Blitz, meet your Pappy

On Christmas, my 22 year old son generously gave me a special present. It was a bottle of Pappy Van Winkle 20 year bourbon. This is one of the most expensive bottles of bourbon available, and is considered one of the 'Holy Grails' of bourbon drinkers. I was expecting to get a nice bottle of bourbon from him, but I didn't expect this. It actually felt a little too soon in my bourbon journey to experience something at this level. It's as if I just started a baseball card collection and somebody gave me a Babe Ruth rookie card. It looks a out of place in my little whiskey collection of a half dozen low-to-mid-shelf whiskies. Also, I was concerned that I was too inexperienced a bourbon taster to appreciate such a vintage.

It took me about a week to find the right time to taste the Pappy. The result? Keep in mind that I am not at the point of providing specific tasting notes, I can just provide a general impression. One can definitely tell it is well aged, because there is a very strong oak character. Some have labeled it too 'woody'. It's a wheated bourbon, so it is smoother than most I have tasted. It was so different from anything else that I have tasted, that my first impression was not positive. However, after I was accustomed to the taste I began to appreciate this fine bourbon. It's wonderful as a special occasion pour.

Is it worth the money? That's usually the first thing people ask. I think that's the wrong question. Does it taste five times better than a good mid-shelf bourbon? I don't even know how you can measure that. It's more about the experience. Based in ticket prices, is a Super Bowl game ten times more enjoyable to watch in person than a regular game? For me, Pappy is worth the price to try, and now share, one of the great bourbons available.

Jim Beam Distillery Tour

As a long time Jim Beam drinker, I was excited to go the 'Motherland'. I had read that the Jim Beam tour was the least interesting on the 'Bourbon Trail'. In some ways this is true, but it's not the whole story.

Pulling into the grounds of the Jim Beam facility, you can easily tell that you are visiting the worlds largest producer of Bourbon. There is definitely more of a factory feel to the place, and there are aging warehouses everywhere you look. There are about 75 of these buildings.



The distillery tour at Jim Beam isn't really a tour at all, which is why it probably does not have the best reviews. It's more of a self directed visiting area. It starts with a video presentation, then you are invited to walk an area which includes a warehouse, a couple of small buildings representing different aspects of the Bourbon making business, and finally the original house built on the grounds. The entire visit can take less than ten minutes. As underwhelming as the 'tour' is, Jim Beam had the best taste testing that we experienced in the three distilleries we visited. We were served the following Bourbons:

• Bookers - This is a 7 year 'uncut' or 'Barrel Strength' Bourbon. It's about 120 proof. I had never tasting such a strong Bourbon until then. After I recovered from the shock of the 120 proof, I found this to be a very delicious spirit. Most reveiwers recommend to cut this Bourbon with water for the best affect.


• Knob Creek - This is Jim Beam's very popular Ultra-Premium Bourbon. It's aged 9 years and is very smooth and flavorful. Again, at the time of this tasting I had not really ever drank a premium Bourbon. It's a really accessable Bourbon.


• Basil Haydens - This is a 8 year old Bourbon with more of a 'Rye' flavor. This was my least favorite, probably because of my lack of experience with the Rye. I am looking forward to exploring the Rye Whiskey catagory in the future to gain more of an appreciation.