Time for learnin'

Not only had I developed at thirst for whiskey, I have developed a thirst for whiskey knowledge. It's funny, once you start talking to people about something you are passionate about, things that support your passion come your way. A while back my friend Steve called me because he came across a program on the History Channel's show 'Modern Marvels' entitled 'Whiskey'. It's a very good primer on the subject and I recommend that you search for this show.

A while later at work two co-workers brought me an article from the local paper about the sale of a distillery in Kentucky, and another friend brought in to work an old bottle he found at home. It was a Bicentennial edition of Jim Beam, in a commemorative bottle from 1976. Of course, he wanted to know if it was worth anything. So here's some interesting information:

Whiskey stops aging once it leaves the barrel. So a whiskey aged 9 years and bottled in 1976 will taste the same as a whiskey aged 9 years and bottled yesterday. Therefore, there is not much value in old Whiskey. There are some old bottles that will have a value as a collectible because of rarity, but it's a small market. So I told my freind "just drink it".

In further quest for knowledge, I also 'youtubed' the words 'whiskey' and 'bourbon'. I found some good educational videos there. Try it.

The best source for information that I have found so far, to nobody's surprise, is on the internet. I will highlight these findings in my next post.