Today was the most challenging day of my New Year’s goal to drink 33 new whiskies in less than 30 days. And by challenging, I mean as hard as it gets to sit at a bar and drink whiskey. I went with two unusual ones, Corsair Centennial and Low Gap wheat whiskey. Neither one is a traditional whiskey, but to take it even further, they both push the boundaries of what a “whiskey taste” is. I’ve got a pretty good idea of what whiskies generally taste like, so it was interesting to bump into two at one bar sitting that defied that idea. That is what’s really interesting about American whiskey, specifically American whiskey today. We certainly have our traditional styles with quite specific rules. But then there’s a whole experimentation scene that bends and twists the rules to create something unique. I struggle a bit because I like the taste of many traditional whiskey styles, so I don’t necessarily want something too different. But then, different has the benefit of making me take notice. The real test is to step outside of my expectations and recognize it as different and then evaluate whether I still like it on its own terms. These two are good in themselves. Would I actually choose them over something more traditional done really well? I’m not so sure. In the end, I got a Buffalo Trace original just to pit these against something familiar and try to suss out what makes them whiskey and what makes them seem so incredibly different.
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Today’s forecast was freezing rain, warming to rain. But for me, it was all sunshine and cozy thanks to my two new friends: Parker and Bowmore. I pitted a wheated bourbon against a peated Scotch. Sort of. I decided to taste them one at a time, so the smoke in the peat wouldn’t take over the tongue. That may not have been a valid concern. At barrel strength, the Parker had flavor to spare, and the Scotch was actually quite soft. Opposites attract, I guess, and these both attracted me. |
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November 2017
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