Ken Burns' Prohibition - A Great Excuse to Enjoy a Drink!

If you're reading this be thankful that it's 2011 and not 1911. In 2011 you can legally and comfortably sit back, enjoy a glass of whiskey, and watch TV while reading this blog on the internet. In 1911 you could have had the whiskey, but you would have felt the cloudy days of Prohibition approaching quickly, and the TV and internet things would have sounded like absolute crazy talk.

Anyway, I recommend you enjoy a bit of all three. First pour yourself a glass of whiskey - a nice Canadian whiskey, such as Forty Creek, is probably the most appropriate if you're trying to be period-correct and drink something that would have been common during Prohibition. Second, use the internet watch the first episode of Ken Burns' latest PBS documentary entitled Prohibition. Third, use your TV to watch the rest of the series as it airs this week. Nobody tells a story like Ken Burns, so this should be a great way to learn a bit more about one of the strangest times in America's history.

Watch the full episode. See more Ken Burns.

Oh Taste & See: MB Roland Malt Whiskey

This is the second of my three-part American craft-distilled malt whiskey tasting. My first was Edgefield Distillery's Hogshead Whiskey from Oregon, and today I'm tasting MB Roland's Malt Whiskey from Kentucky. The MB Roland distillery is just outside my hometown, and you can read about my visit there by clicking here. Their malt whiskey is a very small batch product, and is totally unique in that the mash bill is not 100% malted barley, but a blend of malt, rye, and corn with malt being the majority grain. It is also aged in new, charred oak barrels like a bourbon which is unusual for malt whiskeys.

This unique recipe leads to one of the most singular whiskeys that I have tasted. It is unlike anything else; charting its own little path down the whiskey road. This is precisely the type of innovation that small distillers like MB Roland can bring to market, and I applaud them for trying something so innovative.

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Whiskey Book Review: Boozehound

Over the course of a quick summer vacation I was able to breeze through a very entertaining and educational book called Boozehound by Jason Wilson. The subtitle of the book is On the Trail of the Rare, the Obscure, and the Overrated in Spirits, which sums things up very nicely and really reels you in if you're the type of person who reads blogs like mine. The author is the Spirits Columnist for the Washington Post, a great job title if ever there was one, and he also has some local Philadelphia connections - former Philadelphia Magazine writer, teacher at Drexel University, and resident of South Jersey, just over the river. The dry wit and snide humor that I've read in Wilson's columns comes through perfectly in book form, and makes for a breezy, fun read even for non-spirits-snobs.

In Boozehound the author weaves together historical and personal anecdotes centered on spirits ranging from obscure Italian bitters to politically charged Caribbean rums. He reminds his American readers that in many parts of the world spirits are consumed very differently than we are used to, and he tempts us to go out and buy-and-try all sorts of foreign elixirs. Thankfully, if you do end up making a trip to the liquor store after each chapter, the book also includes many excellent cocktail recipes so that you can recreate the drinking experiences it describes at home in your kitchen.

Since this is a whiskey blog I have to give the disclaimer that Boozehound is not particularly focused on whiskey. This doesn't make it any less interesting to the whiskey drinker though because many of the spirits that Boozehound discusses are currently in a state of obscurity, at least in the U.S., much as whiskey has been at different points in time. Tracing the ebbs and flows of different spirits' popularity and their relationships to popular culture is, to me, what this book does so well. Wilson gives praise where it is due - usually but not always to the rare and obscure - and he calls out the overrated whenever appropriate. His editorializing adds a big dash of fun to a very educational book which makes it perfect for summer beach reading.

My only complaint about this book is that it is too short. It's nine brief chapters only allow Wilson to scratch the surface of the world's rare, obscure, and overrated booze. I'm sure he has plenty more stories to tell, and I look forward to a sequel.

Whiskey Book Review: More Mountain Spirits

Last month I reviewed the excellent book Mountain Spirits by Joseph Earl Dabney. It was such an entertaining book that I jumped right into reading its sequel, appropriately titled More Mountain Spirits. The lengthy and descriptive subtitle of More Mountain Spirits is "The Continuing Chronicle of Moonshine Life and Corn Whiskey, Wines, Ciders & Beers in America's Appalachians." That's a mouthful of a subtitle, but it does get you thinking that maybe there's more to drink in them thar hills than just 'clear corn likker.'

