Shooting the bourbon moon
Posted: Sat Sep 17, 2016 6:05 pmSo very much in life is a matter of taste, or opinion. In matters of taste there are no facts, but BE exists because there are opinions. What I offer below is mere opinion, and taste preference.
A week ago a cousin, who likes wine but abides bourbon, came over for a meal that my wife and I cooked. It was chicken thighs done in a tequila marinade which turned out to be quite good. He brought a nice wine and twixt us we drank a bit more than a bottle. So, we both being of slight fuzzy sight, I told him that I would like him to try a whiskey that I had myself concocted and compare it with another whiskey of high reputation.
Now, as it happens I have written about this comparison on this very site. I was trying to construct a bourbon which was the equal of Pappy Van Winkle 15 YO, since I am completely unwilling to pay any where near the asking price for this bourbon (when it can be found). I made a whiskey of 40% Bernheim Wheat Whiskey and 60% Woodford Reserve Double Oaked, and, at the time when I compared it to PVW 15 YO it seemed to me to be PVW's equal.
My cousin did a side by side, not knowing which was which. But, he immediately knew that the PVW 15 YO was the better whiskey. He said it is much more complex. I also did this comparison, and knew he was right. Last Pappy 15 YO I saw was going for $1500, but was offered at $1200. No thanks, I can make do on my last few sips and a memory that will undoubtedly soon be better than the reality.
I also know that when my last few sips of Pappy 15 YO are gone, I will never have another sip. Soon, soon, I will never even be able to prove that I had some.
Ah, well, there are many things I have known in life that I will never know again.
A week ago a cousin, who likes wine but abides bourbon, came over for a meal that my wife and I cooked. It was chicken thighs done in a tequila marinade which turned out to be quite good. He brought a nice wine and twixt us we drank a bit more than a bottle. So, we both being of slight fuzzy sight, I told him that I would like him to try a whiskey that I had myself concocted and compare it with another whiskey of high reputation.
Now, as it happens I have written about this comparison on this very site. I was trying to construct a bourbon which was the equal of Pappy Van Winkle 15 YO, since I am completely unwilling to pay any where near the asking price for this bourbon (when it can be found). I made a whiskey of 40% Bernheim Wheat Whiskey and 60% Woodford Reserve Double Oaked, and, at the time when I compared it to PVW 15 YO it seemed to me to be PVW's equal.
My cousin did a side by side, not knowing which was which. But, he immediately knew that the PVW 15 YO was the better whiskey. He said it is much more complex. I also did this comparison, and knew he was right. Last Pappy 15 YO I saw was going for $1500, but was offered at $1200. No thanks, I can make do on my last few sips and a memory that will undoubtedly soon be better than the reality.
I also know that when my last few sips of Pappy 15 YO are gone, I will never have another sip. Soon, soon, I will never even be able to prove that I had some.
Ah, well, there are many things I have known in life that I will never know again.