Brown Liquor Time

[McLoofus 35,182]

10 hours ago, fredst said:

Name the time and place and I could be there. I’ll drive if ’Loof promises to keep me awake riding shotgun, lol

Because I know you guys love for me to interrupt these conversations with personal anecdotes... One time a bunch of friends were converging on Charleston to visit a buddy there and go to a Jerry Jeff Walker concert benefiting some local raptor society (War Damn). A very Lowcountry fundraiser type deal- on some plantation, price of admission included food and beverages, etc- but dressed down and accessible to 20-something commoners such as ourselves. Anyway, I was driving from Birmingham and a friend of my friend needed a ride from Atlanta. Never met this fella before. Ben was his name. So I go to pick him up from his job in Atlanta at 10:00 PM. He tells me it's going to be another hour. So I go to the nearest bar and have a couple beers. Go back, he hops in with a cooler containing exactly 24 full cans of PBR. Fast forward to 5:30 AM and exactly 24 empty PBR cans, when we arrive at our buddy's place in Charleston. Ben and I are at this point best friends, as in we are on "F*** you, you rotten son of a bitch! *bear hug*" terms. We rained hell on our friends the entire weekend. We got each other's attention only by yelling the other's last name in a comically (to us; most definitely not, to our friends) manly roar. We kept in touch for awhile after that. No idea what he's doing now. I think he's a writer or journalist of some sort. Anyway, hell yeah, I'm your huckleberry.

And Shocks, you don't wish you could share that nearly as much as we do, but appreciate the thought! 

Edited August 7, 2020 by McLoofus

[Tiger Refuge 6,662]

On 8/7/2020 at 7:50 AM, McLoofus said:

Because I know you guys love for me to interrupt these conversations with personal anecdotes... One time a bunch of friends were converging on Charleston to visit a buddy there and go to a Jerry Jeff Walker concert benefiting some local raptor society (War Damn). A very Lowcountry fundraiser type deal- on some plantation, price of admission included food and beverages, etc- but dressed down and accessible to 20-something commoners such as ourselves. Anyway, I was driving from Birmingham and a friend of my friend needed a ride from Atlanta. Never met this fella before. Ben was his name. So I go to pick him up from his job in Atlanta at 10:00 PM. He tells me it's going to be another hour. So I go to the nearest bar and have a couple beers. Go back, he hops in with a cooler containing exactly 24 full cans of PBR. Fast forward to 5:30 AM and exactly 24 empty PBR cans, when we arrive at our buddy's place in Charleston. Ben and I are at this point best friends, as in we are on "F*** you, you rotten son of a bitch! *bear hug*" terms. We rained hell on our friends the entire weekend. We got each other's attention only by yelling the other's last name in a comically (to us; most definitely not, to our friends) manly roar. We kept in touch for awhile after that. No idea what he's doing now. I think he's a writer or journalist of some sort. Anyway, hell yeah, I'm your huckleberry.

And Shocks, you don't wish you could share that nearly as much as we do, but appreciate the thought! 

This may be my favorite story.

[ShocksMyBrain 9,363]

I did a little write up for our website about my experience at WH, this is the rough draft(pulled from iPhone notes). Open to criticism. I excluded a final paragraph because it pertains to my store, which I prefer to keep that private.

————————
 

Whiskey House

15 minutes from Broadway sits a brick house in a kitschy Nashville neighborhood. Passers by think nothing of it. To them, it’s a house that simply exists. There’s a bit of rubbish in the yard—a candy wrapper, a discarded disposable face mask, an empty can of soda. One could plug in any ranch-style home in suburban America; and through the front window, may see a family just sitting down for dinner or relaxing in front of the television. 

This house is different than most, however. Within the walls of this modest home lie approximately 3,500 different bottles of decadent spirits ranging anywhere from a mid-80s bottle of Armagnac to a bottled-yesterday Old Charter bourbon and everything else in between and beyond. Our host, Ryan, caught up with us outside and led us up the sidewalk to the stoop and punched in a code on the security pad beside the front door. He cast the door open and became our Willy Wonka tour guide to an exclusive slice from the world of whiskey. If only he had a purple velour suit accompanied with a top hat and a little flute. 

