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I’ll take mine neat, please

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Two glasses of scotch whiskey and ice

I’ll take mine neat, please! Ways to drink your whiskey. There are many ways to enjoy your whiskey, and you’ve probably read a few articles along your journey of right and wrong ways to do just that. As you peruse these articles, you have likely read statements such as, “never mix your whiskey with Coke,” or perhaps something like, “if you’re not drinking it neat, then you’re not drinking it right.” Now, before we get into the heart of this article, let us be very clear, enjoy your whiskey however you choose, and with that out of the way, let’s get into various ways to enjoy your whiskey. Shooting While not a common way to drink your whiskey, it is necessary to bring it up and discuss why it is only sometimes recommended. For many of us, our first introduction to hard liquor, which is 80 proof or higher, came in the form of shots while in college and generally to get drunk. When you shoot your whiskey, you will only be tasting the proof and not give yourself a chance to discover the flavors of your whiskey. Mixed Drink Mixing your whiskey with soda is another favorite for many whiskey drinkers; it is a way to cut the proof down and mask what many people describe as the heat of the whiskey, and while a popular way to drink your whiskey, more than a splash of soda, you won’t likely taste the whiskey. It is recommended, however, that when you are at a friend’s place, ask them to recommend a whiskey for your mixed drink before risking possibly offending them by mixing with a high-valued whiskey. Cocktails All cocktails are mixed drinks, but not all mixed drinks are cocktails. So, what makes a mixed drink a cocktail? The simple…

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Featured Opinion Whisk(e)y

What is bourbon… really?

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What is bourbon… really? Breaking the myths While it is well-known how bourbon must be made, a few untruths or misunderstandings about bourbon still need to be cleared up. Before we get into those, let’s take a moment and review what we know. First of all, to be considered a bourbon, the mash-bill must comprise at least 51% corn and then can contain any other combination of cereal grains. While these cereal grains most commonly will be rye and malted barley or wheat and malted barley, we are starting to see more expressions consisting of all four grains. To be classified as a bourbon, it must also be aged in a new charred oak container, be a minimum of 80 proof, distilled at no more than 160 proof, and entry proof of no more than 125 proof. There are a couple of items that need to be called out here. First is that the container must be a new charred oak container. This oak can be American White Oak, French Oak, or any other type of oak. Also note that the regulation states that it’s a container, not a barrel, so essentially, the container could be a new charred oak bucket, as long as it is new and has gone through the charring process. The second item is that no minimum age must be considered a bourbon. While Scotch, Irish, and Japanese whisky all must be aged a minimum of three years, effectively, whiskey can be regarded as a bourbon as long as the mash bill is 51% corn minimum and it was stored in a new charred oak container while carrying it from the still to the bottle. What about Straight Bourbon Whiskey? According to Chapter 4 of the Alcohol Tobacco Tax Trade Bureau, Straight Bourbon Whiskey is…

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Cocktails Featured News Opinion Reviews

Top 5 Old-Fashioned Cocktails in DFW-West

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Top 5 Old-Fashioned Cocktails in DFW-West I’ll have an Old Fashioned, please! History The Old Fashioned is a timeless, classic cocktail with roots dating back to the 1800s. The Pendennis Club of Louisville is often credited with its origination in 1881 using bourbon made by James E. Pepper. However, its roots can be traced back to the earlier part of the century through letters and articles describing cocktails with similar recipes; this is now more of urban legend rather than history. The first published sighting of a recipe titled an Old Fashioned was in Theodore Proulx’s book The Bartender’s Manual (1888). The original recipes were quite different from what we now know as Old Fashioned, consisting of sugar, ice, and the spirit. Eventually, bitters were introduced to cocktails, and other drinks, such as the Sazerac, were beginning to be introduced. The recipe’s base now consists of muddled sugar or simple syrup, an ice cube, bitters, and the spirit. The spirit throughout history consists of either bourbon, rye, brandy, gin, or on occasion, an Irish or Scotch whiskey. However, unless you specify the spirit either in the name or in your request, it will generally be made with a Rye or Bourbon. Other variations of the old-fashioned will come in the form of a smoked, barrel-aged, or possibly a bartender’s choice, such as using a type of bitters other than the classic Angostura aromatic. Top 5 It was in July of 2022 that I started the journey of finding my top 5 old-fashioned cocktails. While I originally intended it to be for all of DFW, after having tried over 500 variations on just the west side, I quickly realized that I needed to focus on just the west side of the metroplex and have multiple categories. With the DFW airport as…

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Featured Opinion Reviews Whisk(e)y

Top 5 American Whiskies for 2022

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greybeardstop5

Top 5 American Whiskies of 2022 We all love the Top 5, 10, and 100 lists. The legendary David Letterman was known for the crazy top 10 lists he presented on his show, and every musician dreams of having a song reach the Billboard Top 100 list. Distilleries, Wineries, and Cigar blenders get excited when one of their creations ends up on a Top list from their fans and publications. However, every list can be subjective to the author’s taste or preference. Does the author like Ryes? Do they prefer old-world wines over new-world wines? When it comes to the world of whiskies, how does their profile differ from yours? As you read my Top 5 American Whiskies, you will likely ask yourself these questions. In creating this list, I looked back to the whiskies I had tried throughout the year and which ones left a memory. I then went back to revisit several different whiskies, was that memory worth revisiting, looking for overall balance in the profile, and most importantly, was this a whisky that I found worthy of wanting to share with my friends? Ultimately, I had to narrow the list down to 5 whiskies. This was challenging; I eliminated some excellent expressions, such as Blue Run Golden Rye, Larceny Barrel Proof Batch B-251, and Jack Daniels Single Barrel Select. Once I had my selections narrowed down to the following 5. I returned to the memories, sat down with each of them individually, shared them with my friends, and began taking notes on the expressions themselves. So, as I sit here with a dram poured, putting the finishing touches on this article, I present my top 5 American Whiskies for 2022. Castle & Key Rye 2021 Batch 1 I know this is my top 5 whiskies of 2022;…

