TST_FinalEdit ep

Yo, Yo, Yo, Yo, Yo, Yo, Yo, Yo, Yo, Yo, Yo, Yo, Yo, Yo, Yo, Yo, Yo, Yo, Yo, Yo, Yo, Yo, Yo, Yo, Yo, Yo, Yo, Yo, Yo, Yo, Yo, Yo, Yo, Yo, Yo, Yo, Yo, Yo, Yo, Yo, Yo, Yo, Yo, Yo, Yo, Yo, Yo, Yo, Yo, Yo, Yo, Yo, Yo, Yo, Yo, Yo, Yo, Yo, Yo, Yo, Yo, Yo, Yo, Yo, Yo, Yo, Yo, Yo, Yo, Yo, Yo, Yo, Yo, Yo, Yo, Yo, Yo, Yo, Yo, Yo, Yo, Yo, Yo, Yo, Yo, Yo, Yo, Yo, Yo, Yo, Yo, Yo, Yo, Yo, Yo, Yo, Yo, Yo, Yo, Yo, Yo, Yo, Yo, Yo, Yo, Yo, Yo, Yo, Yo, Yo, Yo, Yo Hey there beautiful people, you stumbled into talking shit today, but the opinions are loud, the jokes are questionable, and the drinks are always strong. I'm General X, and I'm Lumpy, and I promise that by the end of this episode, you'll either love us or hate us, or feel like you left a very strange dinner party. Let's get into it. Let's go. So X, our very first podcast. Yes sir. We're sitting here just to talk some shit today and see what great conversation we can have and stimulate a few people's, you know, either brain or their emotions or their whatever. Whatever keeps them clicking, right? Indeed. Like I said earlier, whatever tickles your wiggle, right? Whatever tickles the wiggle. Yeah. So this is our very first episode. This is something that we've been talking about doing for quite a long time. We are a couple of guys who sit around and talk shit all the time anyway. So it only seemed to make sense that we put some microphones in front of us and keep our glasses full and just go ahead and record and see what happens. Indeed. Well, X, let's take a second before we get too deep down a rabbit hole, which we always seem to do when we talk. Let's tell the people about us, who we are. You want to start? Sure. So I am General X. Don't necessarily like the general part, but there's a story to that we'll get into. I am a Generation X-er for sure on the young side of it, though. So I can still officially claim Gen X, hold it proudly. I'll just say that Star Wars was brand new when I was brand new. So we'll put it like that. Of which I have an original Star Wars new movie poster. So that was a gift from a special lady a long while ago. I didn't know you had that. I do. Is it in good shape? It was never in good shape when I got it, but it was certainly worth the emotional value that it has, especially from whom I received it from. And it will eventually be framed, protected, and all those things. Right now, it doesn't see the light of day. Star Wars was what? 76, 77? 77. March. I was seven years old. And now I remember that. I used to go to the movies. It was $1.50. And I think I saw the original Star Wars like eight times. So the funny thing for me about Star Wars is that I watched them in reverse order the very first time I remember seeing them. I'm sure I saw them before I saw them in the theater, but we watched them, I think, 1984 is when the last of the original trilogy came out, and they were doing all the movies in a re-release, and we watched them all in reverse. Gotcha. Well, we can get into Star Wars as one of our talking points here. Let's finish telling everybody about us first. Sure, sure. So that might lead into that I'm a little bit of a geek. I play Dungeons and Dragons and other tabletop games. I really enjoy mixed martial arts fighting, and one of my favorite hobbies, which I don't recommend anybody get into ever, like leave it all on the shelf for the rest of us, is bourbon. For the last couple of years, I've been drinking far too many bottles of bourbon, and there are so many more to get to that I have a lifetime goal to achieve. So much bourbon, not enough time. Yes. But I think most importantly, for me anyway, is that I'm a family guy. Not the family guy. I am a family guy. I have two kids that are both in dance. That's how we met. We're both dance dads. Yeah, and been involved in that for the better part of 11 years now. Isn't that crazy? It is very crazy to think of myself as the senior parent, along with my wife, at the studio. Think of all the other shit you could have bought besides dance. There will be signs when there is no more dance. Indeed. So they will probably float. That's awesome. We'll see about that. So yeah, that's just a bit about myself. I like to be philosophical. I like to be stupid. I probably spend more time being stupid than not stupid. I was going to say, I think I like best being stupid. Yeah. Because we had a conversation before we went. Like I said, if you don't crow by 40, you don't have to. Right, right, right. Well, and especially if you're stupid enough, there's never high expectations. So it's pretty easy to go by. Stay young as you are. Stay young as you are. Yeah. So what about you, Lumpy? Well, I too am a dance dad. I too am a Gen Xer. I'm a 1970s kid. Born in 1970. I'm a 1970s kid. I'm a 1970s kid. I'm a 1970s kid. I'm a 1970s kid. I'm a 1970s kid. I'm a 1970s kid. I'm a 1970s kid. I too am a bourbon fan. I think that's one of the magnets that brought us together as friends. I too am a dance dad. I too am a Gen Xer. I'm a 1970s kid. Born in 1970, actually. I too am a bourbon fan. I think that's one of the magnets that brought us together as friends. I think we were actually friends before we got into bourbon. I too am a dance dad. I too am a Gen Xer. I'm a 1970s kid. Born in 1970, actually. I too am a bourbon fan. I think that's one of the magnets that brought us together as friends. I think we were actually friends before we got into bourbon. I think we were actually friends before we got into bourbon. I think we were actually friends before we got into bourbon. Yeah. And then we kind of just gravitated. And then we kind of just gravitated. And actually, I can blame you for the bourbon thing. And actually, I can blame you for the bourbon thing. Well, you know, it's not whether you win or lose. It's where you're placed to blame. Absolutely. So, I have a single daughter-in-dance where X has two, God bless his soul. He's got double the trouble when it comes to the paying for the products. Oh yeah. Where I thankfully only have one, which is a mortgage in itself, which you know. So, I have a single daughter-in-dance where X has two, God bless his soul. So, I have a single daughter-in-dance where X has two, God bless his soul. I love to cook. I'm a foodie. Not a foodie, but love to cook, too. Yep. I am definitely a foodie. That is for sure. Well, you also have better skills in the kitchen. You had the former chef. Former chef. Yeah. You had the former chef. Yeah. You had the former chef. Yeah. You had the former chef. Yeah. You had the former chef. Yeah. You had the former chef. Yeah. You had the former chef. Yeah. You had the former chef. Yeah. You had the former chef. Yeah. You had the former chef. Yeah. You had the former chef. Yeah. You had the former chef. Yeah. Former chef. Formal use. Indeed. Classically trained in French fine dining cooking. And when I was old enough and smart enough to get the hell out of Dodge, I did. And moved on to something bigger and better. But I still retain those skills, which is great for my wife who doesn't cook. Only Spanish woman I know that doesn't cook. Yeah. Doesn't want to feed you all the time. Yeah. Yeah. Well, I think that's why she asked me to marry her. Notice she asked me. She asked me to marry her. Nice. On Sadie Hawkins Day, actually. So, if anybody out there is old enough to remember and know what Sadie Hawkins Day is, then I don't need to explain that to you. There you go. So, yeah. That's, you know, I like to have fun. Not much more I can say about that. So, what would we like to talk about today? I know we're sitting here in the living room, had a nice bourbon, or having a nice bourbon. Let's talk about what we have in our glasses tonight. There you go. Well, like I said, a bit of an enthusiast. We've learned that there are a couple different ways that people think about themselves or others in the bourbon world. There are the hunters. They're the ones that sneak the deals or the, what's the phrase that they call it, when they're buying a bottle that's way overpriced and they don't care. Idiots. There's that too. Well, the hunters are a lot of the guys that are resellers. Sometimes, yeah. All right. So, let's get into it. So, we're sitting here today. Let's talk about the bourbon that we're enjoying at the moment while we're putting down some words here for you folks to listen to. What are we drinking today? Today is brought to you by Green River, one of my absolute favorite products for the price. Indeed. This one is a special release that I learned that Green River has a strong affiliation with the U.S. Army. Did not know that until this release. This is their 250 in celebration of the 250 years of the United States Army. And this is a bourbon whiskey that is a special release this year. Put some proof on that. This is a 111 proof to follow the 111th division of the U.S. Army. It's pretty mild. I'm not drinking a lot. It's pretty tasty. Yeah. My sweet spot on bourbon is somewhere between I'd say 115 and 120. That's where I tend to prefer things. I like it a little bit nicer at 126. It gets more complex, more fun. And then after that, it's a matter of enjoying the spice and the ride and all the things that come with it. Oh, yeah. So I too have a secondary bottle here. We're still going with the Green River. Sure. I just poured the Green River foolproof, which is the Kentucky straight bourbon whiskey, which is hovering around 117.3 proof. It's got a different body, different profile. Both very good, both in their own aspects. I'm a huge Green River fan. I stumbled across it. I don't remember how I did. I think it might have been you actually, X. You can probably blame me for that. Yeah, I know. But either way, most of the expressions that I've had, well, I've only had two, but both expressions I've had have been pretty good. Well, this is the third I've had technically because I had their weeded first. And I then had their foolproof, which is what you have, and then this 250. And I haven't had a pour I didn't like yet from Green River. And I think the thing that people overlook the most with this bourbon is its price point because for the price, you're spending anything between $20 and $35 for their normal releases that you find on their shelf and then special releases. I think this one's topped off at $45, which is expensive for Green River. Yeah, I think I was somewhere around about $47 for the foolproof. I don't recall. It's been a minute. Yeah, which actually is not terrible. I mean, it's a great product, the foolproof is. This is definitely one of those that I consider sleepers and shouldn't be on the bottom of anyone's shelf because this is just excellent. So for all of those out there that enjoy a good whiskey, a good bourbon, and by the way, I have to say that I am not a scotch guy. There has not been a scotch yet. It doesn't matter if it's a 12, 18, 20-year, 21, 22-year-old scotch, it's still scotch, still tastes like I just ran outside and took a nice big bite out of my lawn. You sound to me like you're talking about IPA, it's not scotch. Well, we have our feelings about that. But the bourbon journey that we've gone on over the last two years, would you say, is it two years, maybe two and a half, give or take, has been interesting because we started off with what everybody said was great and we thought it was great to start and then we got a taste of something new. And then we were just like, well, that shit we've been drinking for the last few months is not so great. Well, and I think a lot of people start off their bourbon journey looking at and discovering that there are highly allocated bottles before you even understand what that means. And some people got their start off of John Wick, as an example, because that was the bottle that he had, it was that Blantons and that Grenade Bottle. And on its own, Blantons is okay. I've come to realize that for me, it's not the bee's knees. It's not really, in my mind, worth any of the secondary prices that there are. But we didn't know those things way back. We have learned that not only is highly allocated not necessarily really awesome, although sometimes it is, we have learned that there are literally 3,000 distilleries in the United States. And while this is a distinctly American product, we have lots and lots and lots of things to be able to try. So much so that I've gotten myself to look at trying to get a bottle, at least one bottle from every state. That's a good one. I like that. And so far I'm up to 16 states. And you've got a ways to go, sir. Long ways to go. And the neat thing about doing that is I've got people that I know that live in different states that will, on occasion, help me find something in their state and send it my way. And that's precisely how I got one out of Iowa, which is where my mom's at. So for my birthday, she sent me a bottle of bourbon called Cody Hill. And it was nearly a 100% corn mash. And bourbon, as you know, as long as it's 70% corn, can qualify as a bourbon, or at least that's how it starts. Indeed. And there's some really delicious 100% corn mashes out there. So you remember your first bottle of Lange you bought? The first bottle I bought? Yeah. I'll never forget mine. I do remember that. I do remember the price, which I choose not to say these days. Okay, mine was $145. Mine was not. But it is clearly an overpriced bourbon, considering that about six months ago, Walmart Liquor was having lots of drops of Eagle Rare 10-year, the E.H. Taylor small batch, and Blanton's. And just to clarify, we are talking about the Blanton's original single barrel. Correct. Just to make sure everybody was thinking... Not the gold or any of the other expressions that are out there. Indeed. Which I will say Blanton's gold is pretty good. I will give that its due. But it's not at a price point I think I'll ever really try to reach for. Yeah, but the Blanton's single barrel is like a $65 to $70 bottle. Right. Period. If you're paying more than that, then don't. And likewise, the Eagle Rare 10-year, which is one of my absolute favorites, especially for an allocated bourbon, is $40. All day long MSRP. And you and I were in a store the other day where they had a 12-year that they were trying to sell for $400. And that's crazy. And that is nowhere near what anybody should be paying for a $60 bottle of bourbon. So I think I'm not quite anti-secondary market because I understand why people will do that, why people will try to put expensive bottles on their shelf to attract people in. For example, the store that's basically across the street from me, they have Eagle Double Rare there. And they've got the sticker price on it for $25,000. Not a single person that's a normal patron there is going to, one, pay attention. There's nobody in our town that's going to walk in and drop a $25,000 on a bottle of bourbon. So they're going to have that for a while. But they also have the GTS, the George T. Stagg. They've got a few of those bottles for $1,200. They've got a Pappy's 22 that they have on their shelf for like $1,750. It's just, it's incredible the prices that they have. And it is just way outside of reach for most people. And I think what I've realized more than anything is you can spend $35 or, let me throw a benchmark foolproof at you. Oh, you beat me to it, buddy. Yeah, for $20. Every day, bottom shelf, public liquors. And it is one of the best bottles of bourbon that you can get. Buffalo Trace Distillery, right? I think so. And it is, when you look at just simply Buffalo Trace, I read an article a while back that said Buffalo Trace could have been as popular as Jack Daniel's Old No. 7 if only they didn't make it allocated. Hmm, okay. I didn't know that. That's an interesting one. Well, and quite honestly, Buffalo Trace is pretty good all by itself. Yeah, it's okay. So, I have no qualms there. What about you? So, I will agree with you on the benchmark foolproof. That's an everyday drinker. You can't beat that for $20 to $22 a bottle. What can I say? You know, I remember on my first journey for my first blends, I paid $145. I got a $5 discount because we bought two. And when I brought it home, I thought it was the best thing since sliced bread for two reasons. One, I had a bottle of blends. I guess they called it Grenade. Yep. And then I got smacked in the face with the reality. When I talked to someone, they were like, you paid how much for it? I was like, well, okay. I didn't know what else to say. And then I realized. And I had half a dozen better bourbons for half that price. Or less. Or less. I remember there was – see, I think for some people, they view the spending money as status. And I can give you an example of that. We were at one of my daughter's friend's 16th birthday party. And their family owned one of the campgrounds around here. And their dad or her grandfather, I guess, had sold it and was now living in retirement and doing very well for himself. His son, her father, is in a very unique business dealing with sewage and sewer lines for public works. But as a private company. Sure. And they, in his life, are 100% entrepreneurial. And they're very focused on those things. But along with that comes kind of the glitz and glamour that they expect to achieve through their financial success. And you can tell by how they carry themselves that they feel strongly that they're doing well by how much money they spend on things. And so I remember we got to talking on bourbon as often happens when I meet people. And one of the things that we got to was just how good some of these other bourbons were. And he was describing about the different kinds of Blantons that he had at home that he had none with him. So he went to the store, dropped $170, came back with a bottle of Blantons, and we had a few drinks. The original? Yeah. The single barrel? Yep, yep. Okay. And by doing that, he felt like he was showing me that he could just drop $170 on a bottle of bourbon. Okay. For that same $170, I could get three to four bottles of bourbon that I would have for a lot longer, enjoy just as much or more, and I wouldn't feel like I got had. Well, when you have the got had money. Got had money. I like that. That's a new one. I just made that up. There you go. You know, it is what it is, man. Well, you did say when there's no more dance, there will be signs. I can tell you there might be signs. So one of my favorite bottles that I have had, my boss, I guess between you and my boss, I think I can probably say are what turned me on to bourbon, even though the bottle he got me wasn't bourbon. It was a Macallan 12-year single malt that was aged in sherry casks. And Macallan makes a 12-year that's not aged in sherry casks, and then this one that is, it comes out with a lot of this cherry note, the sweetness that comes along with it. Yes, it's a single malt. Yes, I know your opinion on that. But for me, it was one of my favorites. And I remember when I brought it over here, I was so enthusiastic to share because as a bourbon enthusiast, one of my favorite things to do is to share it. Indeed. So quite often I'll come over and I'll have a bottle, we'll crack it, we'll enjoy the pop, which is always a good thing. All over you. And I poured it and I was like, this is great. And I was fully expecting you to be like, oh, yeah, that's awesome. And you had the look on your face like you just ate a fuzzy rotten potato and you poured it directly into my glass. So now I'm sitting here with way more scotch in my glass. You had a double-double. I had a double-double. And I realized just what you think about even really good scotch. I can't do it, man. I just can't. I don't know what it is. There's that peaty, earthy, I don't know. No, I get it. And not every flavor is for everybody. I know that when I get a double oak, the first drink I have of a double oak I don't like right away. Yeah, I can see that. I don't know why it is. It's a really unique flavor. It is. And so I have to have it the second time, usually a couple days later, and I like it a lot better. And, you know, again, with most bourbon drinkers, most people who like bourbon don't like scotch and vice versa. Sure. And in your case, you're a little different, but that's why you're here with me, and we're making this podcast. Well, you are right. I do like it. I also like a good Irish whiskey, and I can buy into the argument that an Irish whiskey that's made in the same way that a bourbon is can be very