And then, post-quarantine:
And bourbon. Which cheap-to-medium Southern whisky is best?
Surprisingly enough, I agree, except I might move Wild Turkey up in the ranks a spot or so. Or maybe I've only had higher grade Turkey. Not sure.
Of course, we've left out Woodford Reserve, which is somewhat better (and somewhat more expensive) than Maker's. It's standard in reasonable bars and a bit of an omission here, really.
As Matt noted, we've left out the higher end bourbons, so let me recommend a somewhat more expensive bourbon: Michter's. Very good stuff. And of course, there's Lead Slingers, if you just have to have bourbon distilled by special operators who are great at killing America's enemies but might be a tad weak on distilling skills. Not judging. Much. But Bulleit is good. Their rye is quite good as well. But try Michter's; a bit more expensive, but worth it.
The decisive spot here is Old Forester. It's very inexpensive, half the cost of Woodford maybe, but it's a solid bourbon that you can drink straight. I don't know how they do it.
Normally, though, Matt reviews food and drink that do NOT contain alcohol, like this 42-minute review of Southern root beers:
Somewhat awkwardly for a Southerner, I’ve never liked bourbon. Oh, I’ve drunk plenty of it. I’ve just never liked it. Sometimes the social occasion just calls for it here.
ReplyDeleteI was at a farmer’s market in Cashiers the other day and this charming young lady selling cake cheerfully asked me, “Do you like bourbon?” I must have been the only guy all day who said no.
(Her bourbon cake was delicious though.)
I don’t like Drambuie either, but somehow it seems like every Scottish Highland games somebody is passing a bottle of it around. You don’t want to be rude.
I do like Rye, as an American whiskey. And I like pretty much all the Scotch whisky that is single malt and a made by a decent crafter. My favorite is the Talisker.
Now that I think about it I recently had a fantastic whiskey called Southern Star Double Rye. It’s local to NC, the whole production line. But you might ask for it and see if your bottle shop can get it.
Jack Daniels is not a bourbon. It's a Tennessee Whiskey, which has by law an extra charcoal filtering process that bourbon whiskey does not. But he did say he didn't know what he was talking about.
ReplyDeleteWild Turkey is a decent backpacking whiskey, because that 101 proof means it's easier to sleep on the ground.
Bulleit Frontier Whiskey makes a good Rye, though their bourbon isn't terrible. Same bottle, green label.
ReplyDeleteJim Beam is terrible.
I've actually never tried Evan Williams or Old Forester.
Makers Mark, I've been to their distillery. (Jack Daniels, too, which was way cooler). The signs routed you from the interstate through about three small Kentucky towns' quaint downtown shopping areas before you got there. On the way out they gave you a map back that showed an alternative route about a quarter mile to the interstate.
Best cheap bourbon he didn't mention? Old Crow. It was Edgar Allan Poe's whiskey, although the formula has changed since then and the original one was lost. And it's so cheap, you can buy like a gallon for what a fifth of something better costs.
Actually, forget I mentioned Old Crow. It's the kind of thing that could get a man in trouble.
Hard likker is where my Scots-Irish maternal heritage peters out. I probably got wretched drunk on all the old brands listed at least once in my youth, as we worked through the universe of alcoholic and fermented beverages, but rurnt my stomach for the stuff.
ReplyDeleteI like the old grades of booze--
Rot Gut
Paint Remover
The Cheap Stuff
A Kentucky friend of mine swore by Evan Williams, especially if his horse lost the Derby, but I didn't share that bit of Southernness neither.
For almost four decades I've drunk less (and only beer, wine, or candy) in a year than I used to drink in a night.
Cousin Eddie
I went through a bourbon phase some years back, but don't actually drink it that much anymore. I moved on to Irish whisky, and that's still my preference, although NOT Jameson. Ugh. Tullamore Dew, Bushmills, and some lesser-known brands.
ReplyDeleteI've never really enjoyed Scotch, just generally has a little too much Scotland in it. Although I did go to a tasting once that had a Scotch old enough to vote and it was good, as I recall. Can't remember the label. And Glenfiddich is drinkable. But it's kind of expensive to experiment with here, so maybe I just haven't found the stuff I like yet.
I'll have to give Old Crow a try.
Also, some of the local breweries around here also brew their own non-alcoholic root beer, if you're into that. I used to love it, but stopped drinking sodas years ago.
ReplyDeleteThe little lady has become a Scotch expert, by way of her "Outlander" induced fascination with all things Scottish. She is, in fact, going to the local Scottish Society picnic tomorrow afternoon.
ReplyDeleteThe series star has opened a distillery--The Sassanach, Blended Scotch Whisky, and she is an early consumer; I haven't tasted it--Scotch always tastes like dirt to me, even more than tea does.
She has sampled all the brands mentioned I think.
I've gradually been reduced to (fairly) clean living. Cigs long gone (and not missed), copious alcohol consumption that morphed into kidney- and bladder-busting amounts of caffeine-free diet co-cola, and then declined into a nightly reward of ONE CAN of the crap, and finally given up entirely.
Now it's icewater, black coffee, and 1% milk only, and on special occasions like right now a cordial.
We have some very highly regarded microbreweries around here, but I haven't
tasted many of their products.
Prost!
“The Sassanach” is not complimentary. (It’s not profane either; it means “The Saxon,” i.e. the English. Strange name for a Scotch, but at least it’s more appropriate for a blended one.)
ReplyDelete“Scotch always tastes like dirt to me...”
Peat, specifically. It’s more moss than dirt, but I can see how you make the association.
I don't know anything about "Outlander." I guess it's a show?
ReplyDeleteYeah, that peat-y taste is exactly why I say it usually has too much Scotland in it.
Oh I know very well what Sassenach means, and have forgotten more British Isles history and culture than my wife will ever know. (Yes Tom, "Outlander" is the adaptation of a series of very long books by an American authoress--time-travel, cliffhanger action, and lots of sex.)
ReplyDeleteNeither the books nor the televisualization are of much interest to me--I know this stuff by osmosis.
Some of my Kraut ancestors dug peat for a living, apparently without being tempted to distill it.
Cousin Eddie