one to taste against. I think I want to buy an Old Fitzgerald to taste against the Larceny. I'll also need to get a Evan Williams Black to compare with the 1783 that I'd never had before. What's this mean for you...head to head reviews! I love reading them so I'm planning at least 7 different head to heads in the coming months with these new ones acting as the basis. I'm excited and hope you'll be on the look out for them.

Review: Bourbon—The Evolution of Kentucky Whiskey

Friday's post on the Chuck Cowdery blog featuring Sam Cecil reminded me of something: I've been meaning to post another book review here. In honor of that timely reminder, let's choose one by the late Mr. Cecil: Bourbon—The Evolution of Kentucky Whiskey. 

I bought this book as part of a book devouring frenzy that I had just after bourbon entered my consciousness as a substance worth reading about. I got it from Amazon.com. It cost about $15 at the time (Sept 2011). It's a little less than that as I type this. It's 292 pages long.

The first seven chapters are a nice history of bourbon. They cover topics from the early years of whiskey distilling in America, through Prohibition and beyond, The Whiskey Trust, Master Distillers, the KDA and coopering and warehousing. They are seven well researched and very informative chapters. Of course, it didn't hurt that Cecil spent over 40 years in the whiskey business from 1937-1980 working with T.W. Samuels, Heaven Hill, J.W. Dant and Maker's Mark. He knows his stuff, and it shows. 

Now the eighth chapter, well, that is where your opinion of this book will either be substantially raised or where you will leave off entirely. For me it was the former. You see, the eighth chapter is a 203 page county-by-county breakdown of every registered distillery in Kentucky, that there were records for, from the early 1800s onward. As I was unfamiliar with the layout of Kentucky's counties, I read this with a map in hand. I loved every minute of it.

I can see where someone without my unique love of history, geography, geology and bourbon might find this chapter a bit tedious. If you find that you are of that sort, the first 88 pages or so are still a wonderfully entertaining read. But even if you are that type, I'd skim over the last chapter. There are some very cool stories buried in there. 

I like this book a lot. I found the writing entertaining. I found the history fascinating. I loved the old ads and old photos. The amount of research that was done to bring this book to us is astounding. (The author admits right off the bat that he has stood on the shoulders of giants who did a lot of the research, but the organization and presentation of the information do not suffer in the least for that.) I learned a lot from this book and highly recommend it.

Whiskey is for Drinking

Lately, I've been trying to make room on the whiskey shelves. My stash has gotten too big. 

Check that.

It has gotten too big to hold more. Big difference. You see, I'll be in Bardstown, KY for the Kentucky Bourbon Festival in September. And I plan to bring home some things which aren't available here in Minnesota. Some will be special things. Some not so much. In any case, there will be a lot of them and I need the room. In an effort to develop a system for which would be on the ol' chopping block first, I came up with the system hinted at in previous posts. Namely FIFD. That's right: First In, First Drunk (or is it drank? eh...whatever).

Now as I was doing this inventory, I noticed something: the ones that had been on the shelf the longest were, for the most part, also the ones that cost the most or were the hardest to find. And that thought tickled something in the back of my brain. It took a little while for the tickle to congeal into something more concrete, but here it is:

I'm missing the point of whiskey. 

I didn't want to drink the whiskey on the shelf precisely because it was too expensive or too rare to "waste" on an ordinary occasion. In other words, I was paying (what for me is) a lot of money in order to open a bottle to the air and then not drink it. For some, this won't seem very strange so, please let me illustrate with a story. 

I used to watch grown men pay good money for toys and then not open them and not play with them (I may or may not have been among them). A friend of mine in college, who interned for Hasbro, used to complain about how much that pissed him off. He said good artists spent a lot of time designing and creating those toys precisely so children could play with them. A lot of pride was taken in the fact that their creations bring joy to the children of the world. Because, ultimately, that's what toys are for. The joy of playing. In his view, these guys were missing the point of toys. And even worse, they were keeping them out of the hands of those that did know the point of them. I immediately went home, opened all the "collectable" toys that I had and gave them to my daughter to play with. She was happy. She'd been eyeing them, so eventually it would have happened anyway. And you know what? It felt good.

I have an almost instinctive aversion to collecting these days. I'm afraid to let things become so precious to me that I lose perspective as to what is really important. In the case of whiskey, it offends me doubly. Much like a toy, whiskey is created to be enjoyed. Even if marketing later steps in to sell it for thousands of dollars, I doubt that was the intent of the spirit as it came off the still six, twelve, or even forty years ago.

As with many things, greed has corrupted something extremely simple. Whiskey is sensuous beauty in a glass. If you buy it only to look at it or to sell it later at a premium, you are not only missing the point, you are keeping it from those who would enjoy it as it was intended. In a glass, with friends or family. 

Art is for viewing. 

Whiskey is for drinking. 

Drink yours. Invite a few good friends to share it with you. And hey, if it's a precious one, remember that memories last even longer than whiskey.

No Evidence of Cancer

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Some of you may already know that my wife has been undergoing chemotherapy due to ovarian cancer. Needless to say this has had our household a little more tense than normal. Chemo is over. She's had her first post-chemo CT scan and the results are back. She shows no evidence of cancer! 

If you picture me doing a bit of a happy dance right now, you'd be fairly accurate. 

When she was first diagnosed, I purchased a bottle of her favorite bourbon to put away so that we could crack it open at "a milestone of her choosing." Seems like this is it. I couldn't be happier to show off what I'm drinking tonight. It is the 2009 Four Roses Small Batch Mariage. I loved it before, I have a feeling it will taste even better tonight.

I love that girl.

Review: The Best Bourbon You'll Never Taste

I bought this book with high hopes. I read The Chuck Cowdery blog religiously. I subscribe to the Bourbon Country Reader and Have bought two of his other books previously.  After all of that I find it hard to believe that my expectations were actually exceeded. I've read every book on bourbon I can find at my local library. I have a small collection of books on the subject sitting behind me on a shelf that I've read cover to cover and go back and reference now and then. This is better than all of them. 

So what is it? Well, the title is The Best Bourbon You'll Never Taste: The True Story of A. H. Hirsch Reserve Straight Bourbon Whiskey, Distilled in the Spring of 1972. Admittedly, the title is a mouthful. It was written, as you might have guessed by my intro, by Charles Cowdery. 

The Best Bourbon You'll Never Taste is a complexly winding tale of not just the bourbon itself, but of the one-time Michter's distillery in Schaefferstown, PA. The tale of a very famous bourbon that became a legend almost by accident is fun. But the tale of the distillery, the people who owned it, ran it, and worked in it is fascinating. 

This book stirred complex emotions in me as well. It introduced me to and made me start to lust after this bourbon that I would never have, that was distilled before I was even born. It told me I would never have it. Even though I loved the writing, I stopped reading the book at one point because the disappointment of me never tasting this beautiful thing he was describing was proving too much for me to bear. But I came back to it because the history was too tempting. I needed to know the rest of the story. And I'm glad I did. By the time I had finished the book, it had reassured me that while I was missing out, it would be all right since there are bourbon's I am tasting now that will go on to be legends in their own right. Some of which, I'd already stashed away for future celebrations.

The Best Bourbon You'll Never Taste is available as an ebook for $7.99 on both the Amazon Kindle and Barnes & Noble Nook stores. It is not available in paper form.

This book deserves to be considered amongst the best spirits stories ever written. Lots of well researched history and wonderful story telling. I loved it and highly recommend it.