bourbon-esque even though technically you can't call it bourbon. And I have yet to have that experience, so I can't comment. I would like to try that. I thought I shared the Natterjack with you. So Natterjack was one I got from Publix, and I was super excited that it was here because I kept seeing it online, but I never found it on the shelf. I don't remember that. Maybe you did. It has a pewter toad on the bottle. But either way, I'll get it again sometime because I do enjoy it. But I'm also looking at a picture that I shared with you that made you kind of say, why would I ever want this? And it was a Total Wine & More's Macallan lineup that was all behind the glass. So it has this Macallan rare cask, an 18 and an 18 sherry cask, a 25 single malt, a 30, and then it has one that they call – I can't really tell. Let me look at the label here. You're still losing to me in Macallan. Well, this is where I'm getting to where I say that there will be signs. Of course, I hit buttons that it's not cooperating now. So this is what they call the Macallan Emma Crystal Decanter. What's the sale price for this at Total Wine & More? Fire. Oh, you're not going to guess? Oh, I have to guess? Okay. What year? I will give you plus or minus $1,000. That's what I'm going to tell you. Here, let me read it to you. Does it have the age statement on it? I don't know if I can tell the age statement on this particular one. It is only 90 proof. It's an annual release. It's a Highland Single Malt Scotch Whiskey. And I will read to you what I can make out. So at Highland Scotland, M sits at the pinnacle of Macallan's 1824 series, created from the rarest whiskeys at the distillery, a collaboration between three masters. I'm not going to go through the names. Macallan, with a unique objective to create the most sophisticated whiskey in the world. Still not turned on, X. So, what's your guess? I don't know, $12,000? You are over by $4,000. Okay, so $8,000. $8,149.99. And X, they can keep that motherfucker. So they have a Macallan 30-year double cask at $4,500. Good Lord. A Macallan 25-year Sherry Oaks cask. I'm sure it's delicious and delectable. I'll drink it. $26.49. The 18-year Sherry cask, which is, so they do a 12, a 15, and an 18. Right? The 12 and 15 are on the shelf. This is behind glass. $419. You could just say $420. And then the same 18 double cask, but not Sherry, is $379. So, and then the special, they just call it a rare cask. And I don't know what makes it rare. It is $369. Now, mind you, total wine at more prices, right? And is this a Scotch or is this a Irish whiskey? No, those are all Scotches. Oh, okay. Well, they can keep them all. I just can't do it, man. You know. But you know what? Take each of their own. Yeah. Lumpy, you and I have said lots that what I like, you don't have to. And what somebody else likes, we don't have to. You drink what you like. Right. And I think there's a lot of bourbon reviewers out there. My favorite, I think the most relatable ones, are the ones that say the best bourbon for you is the one you like. Well, that's poignant. And I think that's appropriate. Indeed. So, as we think about what we've been covering on this episode, and we think about future episodes, Green River was in both of our glasses today. Two different expressions. Yum, yum. I think I'm going to bring to you an American single malt, and maybe we can do some discovery in talking about the American single malt, which is a newly minted, this year or last year, last year I think, type of American bourbon or whiskey that is now official in the canon of American whiskeys. Okay. Because single malt typically has been scotch. When I first mentioned that to you, you said, X, scotch? No, no, no, no, no, sir. That was just Saturday. Yeah. Just a few days ago. This is not just scotch. This is not even scotch. It's a good whiskey, and the way that this particular bottle that I have comes across, it's very dessert-like. Okay. Is it, what, sweet, or what are we talking about? Well, for me, I think if you look at the dark chocolate-covered cherries, the ones with the juice inside, and then when you bite into it, it kind of cracks the shell on the chocolate, that's what it reminds me of when I'm drinking it. Oh, like, so what do they call those things? Oh, heck, my father used to enjoy those things. They were, yeah, I know what you're talking about. The almost liquor-filled cherry things. Sure. I don't know what you're talking about. Yeah, that's really fair, but those are very good. So, stepping away from the scotch, back to the bourbon, you know, we found ourselves at a couple of bottle drops where we've seen some allocated bottles hit some of these liquor stores, which, you know, sometimes they're ridiculously priced, some of them are not so ridiculously priced. Yeah. And it's funny, because if anyone has ever been to a bottle drop, they know that line, the line that starts at the front door where people have been there for a day, or even two in advance, to get that bottle. I'm not that guy, man. You know, I'll get there, if the place opens at 10, I'll be there 7, 7.30, which we've done. And if I get it, great. If I don't, I'm sure there's something that's still tantalizing, that's still sitting there on the table, waiting to be scooped up. And I don't know, man, I'm not a collector. I'm not a hunter. And I'm sure you're, I mean, I know you're not either. We just like to enjoy a good bottle. Right. And we like to drink them. We usually drink them together. And I don't know, I mean, people just lose their shit. They literally lose their shit to get that bottle. We've had the luck of meeting some people that are absolutely hunters. And it breeds an interesting community. Indeed. Because they inform each other after they get there by, then they tell their friends about what's where. And that's how I've gotten some of the more common drops, like the E.H. Taylor Small Batch and the Eagle Rare, was because one of the folks that we met over at Kenny's, we'll plug them later, they went ahead and shared with me whenever they found something. Now, I haven't reciprocated because I don't find them as well as they do. But I have shared in those group chats when I found something. But speaking of the bottle drops, so Kenny's, again, which is a fantastic liquor store with a great lineup and good people. And we'll have more to talk about Kenny's at some point. But they opened up a new location. And that's where we were in line to go through. Right. And we saw a list of things that they had. And while their prices were not MSRP, I was a little disappointed at that, their prices weren't terrible. But I have to say the hidden gem that I got there wasn't even on the list. It was the 1792 single barrel that Kenny had a store pick on, that taste of banana bread. And even though it's a little bit harsher than some of the others that I've had, it was the first bottle of 1792 that I ever purchased. And I'm still not disappointed with that thing. That was pretty tasty. I got the banana bread and the first nose on it. Yeah. Well, I remember, I think one of my favorite parts about this whole bourbon journey is when something comes through that is really unique. Because bourbon in general has a distinct flavor. When you taste it, you're probably going to get some caramel. You're probably going to get some oak. You're probably going to get some vanilla. And then you'll get some other things. Yeah, depending on if it's a rye. You're going to get that rye spice. If it's a rye, you're going to have that. And I love a good rye spice. Oh, yeah. But when they throw in things that are different, and let me just give you, and I want you to tell me what you think about this, or the first thing you think of when you hear this particular brand. Okay. Booker's. Peanut. Absolutely. 100%. If you smell peanut, you're either on a really great Coy Hill, which nobody gets, or you are in Booker's. I remember our first, I remember those handshakes we got. And it was our first experience with Booker's. And my goodness, we got four different varieties. And the peanut was so, it was almost like, well the one was almost like drinking peanut butter. But I mean, within reason, of course. Well, and your little book has that, too. Oh, yeah. That was one of the ones I got at our bottle drop. Sure is. That is an amazing, very unique characteristic of that Booker's that I absolutely adore. I don't think I've ever had another expression from any other distiller or distillery that had that note. I agree. I think it's very unique to Booker's. And maybe it's not. I do hear other people talk about peanut notes. But at the same time, when you hear people reviewing, like there's that bottle that I got from the pick. And the description, if I can find this description. You mean it didn't have notes of Skittles? This one did not have notes of Skittles. But we've heard things like that. That's crazy. I'm trying to really gather what leather is supposed to taste like. Because people talk about the leather note that they get. And maybe my palate's not mature enough, some would say. But I'm trying to find some of those extra pieces. Well, I guess it has to do a lot with if you have that smell. Like, if you ever smell fresh leather. Oh, yeah. So I can see that. I don't know if I can get that, man. Well, you tasted some of this bottle with me. Me and my immature palate, you know. You and your immature palate. So, Lumpy, I'm going to read to you the description in its fullness. And by the way, it's a good bottle. And I owe OBS a review of this because they're still selling it. And while I'm probably not giving the group the right billing right now, it is a bourbon group that we got involved with after we went to this opening. One of their admins. OBG. OBG, thank you. Yeah. One of their admins was literally right behind us in the line, invited us, and we joined. And they spend time buying barrel picks. And then they basically just resell them at cost, mostly to members, but whomever can be there. This particular one is a rare character, SEG12, aged eight years and two months. Its proof is 123.82. I do not hate that. Yeah. And as we go in, I'll wrap with this description. I will try to go