What bourbon are you drinking now? Summer '06 edition

[jburlowski]

Tim,

Good news and congrats. I can certainly empathize with what you went through. I've been through similar circumstances twiceand have come out a survivior once and a casualty the other.

You deserve to celebrate...

John

[ratcheer]

Thanks, everyone.

I was so happy for myself that I neglected to mention that approximately 3700 people are losing their jobs in this merger and several of them are close friends of mine. So, my joy certainly has a bittersweet side.

Tim

[kbuzbee]

Congratulations, my friend.

Many years ago I also had the opportunity to participate in a similar excercise:rolleyes: They handled it (IMO) really badly. You found out the moment you were gone. A security person showed up at your office door with a small box. You put all your personal things in the box (under supervision) and were escorted from the building. Nice!

In many ways, I was glad to be part of those no longer desired. They let about 1/3 of the 3000 people in that one office go. The people left were working in a virtual morgue for at least a year. The really sad thing was all the lost friendships... It was odd but it was kinda like seeing us made the survivors feel guilty they were still there so they just didn't. I felt like we'd died....

Sad in a way, I really liked Houston but, oh well, life goes on. I relocated from a dead economy in Houston to a robust economy in New Hampshire (eventually) and never looked back.

A toast to you!

Ken

[gothbat]

Although excellent, this PVW20 pales in comparison to the Stagg I just drank. (This is not to say that I am not enjoying it, I seldom pour from these bottles as well since they too are often expensive and will be missed when they are gone)

[CrispyCritter]

I'm sipping some Jim Beam Black right now. For all the bad press that JB White gets, the Black is a good, solid, well-balanced bourbon. The vanilla sweetness, the spice, and the tannic edge are all in harmony. There's no way I'd turn this one down.

Along with WT 101, this is a good choice if you're stuck with a limited selection - and even if you aren't.

:yum: :drink: :yum:

[RedVette]

PVW 15. I know it is the same as 15/107, because Julian says so. I believe Julian, but my brain says that it seems that this stuff is just a little bit different to 15/107. Someday I will do a blind test to settle it once and for all, at least in my mind.

A brain is a terrible thing to waste.

[brockagh]

I have a brain, but I'm saving it for a special occasion.

Last night I had some William Weller. Very nice.

[jburlowski]

A beautiful Fall weekend with friends and a bottle of 2004 GTS. Ahhhhhh....

[Nebraska]

I cracked open one of the Old Heaven Hill Very Rare BIB 10 year olds that I brought home and enjoying memories of bourbon fest. I'm eating a slice of pizza with it, so I'm thinking tasting notes might come out a little garlic slanted if I tried right now.

It feels good to be home with Dora the explorer in the back ground on TV. My little one seems like she grew a ton while I was away. All 5 days:lol:

[smokinjoe]

I feel like a kid at Christmas. Brought home several bottles from the festival, and I just have to open them all!! At least I'll get 3 of them. Started with Barton 100, then to ETL, and finishing with Four Roses Small Batch. All of these are terrific, but this Four Roses is really special. Candy, Candy, Candy! :yum:

JOE

[luv2hunt]

I brought home from the festival: 2-20 yr Pappy Van Winkle, 2-WT Tribute, 1-BTEC set, 4-Four Roses Small Batch, 1-Four Roses Single Barrel and a WT 1855 Reserve.

We won't be drinking any of it for several days.........it was hard going back to work today!

Dawn

[barturtle]

This eveing I am revisiting the bottles that remain that I took to the Gazebo.

Old Forester 86 from the mid-late 70s. A trade from Roger (Rughi) a while back( hanks Roger!). Absolutely outstanding for a NAS 86 proof bottle. I'm really glad this one went mostly overlooked on the table (maybe 5oz gone). I would gues this to be closer to 7yo. While the nose is fine but unimpressive, the actual body and flavor is more what I would expect from a BIB, but with a more delicate finish that the higher proof couldn't deliver.

Virginia Gentleman 90 "The Fox" the red-headed step child of the BT family. While a decent dram, I would expect for the price something a little more. The palate here actually reminds me of Makers more than anything BT produces, but with a more refined finish than the infamous wax-dipped stuff from Loretto. This bottle had about 2 ounces liberated.

Johnny Drum 12yo 101. Interesting, having tried another bottle of this recently at Randy's in Houston, this one is much less woody with a full caramel entry and a light peppery finish and just the most subtle hint of mint. The proof gives just a little tickle in the back of the throat. This bottle barely got touched maybe an ounce gone.

[Old Bill]

Cracked open a bottle of Old Heaven Hill (about 12 bucks in Minnesota). Not bad. Could be my new standard, everyday whiskey.