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Featured Reviews Spirits Whisk(e)y

Kentucky Owl Takumi Edition Whiskey Review: journey through a tasting

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Kentucky Owl Takumi Edition

Kentucky Owl Takumi Edition Whiskey Review journey through a tasting Exploring a new whiskey is a journey. A journey that will explore all of your senses, beginning with your sight and ending with your sense of touch and taste. First, you will choose a bottle based on the name, the shape of the bottle, how the label captures your attention, or what you have read about the whiskey. Once you’ve picked the bottle up, you’ll notice details about the whiskey, such as the color, proof, blend, or age. If any of those are not what you are looking for, you’ll put the bottle down and move on to the next. Next, you will use your hearing to experience the whiskey you chose—the sound of the wax, foil, or paper around the cork. The anticipation builds up as you take the wrapper off for the satisfying sound of the cork popping out of the bottle and releasing the aromas that were trapped in the bottle. The aroma brings in the first time you use your sense of smell; however, the sound does not end there; while you are taking in the aroma, you will begin pouring the whiskey into your glass and listen to the sound as the liquid hits the glass. All this time, your sense of sight has been enhancing the experience, but now, this is where your eyes take over as you look closely at the color of the whiskey. Is it a deep amber, a light golden, or somewhere in between? How does it look as you begin swirling the whiskey in your glass? Does the liquid slowly move back down the glass into the bowl? How does it look when you bring the glass to your nose to dive deep into the aromas? It is time…

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Featured News Spirits Whisk(e)y

Diageo acquires Balcones Distilling

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Balcones Texas Single Malt

Diageo acquires Balcones Distilling Diageo acquires Balcones Distilling, one of the leading Texas Distilleries known for their American Single Malt. With expressions such as Texas Single Malt, Lineage Single Malt, and Baby Blue Corn Whiskey, Balcones brings Diageo a long-lived heritage of Texas Whiskey and increases its portfolio, which already consists of well-known brands such as Johnny Walker, Bulleit, and Guinness. You’ll be able to read more about this recent acquisition here.

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Cigars Featured News

Blackened beyond Ride the Lightening

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Blackened Cigars by Drew Estate

Metallica has done it again, Blackened Cigars by Drew Estate Metallica has been known as one of the most influential bands for the past few decades, releasing hit after hit, including “Enter Sandman,” “Nothing Else Matters,” and “seek and Destroy.” What you may not realize is that in 2018 Metallica partnered with Master Distiller and Blender Dave Pickerell and shortly thereafter, Master Distiller and Blender Rob Dietrich to create “Blackened,” a whiskey that lives up to the reputation that James Hatfield, Lars Ulrich, Kirk Hammett, and Robert Trujillo have built for their legendary band. Well, now James Hatfield, along with Rob Dietrich, has teamed up with Jonathan Drew of Drew Estate to create a cigar which they are calling Blackened ‘M81’. A blend that consists of all maduro fermented tobacco with a Mexican San Andres Wrapper, Connecticut broadleaf binder, and fillers that consist of Nicaraguan, and Pennsylvanian Broadleaf, this cigar is sure to bring a punch that pairs beautifully with the Blackened Whiskey and Metallica’s hard-hitting music. Read the announcement over at Drew Estate

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Food Reviews

Mercury Chophouse Review

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mercurychophouse

Mercury Chophouse Review Be Celebrated!  A phrase that I often will tell others, whether it is on their promotions, birthdays, anniversaries, or just because. Recently I decided to take my advice and celebrate by treating myself to a nice dinner. For this celebration, I decided that I wanted to eat at the Mercury Chophouse located in Arlington, Texas. Now, normally I will walk into the restaurant, ask for a seat for one, and enjoy my dinner. This time, however, I decided to make a reservation, mainly because it is a nice steakhouse, and I wanted to ensure that I would have a place to sit, but also out of respect for the restaurant. My reservation was for 6:30 pm on a Friday; When I arrived at the location at 6 pm, I began looking around for parking when the Valet service flagged me down to inform me that Valet was free for the restaurant and told me that the restaurant was located on the 9th floor of the office building where I arrived. Because I was thirty minutes early, I had expected to wait in the lobby when I approached the hostess station. However, they were able to sit me right away.  As the hostess led me to my table, we passed by a nice full bar, grand piano, and some other patrons sitting at nice tables with leather chairs, beautiful lighting, and large windows overlooking the city. My seat was a corner table for two that was part of a long booth. I was able to sit facing the window on the opposite wall and look out over the scenery.  After a few moments, my server stopped by my table and offered me a wine and a cocktail menu which also displayed an impressive collection of spirits. Accepting the…

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Cigars News

CTP changes term from “grandfathered tobacco product”

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CTP changes term from “grandfathered tobacco product” In an article recently published by the FDA regarding the Center for Tobacco Products, CTP announced that they are changing the term “Grandfathered Tobacco Product” to that “Pre-Existing Tobacco Product.” This is something to keep an eye on regarding Cigars. While the terminology change doesn’t change anything in the here n now, if we see this continue moving forward as regulation, we will see all of the cigar industry heavily impacted. On Aug. 19, FDA’s Center for Tobacco Products (CTP) updated the term “grandfathered tobacco product” to “pre-existing tobacco product” on all the Center’s systems. As described in the Premarket Tobacco Application (PMTA) and Substantial Equivalence (SE) final rules published in 2021, the updated terminology more clearly and appropriately describes these products. You can read the full article here.

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