Stink-O Alert!

Stink-O! Stink-O! Stink-O! It’s time to get stink-o. Tonight, TND via bourbon at my place. This is a call to all DK contributors, past or present, to gather and drink until the drinkin’s done. W.L. Weller requests your presence and attentive liver around 8 pm. Supplies are limited so be prepared to bring more booze or shuffle onward to the bar for backup drinks. That is all.

Monday Hangover

Old Forester Birthday Bourbon. That is what I purchased with the unexpected $38.27 I received in the mail last week as described two posts below. It fit right in the price range. I opted not to go with the Hendrick's gin since 'tis the bourbon season. Surprisingly I didn't crack into it right away (I'd already been to the bar for 4-IPA dinner) and instead waited until Saturday afternoon. Originally I thought I may keep this one to myself and be a stingy bastard, but I'm glad I brought in the support of Lord von Lord and Tag Berauscht to suffer enjoy this one with me.

Halloween night was a wash. I'm old, I was tired and not feeling well, and everyone else had bailed for some reason or the other. I didn't mind one damn bit. This made for an early start Saturday morning: cleaned up the place, did some errands, and got back home around lunchtime. LVL and I had already discussed getting an early start on drinks and met at Cumberland Grill for beers and a burger, plus there was bourbon on the rocks. We were slightly amused by the young girls across the bar so intent on "day drinking" after a night of Halloween hell raising, as they mentioned it loudly over and over and over again. However, we were IN NO WAY AMUSED BY ALL THE DANDIES DRINKING WATER...... AT THE BAR, NO LESS. I almost sent the douche boyfriend that joined the girls a glass of milk to see if that would suit him better than ice water. The bartender was not impressed either.

We finished up there and joined Tag and his frauline back at my place for a minute before heading to Back Room BBQ in the Old City. We were the first ones there and saddled up to the bar with one of our many bartending buddies. In short time we're getting rowdy and loud, cursing (each other, as usual) having good beers and ordered some appetizers. I highly recommend the nachos with pork bbq substituted for the chili. The fried pickles were good too. By this point it's almost time for kickoff so we went back to the urban bunker to watch the game us get our asses whipped and Phil lose to the "ole ball coach".

Before the outcome of the game was obvious we had already cracked into the Old Forester. Let me tell ya, this stuff ain't for the timid. If any of you remember Fire Lad from the review of Noah's Mill bourbon, it elicits a similar reaction. It is strong as hell, weighing in at 96 proof. The initial flavors are sweet (vanilla and caramel) but the "heat" kicks in right away with overpowering spice and complexity that I'm not sure how to describe. Tag and I tried, but the most we could come up with were pepper and, hell I forgot. Anyway we drank over half the bottle, starting neat then on the rocks. We were rocked. Then the Vols got rocked. Anarchy settled in, the place was trashed, and taxis were called. The rest is a blur.

Noah's Mill Bourbon

In the first of many product and bar reviews we select something close to our hearts and even closer to our livers - bourbon. I present to you: Noah’s Mill.

First, from their website:

Noah’s Mill----------------
Aged in wooden barrels, bottled by hand at
57.15% alc./vol. (114.3 proof)

Noah’s Mill Genuine Bourbon Whiskey is handmade in the hills of
Kentucky.

This is a Bourbon of extraordinary character and smoothness not
found among younger whiskies. Its superior taste and flavor characteristics are
made possible only from using the very finest quality ingredients at the outset
along with the long years and patience necessary for nature to mellow everything
to perfection. We bottle this Bourbon at a strength that best compliments its
age, and we’re sure you’ll enjoy it like no other Bourbon.

Okay now our review, but let’s set some guidelines: all spirits are first consumed straight without any mixer – no water, soda, juice or even ice, just the pure product.

I have to admit I had this bottle of bourbon sitting on a shelf at my house for about two weeks before I tried it. I knew it would be a formidable opponent, so after some mild drinking one evening with Lord Von Lord we decided to have a go at it. First reaction: Pure fucking gasoline! No, Rocket Fuel!!

Have you ever had a strong taste of any booze that just takes your breath away? I mean literally, it takes the air out of your lungs, your face turns red, sweat beads on your forehead, you loosen your shirt collar, etc. Well this was one of those. I've had similar experiences with PGA, Absinthe, and some other high volume whiskeys/bourbons. It made me feel like I could breathe fire, something like this: http://members.shaw.ca/legion_roll_call/reserve/subs/fire_lad/

I've never heard of Fire Lad before I did a search to find someone breathing fire, but it seemed appropriate, sorta.

Fire Lad (Staq Mavlen), of the planet Shwar, was endowed
with flame breath when he inhaled weird vapors from a crashed meteor.

Yeah, that's about how I felt. The following weekend I transported this highly flammable substance to our friend Tag's house for a group sampling. This went over much better, as there were women present thus challenging us to behave as men instead of pussies. We also had it over ice which allowed a more drinkable experience. By the time you poured a glass the ice melted so quickly it was like mixing it with water and you could actually taste the smooth flavors the distillers mentioned. Aside from the first near-deadly encounter it really does have some flavor and mellow character if you add ice or water. It went down faster than we expected, so apparently everyone liked it. I can't say I'll be drinking this very often since it costs $50 a bottle, but give it a try if you're looking for a special occasion bourbon to add to your liquor cabinet. Plus you can use it to shut up that asshole friend who always thinks they can drink anything. "Hey buddy, let me pour you a shot of this new bourbon I've got...."