What Did Santa Bring?

[scratchline]

Kind of surprised this thread wasn't started earlier but I'll kick it off.

Several family members got together and today I have a bottle of the Parker Heritage 27 year old Bourbon. This is an extravagance I never would have gotten myself so needless to say I am very happy to have one.

I'm enjoying the holiday season in Rochester, NY where I have happened on a local liquor store with bourbon holdings that rival the best of NYC. The head of the bourbon department has done single barrel selections of ET Lee, Saz Jr., WT Kentucky Spirit, and two different barrels of Weller Centennial. They don't ship which may explain why so much good stuff is still on the shelf. From what I understand about the forum rules, I shouldn't advertise the name of the retailer here, but if anyone in the Rochester area is looking for some special holiday cheer, PM me and I'll pass the name on to you.

I'm also thinking about doing a Rochester tasting sometime in the next few weeks so SB members in the area who might be interested should also drop me a line.

Merry Christmas to all!

-Mike

[ratcheer]

My wife and I just got a few small things. I got a couple of movies on BluRay, the new Stephen King book, and an assortment of Wickles pickles. My wife got a Rabbit corkscrew and a few other things.

My sons got the good stuff. Both got the top-model RipStick. The 17-year old got the new Guitar Hero World Tour set. The 10-year old got a Sony PSP handheld video game. They both got games.

Not a really big Christmas, but the important thing is everybody seems happy.

Tim

[fishnbowljoe]

I had an extremely bountiful Christmas. One bottle of McAffe's Benchmark, one bottle of Seagrams Benchmark, two decanters of ER 101, three bottles of Weller Centennial, a $100 gift certificate to my favorite local liquor store, and a partridge in a pear tree. Triple Ho! Joe

[gothbat]

Last week, in our office secret Santa, I got a copy of Bourbon at it's Best by Ron Givens. Today I got The Evolution of the Bourbon Whiskey Industry In Kentucky by Sam K. Cecil, The Book of Classic American Whiskeys by Mark H. Waymack and James F. Harris, and this DVD called Made & Bottled in Kentucky. :] My cousin also brought me a bottle of Pennsylvania Dutch pre-mixed Egg Nog. Among the non bourbon related presents I got the best of the bunch was a WD TV box that my brother got me. You plug a flash drive or a USB hard drive that has video or music files on it into it and it plays them back on the TV, the movies get upscaled to 1080p! :]

[callmeox]

Bourbon related stuff: The old fashioned telephone Beam decanter and Bourbon at it's Best by Ron Givens. The "praying for a snow day soon" present was the Dirty Harry DVD box set. :cool:

Do ya feel lucky? Well, do ya PUNK?!?!

[funknik]

Huge snifter...mmmmm....

[onmytrack]

Some T. H. Handy 2008. Thank you very much. I've never had it and I'm looking forward to trying it. Merry Christmas to all.

Andy - nice pic!

Scott - Make my day!

Jim

[Jono]

Christmas eve I let my brother in law pick....he had never had Wathen's SB....and between us...we finished it off....plenty of food etc.

Currently I am going through hi-tech hell....we got a family gift...a Sony LCD and I had it installed on the wall....everything was fine but I was waiting for a new receiver to arrive....my old one broke a power button on Christmas Eve about 1 hr before people were to arrive. I ran around thinking I could stretch a cable from the Dish receiver to the tv as a stop gap...then I got home..saw the new reciever box on the doorstep..and....well, let us say that hooking everything up has not been successful. I have connnected things every which way...I get audio...no video....at least we could play DVDs connected right into the t.v. and Wie. Sooo, I will have to have the tech guy come back to help with the hook up. Plus, all of a sudden only 1 of my satellite speakers is working...they were before disconnecting from the old receiver...I suppose the new one could be a lemon. Arrrhhhhhh I hate dealing with hi tech gear. Whatever happened to plug and play?

[bonneamie]

I got the ususal girlie things, but what my 22 year old son got was so funny! He and his cousins draw names, and my 2year old nephew drew my son's name. Despite his youth and living halfway across the country from my son, he got him the perfect gift: a set of shot glasses and a cocktail book. Well... maybe the parents were involved in this gift selection, too!!

