Travel Flask revisted

[OscarV]

Some time ago I read an old thread here about travel flasks.

Cowdery had one that seemed to be the best but hard to find now.

Saturday I got one just like it from my Father-In-Law.

Looks brand new.A glass 375ml bottle in a leather case.

With two tops, one for the bottle and another one that fits over the bottle top to measure a one ounce pour.

He is in an assisted living home now and my wife and her sister cleaned out his spirits and other stuff.

Nothing good to drink, the girls got some Drambuie, Irish Mist, Galiano, Chambord, B&B and even a Southern Comfort.

Some months ago he did give me a bottle of Suntory he got in Japan in the '70's and an old unopened bottle of Jameson that still had a tax stamp on it. That Jameson was better than today's version, I could taste pear and kiwi fruit.

Anyway, it's a sad situation, seeing Mike with almost no memory.

He asked me where I worked at, his attitude is good, he seems content.

I didn't mean to post all this extra stuff but Mike is one of the last of the best.

His personality and whole life was something out of a Norman Rockwell painting.

Born and raised on a farm in Ohio, served in WWII, college educated via the GI Bill, Ohio State of course, nuclear engineer for Detroit Edison, helped prevent a melt down at the Fermi Plant here in MI (look it up, "We Almost Lost Detroit).

He went to work at the NRC inpecting nuclear plants in the '70's.

I remember when the problem at Three Mile Island happened.

He was living in MD just outside of DC and the next time we went down to visit it was amazing how gray his hair got in just a about 8 months since we saw him last.

I asked him was it as bad as they say, he said we almost had a China Syndrome.

I always thought he was interesting in his political views.

He was an Ohio Farmer Republican, but he thought Regan was to old to be President and he never liked the first Pres Bush(silver spoon type, everything given to him) although he voted for both. Dole was the last Republican he voted for.

well I gotta stop, work is a-waiting,...but I got a great flask, to get back on topic.

[marco246]

Congrats on the new flask. I have one in stainless steel, 8 oz., that is beginning to corrode. So maybe it's not as stainless as advertised. It's only ever had JD in it, so who could tell if the corrosion had an effect on the whiskey?

I think your father-in-law would be proud of the thumbnail sketch of his life.

Cheers,

Mark

[spun_cookie]

Touching story Oscar..

For flasks, my favorite is the old WT 86.8 proof plastic over glass from the 80s - ~250 mls. I have a couple now. I love 'em. You can get the on auction for about $10 including shipping

I also just picked up an old time FRs pint bottle/flask from way back. Fancy glass, cork stopper (I put a new one in) with the metal cup topper for drinking. Looks real nice.

[purplehaze67]

Certainly not as nice, durable or classy as the ones you guys have but I'm liking these:

http://www.disposableflasks.com/

You can get 'em in pretty much anywhere should you so desire, and at around a buck apiece, no biggie if they don't get you past two uses.

[polyamnesia]

are there some bourbons that are worthy of flask sipping? aside from the aesthetics of swirling and nosing (which are lost in 'flask-ing'.... ), are there some pours that work well in those quite limited and DEMANDING situations?

[Dramiel McHinson]

I have several of the stainless steel hip flasks in various sizes. My favorite is a one ounce "key chain" model. I don't put it on my key chain but it will fit in any pocket. The perfect Starbucks companion.

[fishnbowljoe]

I got mine free from joining the Rebel Yell website. A 6 oz. stainless steel one, with Rebel Yell embossed on it. It's good enough for what I need it for. It fits nicely in the side pocket of my utility bowling bag. The bars at the bowling alleys don't have much of a selection of bourbons, so I take my own so I can have a "good" drink if I tire of JB White and MM. Joe

[spun_cookie]

Here is the one I use most often... these are great.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Wild-Turkey-Flask-that-Comes-Apart-W-Screw-Top-Lid_W0QQitemZ150310474116QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?_trksid=p3286.m20.l1116

http://cgi.ebay.com/WILD-TURKEY-WHISKEY-FLASH_W0QQitemZ120337013176QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?_trksid=p3286.m20.l1116

And no, these are not my auctions and if I did not already have two, I would buy them - if they were still full of the WT 86.8, I would have bolught them anyhow :clown:

[funknik]

are there some bourbons that are worthy of flask sipping? aside from the aesthetics of swirling and nosing (which are lost in 'flask-ing'.... ), are there some pours that work well in those quite limited and DEMANDING situations?

This may sound a little dumb, but if I get a bottle that's a little funky (EC12 again) or harsh, I put it in a flask sometimes to cut down on the flavor and make the juice palatable. They say a large percentage of taste is smell, so taking the nose out of the equation sometimes helps make it go down easier. IMHO.

