Yesterday I celebrated the 35^th Anniversary of my 30th birthday… I’m calling it a Pappy Birthday because my wife knows I love getting Pappy accessories for any occasion. Anything whiskey makes a birthday a celebration.

Lynn had already gotten me a Pappy & Company barrel stave cutting board for the bar. For my birthday, she complimented it with their beautiful bar knife with a custom barrel stave handle. She also got me a golf shirt with the Pappy logo. I scored big time this year! (My son and daughter-in-law got me a Hydroflask, probably to make sure I’m hydrating in between bourbon tastings!)

I’ve collected some good Pappy gear over the years, including a beautiful hand etched “Bourbon” decanter, glassware, and even napkins. The most amazing thing she ever got me from the Pappy & Company website is an authentic Pappy Van Winkle barrel head signed by Julian Van Winkle III. The website is fun to just browse too.

There are many websites dedicated to the whiskey lovers of the world. You can find pretty much any type of whiskey gear a whiskey lover would like.

On my birthday I stopped by Hi-Time Wine Cellar today to pick up a bottle Ployez-Jacquemart, our favorite champagne.   I had to wander the whiskey aisle while there; it’s the law. While there, I ran into Old Man Bourbon, stocking the shelves. If you haven’t seen his Instagram page look him up.

As is usual, I left with more than just a bottle of champage. My eyes locked on the bright green seal on the top of a bottle of Pinhook Rye. I have never seen Pinhook there before and it was the last bottle. Reasonably priced at $33.99, it practically jumped into my cart.

It is good to be back blogging! It has been a crazy summer and it’s not going to stop anytime soon. Look for more whiskey, food and travel posts over the next few months. Have a good rest of the summer and don’t forget that special gift for your brown liquor buddies!

As you finish up your holiday shopping, as promised here are a few more whiskey themed gift ideas. Helping to stock the bar is always a great option!

One website I visit over and over to look at all the great gifts they offer is Bourbon and Boots. One of the items they have that I just love are the rocks glasses with whiskey related sayings from writers, generals, presidents, & Hollywood stars. These are some fun sayings and makes drinking out of them even more festive.

Earlier this week I made a trip to my favorite liquor store – Hi-Time Wine Cellars. They have several seasonal gifts that you can buy through their website, or likely find at your favorite liquor store.  The first is the holiday bottle from Woodford Reserve. Woodford has been releasing a special Kentucky Derby bottle for years and this year they released a Holiday bottle. The painting on the label is named “Snowfall at Woodford Reserve Distillery.” It was painted by Thomas Allen Pauly. He also did the paintings for the last 2 Kentucky Derby bottles and was featured on my blog earlier this year. It is a very warm and inviting painting of a limestone barrel house at Woodford Reserve. His paintings are known for his attention to detail and the details show through here with the evergreens lining the warehouse wall. The label draws you to the bottle and partners well with the beautiful color of their bourbon. It invokes thoughts of a great sip of bourbon while sitting by the Christmas tree. This could be made even better with a fire in fireplace and a little early snow falling outside. These bottles are selling for $44.99 at Hi-Time Wine Cellars.

Hi-Times is also offering a bottle of Woodford reserve with a branded rocks glass in a gift box for $26.99. It is a 750 mL bottle and 1 glass. That is a very good deal, and one any bourbon lover would appreciate.

My final suggestion is from Makers Mark. I found a Makers gift set at Spec’s in Texas that was a bottle of Makers Mark and Makers 46 in the same box. You will find many stores have these holiday offerings. The offer at Hi-Time Wine Cellars has a box of with Makers Mark 46 and 2 glasses. This too is a very good deal at $31.97. You will pay more than that for a bottle of Makers 46 most of the year.

Whatever you do, “drink responsibly this holiday season.” But do toast your friends with a glass of your finest bourbon and a gift that will remind them of your friendship for months to come. Merry Christmas to all, and a very Happy New Year!

Blade and Bow Bourbon is distilled at one of the most famous distilleries in Kentucky, Stitzel-Weller. They produce two products: the first being their Blade and Bow Kentucky straight bourbon whiskey, and Blade and Bow 22-year-old, which is extremely hard to find.

