here come the deliveries!!!
Yesterday was an off day for me, as Friday usually is, as are Saturday and Sunday. Oh sure, there's work to do for my freelance clients, and the all too enjoyable task of playing around here at amback.com, but I run like a typical Dashing Dan four days a week, including a four and a half to five hour round trip commute, and walking over to my computer in my house to do work still constitutes an off day for me.
And I knew that something would come for me yesterday, what with two packages eagerly anticipated here at 1313 Mockingbird Lane, from my two favorite booze web sites.
Sure enough, at 1530 hours, I noticed the UPS truck pull up alongside my front yard, and I knew it was the samswine.com delivery, because alcoholreviews.com is using FedEx. This actually made my mouth water, because the other delivery is bringing stuff I drink in the hot weather, but the Sam's delivery came with bourbon and rye and I was really looking forward to an old favorite and two previously untried items.
Sure enough, it was from Sam's and the decisions began immediately. The Baker's can go in the bar, I can drink that any time, still holding at a solid No. 8 in my Top 25. That left the other two bottles in the delivery, and I decided to try the . . .
vaunted Wild Turkey Kentucky Spirit bourbon(!!!), something that has been recommended by a number of people, and since I'm a big fan of their Russell's Reserve and Rare Breed, I figured 'good choice.'
The label says that it was bottled on November 20, 2003 from barrel No. 4, stored in Warehouse A on Rick 53 and is 101 proof. There is no age statement on the bottle, and the label also says that it is "single barrel" bourbon. Some companies refrain from putting age statements on their bourbon, claiming that it's good whenever it's good and that makes age statements irrelevant. It is usually done on single barrel offerings.
Noticing that it was a single barrel bourbon however was actually somewhat of a turn off to me, since I don't favor single barrel bourbons, having discovered that most of the ones I've had seem rather bland tasting and one dimensional. Nevertheless, I resolved to be fair and balanced in my assessment, and since this would only be my first tasting, there's plenty of assessing left after that, ha, ha, haaaaaaaaaaaa!!! I usually don't render an opinion on any bourbon until after at least the third tasting and frequently the fourth or fifth.
So, at 1629 hours, 25 minutes after pouring, I took the first sip. By the fourth sip, always the best tasting one, taken at 1744 hours, I was beginning to form my preliminary opinion. Sharp and sweet oak, which is always nice, dried figs and apricots which taper into a long, very dry finish, like that of a dry cognac or brandy. A little too dry for me, but very nice flavors, subsequent tastings will of course tell more.
Subsequent tastings, but of courrrrrrrsssssse. :wink:
Now why would anyone look forward to subsequent tastings of a 101 proof American beverage with questionable taste? :wink:
:wink: :shock:
Yesterday was an off day for me, as Friday usually is, as are Saturday and Sunday. Oh sure, there's work to do for my freelance clients, and the all too enjoyable task of playing around here at amback.com, but I run like a typical Dashing Dan four days a week, including a four and a half to five hour round trip commute, and walking over to my computer in my house to do work still constitutes an off day for me.
And I knew that something would come for me yesterday, what with two packages eagerly anticipated here at 1313 Mockingbird Lane, from my two favorite booze web sites.
Sure enough, at 1530 hours, I noticed the UPS truck pull up alongside my front yard, and I knew it was the samswine.com delivery, because alcoholreviews.com is using FedEx. This actually made my mouth water, because the other delivery is bringing stuff I drink in the hot weather, but the Sam's delivery came with bourbon and rye and I was really looking forward to an old favorite and two previously untried items.
Sure enough, it was from Sam's and the decisions began immediately. The Baker's can go in the bar, I can drink that any time, still holding at a solid No. 8 in my Top 25. That left the other two bottles in the delivery, and I decided to try the . . .
vaunted Wild Turkey Kentucky Spirit bourbon(!!!), something that has been recommended by a number of people, and since I'm a big fan of their Russell's Reserve and Rare Breed, I figured 'good choice.'
The label says that it was bottled on November 20, 2003 from barrel No. 4, stored in Warehouse A on Rick 53 and is 101 proof. There is no age statement on the bottle, and the label also says that it is "single barrel" bourbon. Some companies refrain from putting age statements on their bourbon, claiming that it's good whenever it's good and that makes age statements irrelevant. It is usually done on single barrel offerings.
Noticing that it was a single barrel bourbon however was actually somewhat of a turn off to me, since I don't favor single barrel bourbons, having discovered that most of the ones I've had seem rather bland tasting and one dimensional. Nevertheless, I resolved to be fair and balanced in my assessment, and since this would only be my first tasting, there's plenty of assessing left after that, ha, ha, haaaaaaaaaaaa!!! I usually don't render an opinion on any bourbon until after at least the third tasting and frequently the fourth or fifth.
So, at 1629 hours, 25 minutes after pouring, I took the first sip. By the fourth sip, always the best tasting one, taken at 1744 hours, I was beginning to form my preliminary opinion. Sharp and sweet oak, which is always nice, dried figs and apricots which taper into a long, very dry finish, like that of a dry cognac or brandy. A little too dry for me, but very nice flavors, subsequent tastings will of course tell more.
Subsequent tastings, but of courrrrrrrsssssse. :wink:
Now why would anyone look forward to subsequent tastings of a 101 proof American beverage with questionable taste? :wink:
:wink: :shock: