Whiskey evaporates. That’s the natural course of the whole whiskey aging process. The industry term is angel’s share. Distillers have a love/hate relationship with the angels. That evaporation is a beautiful thing – at one end, it increases proof and helps create that deliciousness we all crave. At the other end, it steals the amount of liquid sunshine they can bottle.
What’s Wrong with My Whiskey?
I love opening new bottles. There’s something almost romantic about it, it is something about that first sip. It is especially exciting when you’re opening a bottle of something special your friends have been yammering about, but you’ve never tried.
You pour that brown water into your glass, raise it to your nose, inhale the aroma, put it to your lips, taste it, and the first thought to come to your mind is, “Meh.”
Want Good Bourbon on the Cheap? Respect the Bottom Shelf.
Many whiskey enthusiasts, myself included, invest a lot of time, energy and, yes, money into finding that next, great whiskey on our Wish List. We keep up with news of estimated release dates, try to figure out the distribution path to guess when they will hit our states, watch our friends post their new scores on social media, and then we desperately hit up all the stores we know of to find something before it is sold out. Sometimes we are successful; oftentimes not. It can depend on who you know, or just plain dumb luck.
I often post on social media updates on what may seem to some as my never-ending whiskey hunt: a search, a score, or a review. One of the more usual questions I get from friends, both in person and online, is, “How do you afford all those bottles?”
I Have A Problem – But It’s Not What You Think
I have a problem. I know what you’re thinking, but no, it isn’t a drinking problem. In fact, it might be just the opposite.
I have “invested” a lot of effort over the years building my whiskey library. As of this writing, I have 57 Bourbons to enjoy. That doesn’t count my American Ryes, Scotch, Irish and miscellaneous American whiskeys. I know that number because, like any good librarian, I keep an inventory. Some of these bottles have been around for several years, some are fresh faces.
I have bottom-shelf gems, mid-tier, premium, allocated and limited edition Bourbons… My collection hits the whole spectrum. I love it all.
Glassware 101: Choose the Best Glassware to Enjoy your Bourbon
View PostJ. Henry & Sons Wisconsin Straight Bourbon Review
Is J. Henry & Sons Wisconsin Straight Bourbon is the best bourbon you’ve never heard of?
Most bourbon fans have noticed an explosion in the craft distillery market these last few years with an influx of pricey bourbons with tall tales as backstories. Some of these craft bourbons offer something legitimately new, while others simply purchased bourbon from other sources with a new label slapped on it.