There is no emotion, there is Bourbon.

Month: October 2016

Elijah Craig 23

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I found this bottle at a dusty little shop in Massachusetts and immediately snatched it up. By the time I bought it it had already been on the shelf for at least a year, and after buying it I only drank one dram over in a year. However, I recently had some friends over and decided to break it out. Over the course of the night we ended up drinking half a bottle. 

Just as a quick aside whiskey, I believe, is meant to be shared not hoarded. If you have a bottle you’ve been stocking away, pull it out and share it with some friends or family and you’ll enjoy it more than if you saved it to drink by yourself. I know I always do. 

So how did this measure up after sitting around for the last year?
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Catoctin Creek Rye – Cask Strength

Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye

Last weekend I took a trip out to Purcellville, Virginia to visit the Catoctin Creek distillery with some friends. The tasting room was all kinds of fun, and one of the great things about it was that they distill more than just rye. They also have brandy, gin, moonshine, and limited release expressions of each. So when you go to the tasting room you can try a bunch of different flight variations including cocktails and a pairing with truffles. There is literally something there for everyone.

While there I tried all their ryes–I enjoyed both of them, but I preferred the 92 proof expression–except the limited release cask proof, which has been finished in maple syrup barrels. So what’s one to do but buy one of the few remaining bottles to try out. It’s been a long week but I waited diligently and now it’s time to crack the bottle open.


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Front and patio via whiskeybardenver.com

Front of Whiskey Bar (photo via whiskeybardenver.com)

It’s been a couple weeks since I posted but I have plenty of great excuses: playoff baseball, work, vacation, sleep etc.  It’s my recent vacation that I’ll be writing about. Specifically, a whiskey bar in Denver that I learned of through Whiskey Reviewer.

I’ve been to a lot of bars over the years (seriously a lot) and often times when you read glowing reviews of bars–especially niche bars–they’re written by people in the know and part of the cliche. If you are a tourist, an outsider, or new to the spirit, wine, or craft beer game then these bars can be painful to visit. They tend to raise a lot of barriers to newcomers and novices–often as a way of keeping the establishment as a locals only or snobs only joint–and therefore they end up not being very welcoming. Sometimes the experience can be so bad it’ll put people off a certain type of drink.

Thankfully, the Whiskey Bar was not that. Dave and the entire crew at Whiskey Bar created a fun, welcoming and inclusive atmosphere. Even though we were there on a Friday night we were still able to spend plenty of time chatting about bourbons, ryes, and local Colorado distilleries. He also took time to chat with my wife and help her find something she would enjoy. In a word, no one there was a whiskey snob.

I really can’t say enough great things about the Whiskey Bar and the entire staff. If you ever find yourself in Denver make sure you carve out a little time to go check it out and drink a few drams of whiskey. My only regret was being too tired to stay more than a couple hours. Hopefully, I can make it back there sometime soon.

Blade & Bow and Weller 12

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