Jimmy Russell with his wife Joretta — and a weird fan

Had a fun time Saturday at Whisky Live, also known as Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory for bourbon lovers. I tried whiskeys from around the world, including a Mexican whiskey made with black corn. I mostly did it for a free cowboy hat, but I did consume the entire sample.

My favorite taste of the night had to be the Four Roses Al Young 50th Anniversary bourbon — and I kept bothering Al for samples all night long. He didn’t seem to mind, though.

I also ran into Jimmy Russell of Wild Turkey, Pam Heilmann of Michter’s, Brent Elliott of Four Roses and many others. I mostly stayed with bourbon, and only tried one scotch, which I chose not to swallow.

For the moment, I’m taking a break from bourbon … until National Bourbon Day on Wednesday, that is.