With Christmas just a couple of days away, it's perhaps no better time to get your drink on. And what better to drink than some good Bourbon. So how about we talk about my favorite- Pappy Van Winkle. Oh, the double bladed sword of delicious goodness. But it has left me wondering why it's so fucking hard to find it.
When and why did Pappy Van Winkle develop this crazy cult following? Don't get me wrong, I love the stuff. It taste amazing, but there is so many other fine bourbons out there that could take some hype off this sucker. A couple of years ago I could get this stuff on the shelf whenever I wanted. Now? Not so much.
I have to go into my bottle shop and get on a waiting list and when they do get it in, the prices are always on the higher side. Maybe it was because the 23 year old bottle, which let's be honest here, is well beyond most people's price range, was given the title "Best whiskey in the world" by some random folks a few years back. It's the same thing that happened to Westyletern.
Look, I love the stuff, but perhaps Van Winkle isn't worth getting this attention of being the best or anything. That's how you create high expectations for a drink. Not to mention I want something I'm not going to feel guilty drinking due to its rarity.
But yeah, there's some kind of crazy mystique behind Pappy that makes it so interesting to people. It's always reviewed amazingly, it's rare and it's expensive - especially for a bourbon. I bet that a lot of folks don't know that most of Pappy's stuff is actually Buffalo Trace and their Stizel-Weller days are almost all gone.
And even after I just said all that, I still want a bottle of it right now. So I guess the only thing to talk about now is maybe a proper alternative. From the press release, I'm thinking that this is very noteworthy. Woodford's 2012 Master Collection seems well worth checking out. Especially when the tasting notes and opinions coming out are very glowing.
Our Four Wood Selection is crafted from a unique batching of mature bourbon, matured in American Oak Wood, that has been finished in barrels made from Maple Wood, Sherry Wood and Port Wood.
The practice of batching together various types of finishing barrels is a less common, more exacting craft – delivering a product of exceptional complexity and smoothness.
The Oloroso Sherry barrels contribute notes of walnut and caramel; the Ruby Port barrels add rich berry fruit while the Maple Wood barrels bring in additional layers of maple syrup and baking spice. The result is a whiskey with an unsurpassed depth of fruit character that is easily savored neat or over ice.
The Four Wood Selection is available November 2012, but supplies are limited, so ask your retailer today.
That is the question of how long does your booze last once you open a bottle. In that, how long do you have to drink your stuff before it goes completely south?
The answer is simple. A long time. Generally speaking, they last a very long time. It's not like wine or beer were oxidization kills the liquor. If a bottle has a very small amount in it, like less than a quarter of the bottle is actually alcohol, then it's time to drink it within a couple of weeks or decant it into a smaller bottle. But the general rule is that more air surface area means more oxidation But I've had some that were there for years and weren't any less delicious.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment