Gifts

Bourbon Bill’s Christmas Gift Guide

~ Bill Thornley ~ Leave a comment

I know my blogging has been sporadic lately (VERY sporadic), but the Christmas Season seemed like a good time to get back online and share some gift giving ideas for bourbon and bar lovers alike. Keep an eye out for Black Friday sales at your favorite local liquor and beverage store!

Naturally, as someone who works in packaging, my bourbon choices for this year’s gift guide include bourbon bottles with good packaging. I also made sure to include some splurges and some steals (Santa Hint: Airplane bottles are ALWAYS a great steal for stockings).

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  1. Larceny is a favorite that we keep stocked on our bar. The price point is great at under $30. Every bourbon fan needs a bottle.
  2. Blade and Bow was a favorite from our recent trip to the Bourbon Trail. The packaging can’t be beat either – perfect for a Christmas gift.
  3. If you can get your hands on a bottle of Stagg Jr., you will make a bourbon lover’s Christmas! If you can get your hands on two bottles – send me one! In all seriousness, finding a bottle of Stagg Jr. generally requires making good friends at your favorite liquor store (or if you live in a regulated state, visiting stores often). In Virginia, a bottle goes for about $53, if you can find one. The bourbon is some of the best, and the bottle is so perfect for Christmas.
  4. I have my eye on this “Mint Condition” bow tie from A Taste of Kentucky’s website. Perfect for a Kentucky Derby!
  5. No bar can have too many fun glasses to sip bourbon out of. I have the Dorset Crystal Double Old-Fashioned Glasses from Williams-Sonoma and really like them.
  6. Porch Parties is one of Lynn’s favorite cocktail books for entertaining. Lots of great drink and appetizer recipes. We should all throw more impromptu porch parties these days!

If you’re looking for more ideas, check out past gift guides here, here, and here.

Some Bourbon Gift Ideas

~ Bill Thornley ~ 1 Comment

With the holidays upon us, I will be spending the next 20 or so days sharing ideas for the whiskey lover in your life, or your personal bar cart. You will see a little bit of everything spirits related.   I hope to give you a lot of ideas for that last minute shopping, or those stumped for ideas. I made 2 stops over the weekend that were whiskey related and found some good deals that would make for good gift giving or just generally stocking up.

My first stop was Trader Joe’s. Trader Joe’s has always been known for their wine selection and wine bargains such as “Two Buck Chuck.” In California, and other states that allow it, have started carrying more spirits and I was intrigued by 2 in particular. They have their own Trader Joe’s branded Bourbon. It’s a fun bottle and label and has a beautiful deep mahogany color. There is no information on the bottle as to who distilled and bottled it. But I was told by one of their associates that she looked up the distillery code on the box and it is Buffalo Trace. When I got home I compared the color to the bottle of Buffalo Trace I have and it looks similar. At a price point of $14.99 it is certainly worth the risk. If not a great sipper at $14.99 it is still a good mixer. I will review in an upcoming blog, I haven’t opened it yet.

TJ Bourbon on Shelf

TJ Bourbon

The other is the Trader Joe’s Branded bottle of Glen Moray 14-year old Single Malt Scotch. Where do you find a 14-year old scotch for $29.99? My Aunt Pat loves Glen Moray and swears by its taste and finish against many other single Malt’s. I have to take her word for it, I am not a single malt guy.

The second stop I made was Total Wine. Total Wine has a totally amazing selection of wine. They also have a huge selection of spirits, and particularly whiskey of all kinds. During my visit i picked up one of my favorites to keep around for mixing – Evan Williams Black.Great to have handy for holidays parties! A 1.75L is on sale right now for $14.99. Stock up for the coming year at that price. Whiskey Advocate Magazine picked Evan Williams Black as their best bargain in bourbon a few years ago. The article suggested at the price point you can’t beat it for sipping or mixing. It’s a good bourbon, and for the holidays if you are making holiday cocktails it will go a long way at that price.

Evan Williams Black

They also have Elijah Craig Small Batch for $24.99. Whiskey Advocate just picked Elijah Craig Small Batch as their #1 Whiskey of the Top Whiskies in the world for 2017. Need I say more? Why are you still reading my blog and not in the car?

Elijah Craig

I strolled over to their wine section looking for whiskey barrel finished red wines. Are you seeing a theme here? I immediately saw a gift box from Cooper & Thief. It’s a bottle of their red wine blend in a box with 2 rocks glasses. On the box it says, “Red wine stashed in bourbon barrels. Enjoy in whiskey glasses.” I thought that was very creative. Why not enjoy a wine finished in bourbon barrels in whiskey glasses, makes sense to me? And they are good looking etched glasses to boot. This set sells for $30.99. I first saw this California wine in Richmond when we were visiting our daughter. Total Wine’s description of the wine is, “A daring red blend aged for 3 months in bourbon barrels which produces a complex and smooth, well-rounded wine. Dark and jammy with bourbon-inspired flavors that give way to soft tannins and a long, lingering finish.”