In his second volume of moonshine history, Dabney does tell tales of apple cider, elderberry wine, tomato beer, and pumpkin gin. His descriptions of these concoctions make for interesting tidbits, and prove the point that folks will make booze out of just about anything they can get their hands on. However, as you read through the book you can tell that the author's true interest is still with corn-based (and later sugar-based) moonshine. He spends most of the book going into detail about corn whiskey, its production process, the men and women who make it and sell it, and the 'revenooers' who hunt the moonshiners in a comical game of cat-and-mouse.

Many of the anecdotes in More Mountain Spirits are simply elaborations or retellings from Mountain Spirits, but there's enough fresh information to make it worth a quick read. Especially informative is the in-depth section on different types of stills and various production processes used by moonshiners. There's even a step-by-step plan for building your own mini-still from scratch. The pictures alone make this book a priceless addition to your 'whiskey library.'

First Tasmanian Whisky Available in the US

A few months ago I wrote about the growth of whisky production in Australia and specifically on the island of Tasmania. Until now getting your hands on Australian-made whisky in the U.S. has been next to impossible. I tried to have a tiny sample bottle of Aussie whisky sent to me this past summer, and after a few frustrating calls with a customs officer at the Port of L.A., I gave up on jumping through all the hoops necessary to get the bottle to my shelf. I guess they sent it back to Australia, or maybe had a little happy hour at the customs office.

Well now it's easier to taste at least one Tasmanian whisky - actually three different whiskies from Lark Distillery - at least if you live near New York, Chicago, Miami, San Fran, or L.A. You can read more about the first Australian whisky being imported to the U.S. here, and as soon as I get a chance to taste some I'll report back.

G'Day.

Whiskey Book Review: The Art of Distilling Whiskey and Other Spirits

The Art of Distilling Whiskey and Other Spirits is a must read for anyone interested in the production process, history, or future of fine spirits. It's edited by Bill Owens and Alan Dikty, two of the biggest names in the distilling industry (and the craft-brewing industry to boot). Given the vast knowledge that Owens and Dikty bring to the table, you're bound to learn something from this book even if you're already well-versed in the world fine spirits.

My favorite thing about this book is that serves three purposes at the same time. First it's a beautiful coffee-table book with dozens of beautiful photos showing the various bottles, stills, and people that make up the world of artisan distilling. It's worth having around just for the photos, but wait there's more! The Art of Distilling Whiskey is also an informative and entertaining introduction to how distilled spirits are made, and the differences between the various categories of spirits. If you're looking for a comprehensive but digestible book to bring you up to speed on the world of spirits this one is perfect. Finally, this book is a great reference volume. It contains a wide-ranging bibliography of further reading on the topic of distilling, a distiller's glossary, and a comprehensive international directory of distilleries that focuses on small craft producers.

In summary, this is a book that you'll go back to time and again as you have questions about what you're drinking, who made it, and how it got to be so darn tasty. For the moment it's also the most up-to-date book in its category and contains few of the omissions and errors that I've found in similar books from just a few years ago. It is hard to write comprehensively about the constantly-changing world of spirits, but after reading through The Art of Distilling Whiskey I can see why it has become a classic only a year after first being published. I look forward to reading more of Bill Owens' books and reporting back on them here.

Did Ya Miss Me?

After a very relaxing couple of weeks traveling around Canada, the Caribbean, and New England and completely ignoring the internet and other modern technologies I'm back in action and I have plenty to write about. I picked up several cool bottles of whiskey during my travels and I look forward to reviewing those over the next few days. I was also forced to drink lots of rum and fruity cocktails (see below) while in the Caribbean, so look forward to a series of posts about whiskey-alternatives that might appeal to your inner beach bum.

Check back over the next week or two for these and more exciting posts.

Building A Home Bar on a Budget - Part 2 of ???

When building your home bar always keep in mind that it's yours, so make it to your liking! If you don't like my advice please don't take it, I just want to help you think through the very fun project of establishing your home bar!

After much anticipation, I present to you the second post in my series on how to build a home bar on a budget. This post will cover what I consider to be the best part of building your home bar - shopping for booze! Yes, I like this even better than drinking the booze which comes in a close second. As discussed in my previous post, setting a budget is an important first step to building your home bar, so I'll break this lesson down into four parts - the basics that apply across the board, as well as sample shopping lists for three different budget levels.

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Saturday Night Whiskey Song III

Elton John sang that Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting which I couldn't agree with more, but Saturday nights are also great for drinking a bit of whiskey and singing along to some of the great songs that have been written about whiskey over the years. So, every Saturday afternoon check back here for a fresh whiskey-related song to get your Saturday night started off on the right foot.

