Bourbon

I've been accused of a weak start. You know who you are, swizz.

I grew up in a lot of places, dad was in the army. I spent my formative years (meaning those years when I first learned to drink and do other things to alter my psychic state) in Virginia. In Virginia you are taught to drink cheap american beer, usually in a red and white can, and whiskey, usually Tennessee sour mash in a clear bottle with a black and white label. If you are most likely to find yourself on a Saturday night in the front seat of a '72 Nova with bored out cylinders and 17-inch rear wheels, you may spend your whole life drinking that crap. If, on the other hand, you are lucky enough to have someone in your life who actually likes whiskey, you will be introduced to bourbon. I was lucky and met Jim Beam.

That was many years ago, and I still drink Jim Beam on occasion. Over ice with RC Cola it is a fine beverage that reminds me of my youth. On the rocks it tends to burn the throat.

There are many fine sipping bourbons out there, and I havne't even begun to know all of them. This evening's choice is Woodford Reserve. WR is a small batch bourbon. This doesn't mean shit, but it makes for nice advertising. Without pretending that I know more about this stuff than I do, WR is relatively smooth, slightly sweet, and with a complex set of flavors I can't fully sort out. I like it. Then again, I've only met a handful of bourbons I didn't like.