quickly. Fire away. I'm listening. On the nose, tea lime, white grapefruit, warning sign for me, but it's really not that bad. Lemon meringue, oolong tea, cardamom, clover, fresh cut flowers, sandalwood, and cream. On the nose, in case anybody doesn't quite get that, it's supposed to be what you smell. Upon first nosing, or the first sniff, you get met with a burst of citrus and bright spice. Tea limes and white grapefruit give you the acidic, sorry, fruit that is quite common for a rye. But what a treat. As it continues to sit, the herbal tea and cream notes start to come in. When what started as lime and grapefruit become a lemon meringue, floral notes of cut roses came in sporadically, but was more accentuated by the other scents rather than a key aspect. Very pleasant. On the palate, limoncello, apple, mint, white grapefruit, ginger, cloves, lemon honey tea, cannoli cream, and remind me what the penitone? Penitone. Penitone, thank you, sweet bread. I, by the way, got none of that. It was just one review? Or smelled it. I'm not done yet. Oh, wait, there's more. There is more. God bless America. Limoncello at the front on the palate with the grapefruit notes. That doesn't seem to want to give up. Thankfully, I didn't taste the grapefruit. But I certainly don't mind. Many ryes will have minty notes that I don't personally enjoy, but this barrel even has a unique apple mint that brought me back to one of my first kitchen jobs. I found out that this was a review by a chef where I first experienced it. Apple mint is like sweeter and fruitier, but toned down on the mint version of spearmint. This is crazy. As you get to your next sequential sips. Thanks for the sound effect there. Of course. Let's see here. Those tea notes come on to give you some comfort. Lemon honey tea that you'll typically have when you have a sore throat and ginger to carry through some additional heat to the mid palate. I can see having a bourbon when you're sick and your throat hurts. And by the way, it goes on and on. Dude, it's paragraphs. I mean, Jesus. Okay. Is this guy got like next level alien palate stuff? Because how do you get all of that out of a bourbon? Because none of that shit is in bourbon. I can say that while it's not a bad bottle, I do enjoy it. I don't get any of those notes. You know what you didn't do? What did you do? You didn't tell us what the fuck it is. No, I did. Did you? Maybe I missed that. I just got so enthralled in all the white tea and cannolis and pentatoni. Let me look for it again. Good Lord. Tell us again. It is. I have to scroll through paragraphs of essay of what it sounds like. That was one of the most ridiculous things I've ever heard in a review. Well, I was very interested because I like complex flavors and especially in beers, I like when craft brewers put a lot of different flavors together, especially those that contrast. I can see that. Now, while I think there's two good places for an IPA, either in the toilet or in the bottom of the trash can, everything else I think is fair game to do a lot of good stuff with. So the name of this or the distiller is Rare Character. Rare Character makes a lot of different things. This happened to be the barrel pick that they were part of. That literally has some like rare, rare, rare, rare character. I think I was clocking. I lost count after like 32 different notes of white teas and florals and, you know, cannolis and breads. You know, it's like a full meal. It really was. And on that, just reading it, I'm feeling a little bit fuller. So I think that where we're at, at least where I'm at from a bourbon perspective, I either like it or I don't. Well, that's how it should be. And so I do try to figure out some notes. I do try to enjoy the full experience of the aroma along with the flavor. I do open my mouth when I sniff to try to get the full bodied experience for those things. But honestly, it's just about enjoyment. It's not about verbose descriptions. It's about, was it good? Was it not? Sometimes I can put it on a point scale, sometimes not. And honestly, I could never, ever, ever give you a review like that on a bourbon. That was just on so many next level. Sure. I mean. And honestly, there are people with those kinds of palates that can pick out all those flavors. Good for them. Am I envious? Slightly. Do I feel bad for those people sometimes? Yes. Why? Because sometimes their palates are so enhanced that they smell and taste things that they probably don't want to because they're so intense. And us lower folk with our immature palates just are kind of like, wow, that's actually pretty tasty. Sure. But, you know, to each their own. Sure. So back to our bourbon journey that we started on. X and I, we like to drink our bourbon neat. We drink it in a Glencairn. On some occasions we have a few expressions that we taste that we like to have on, you know, on ice. On a clear piece of ice, by the way. We don't want any of that old school ice cube tray. But we. Do you want to talk about witchcraft or do you want to save that for later? Well, we can get into the witchcraft. So X got me for Christmas