Since this blog's title was inspired by the rambling, renegade tradition associated with whiskey I thought this tune, Train to Birmingham by John Hiatt, would be appropriate. In the video below the song is performed by Stoney Larue and Cody Canada of Cross Canadian Ragweed. You'll especially enjoy this one if it's raining outside or if you're feeling a bit homesick. Pour yourself a glass of whiskey, something from Tennessee is most appropriate for this one, sit back, and enjoy:

Whiskey Book Review; The Business of Spirits

I have a confession to make: I am a nerd. Let's be clear, I'm not a Star Wars nerd or a World of Warcraft nerd, although there's nothing wrong with those, but I am very nerdy about certain topics. One of them, as evidenced by this blog, is whiskey. Another of my nerdy interests is business & economics. I read Forbes just for fun and I get a real kick out of reading over Harvard Business School case studies. My most recent reading material, The Business of Spirits by Noah Rothbaum tapped into my nerdy interests in both whiskey and business, making for a double dose of nerdy reading pleasure.

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Saturday Night Whiskey Song II

Elton John sang that Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting which I couldn't agree with more, but Saturday nights are also great for drinking a bit of whiskey and singing along to some of the great songs that have been written about whiskey over the years. So, every Saturday afternoon check back here for a fresh whiskey-related song to get your Saturday night started off on the right foot.

This week I'm offering a newer song from one of the rising stars in country music, Rain is a Good Thing by Luke Bryan. This is a fun one, so shoot down that shot of Old Crow and get ready to party.

Luke Bryan   More CMT Music   More CMT Music Videos

Building A Home Bar on a Budget - Part 1 of ???

When building your home bar always keep in mind that it's yours, so make it to your liking! If you don't like my advice please don't take it, I just want to help you think through the very fun project of building your home bar!

A good home bar serves many purposes. It acts as a form of home decoration and a conversation starter; it allows for at-home pre-gaming before a night out on the town; and most importantly a home bar provides quick and varied drinks for impromptu guests, dinner parties, and nightcaps after those long days at work. I get a lot of questions from friends about the best way to put together a home bar on a budget, so I thought I'd share a few tips over the course of several posts, starting with this one.

The first thing to keep in mind when starting your home bar is your budget - set a budget for initial bar setup as well as a monthly budget for replenishing your favorite beverages and gradually adding new ones. If you stick to a budget you can actually save money by creating a place for you and your friends to have a few drinks for less than you'd spend going out to the local bar.

After setting a budget you've got to decide where and how you're going to display your bar. There are many options for this ranging from a simple window sill bottle lineup to re-purposing salvaged, antique furniture (my choice as you see in the photo) to building a custom bar from scratch (my neighbors did this recently with a lot of success). Be creative and find a spot in your house that will be convenient for making and serving drinks - think kitchen or dining room - and has plenty of space to display your bottles and store your bar gear such as bottle openers, glassware, etc. If you have kids you might also want to consider putting your bar somewhere that can be locked or made off-limits when you're not using it. After picking the spot for your bar spend a few minutes visualizing how you'll arrange things. This will help you get a realistic idea of your bar's capacity before heading to the liquor store to stock up - if you only have space for ten bottles maybe you shouldn't buy five different vodkas (in my opinion you should never buy five different vodkas anyway, but that's another post...).

Once you've established a budget and set up a space for your bar it's time to go shopping. I'll cover the basic booze you should pick up on your first bar-stocking trip in my next post, but don't forget these all-important, non-potable items that every bar should have:

1. Glasses - you'll want an assortment of glasses including shot glasses, rocks glasses, snifters, wine glasses, and pint glasses - flea markets, thrift stores, and stores like Marshall's and TJMaxx are great places to scout for bargains on glassware.
2. Shakers & strainers - it's best to have a couple so that you can make different mixed drinks without having to wash out your shaker after every one
3. Corkscrew - my favorite is made by Pedrini and doubles as a bottle opener
4. Bottle Opener - kill two birds with one stone by getting a combination corkscrew/bottle opener
5. Jigger - this is the little measuring cup used to measure 1oz & 1/2oz amounts of booze.
6. Pourers - great for parties, pourers fit into the tops of  your bottles and make pouring drinks a breeze.
7. Muddler - for muddled drinks like Old Fashioneds, Mint Juleps, and Mojitos - I like wooden ones
8. Long-Handled Spoon - for stirring drinks
9. Coasters - I like to steal these from bars to create a kitschy collection, don't tell on me!
10. Drink Book - a book of drink recipes is essential for every home bar - you can't go wrong with the Mr. Boston: Official Bartender's Guide.
11. BONUS - mini fridge - if you have a college dorm-style mini fridge hanging out in your basement there's no better way to put it to use than as a bar-side storage spot for beer, white wine, and chilled liquors.

