Banter

A collection of 471 posts

Banter

Are Distributors Against Small Liquor?

Just recently a nationwide class action lawsuit was filed against Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits, a distributor. Now you may be thinking, “so what? What does this have to do with me?”

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NCF (Nobody Checks First)

Chill filtering in Bourbon has one primary purpose: to remove fatty acids from the corn and produce a clear whiskey. A Bourbon that has not been chill filtered will be cloudy but is thought to have more authenticity: stronger aroma, expanded flavors, oily mouthfeel and a more pleasing finish.

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Barrel Proof Blind Tasting

A few weeks ago some of my bourbon drinking friends and I were sitting around discussing our favorite drink. I know, shocking right? We started talking about what each of our favorites was. Some preferred wheated, one liked high rye, I like a lot of barrel proofs, etc.

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Is the Taste of a Bourbon Affected by Your Mood?

My wife, Patti and I traveled to New York City in September 2016 to attend the filming of Tony Bennett’s 90th Birthday Special. On this trip, we made a special effort to go to The Flatiron Room. The Flatiron Room has been rated one of the top bourbon bars in the US by The Bourbon Review.

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To Dusty or Not to Dusty: That is the Question

The dusty decanters and older bottles are very much in vogue. There aren’t many reviews for this old stuff because most people can’t get their hands on a similar bottle so many of those reviews just would not be relevant.

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Making the Case to #DrinkCurious

Do you like a whiskey because you’re expected to like it? Do you hate another because you’ve not heard anything good about it? Are you a fanboy of a certain distiller (or producer), and absolutely anything that comes from them gets a free pass?

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Is Cooper’s Craft Having An Identity Crisis?

The kind people at Brown-Forman recently introduced me to Coopers’ Craft. They invited a small number of whiskey writers to Louisville to hear the story of their brand, tour their cooperage (Brown-Forman is the only brand that owns their cooperage and makes their barrels).

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The Life and Times of a Whiskey Reviewer

As a whiskey reviewer, I am often asked by both friends and strangers alike for opinions about whiskey. My reaction is I’m flattered that someone is actually interested in my thoughts. There’s a little bit of chest puffery that happens.

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Blind Bourbon Tasting

Last year, we gathered 22 whiskey fans in the tasting room at Omaha’s Spirit World for the Ultimate Blind Rye Tasting and learned that a sub-$30 shelf rye could hold its own against a seldom-seen $100 bottle.

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Meet Your New Daily Drinker – Jim Beam Black

I wish I could say it was an endeavor into an odd type of social experiment. Sadly, it was merely the result of a long, tumultuous relationship with gravity and a front porch that my landlord needs to do some serious brickwork on.

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The Best Mint Julep…. Ever

Now, I have had some good mint juleps. Most notably, one made by New Orleans bartender Abigail Gullo of Compere Lapin restaurant and formerly of Sobou, who in 2016 won the Bartender of the Year award, in a contest sponsored by Heaven Hill Distillery in Puerto Rico.

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Of Dusty Cowboys, Back Room Shenanigans, and Polish Weddings: Shots All Around

It happens enough that I would say it qualifies as some tradition, a way of closing the deal, showing mutual support, friendship or possibly a partnership. I’m talking about the mutual downing of a classic, small, jigger of bourbon.

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Raw Bourbon: The Future of Bourbon Is Now

Raw Bourbon. That’s what it’s being called. Bourbon that comes straight from the barrel with no filtering of any kind. No chill filtering, no mesh filtering…nothing. Open up the bung and let the bourbon flow into the bottle.

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Bourbon In The Raw?

We shared this on photo on our social channels earlier this week but wanted to make sure all of our readers got a chance to check it out. We’ll be doing a full write-up and tasting notes next week but it’s just too funky not to share a photo in advance.

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Bourbon In Aruba

Most people, traveling in the Caribbean, would expect that rum is the go to spirit when looking for an adult beverage. For those of us that prefer bourbon and are used to a diverse selection, this can make for a somewhat trying vacation in the islands.Things may be changing, however.

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Goodbye My Old Friend

I said good bye to an old friend last night, George T Stagg. It was the 2011 edition, 142.6 proof, 18 years and 5 months old. Put in the barrel about 24 years ago. It was my first “special” bourbon.

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The War of the Roses, Part 1

One of the aspects that makes tasting bourbon so exciting is the variation that occurs from one release to the next. A bourbon that is “batched” is a blend of several barrels that tastes uniform across every bottle.

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What I’ve Learned From Bourbon

I wrote my first guest column for Bourbon & Banter in 2013. At that time I was an avid follower of the site and a special education teacher who loved bourbon. I had done a lot of reading and even more drinking on the subject.

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Bourbon & Banter 5th Anniversary

Today marks the 5th anniversary of Bourbon & Banter. It’s hard to believe that 1,825 days have gone by since pushing publish on our first blog post. The site has come a long way since then, as has the bourbon industry that we’re proud involved with on a daily basis.

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The Magic of C+S (Caring + Sharing)

I’ve written about the bourbon secondary market before, but there is a unique subsection that gets little attention and is widely unknown. They are known as C+S groups (“cost-plus-ship”), and their members agree to trade with each other at retail (or below) pricing only.

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Thanksgiving Bourbon Hunt

Just about every year on Thanksgiving after the family gatherings had all but died down, the football is about over, and the kids are fast asleep, I load up in a pick-up truck with my bourbon hunting brother to camp out in front of Midtown Corkdorks in Nashville.

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Why I Will Never Buy Kentucky Owl (Again)

So The Whiskey Wash reported yesterday the acquisition of Kentucky Owl by Stoli Group USA, parent company S.P.I. Group.

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Sometimes the Bourbon Hunt Comes to You

YES, THERE ARE BOURBON GODS. I am a big fan of the Buffalo Trace Antique Collection, but as I grow in my bourbon journey, I will admit I have limited my hunt for the BTAC more towards pours at bars then scouring the secondary market. My favorite is William LaRue Weller.

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Happy New Year, Thank You & A Few Thoughts

In less than 24 hours until we say goodbye to 2016 and welcome in a brand new shiny year. Many folks online are going to write about how terrible a year 2016 was due to the election, wars, celebrity deaths, and soaring bourbon prices but I’m not going down that rabbit hole.

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Reflections In Bourbon Lead To Reflections In Life

The holiday lights twinkled in the Glencairn, home to three fingers of my favorite pour of bourbon. With all the hustle and bustle of the holidays, the shopping, wrapping, decorating, traveling, and just plain running around, it’s nice to sit back, relax, and enjoy a sip or two in quiet.