[polyamnesia]

This may sound a little dumb, but if I get a bottle that's a little funky (EC12 again) or harsh, I put it in a flask sometimes to cut down on the flavor and make the juice palatable. They say a large percentage of taste is smell, so taking the nose out of the equation sometimes helps make it go down easier. IMHO.

nope, not dumb at all! i would put something fine but 'lesser' like...the last BOTM (old taylor) or something to mix with (EBrooks90).

[Attila]

Thank you for the post Oscar.

[OscarV]

Thanksgiving we had my wife's parents over.

I went over and picked them up, on the drive over Mike asked me several times what kind of car I had and also kept asking what road we were on.

His memory loss is real strange.

He had a good time, he liked the music I played, the "Stardust" album by Willie Nelson where he does all those great old Hoagie Carmicheal and Cole Porter songs. He likes the old big bands from the '30's and '40's also.

It's hard seeing him like this, my wife said her sister started to cry after I took them back home.

But here is a funny story about Mike that I always liked.

Remember The Who album titled "Meaty Beaty Big And Bouncy"?

And remember the game from the '80's Trivial Pursuit?

OK, about 25 years ago we were all playing Trivial Pursuit and Mike landed on Music and it was my turn to ask him the question.

And it was, What artist had an album titled Meaty Beaty Big And Bouncy?

I thought to myself he'll never get this one.

So he thought about it for a bit and then answered very seriously, Bette Midler.

I almost fell out of my chair.

[theBOURBONreview]

It's a twinge in your heart. It's someplace familiar, worn, scratched, bruised, dented. The reunion one has with a long lost flask is like seeing your ex-girlfriend for the first time in more than a year. You know it's been filled, consumed, and tossed around. Guilty familiarity lends itself to awkward moments of curiosity. Should I wait to consume this curvy vessel of libations? What lips have touched thee? Oh... I shudder to drop that anchor!

905 Mcclain Dr. World headquarters of THE BOURBON REVIEW. I was shoving my office into an Orvis duffel bag as I glanced up at the bar for a final glance at the Weller 12 Yr. The glint of reflection stole my glance and I detected ye old vessel. She was in a heap of other bourbon memorabilia we keep at one end of the bar.

I once heard a Catholic sermon in Owensboro where the theme was, 'your body is merely a vessel of God's will.' I've often debated the merit of this claim. But, in coming full circle, I see the wisdom in this Catholic priest's ________. Maybe we are just vessels of various spirits? In that case, the most important decision we have to make is what spirit we fill ourselves with.

While I don't believe in mutual exclusivity with the Lord, I also don't believe in monopolizing the spiritual lamentation of bourbon. Life spirit should manifest itself in various channels.

I approached the old vessel and proclaimed, "my old flask! Hey friend, where have you been?" It was a silver flask - about the thickness of a wallet. The initials RAK are on the broad part - my old initials, Robert Anthony Kenney. There were more dents, scratches, etc... I opened it and saw black smudge around the screw top. Obviously the flask had been stored half full; I took a swig.

JT said, "no, that's not yours, Eli bought this in a flea market." I said, "the hell he did, he found it over here!!" In which case, it would rightfully be Eli's. So, I threw the flask in my suitcase and took off. It's now 1:17 AM and I'm listening to some good jazz and sipping my nightcap. I decided to do a sunset surprise and just pour what was left in the shot glass over some ice. It's a good wheated bourbon but I'm slightly at a loss as to what I'm sipping. For me, I need to have a fully developed taste profile to identify with absolute certainty.

The reunion of man and flask has been beautiful. Both are sharing in the boom of the bourbon industry. Yet both know that the vessel's life has just begun. What a life we live, we bourbon connosieurs. We appreciative vessels of corn juice! Rise, for I salute thy noble challenge. Our scratches, dents, rust, and blemishes do not stand in the way of our sacred chore.

[jinenjo]

And it was, What artist had an album titled Meaty Beaty Big And Bouncy?

Bette Middler's a good answer. I was expecting more of a cliched punch-line, like, "Who?"

[jinenjo]

... I opened it and saw black smudge around the screw top. Obviously the flask had been stored half full; I took a swig.

Nice anecdote.

But the whiskey really tasted fine after all that time in a flask?

[theBOURBONreview]

According to many, whiskey doesn't change once it's in a container. My friends Mike V & Dale C taught me this. This particular wheated whiskey - the stuff in my old flask - could have been 2 weeks old, or 2 years old. It was lost for at least two years, to the best of my knowledge. I still have not cleaned the flask, except around the rim. Does anyone have any suggestions as to how to clean a flask?

[ILLfarmboy]

Does anyone have any suggestions as to how to clean a flask?

Vodka. Isn't that what vodka if for. But seriously, I would think Everclear would work best. Its nearly pure alcohol so it should evaporate/ dry out well and it would be more sanitary than water since water may not dry completely and soap and water may leave a soapy residue in the inside.

[gblick]

For a stealth (non-metal) flask, I like the Nalgene leakproof bottles.