Thanks to everyone that voted in our poll to determine what Bourbon & Banter reader, Christine B., should drink as her first sip of bourbon after giving birth to her son Jackson Lee. (Read the original post and call for votes here.)
After 162 votes the winner is Four Roses Limited Edition Small Batch bourbon.
For a while it looked like Jefferson’s was going to be the winner but in the last few days Four Roses took the lead and never looked back. Here are the final results.
Christine and Justin were kind enough to share a few photos of Christine taking her first drink so we’re sharing them with everyone who helped make this very tough decision for her. The only question that remains is just how many of those other bourbons in the photo did Christine plow through after the Four Roses?
Close your eyes for a minute and imagine 9 months without bourbon. Scary, right?
As a dedicated bourbon drinker what if you couldn’t drink bourbon for over 9 months?
Last July, two Bourbon & Banter readers from St. Louis embarked on a journey to explore Kentucky’s Bourbon Trail and enjoy their first few nights alone from their 9-month old twins. By all accounts they had a wonderful time exploring the splendor of bourbon country and sampling some of Kentucky’s finest. In the video below you can see that they took it all in and had a blast doing so.
It’s been about 9 months and a few days from Justin & Christine’s bourbon blitzkrieg and I’m pleased to announce they just welcomed their third child into the world, Jackson Lee, last week. (That’s what we call bourbon math folks. ) If this kid doesn’t grow up to be a bourbon lover I know a few parents who are going to hugely disappointed.
I was fortunate to meet Justin and Christine B. this past November at Whiskey in the Winter, St. Louis’ first whiskey festival. Justin was the lucky recipient of Bourbon & Banter’s giveaway for a free admission to the event and Christine came along as his designated driver. It was during our first meeting that I learned of their mutual passion for bourbon and Justin’s scouting expeditions for hard to find bourbons when he’s on the road for work. (That’s his bourbon collection at the top of this post.)
Since Christine was pregnant I had asked her how she was handling not being able to sample any of the 250+ whiskeys being served all around us at the event.
“It’s not easy, that’s for sure” she said, adding that when the baby was born she’d make up for lost time by making sure that her first glass of bourbon was something special.
Now that Jackson Lee has made his debut, Justin reached out to Bourbon & Banter to see if we would share their story and ask our readers to help Christine decide what bourbon to drink first. I’m hoping that each of you will take a moment and help us pick Christine’s “welcome back” bourbon. Please vote for your favorite from the list that Justin provided below.
About 10 days ago I posted a poll on the site (and our Facebook page) asking readers’ opinion of barrel-strength bourbon. Below you can see the results of that poll.
70% of our readers were overwhelmingly in favor of barrel-strength bourbon. But 21% of you also expressed concern over the price of bourbon in the raw. While I’m sure that price isn’t getting in the way currently for those looking to buy some barrel-strength bourbon I think it’s something that the distilleries need to keep their eye on.
As the bourbon category continues to heat up there’s a good chance that distilleries will continue to increase prices on speciality versions such as barrel-strength and limited releases. Many of these products will be worth the extra cost but there’s always the potential for products to cost more even when they aren’t worth the extra coin based on their actual taste.
I truly hope that the brands will remember their faithful when it comes to future pricing strategies. I would hate to see bourbon traditionalists get penalized by an influx of trend seekers who will be gone from the category in a few years. After all, it’s the traditions associated with bourbon that matter most to the faithful. And we all know that tradition is something that you simply don’t mess with…EVER.
I read an article in the New York Times about the recent trend of whiskey makers putting out barrel or cask-strength offerings. I’m personally a fan of barrel-strength bourbons and the flexibility they provide me as a bourbon drinker. I’m curious to hear what you have to say on the subject. Please use the poll below to share your thoughts and as always, you the comments if you have more to say.
Join the forum discussion on this post
) If this kid doesn’t grow up to be a bourbon lover I know a few parents who are going to hugely disappointed.