The door opens straight away to whiskey. Everywhere. Couches and old church pews help cordon off the front room where normally a family room would be. It feels a bit chaotic and everything appears to be gently used. Whiskey House is charming, and feels homey. The walls are lined with shelving and glass cases, all with specific organization in mind. Atop one glass case sits a full set of Old Crow bottles fashioned into chess pieces dating back to the 70s, tax sticker and all. Another bookshelf holds a hundred different Four Roses store picks from around the country, a separate room is solely reserved Tennessee whiskey/bourbon, another out of the way shelf is for Scotch, and so on. There are two off-limits-to-most “libraries” which serve as storage rooms for quintessential hard-to-get classics such as Pappy Van Winkle, limited Old Forrester selections, foreign Blanton’s offerings and a litany of Willett Family Reserve bottles. There’s a cigar room in the back with a large television and an appropriately-sized sectional sofa where we discovered another WH member is lounging, taking a break from whiskey, and drinking a popular hard seltzer. 

It wasn’t long before other WH members began to filter in. One gentleman was just passing through Nashville on a solo trip to Kentucky to hit the Bourbon trail and just dropped in to kill time and shoot the breeze. He presented us with a beautiful private stock Gosling’s Rum, and Blood Oath Pact no. 6. Whether a member decides to donate a bottle, or simply share is solely up to them. Another member arrived and offered some Smoke Wagon Single Barrel Select, quite a treat. Whether any of those bottles stayed at the house, or went home with the owners, I’ll likely never know. But the honor and giving nature of the members of the Whiskey House is appreciated. 

[McLoofus 35,182]

9 hours ago, ShocksMyBrain said:

I did a little write up for our website about my experience at WH, this is the rough draft(pulled from iPhone notes). Open to criticism. I excluded a final paragraph because it pertains to my store, which I prefer to keep that private.

————————
 

Whiskey House

15 minutes from Broadway sits a brick house in a kitschy Nashville neighborhood. Passers by think nothing of it. To them, it’s a house that simply exists. There’s a bit of rubbish in the yard—a candy wrapper, a discarded disposable face mask, an empty can of soda. One could plug in any ranch-style home in suburban America; and through the front window, may see a family just sitting down for dinner or relaxing in front of the television. 

This house is different than most, however. Within the walls of this modest home lie approximately 3,500 different bottles of decadent spirits ranging anywhere from a mid-80s bottle of Armagnac to a bottled-yesterday Old Charter bourbon and everything else in between and beyond. Our host, Ryan, caught up with us outside and led us up the sidewalk to the stoop and punched in a code on the security pad beside the front door. He cast the door open and became our Willy Wonka tour guide to an exclusive slice from the world of whiskey. If only he had a purple velour suit accompanied with a top hat and a little flute. 

The door opens straight away to whiskey. Everywhere. Couches and old church pews help cordon off the front room where normally a family room would be. It feels a bit chaotic and everything appears to be gently used. Whiskey House is charming, and feels homey. The walls are lined with shelving and glass cases, all with specific organization in mind. Atop one glass case sits a full set of Old Crow bottles fashioned into chess pieces dating back to the 70s, tax sticker and all. Another bookshelf holds a hundred different Four Roses store picks from around the country, a separate room is solely reserved Tennessee whiskey/bourbon, another out of the way shelf is for Scotch, and so on. There are two off-limits-to-most “libraries” which serve as storage rooms for quintessential hard-to-get classics such as Pappy Van Winkle, limited Old Forrester selections, foreign Blanton’s offerings and a litany of Willett Family Reserve bottles. There’s a cigar room in the back with a large television and an appropriately-sized sectional sofa where we discovered another WH member is lounging, taking a break from whiskey, and drinking a popular hard seltzer. 

It wasn’t long before other WH members began to filter in. One gentleman was just passing through Nashville on a solo trip to Kentucky to hit the Bourbon trail and just dropped in to kill time and shoot the breeze. He presented us with a beautiful private stock Gosling’s Rum, and Blood Oath Pact no. 6. Whether a member decides to donate a bottle, or simply share is solely up to them. Another member arrived and offered some Smoke Wagon Single Barrel Select, quite a treat. Whether any of those bottles stayed at the house, or went home with the owners, I’ll likely never know. But the honor and giving nature of the members of the Whiskey House is appreciated. 

Fantastic writing, my dude. The Willy Wonka analogy is genius. And now I'm like 3x more jealous.

[McLoofus 35,182]

Anybody doing an infinity bottle, or even know what I'm talking about?

Basically you take a decanter and pour a little bit of whatever you choose in there, so that it becomes your own personally curated blend of spirits. I think it's mainly a thing for bourbon geeks. I've started one by putting 10 ml of a few things in there. I did do 10 ml each of mezcal, rum and Jameson, and I might do the occasional exception going forward if I think the spirit isn't too far afield, ex. Islay scotch- but it will be at least 90% American whiskey. I'm keeping a log of everything I'm putting in there. Gonna hold off on tasting it as long as I can, with 700 ml/70 spirits being the goal. After that, I'll be a little more fast and loose with the sampling and replenishing, with the idea that some amount of every spirit, no matter how infinitesimal, will always be in there. 

Definitely something I should've tried years ago, but hey, adds a little bit of a project vibe to my irresponsible behavior. 

[fredst 9,064]

On 8/17/2020 at 7:38 AM, McLoofus said:

Anybody doing an infinity bottle, or even know what I'm talking about?

Basically you take a decanter and pour a little bit of whatever you choose in there, so that it becomes your own personally curated blend of spirits. I think it's mainly a thing for bourbon geeks. I've started one by putting 10 ml of a few things in there. I did do 10 ml each of mezcal, rum and Jameson, and I might do the occasional exception going forward if I think the spirit isn't too far afield, ex. Islay scotch- but it will be at least 90% American whiskey. I'm keeping a log of everything I'm putting in there. Gonna hold off on tasting it as long as I can, with 700 ml/70 spirits being the goal. After that, I'll be a little more fast and loose with the sampling and replenishing, with the idea that some amount of every spirit, no matter how infinitesimal, will always be in there. 

Definitely something I should've tried years ago, but hey, adds a little bit of a project vibe to my irresponsible behavior. 

I read an article about it and started one a year or so ago. Label to keep track of what goes in. Better for me than just “What the hell, I’ll just pound that last 2 ounces tonight”, lol

[McLoofus 35,182]

9 hours ago, fredst said:

I read an article about it and started one a year or so ago. Label to keep track of what goes in. Better for me than just “What the hell, I’ll just pound that last 2 ounces tonight”, lol

Haha, I hadn't even thought of that. I've done way too many 4 finger pours right before bed just because I didn't want to keep one little splash in the bottle.

[ShocksMyBrain 9,363]

On 8/17/2020 at 7:38 AM, McLoofus said:

Anybody doing an infinity bottle, or even know what I'm talking about?

Basically you take a decanter and pour a little bit of whatever you choose in there, so that it becomes your own personally curated blend of spirits. I think it's mainly a thing for bourbon geeks. I've started one by putting 10 ml of a few things in there. I did do 10 ml each of mezcal, rum and Jameson, and I might do the occasional exception going forward if I think the spirit isn't too far afield, ex. Islay scotch- but it will be at least 90% American whiskey. I'm keeping a log of everything I'm putting in there. Gonna hold off on tasting it as long as I can, with 700 ml/70 spirits being the goal. After that, I'll be a little more fast and loose with the sampling and replenishing, with the idea that some amount of every spirit, no matter how infinitesimal, will always be in there. 

Definitely something I should've tried years ago, but hey, adds a little bit of a project vibe to my irresponsible behavior. 

I’m too impatient to do a thing like that. 
 

People also will buy a little barrel(like fit on your tabletop size)and do their own infinity barrel. 

[McLoofus 35,182]

6 minutes ago, ShocksMyBrain said:

I’m too impatient to do a thing like that. 

People also will buy a little barrel(like fit on your tabletop size)and do their own infinity barrel. 

I probably am, too. I'll probably end up doing like @fredst and just dump my last pour from whatever bottle I'm finishing in there, as opposed to the measuring out tiny amounts thing. And I might start tasting before I've filled it up. And the more I think about it, the less advantage there seems to be of waiting til it's full or until there are a certain number of different spirits represented. In theory, there will always be a trace amount of everything in there, and I guess it's meant as a sort of living document of what you're drinking. 

I think the main thing it will accomplish is getting me to try more new bottles instead of just my usual go-tos, so I have as complex a blend as possible. I probably shouldn't, but I do hope to have a really great bottle of whiskey at some point. 

[fredst 9,064]

Anybody tried the new toasted barrel Elijah? The whole "toasted" barrel thing intrigues me...

[ShocksMyBrain 9,363]

7 minutes ago, fredst said:

Anybody tried the new toasted barrel Elijah? The whole "toasted" barrel thing intrigues me...

I have not, but I assume we’ll get it at some point and it’ll sell out in under an hour once one person finds it on the shelf and tells their buddies/posts on FB. Happens all the time with Blanton’s. 

[fredst 9,064]

2 minutes ago, ShocksMyBrain said:

I have not, but I assume we’ll get it at some point and it’ll sell out in under an hour once one person finds it on the shelf and tells their buddies/posts on FB. Happens all the time with Blanton’s. 

Freaking social media....I'll admit that I'm a dinosaur but this is one more reason to hate it (as is having three teenage girls)

[McLoofus 35,182]

12 minutes ago, fredst said:

Anybody tried the new toasted barrel Elijah? The whole "toasted" barrel thing intrigues me...