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My last offering today is 1000 Stories. You may have seen it elsewhere it has a very broad distribution. I bought several bottles the first time I saw it and I love it. It’s a bourbon barrel aged Zinfandel. They have an American Bison on their label and 1000 Stories is involved in American Bison conservation. To bring the story home, bison used to roam Kentucky, and the Midwest. To me, aging the wine in bourbon barrels, and having a silver bison on their beautiful black label brings it all home for me.

1000 Label

Happy shopping! Let me know what great gift ideas you have, or see, while out on the trail.  I am heading back out later tonight. I will let you know what I find. Cheers, and stay tuned.

 

 

Did you have a Bourbon-filled Christmas?

~ Bill Thornley ~ Leave a comment

I hope your Christmas was as Bourbon-ful as mine.  As you are reading this blog hopefully you noticed my new logo and branding. We are getting pretty professional over here! (The logo design was a Christmas gift from our daughter). And Taylor had a dark blue t-shirt made with the logo on it. Now I won’t need a name tag when out bourbon tasting!

Taylor and her husband also gave me a bottle of Reservoir Bourbon Whiskey from Richmond, Virginia. Reservoir is handmade, single run, small batch whiskey. Look for a review in a future blog. I am so excited to try it (and visit the distillery the next time we’re in Richmond)!

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Lynn gave me a fantastic gift from Pappy & Company. It was a canvas tote bag from J. Stark. Inside the bag were 2 Pappy & Company glasses, some “Pappy Hour” napkins, and 12 “Pappy Hour” plastic cups. The last part of the gift set was a box of Bourbon Balls made with Old Rip Van Winkle 10 year. The bourbon balls are handmade by Sugar Mama’s Bake Shop. What a fun gift, great for picnics or a weekend away. There is plenty of room in the bag for a bottle of your favorite bourbon (maybe a new bottle of Pappy??) and a few other bar accessories for your getaway.

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In addition to the gift set, I got a Barrel Stave Cutting Board. The board measures 8.5 x 9 and about 1.5 inches thick. It is made from Pappy Van Winkle barrel staves and it is branded with their crest. Great for the bar!

Lynn also gave me a Collared Greens Bow Tie with bourbon barrels on it. (Collard Greens is another Richmond-made item… they have lots of fun bowties on their website)

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I did take my own suggestion and stopped by Hi-Time Wine Cellars to buy a bottle of Makers 46. I just love the Makers 46 and needed to replenish my bar. Based on a suggestion from Ryan at Hi-Time I also bought a bottle of Belle Meade Bourbon. Ryan said he thought it was one of the best bourbons and values in the store. I’ve had it once before but wanted to give it a full taste and review.

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I am ready for whatever the New Year brings with all my new gear. I hope you had a wonderful Christmas or Hanukah and want to wish a Happy New Year to all!

Last minute gift ideas!

~ Bill Thornley ~ 2 Comments

Well, Christmas is just 6 days away, and I am about 90% finished with Christmas shopping and have just a few little things to pick up. Below are some last minute Christmas gift ideas (including stocking stuffers) – most of which you can find in stores across the country and others from websites that are still guaranteeing Christmas delivery. One of my favorite traditions is going to the mall on Christmas Eve with my daughter to pick up one last little gift for Lynn. My daughter won’t be home for Christmas this year, but I may just have to go anyway and pick up something from the list below!

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1. I think the little bottle of Blanton’s bourbon (375mL) is so fun, and it fits perfectly in a stocking! Plus, it still comes with a full size horse topper. You should be able to find the small bottle at any quality liquor store.

2. Crystal double old fashioned glasses are great for any spirits fan – male, female, young, old, or in between! I’m partial to these from Williams-Sonoma. You can also easily find crystal glasses from any department store like Macy’s, Dillards, Bloomingdales and Saks.

3. An ice scoop makes a great stocking stuffer. My family is partial to this one from Crate & Barrel. It looks nice but can be used for any occasion.

4. For a true bourbon aficionado, Glencairn whiskey tasting glasses are a must-have. They’re very reasonably priced for being made out of crystal. A lot of distilleries sell custom ones with their name on them if you have a favorite. I got mine from Hi-Time Wine Cellars in Orange County, California, and you can also order them online.

5. If you’re looking for a really impressive gift, a crystal decanter is sure to wow. My daughter has this one from Tiffany’s, which she and her husband received as a wedding gift. I’m always eyeing it at their house. They have also picked up some vintage decanters over the years – your local antique store may have some nice ones in stock.

6. These glasses from Fishs Eddy are hilarious and make a great fun gift for anyone with a sense of humor on your list. Fishs Eddy has all sorts of clever (and slightly off color) gifts.

7. George T. Stagg bourbon makes a perfect Christmas gift, both because it is a very high-quality bourbon for $80 (if you can find it), but also because of its wintry/forestry look with the antlers on the bottle.