From their website: “Named after the two parts of an ornate skeleton key, the blade shaft and the ornate bow, the Blade and Bow Brand is a tribute to the five keys that once hung on the door at Stitzel-Weller Distillery. These keys represent the five keys of crafting bourbon-grains, yeast, fermentation, distillation and aging. But more importantly they grew to symbolize the southern traditions of hospitality, warmth, and enjoying the finer things in life.” The bottles all come with one of the distinctive keys, some harder to find than the others.

But let’s go back to the beginning. It all started on Derby Day in 1935 when Stitzel-Weller Distillery was opened by Julian Van Winkle, Alex T. Famsley, and Arthur Phillip Stitzel. It became known as the Old Fitzgerald Distillery after the brand name of main product produced there. The distillery went through a lot of owners and changes until it closed in 1972. In 2014 Diageo reopened the facility following a multimillion dollar investment. The distillery was known for its wheated bourbons, where they used more wheat than rye in the mash bill. The most famous of those is Pappy Van Winkle.

I recently had the opportunity to try their straight bourbon whiskey. I didn’t know what to expect, but knowing the origin of the bourbon I was expecting a lot and it delivers. Its dark amber color in the beautiful bottle is  Your first impression is a nose of vanilla and oak, with a bit of alcohol. As you take your first sip you get a very smooth and pleasant caramel taste. You may get some cinnamon and baking spice as well. The more it breathes the elegance and taste evolves.

This bourbon packs a lot of easy drinking flavor. I would suggest this is a good bourbon to add to that cart and serve to treat yourself or friends. Now to try to get my hands on the Blade and Bow 22-year-old.

Tasting Notes:
Aged: No Age Statement; 6 years blended with older bourbons
Proof: 91 proof
Color: Dark Amber
Aroma: Vanilla & Oak
Taste:  Caramel, Cinnamon, Spice
Price: $46.97 at BevMo

I fondly remember my father and grandfather.   Anyone who ever met them said they were both, “such gentlemen.” They were wonderful parents and grandparents. My grandparent’s home was on the Ohio River across from downtown Louisville, Kentucky. They had a deck that overlooked the river and on any given Saturday or Sunday a backyard full of friends. The back porch had a refrigerator full of long neck PBR’s or Falls City Beer. If you wanted something else there was a bar where my grandfather would make you a highball. Esquire Magazine says, “The potency of the drink is the result of the bartender’s kindness.” My grandfather Bill was kind and there was always plenty of Old Granddad or Early Times on the bar.

People would always gather at their house for a barbecue, fireworks show, “The Great Steamboat Race” between the Delta Queen and Belle of Louisville, speedboat races, air shows, or to just watch the barges go up and down the river. If you were there for dinner Daddy Bill would offer to “sweeten” your coffee with a little Canadian Club Whiskey.

Those really were the good old days where everyone sat around and discussed sports, politics, and the weather without phones, TV, or interruptions.

They say the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree and in the case of my dad, Bill, that is very true. My parents always had people over for some occasion. He had built a beautiful bar in our basement. The drink of choice in my latter years at home was a Manhattan. But Dad could make any drink you wanted. Bartending for that generation was a skill many had learned. Mom and Dad threw a lot of parties. I remember most their New Year’s Eve parties where everyone was still there when mom would make breakfast at 5:00 or 6:00 in the morning. They would dance, talk, and play cards all night. The “Greatest Generation” were great hosts and threw epic parties.

Mom and Dad would come to California for our Derby Party and Dad would be our bartender. He said, “he could meet everyone that way.” But he also just enjoyed being behind the bar and talking with people.

My Grandfather Burrel was a mule skinner from Kentucky who brought his family to Indiana after the depression. He would have a bottle of Four Roses tucked away for a little shot neat, followed by a Coca Cola chaser. The drinks I remember from gatherings in those years were drinking whiskey neat, or on the rocks with a “splash” of water. The ladies especially would enjoy their whiskey in a highball with coke. You always started a party or dinner with a cocktail, not a glass of wine or champagne.

As you spend Father’s Day with your family ask about the traditions of your parents, and grandparents. We have recently held discussions with our kids about what we did for entertainment when we were their age and how drinks and drinking has changed. I get a grin on my face even saying “Wine Coolers.” What was that old commercial… “We’ve come a long way baby.”

Happy Father’s Day to all the Dad’s and expectant fathers that read my blog!