[scopenut]

Just got my paper published in Computers and Geosciences, so tonight will probably be Pappy's 20, Hirsh, or Pappy's 15. Maybe all 3... :grin:

-Kevin

[HighTower]

Congrats Kevin,

Have a couple for me too!:grin:

Scott

[jeff]

Way to go Kevin :toast:

Tonight I am having a little Evan Williams 12yo thanks to the generosity of Koji :toast:

[SBOmarc]

A record Profit for the month of August.

GTS Fall '05

[Nebraska]

Another 150,000 I'm borrowing from the bank tomorrow...I believe I'll toast with some of that Fleischmann's I bought!

[cowdery]

I'm celebrating another day above ground with Old Grand-Dad BIB and Ale-8-One, with a dash of Angostura bitters. I'm following the Gary Regan-revealed historical nostrum that all cocktails contain bitters.

Gary believes bitters are what characterize a mixed drink as a "cocktail" as opposed to some other category of mixed drink. Today we use the terms "mixed drink" and "cocktail" interchangeably, but that was not always the usage. A cocktail was a particular type of mixed drink, characterized by the presence of bitters in the recipe.

Last night I mixed equal parts Mellow Corn corn whiskey and my homemade sweet and sour mix (no ice, but the sour mix was chilled) with a dash of bitters, and the result also was quite good.

For manhattans, Gary likes to pour on the bitters, giving the bottle 13 or 14 shakes. This adds a distinctive, herbal bitterness that cuts some of the sweetness of the drink. A single dash, on the other hand, has the effect not of adding a flavor of its own, but of amping up any bitterness in the other ingredients, the ginger in the case of the first drink above, and the citric acid in the second.

[Nebraska]

Ohhh Mannn! Chuck, you just reminded me of what I didn't get on my list. I was going to pick up some Ale-8-one. Next year I guess. Shoot!:smiley_acbt:

[TNbourbon]

...I'm following the Gary Regan-revealed historical nostrum that all cocktails contain bitters...For manhattans, Gary likes to pour on the bitters, giving the bottle 13 or 14 shakes. This adds a distinctive, herbal bitterness that cuts some of the sweetness of the drink. A single dash, on the other hand, has the effect not of adding a flavor of its own, but of amping up any bitterness in the other ingredients...

Following Chuck's lead, I just eyeballed a 1:1 vatting of 5yo dark/12yo Angostura rum (maybe 2 oz. total), a dribble of PAMA, 5-6 shakes of Angostura bitters, and (for me, it ain't a mixed drink without 'em!) a couple of maraschino cherries. Ain't bad.

[TnSquire]

Tonite is a BIB night. Old Charter with a squirt of Canada Dry.

[ProofPositive]

For the fifth evening in a row, I have reached for Blanton's. Over the weekend I purchased another bottle from a local retailer who has been running it for $39 since the beginning of summer. The first 2 bottles of Blanton's currently in my stash consist of a regular offering dumped on 12-13-05, and, the retailer's "select barrel" dumped on 5-2-05. I have compared these 2 on several occasions. For whatever reason, I have enjoyed the 5-2 bottle much better than the former. Is it common to find these retailer 'selections' much different/better/worse than a 'regular' bottling from a particular label/distillery? That being said, in the case of Blanton's, I am not sure any bottling is 'regular' in the strict sense of the word.

This retailer told me he is trying to move out the current supply of Blanton's to make room for a soon-to-be-shipped new bottling from a barrel he selected recently at BT - which probably explains the $10 discount from regular price. I like this 5-2 batch so well that I may buy a few more. If the new barrel he selected is as good or better than the 5-2 batch, I may not get away from the horse-topped corks for a long, long time!

[FlashPuppy]

Just managed to finish my ETL tonight.:drinking: :drinking: :drinking:

I am really sorry to see that one go. It took a good long while, but alas. It's funny, I did not like it the first time I had it. Took me almost 2 months to have a second pour, but everyone that I did have seemed to get better. By the time I got to the end of the bottle, I found I am in love with this bourbon.

[T47]

It doesn't feel like summer 06 any more...pouring rain for a couple days here in the Seattle area. I am relaxing over a pour of PVW20. It took me a long time to open this bottle. For me that was a lot of $$ to spend on one bottle and I kept waiting for the right time.

I have developed a somewhat morbid tribute with it. I pop the cork every time I go to a Police Officer who was killed in the line of duties funeral. Since purchasing it (last Feb) I have had only had a couple drinks, a little send off toast to my brothers in blue. We wear black bands on our badges when an officer gets killed and we don't take them off until the funeral...I keep my black band around the neck of the bottle.

I hope the bottle last's a long time...sure is a nice drink, very mellow. To me slightly sweet, caramel, with a slight woody flavor. Not over powering, very smooth.

A worthy send off for sure.