Check back soon for my next post on the fun part of building your home bar - stocking it up with booze.

Oh Taste & See: Old Crofter Blended Scotch Whisky

For my first scotch tasting on this blog I thought I'd pull out the bottle of Old Crofter Deluxe Old Blended Scotch Whisky that's been gathering dust in my liquor closet for close to a year. Old Crofter is blended by Smith & Henderson of Edinburgh, but a quick Google search makes me think that it's no longer in production - I could find no real information on Old Crofter or Smith & Henderson. I believe it was a featured product at Total Wine & More in Claymont, DE when I bought it, but even their website has no mention of the brand now.

To my surprise I may have accidentally collected a bottle of out-of-production Scotch! I suppose that is kinda cool given that it was a price-driven impulse purchase (around $13 for the 750mL bottle), but I'm not really the collecting type, so let's go ahead and have a taste of this one.

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Saturday Night Whiskey Song

Elton John sang that Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting which I couldn't agree with more, but Saturday nights are also great for drinking a bit of whiskey and singing along to some of the great songs that have been written about whiskey over the years. So, every Saturday afternoon check back here for a fresh whiskey-related song to get your Saturday night started off on the right foot.

And what better way to start this weekly tradition than a classic from the Redheaded Stranger himself...Willie Nelson's Whiskey River:



If this song makes you thirsty look for a bottle of Willie Nelson's appropriately named bourbon Old Whiskey River, bottled by Heaven Hill Distillery.

Distillery Tour: Maker's Mark

On the same trip during which I visited MB Roland Distillery I also had a chance to tour the Maker's Mark Distillery in Loretto, KY about an hour south of Louisville. Maker's has long been my go-to whiskey when I'm at a new bar or restaurant because it is consistently delicious - straight-up, on the rocks, or as a Manhattan - and it is available almost everywhere you go. Seeing the place where this iconic, red-wax-capped whiskey is made would be a nice treat indeed.

I missed the first few minutes of the 3:30pm tour because this distillery is really tucked away into the rolling hills of Kentucky's bluegrass region, and it took a few minutes longer to get there than my GPS predicted. I was cutting it close to begin with because I couldn't help but stop at for a few minutes at the Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historic Site which you pass on the way to Loretto when approaching from the south. As I rolled through the small town of Loretto I could tell we were getting close to the distillery because I started to see large complexes of barrel-houses along the side of the road. The red-and-black paint-jobs on the barrel houses indicated to me that they must belong to Maker's Mark, but it was still a winding 10 minute drive from the time I saw the first barrel-house until I crossed a small bridge across a burbling brook and saw the sign welcoming me to the Maker's Mark Distillery.

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Oh Taste & See: Seagram's VO Canadian Whisky

Like many whiskey drinkers who I know, I often skip right past the Canadian whisky shelves of my local liquor store. For some reason Canadian whiskies seem to lack the character and personality of their Scottish, Irish, or American counterparts. Maybe it's just poor marketing or the fact that they're mostly packaged in very uniform, boring bottles, with the exception of Crown Royal and its wide, squat bottle in its purple velvet pouch. Or maybe I'm just biased against Canada.

In any case, my expectations are always low when tasting a Canadian whisky, but occasionally one will surprise me. Today the surprise comes from Seagram's VO blended Canadian whisky. VO has been around since 1913 and is a 6 year old whisky bottled in one of those tall, boring, brownish bottles. I've been drinking VO for a while, but I can't remember ever sipping it for taste. I usually use it as a mixer for whisky sours or other drinks where the flavor of the spirit is masked behind other, stronger flavors. As I poured myself a glass tonight I expected a drinkable, but uninteresting whisky - lucky for me those expectations were a bit off base.

The nose on VO doesn't do anything to raise expectations. The scent is pretty weak and what smell I did detect is mostly rubbing alcohol with just a little oak and vanilla in the background. As I took a sip the first thing I noticed was how smooth and easy-to-drink the VO is - perhaps this is why it makes such a good mixing whiskey. Blended whiskies are supposed to be smooth, so mission accomplished there. The nice thing about VO is that it also has enough flavor to keep things interesting when enjoyed on its own. I picked up the vanilla and oak tastes again, along with a rich, buttery sweetness that carried through into the mellow finish. The finish was the thing that surprised me most - the VO stays with you for a nice long while with the oaky taste fading to sweet butter and finally to a light minty heat.

