The question:
It’s kind of a strange question, though. I need a bourbon match for a book character. You know, a kind of personality match: aggressive male, brilliant entrepreneur, completely stingy with money, doesn’t drink much, but needs a good bourbon for when, say, his hippie Marxist parents visit. He’s not adventurous; his entire goal in life is to make money and be in control. Could you recommend something for my character?
The Answer:
A guy with this kind of money and power… you would expect Pappy Van Winkle. But he won’t touch it. It’s three times as expensive and not as good. In short, it’s what you drink to impress them what don’t know any better.
Your man has a bottle of Booker’s. He loves it because it’s barrel strength. It’s uncut and therefore slightly unpredictable. It’s always good but it’s never exactly the same. This little bit of chaos is all he can tolerate in his conquered, controlled world because it reminds him that some things are still more art than science, and taming and them and controlling them may reduce them to mere mediocrity.
He never cuts it with water. He has cold whiskey stones that he puts in the glass and sips it straight.
He never drinks to get hammered. He remembers that one time he heard an old distiller named Booker Noe once said, “There comes a time in a man’s life when he isn’t looking to get hammered. He just wants something that will change his attitude a little. He just wants to take a little sip and think, “aww hell… it don’t matter.”
You can tell a lot about a man by his bourbon.
Do yourself a favor and go to a liquor store and look at a bottle of Bookers real well. Notice the box it comes in. Its very distinctive and the details about it will make a very interesting few words. Booker’s is hot by the way, usually 128 to 132 proof or so, and is usually very sweet and complex. It’s fantastic. Peppery, smokey, caramel, and vanilla will find their way into a taster’s mind.
Now…
I’ll have to go have some.
Which Bourbon?
16 Comments
Leave a Reply
Support Men Of The West
Latest from Culture
Livy, A Narrator of History
"Even in his own time he was known as the greatest of Roman historians."
“The Castle of Time” by Lord Dunsany
Presently there was a stir in one of the houses, and a bat flew out of the door into the daylight, and three mice came running out of the doorway down the
A Compact Renewed
It was the fourth of July, 1809, and thunderous, close evening. In Lobau, the largest of the five islands on the Danube, where were the imperial headquarters, the huge machinery of war,
A Memory of Robert E. Lee
"Everyone obeyed him, not because they feared but because they loved him."
The Venerable Bede
"Arising from the gloom of a dark age, he is still considered one of the most illustrious of the learned men of England."
I’ll have to try some Booker’s. I’m curious how it stacks up against Maker’s Mark.
4.5
Makers is what we sell to the tourists. Or for when there’s nothing else but Jack Daniels at the bar.
Funny how your brother’s conversations on the subject of the wonders of Makers Mark on his blog got me to try sipping Bourbon. I hate whiskey, that burns the gullet. But good sipping bourbon is a grand experience.
I am partial to Elijah Craig. Smooth and tasty.
Bookers is probably my favorite. But around here, it jumped from being usually $48-54 to over $80 in some stores. WTFF, man?
Wild Turkey 101 should do the trick in this case 🙂
I have been on a Noah’s Mill/Rowan’s Creek kick lately, but WT 101 is my standard, go to, whiskey.
Obviously I’ve never tried Bookers before either, so don’t hold it against me dammit.
Bookers is what we call sippin’ whiskey. You only need a little, as it is 130 proof (or so). Still, it is VERY smooth for the alcohol content. I highly recommend it.
The slop gets shipped over the River. But for those of us without drinking money in the budget, WL Weller can be pretty darn tasty. Pappy mash on a working mans budget. Someday I will make the money to drink with you fancy folk.
I need to give Bookers a try. My current favorites are Blanton’s and Wild Turkey Rare Breed (Barrel Proof).
@HoosierHillbilly, is WL Weller the same as Old Weller? I found a bottle once for $28 and it was as good as bourbon twice that price.
I went out with my boss to an upscale bar. There was a rich guy there bragging about how amazing and expensive was the bourbon he was drinking. He bought me a glass. It was Blanton’s. I bought us a glass of Booker’s. He quit drinking the Blanton’s. Don’t misunderstand, Blanton’s is damn fine bourbon.
Different stuff. Same family, yes sir.
God I love Booker’s. There are a lot of good bourbon’s, but I always come back to Booker’s. My brother bought me a bottle of Four Roses Single Barrel. It’s fantastic. But I still bought another bottle of Booker’s.
5