Free koozies!
I’m hosting a happy hour tonight at Merle’s Whiskey Kitchen, and I know you’re gonna join me!
I’m giving away some beer koozies from my personal collection, so get there early if you want first dibs. It goes from 5-7 p.m., and Merle’s is on the corner of Main and Second streets.
Word.
Oh yeah, there are lots of drink specials, including a $5 Old Fashioned and a $3.50 Margarita. Bueno.
You can’t spell canoe without Noe. Huh?
Nerd alert!
Couldn’t pass up the opportunity to pose with Fred and Freddie Noe a few weeks ago during the Bourbon Affair.
Could you?
The barrels dreams are made of.
It’s been quite a balancing act trying to post here while also maintaining my three other jobs. Wait, three?
Yes, you know about Insider Louisville, of course, and my bourbon tour guide gig with Bourbon City Cruisers (speaking of which … I’m waiting for you to book a tour with me, dammit!).
So what else am I up to? Well, I’m going to keep that private so that you can assume the worst — but if you really want to know, you can buy me a beer or two and I’ll fill you in.
Anyway, the purpose here is to throw at you some recent articles I’ve written that are about bourbon and just let you digest them, if you haven’t already swallowed. I have no idea what I’m talking about, so let’s just get to them …
• A sneak peek of the new Bulleit Visitor Experience — Bulleit in Shelbyville is now offering public tours, thanks to to the new, fancy Visitor’s Center they just built.
• 7 Questions With … Caleb Kilburn, master distiller of Peerless Distilling — Last Saturday, Peerless just released its first four-year-old bourbon in 102 years. Now that’s a reason to celebrate!
• Bar Belle: Bucket List crushed by a barrel of Weller — I was invited by the fine folks at Merle’s Whiskey Kitchen to help them select a single barrel of Weller Antique 107. It was a dream come true!
So there you have it … that’s what I’ve been busy with. I’m also stockpiling some new release samples so I can have another Tasteless Tastings very soon.
Stay tuned.
Fired up!
I love when I order a fancy cocktail and can actually taste the delicious liquor.
If all I can taste is fruit juice and ginger beer, then either I’ve lost my mind and ordered a drink made with vodka or the bartender didn’t put shit in there!
That’s why I usually stick to Old Fashioneds, Manhattans and Mint Juleps — because the recipes call for damn near 95% bourbon! No way to mask it, thank you very much.
So on Wednesday I was at Jeptha Creed Distillery talking to Master Distiller Joyce Nethery, and she offered me a cocktail before we got started with the interview.
(To see what we talked about, click here. Hint: It has something to do with bourbon.)
Anyway, I ordered a drink at the distillery’s bar called Campfire, because I was craving something sweet and knew it involved toasted marshmallows. I’m not even sure what was in the thing, but the first sip nearly blew my skirt up … had I been wearing a skirt.
It was absolutely delicious! Kind of like a White Russian topped with toasted marshmallows, and yes, I could taste the liquor.
Two thumbs up!
All aboard!
Holy shit, where has time gone? And, more importantly, where have I gone?
Nowhere. I’m right here. In Louisville. I just haven’t posted in a dick year because I’ve been busy doing work.
Of course I’m still with Insider Louisville, writing about all things bourbon, beer and bars, but very soon you’ll also be able to find me on the streets, driving a tuk-tuk and taking tourists (and residents) around the city for Bourbon City Cruisers.
That’s right. I’ll soon be a Cruiser Captain, if I pass my test on Monday. So you can hire me to take you on one of three tours in downtown Louisville — a sightseeing tour, a bourbon distillery tour or an Urban Bourbon Trail tour. The last two include drinks, so make sure you book those!
That’s my news and I’m sticking to it.
And if I fail my test on Monday, I suppose I’ll be back at the bar, drowning my sorrows and blaming my awkwardness.
Cheers!
Liquid gold.
Woodford’s Double Double Oaked is back on shelves, so grab it if you see it!
I was just sipping on some last night while I watched the Cards play. It took me till about halftime to figure out we were the white team and not the red team.
Anyway, the more I let the Double Double sit and open up, the sweeter and richer it got. Those last few sips felt like I was sucking on one of those Nips caramel candies, and I’m not even trying to be dirty.
I didn’t name the candy “Nips.” Who came up with that name?
Yes, Double Double is worth $50. Savor it, don’t inhale it all in one night.
I also ended up tweeting the president, too. It was a productive night.
All 10 Four Roses recipes for my tasting pleasure!
