Any Bourbon Cognoscente Here?

[10-32]

I like Evan Williams black label as an every day pour. For an elevated sipper I like McKenna 10 year, Elijah Craig 18, and Blantons. Haven't been able to procure any Van Winkle for 20 years. I pine for the days you could grab it off the shelf. It was premium but it was readily available. God damn whisky douchebags ruined the bourbon industry with the allocation system.

[Sheepdawg]

George Dickel 9 year old single barrel is my favorite. Not bourbon but Tennessee Sour Mash. Hard to find at times. I need an excuse to go to Tullahoma to pick up a supply.

[Sanders]

Me and Evan Williams got into a fight when I was 19 and he kicked my ass so bad, my body has never forgiven him or his cousin Jack Daniels 40 years later.

[10-32]

George Dickel 9 year old single barrel is my favorite. Not bourbon but Tennessee Sour Mash. Hard to find at times. I need an excuse to go to Tullahoma to pick up a supply.

I drank Jack #7 for many years before I knew better. Don't think I've tried Dickel.

[Johnny]

The very best bourbon I've ever tasted was Old Forester. I don't remember the exact model, but it was some special single-barrel brew. Other mid-priced brands are good: Jack Daniels, Wild Turkey, Evan Williams, etc. For basic sipping, I'm fine with Old Crow.

For years, I liked to end my day with a couple glasses. A few months ago, I decided to cut back from daily bourbon to just weekly. I didn't have any health reason. Instead; I just wanted to see what it was like to have absolutely no alcohol. It was surprisingly easy: no cravings, no problems. I also didn't notice any health improvements from having no alcohol; maybe just a tiny more energy in the morning. That could just be my imagination.

I think I'm going to continue with this once-a-week plan.

[44044]

Van Winkle…I really don’t care for it

i keep my bottle in the freezer, Ezra Brooks

Not really common around here so I

drink Jim Beam, if I’m out somewhere

Which has been quite a few years now

It has been a while since I have even

had a drink at home…

[10-32]

The very best bourbon I've ever tasted was Old Forester. I don't remember the exact model, but it was some special single-barrel brew. Other mid-priced brands are good: Jack Daniels, Wild Turkey, Evan Williams, etc. For basic sipping, I'm fine with Old Crow.

For years, I liked to end my day with a couple glasses. A few months ago, I decided to cut back from daily bourbon to just weekly. I didn't have any health reason. Instead; I just wanted to see what it was like to have absolutely no alcohol. It was surprisingly easy: no cravings, no problems. I also didn't notice any health improvements from having no alcohol; maybe just a tiny more energy in the morning. That could just be my imagination.

I think I'm going to continue with this once-a-week plan.

I have a few most evenings but my days of binge drinking are definitely behind me. I also take occasional pauses and experience no problems or cravings. I guess we're lucky we didn't get that gene. I had a friend now deceased that was a hopeless alcoholic. Went to a 28 day in patient program in Minnesota called Hazeldon and stayed sober for 2 years. When he fell off the wagon he fell hard. Lost his job, wife and was facing foreclosure. Death was probably the preferable option for him. His whisky of choice was Early Times. Why? Its cheap and he could squeeze the plastic bottle when taking a pull to force more down his throat.

[dinkydow]

I have simple booze tastes. I met Uncle Jim Beam in 1968. There is an unopened 5th in my booze box along with @ a dozen other kinds of hooch. I keep it all for friends. Being diabetic I have not "sipped" in thirty years. Although I have been thinking hard about a Gin & Tonic to celebrate being alive.

[Johnny]

I have a few most evenings but my days of binge drinking are definitely behind me. I also take occasional pauses and experience no problems or cravings. I guess we're lucky we didn't get that gene. I had a friend now deceased that was a hopeless alcoholic. Went to a 28 day in patient program in Minnesota called Hazeldon and stayed sober for 2 years. When he fell off the wagon he fell hard. Lost his job, wife and was facing foreclosure. Death was probably the preferable option for him. His whisky of choice was Early Times. Why? Its cheap and he could squeeze the plastic bottle when taking a pull to force more down his throat.

You and I are fortunate to be able to enjoy alcoholic beverages without being consumed by them. I love a glass of bourbon (maybe two) at the end of the day. It's a welcome treat. If I go without, it can easily be replaced with a glass of iced tea.