Also intrigued and keeping an eye out for it. Funny though, I literally just asked my local FB beer group about good places to buy bourbon because I don't love the selection at my spot in Savannah. It's a good selection, but it never changes and they never get any limited stuff. They used to get a ton of Sazerac Rye and sell it at MSRP, but that even dried up this year.

[McLoofus 35,182]

Just now, fredst said:

Freaking social media....I'll admit that I'm a dinosaur but this is one more reason to hate it (as is having three teenage girls)

Oh, the crying I'm going to do on your shoulder in 7 1/2 years.

[fredst 9,064]

Just now, McLoofus said:

Oh, the crying I'm going to do on your shoulder in 7 1/2 years.

I'm here for you with lots of whisk(e)y brother

[fredst 9,064]

3 minutes ago, McLoofus said:

Also intrigued and keeping an eye out for it. Funny though, I literally just asked my local FB beer group about good places to buy bourbon because I don't love the selection at my spot in Savannah. It's a good selection, but it never changes and they never get any limited stuff. They used to get a ton of Sazerac Rye and sell it at MSRP, but that even dried up this year.

Michters makes a toasted barrel finish that I keep looking for but have yet to find

[McLoofus 35,182]

Just now, fredst said:

I'm here for you with lots of whisk(e)y brother

I won't impress you with my selection but I will try to make up for it with quantity, because clearly you need it *now* and not in the future.

[fredst 9,064]

2 minutes ago, McLoofus said:

I won't impress you with my selection but I will try to make up for it with quantity, because clearly you need it *now* and not in the future.

I'm ok right now. The trend is up with two currently off at college. Past 6-12 months the older two turned the corner a little bit, although there is always drama with girls

[McLoofus 35,182]

1 minute ago, fredst said:

I'm ok right now. The trend is up with two currently off at college. Past 6-12 months the older two turned the corner a little bit, although there is always drama with girls

My wife has 2 sisters. I don't think my father in law would blink in a hurricane. He's seen some ish. Have to imagine you don't get shook too easy, either. 

[ShocksMyBrain 9,363]

1 hour ago, fredst said:

Michters makes a toasted barrel finish that I keep looking for but have yet to find

We get about 3 of those a year at most. 

[fredst 9,064]

3 hours ago, ShocksMyBrain said:

We get about 3 of those a year at most. 

Cool. One left over for you after you give me and @McLoofus our Christmas presents 😀

[ShocksMyBrain 9,363]

1 hour ago, fredst said:

Cool. One left over for you after you give me and @McLoofus our Christmas presents 😀

Haha. Those 3 bottles will be held for our drawing. If you can make it up here, I’ll happily place your name in the hat and luck be on your side. 

[ShocksMyBrain 9,363]

On 8/21/2020 at 12:25 PM, fredst said:

Anybody tried the new toasted barrel Elijah? The whole "toasted" barrel thing intrigues me...

Came in and out in the blink of an eye. We got one case(6 bottles), and that was the last time I saw it. I don’t even know if it hit the shelves before it got snatched up. 

Edited September 2, 2020 by ShocksMyBrain

[ShocksMyBrain 9,363]

We set this out last week around lunch time and blasted it on social media and email. It was cleaned out in 20 minutes on 1 bottle(total) limit. Believe the EC Toasted is on there. I saw the post before I went into work. Apparently it was a shitshow. 

Had to field calls for the next two days about what was available(nothing). “I saw your post just wondering if you still have the Blanton’s” 🙄. Nearly everything on that bar is better than Blanton’s except maybe the McKenna and that might be stretch. Better bottle(McKenna)for the price, that’s for damn sure. Little Book would’ve been my choice, but whatevs.

Edited September 2, 2020 by ShocksMyBrain

[fredst 9,064]

8 hours ago, ShocksMyBrain said:

We set this out last week around lunch time and blasted it on social media and email. It was cleaned out in 20 minutes on 1 bottle(total) limit. Believe the EC Toasted is on there. I saw the post before I went into work. Apparently it was a shitshow. 

Had to field calls for the next two days about what was available(nothing). “I saw your post just wondering if you still have the Blanton’s” 🙄. Nearly everything on that bar is better than Blanton’s except maybe the McKenna and that might be stretch. Better bottle(McKenna)for the price, that’s for damn sure. Little Book would’ve been my choice, but whatevs.

I’ve enjoyed all of the Little Book releases, especially Chapter 3. I actually like the McKenna, lol. Really want that toasted....