Last week, I got the opportunity to attend a unique bourbon event hosted by Westport Whiskey & Wine and Four Roses.
I hope you’re not cringing at my use of “unique” — we all know it is an overused term. But it’s the one word that is coming to mind when trying to describe the experience.
Perhaps one-of-a-kind or exclusive would be better?
Whatever adjective you prefer, it was fun, eye-opening and highly informational. I learned which Four Roses recipes I tend to prefer, because we got the chance to sample ALL OF THEM!
You see, Four Roses is unique — crap! There it is again — because it has five different yeast strains and two different mashbills. This creates 10 distinct recipes, which they either blend together for the Yellow Label and Small Batch releases, or pick one (OBSV) for their single barrel release.
Some Four Roses bourbon nerds know the ins and outs of each of these recipes because they’ve had the fortune to sample them either at an event at the distillery or by tasting different private single barrel picks.
Now, I’m happy to report I’m one of these said bourbon nerds. Woot!
Line ’em up, boys!
The recipes are listed using four letters, and they’ll either start with OE (E is for the mashbill that uses less rye) or OB (B — the mashbill with more rye), followed by an S, and then the letter dictating which yeast strain it is, which could be V, K, O, Q or F.
If I haven’t lost you yet, I’ll just say that one of my favorite samples from the night was a 10-year-old OESV, and I tended to prefer the OE mashbill throughout, except on one occasion.
Four Roses Master Distiller Brent Elliott led the sampling.
One might think after 10 samples I would have forgotten all of this, but I took notes, dammit!
Anyway, it was a fun experiment, and it was hosted by Kaelin’s 80/20, so we got to eat some fine food as well.
Four Roses’ privately selected single barrels will usually list the recipe on the bottle, so next time you come across one of these — either at the distillery or at a liquor store that helped select the bourbon (Eh em, like Westport Whiskey & Wine) — pay attention and do your own little taste test.
Again, the regular single barrel is OBSV, so go from there and write down what you think. Or just drink them all and call it a day.
This was 2018.
According to my Fitbit, last year I walked 3,559,472 steps, which translates to 1,504 miles and 520,472 calories burned.
I wonder how many calories from beer I consumed.
And that’s a hell of a lot of steps. What did I do?
Well, I went to Destin and Denver. I drank and bought a lot of bourbon. I spent many hours with friends, and many hours with Netflix. I walked my dog. I bought groceries and improved my landscaping. I painted and helped a friend paint. I explored new neighborhoods. I met new people. I survived the St. Patrick’s Parade and Derby. I sat on a swing and surprised people as they were coming off an elevator on my birthday. I ate ice cream and cheese potatoes. I slept. I fell. I said goodbye to my mother. I cried. I laughed. I learned.
So yeah, that’s what I did. And this year, I hope to do more.
Merry Christmas … and all that jazz.
I finally put up a small Christmas tree to acknowledge the holiday … or at least acknowledge to people looking at my house that I’m aware that it’s happening whether I like it or not.
It’s made of bourbon barrel staves, which surprises no one, and makes me happy much more than a living, prickly plant that smells like gin.
The tree was made by my buddy who runs DrunkWood, and it’s one of many things he fashions out of barrels. Check him out!
Maybe he’ll make this sign for me next:
Bar Belle: Taking the Christmas out of Christmas spirit since 1976.
Bah humbug.
Well, I found out why I increasingly dislike the holidays — except for St. Patrick’s Day.
On Sunday, I was attempting to put out one of those laser-beam lights that project red and green dots all over your damn house, and I missed a step on my back porch and sprained both ankles.
I know what you’re thinking, and the answer is no, I had not even had a drop of alcohol. I did just watch the Bengals lose to the Browns, so perhaps I was preoccupied with anger and disappointment.
So for the past two days, I’ve been working from my couch, and icing my ankles and keeping them elevated. I’m able to walk around and wiggle my toes, so I made the assumption that nothing was broken. And the swelling isn’t crazy bad.
It’ll heal, but in the meantime, you may see me walking as slow as bourbon-soaked molasses in January. I need to get one of those shopping cart scooters from Walmart so I can drive around downtown shouting at people and throwing handfuls of glitter at them.
Just one more reason Christmastime blows.
Oh wait, I did have one positive experience over Thanksgiving weekend. I won a Pappy from Kroger!! I managed to hit six of them last Friday night, entering my name in the raffle at each one. And while I stood out in the cold Saturday morning at the Liquor Barn Pappy raffle, waiting desperately for my number to be called, Kroger blew up my phone and gave me the good news.
Pappy New Year!