[Jono]

At least now, with a phone call, I managed to get the t.v. & receiver connected....next...putting all back on the shelves...wire hell.

[ggilbertva]

Set of BTAC plus an extra Stagg, Pure KY XO, an assortment of clothes, books, cigars, etc. Nice spending it with the family.

[smokinjoe]

My wife started a tradition while we were dating in college, of putting a miniature whiskey in my stocking. In 1982, it was a 1/10 pint of Jim Beam White Label 5 yr old. For the 27th straight year, I got another this year. Booker's this time. All are whiskey's (bourbon, scotch, Canadian, Irish, and American), but most are bourbon. Particularly over the last several years as my bourbon passion has grown. All are glass, as she says the plastic ones don't look as good. This condition, I know, has proven troublesome in some years. But, she always comes through. :bowdown: Besides the amazing fact that she hasn't missed in 27 years, it's also a wonder that I haven't drank any of them. And, that was during some lean college years, too!! I have them lined up on the book case in my office. Every year, this is my most anticipated and cherished gift. It's always the last thing I pull from my stocking.

Also, received a Blanton's from my brother-in-law, and picked up a Rowan's Creek for myself. It's been a very good Christmas at the Smokinjoe household.

[OscarV]

Very nice tradition Joe, we have a similar thing but with Christmas ornaments.

Our first Christmas being married was 1978. Shortly before Christmas my wife bought a dated 1978 ornament stating "Our First Christmas as Husband and Wife."

It cost five dollars and I thought that was outrageous to spend money like that, heck you could get a carton of cigarettes for that. We get one every year, different themes.

I hang them all along the fireplace mantle from ribbon, this year was ornament number 31.

But alas, not bourbon related.

[Lost Pollito]

Santa brought me a 375 of a Makers Mark "Johnny Bench" bottle. Pretty cool.

[SBOmarc]

Baker's. Old Rip Van Winkle 10 yr old, Saz Jr, EWSB 1998, WTRB, OGD 114. Some very cool cookbooks, and some Titlelist Golf Balls.

[p_elliott]

Wife bought me 5 bourbons and two things she thought were bourbons but were not so 7 spirits all together my little stash took a big jump.

[fishnbowljoe]

Well.....What were they Paul?:skep: Joe

[pepcycle]

I received a local NY whiskey.

Its the Hudson Four Grain in the 375 ml bottle.

Lynn and Eddie brought back some Graycliff Cigars from the Bahamas and a few were in my stocking.

Best Gift of all for Kentuckian transplanted to that place North and West of NYC that seems to get cooler, snowier, icier, windier weather, a 28" Craftsman Snowblower.

As I learned during last week's 14 in snowstorm, deep snow sucks.

Most interesting gift is a pair of LL Bean Snowshoes and poles.

Looks like I'll be heading Bear Mountain and Harriman State AParks for some exercise.

Last but not least, the joy of spending Christmas with my one year old Grandson.

Pure Innocence and Joy.

[IronHead]

I am pretty much an FNG around here since I hardly post, but I was too geeked about this haul to not post a pic:

It was a very Van Winkle Xmas.

[OscarV]

This is what I did not get for Christmas.

Maybe next year.

[Cigarman Chris]

The only alcohol related gift I recieved was a bottle of Knob Creek. Its tasty.

[Skunk]

On the second day of Christmas, my true love gave to me- Two Riedel glasses and book by Charles Cowdery.

The bottle was just a lucky find late Christmas eve. A present, nonetheless.

[p_elliott]

Well.....What were they Paul?:skep: Joe

Evan Williams, Markers Mark, Old Grand Dad 100, Basil Haydens, Fighting Cock ( I like this one a lot) the two non burbons are Templeton Rye and Jeremiah Weed

[BourbonJoe]

My son gave me two Beam 200 month old decanters from 1976 and a Bonded Beam from 1968. Very nice indeed.

Joe :usflag:

[funknik]

The wife got me a Van Winkle Lot B and the in-laws gave me a bottle of Knob Creek -- not too shabby.