Daily Bread

[Williamsmith]

Lovely lazy day for exploring a beautiful area

May I ask a question that has puzzled me for some time? I am a teetollar now so pardon my lack of knowledge but back when I was exploring different drinks, I could not understand how people could drink such strange tasting stuff - gin, bourbon, rye - but I could understand the appeal of some rums. Dry wines were a major puzzle as well. I was really uncomfortable with the 'buzz' that so many report as enjoyable. When did you discover the enjoyment of bourbon - is it the taste, the associations over a lifetime or is it like a kind of chocolate or coffee?

There are plenty of snobby “experts” who will wow you with complex descriptions of the bourbon elitists. I’ll cut right to the point. I started drinking bourbon because it seemed to be the fastest way for me to get intoxicated in a social setting or as a way to anesthetize myself after a particularly stressful stretch of work.

In my former profession, alcohol is a professional hazard which is somewhat glorified and condoned. Other drugs are screened for routinely and heavily and can get you fired in a heartbeat. Being a drunk only seems to enhance your resume. And tolerance in the form of rehabilitation is always an option. Sometime after recognizing my ill conceived approach I actually got interested in giving the drink itself the respect it deserves. And I learned that moderation is in fact, a virtue.

Having survived that part of my maturation process, I began to study the spirit. And there is a lot to be learned about flavoring by aging, the different delicious variations on smokiness, fruitiness, sweet and spicy hints, and nutty suggestions that can be found in different makes. There is also a sort of reasonableness that goes into diluting the drink from the maker who realizes that the flavors need not be overridden by the alcohol taste. Most of the flavors are donated by a charred oaken barrel in which the whiskey is stored for five or six years. The barrel gives up the flavors that are stored in its wood grain. This gives bourbon its color. Further flavors can be added with wooden staves for up to nine weeks after the peek storage time is reached.

My wife doesn’t not adore bourbon but she can enjoy it in a fruity concoction of lemonade and cranberry juice mix or as a mint julip. I would say drinking it “neat” or simply on ice is an acquired taste. The point is, sometime along the way....a bourbon drinker appreciates the drink for what it is and where it came from more than where it can transport you. To be honest, everything we desire in life, whatever it may be we covet....is a drug.

[Teacher Terry]

My husband loves good scotch neat and trying different ones. I usually take a tiny sip and don’t like it. Although, I enjoy other drinks. Road trips are fun. We recently returned from a month trip with our 3 pooches.

[iris lilies]

Just recently
I have been drinking Scotch. And Irish whiskey. I ised to hate that stuff, but I think I was drinking the cheap kinds.


And just this morning I looked up the difference between Bourbon and Scotch.

Bourbon is usually made from corn and is always made outside of Scotland. Only Whiskey made in Scotland (they make it from barley) can be called Scotch.

[JaneV2.0]

I used to drink Scotch. I didn't like it, so I tended to suck it up quickly. Didn't end well.

Went back to Brandy Alexanders ( not blended). I still have one occasionally.

[catherine]

I'm not a fan of straight hard liquor--ice or no ice. I do like to sip some liqueurs, like cognac. I'm definitely a wine or beer person, with the occasional gin and tonic on a hot summer day.

My daughter loves cocktails, but I just feel most of them are just overpriced punches. I will have a margarita on occasion. I really don't like martinis at all.

We have a good friend of the family who is definitely a Maker's Mark guy. Doesn't drink anything else. Makes gift-giving easy.

[iris lilies]

I'm not a fan of straight hard liquor--ice or no ice. I do like to sip some liqueurs, like cognac. I'm definitely a wine or beer person, with the occasional gin and tonic on a hot summer day.

My daughter loves cocktails, but I just feel most of them are just overpriced punches. I will have a margarita on occasion. I really don't like martinis at all.

We have a good friend of the family who is definitely a Maker's Mark guy. Doesn't drink anything else. Makes gift-giving easy.

so, is that an expensive Scotch?

I am enamoured of the small cigar lounge/gentleman’s drinking club in Hermann. There I sampled a few Scotch brands, and liked best the one from Arran, the island where DH’s aunt lived. It was very smooth. The experienced Scotch drinkers in my group agreed it was the best.

[Williamsmith]

To the best of my knowledge, Makers Mark sells its used barrels to Laphroaig Distillery, Port Ellen Scotland.

[razz]

Wonder how quickly we will hear from Ishbel?

To the best of my knowledge, Makers Mark sells its used barrels to Laphroaig Distillery, Port Ellen Scotland.

[Alan]

My main purpose was to visit the Makers Mark distillery near Loretto, Ky.

Did you take advantage of the opportunity to seal your own bottle?
Makers Mark.jpg

[SteveinMN]

To the best of my knowledge, Makers Mark sells its used barrels to Laphroaig Distillery, Port Ellen Scotland.

Love Laphroaig! I know some people are turned off by the smokiness but I like all kinds of smoky foods, so why not my Scotch?

I kind of fell into liking whiskey. I was out with some friends and the bar was offering two-for-ones on Scotch. We sipped them all as taste tests. Some of them seemed quite medicinal-tasting to me. But the rest I liked (surprised me as I'm not a fan of gin, vodka, tequila, or other distilled spirits). And it interested me that despite having the equivalent of two drinks in about 45-50 minutes, I didn’t get the buzz that I'd get from two beers or glasses of wine. And (bonus!) whiskey is very low in carbs, so I can drink it relatively freely while I have to be quite careful about how many beers or what kind of wines I drink.

I think it's like enjoying coffee -- you can drink whiskey watered down or in a cocktail. But the people who really like it drink it straight or maybe with a bit of water or ice. Also like coffee, if you're going to try it, try the good stuff, not cheap swill. But it is an acquired taste.