At about $15 per 750mL bottle VO is an affordable whisky that is ideal for mixing and good enough for sipping on its own when you're looking for an easy, smooth drink. Its lightness makes it an ideal summer-time whiskey and a great way to ease first-timers into whiskey drinking.

Whiskey Jim's Perfect Mint Julep

The mint julep is the official drink of the Kentucky Derby, and although I'm about a month late for Derby Day, I think mint juleps are a great drink any time the temperature starts to creep into the 80s or 90s. Here in Philadelphia we've had a couple weeks of scorching hot temperatures, so mint juleps certainly seem appropriate. The mint juleps that I make for Derby Day, and any other time I can get my hands on fresh mint, are loosely based on a recipe from The Bartender's Guide by Peter Bohrmann.

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Oh Taste & See: Elijah Craig 12 Y.O. KY Straight Bourbon Whiskey

For my first whiskey review I thought I'd finish off the bottle of Elijah Craig 12 Year Old (EC12) bourbon that's been slowly disappearing from my bar over the past few months. Elijah Craig, the man, was a Baptist preacher from Virginia who migrated to Kentucky in the late 1700's and is credited by some as the 'inventor' of bourbon, or at least of the process of aging bourbon in charred oak barrels.

Elijah Craig 12 Year Old, the whiskey, is one of the premium products made by Heaven Hill Distilleries of Bardstown, KY - one of the 800-pound gorillas of the bourbon world. EC12 is an excellent bourbon all around, as attested by the numerous accolades and rave reviews that it has been receiving for years, but to me where EC12 really shines is in its value. The tag on the bottle claims that EC12 was a "small batch" bourbon before the term "small batch" even existed. Too me "small batch" is, in many cases, a marketing term used to justify single-barrel pricing for non-single-barrel whiskeys that really aren't much better than mass-produced blends. For EC12 however, Heaven Hill keeps the price competitive with more mass-market bourbons making this one of the best all-around values you'll find. At  $20-$24 per 750ml bottle, EC12 is in the same price bracket as Jim Beam Black, Wild Turkey, or Maker's Mark - all great bourbons, but not quite in the same league as the more expensive bourbons that EC12 can go head-to-head with in terms of quality, presentation, and complexity.

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Whiskey Book Review: Chasing the White Dog

For some whiskey aficionados, myself included, the renegade, outlaw spirit of whiskey is part of its overall appeal. It's as if we think that by drinking a product that has gone through various stages of legality and social acceptability throughout its history we can ourselves become just a bit more bad-ass, in that James Dean, John Wayne sort of way.

The book Chasing the White Dog: An Amateur Outlaw's Adventures in Moonshine, by Max Watman explores this rebellious side of whiskey lore and also delves into the world of curtains-drawn kitchen experiments in home-distilling. To anyone with an interest in whiskey or quirky Americana, this book is absolutely intoxicating. I found myself unable to put this book down - it is so well written that even the later chapters, chronicling the tedious details of a modern-day Virginia moonshine trial, draw the reader in like the best TV crime-dramas.

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Welcome to Whiskey Jim's Ramblings

Welcome to my blog about all things Whiskey. I hope you enjoy reading and responding to what I have to say about my favorite beverage, and if you would ever like to hear my thoughts on any specific whiskey-related topic, no matter how tangential the relationship, just let me know.

First things first, I'd like you to know how I came to name my blog Whiskey Jim's Ramblings. Obviously, my given name is Whiskey Jim, so that explains that part. I chose to use the Whiskey spelling of the word (as opposed to Whisky) because, again, it's my given first name, and because I was born and raised in Kentucky where our native spirit is usually spelled Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey, and I would feel like a traitor spelling it any other way. However I don't feel treasonous in the least when drinking products labeled with the Whisky spelling.

I chose the title Ramblings for two reasons: first, as you may have already noticed, I tend to ramble (definition #2). While writing this blog I fully intend to ramble on-and-on about the intricate details of the world of whiskey. Second, whiskey has long been the beverage of choice for ramblers (definition #1) - from kilt-clad highland troubadours of the British Isles to the lonesome cowboys of the American west, to the modern-day restless hipster roaming from bar-to-bar in search of inspiration. To a rambler like you or me, whiskey is a great companion when exploring what's beyond yonder hill.

Now that you know where we're going, sit back, pour yourself a glass, and enjoy. Hell, make it a double...