You're right. Some people have "that gene". I'm fortunate not to have any alcoholics close to me. My greatest exposure to alcoholics was in various part-time rock bands I played in. It was mostly people in the audience. I'd see the same faces every weekend. The worst was a mid-70's guy. He was always the center of attention and became sort of a "bar clown". The audience would egg him on. He loved the attention. One night passed out in his car on the way home, just a few miles from the bar, crashed and burned. Someone erected a pathetic memorial decorated with beer cans.

[Johnny]

I have simple booze tastes. I met Uncle Jim Beam in 1968. There is an unopened 5th in my booze box along with @ a dozen other kinds of hooch. I keep it all for friends. Being diabetic I have not "sipped" in thirty years. Although I have been thinking hard about a Gin & Tonic to celebrate being alive.

If you do decide to "celebrate life" with a few sips, you've earned it. If I remember correctly, you're a type 2. My younger brother is a type 1. The wrong foods, a missed injection or an incorrect blood sugar reading can be fatal. Even so, he still enjoys the occasional beer while simultaneously working it into his daily meal plan.

Wife developed an allergy to red meat. I think that would kill me, especially now that I've gotten good at making pulled pork!

[Pogo]

No hard liquor for me. I will drink a beer occasionally.

[mrkalashnikov]

Knob Creek, Basil Hayden, and Angels Envy come to mind. Woodford Reserve is good too. There are so many great Bourbons on the market today it's hard to choose.

[dinkydow]

I am the only diabetic in my family. Agent orange. The gift that keeps on giving.

[aviator]

I have simple booze tastes. I met Uncle Jim Beam in 1968. There is an unopened 5th in my booze box along with @ a dozen other kinds of hooch. I keep it all for friends. Being diabetic I have not "sipped" in thirty years. Although I have been thinking hard about a Gin & Tonic to celebrate being alive.

Let me tell you something, Those of us that have been close to the other side must have a different attitude. Notice the doctors and medications say "Do not drink too much". I did stop smoking my pipe the day before they cracked my heart open, I'm not stopping my daily shot of Vodka and lemon juice. When I go I'm going happy, fuck it. The stupid cardiologist has sent me twice to the ER trying new meds, I told him off already. No, listen to your body, check your glucose and BP and all that shit, try to live your life as good and enjoyable as possible, you never know when your number is up. I left a note so my wife can tell you guys if my number came up. I just want my ashes in my island, no funeral crap, no nothing, just BBQ me, get the ashes and bury them by the beach.

[Johnny]

Let me tell you something, Those of us that have been close to the other side must have a different attitude. Notice the doctors and medications say "Do not drink too much". I did stop smoking my pipe the day before they cracked my heart open, I'm not stopping my daily shot of Vodka and lemon juice. When I go I'm going happy, fuck it. The stupid cardiologist has sent me twice to the ER trying new meds, I told him off already. No, listen to your body, check your glucose and BP and all that shit, try to live your life as good and enjoyable as possible, you never know when your number is up. I left a note so my wife can tell you guys if my number came up. I just want my ashes in my island, no funeral crap, no nothing, just BBQ me, get the ashes and bury them by the beach.

Like you, I don't completely trust the medical profession. My wife was a veterinary tech most of her career and she pretty much saw it all. Years ago she broke her neck, back and fractured her skull. She kept saying "Don't let them do surgery!" As a result, I stayed with her 18 hours in the ER and wouldn't leave the hospital until she was stabilized. Instead of surgery, she opted for 6 months wearing a neck brace in a recliner. Today, you wouldn't even know she was injured.

The doctors were actually pretty reasonable. They took her "no surgery" demand seriously. It really helped having me there as a "patient advocate", a sort of physical presence towering over them on behalf of my helpless wife. The only time I had to step in was when she was about to be released. Some obese, greasy, Black, female, hospital administrator came waddling in wanting us to sign a stack of "insurance papers". A mild argument ensued. I told her to "pound sand" and wheeled my wife out of the hospital. I found out months later that hastily signing these documents would have set us back tens of thousands of dollars.

I like your "end of life" plan. My wife and I are getting more serious about ours.