one of those, what is it called? Whiskey grill. Oh, yeah. Whiskey grill. I'll tell you what, man. That'll take one of those super hot bourbons and you pour it in there and that will just do, well, shit. Witchcraft to it. And it'll smooth it out. It'll change the whole context of the bourbon itself. So anyone out there, if you've never got a whiskey grill, these things are just, they're witchcraft, bro. They're at its next level. I highly recommend at least having one in your repertoire of drinking vessels. And plug to the folks at Whiskey Grill. I'll have to share some information about them because they are out of Statesboro, Georgia, which is a place that we go to to compete sometimes. Are they originator of that, by the way? They are the originator of the whiskey grill, and it's two people. One's more entrepreneurial. The other one's more of a craftsman that came together. They saw the opportunity to put this into the marketplace. And what they do is that they handcraft, using white oak, these grills that are charged on the inside and then protected and lacquered for food grade safety. And so you can sit there and you don't wash these. You rinse them out and you dry them and you just put more bourbon in them. And they are fantastic. It's almost like a cast iron skillet. You don't use soap in them. Correct. That is what they say. But I will say this, too. They stand by their products. And I can speak to this firsthand. And, again, big props to this company. You had a situation you had to get back with them, right? I had a problem. So the grail that I had, the first one I bought, it was weeping out of one of the bottom kind of sides. So because it's not carved out of a single piece of wood, it's several pieces of wood put together in an octagonal shape. Sure. And so with this grail, it has the opportunity where the joinery is that it could have gaps, it could have defects, it could have problems. And so I reached out to them probably 60 or 70 days into owning this. I sent them a picture. I just said, hey, there's this thing that's going on. I think it's leaking. It's really mild. I usually drink it before it's a problem. Not a big deal. And they said, as long as you'll send us the old one back, so that way we can inspect the defect and understand what we did wrong so we can improve our product, we'll send you a new one. And they did, right? Mm-hmm. Yeah. And they're standing behind their product. Yep. I'm always down with a manufacturer that does that, looks out for their customers, stands behind it. That's great, man. Well, and my goal, if and when we go to Statesboro again, which we've gone several times, I want to find them and I want to get to where they're manufacturing these things and at least shake their hands. That'd be cool. Yeah. I would enjoy that. That would be amazing. So anyway, so back to, I know we talked about a little bit of our bourbon journey, how we like to enjoy our bourbons. Sure. Do you have any everyday favorites, X, that you like to keep on the shelf that, you know, they're commonplace, they're not the unicorns, they're not the hard to find. Taters, by the way, is the term I was trying to think of earlier. Oh, that's right. Yeah, okay. Taters. So that's the byproduct of being Generation X, is sometimes you think of things, well, actually, you mean them. Oh, yeah, I'm sorry. Who are you? You're right. So, Lumpy, I would say my favorite daily drinker, I shared one of them with you recently because I haven't had it for a while and I discovered that it was unopened and we needed to fix that, which is the Heaven Hill Follow and Bond 7 Year. Which is pretty freaking amazing. Yeah. Smooth, yummy, not too hot, not too light. One of the things that I would say everybody needs to have on their shelf if they're going to. One's a little bit more pricey than the other, so I would say the Four Roses Small Batch Select is one of my favorite, very delicious drinks, and it clocks in about $60. You know, I've never owned one of those bottles. You really should. I've never bought one. You absolutely should. I don't know why. I walked away from that. It is so delicious. And I don't have it very often, but it is so delicious. But you asked what I would have all the time, and I'm going to say Wild Turkey Rare Breed. Oh, hands down. That or Russell's 10. I can't really pick between my two favorites because they're both favorites and I would really hate to offend one over the other. Sure. So I might as well get some Russell's 10 and Wild Turkey Rare Breed at the same time. Same distiller, slightly different expressions. They're just delicious. And $45 to $50 all day long. If you spend more than $50, at least here in Florida, you are spending too much. So you just gave away our region. So, yes, we are in Florida. And sometimes I feel that the allocated don't always make it to us as much as they would to other southeastern states outside of the Kentucky region. Now, back to the favorites, you know, and you'll agree with this, one of my favorites I find every day, all day long. I know where you're going. In our public stores is? Peerless. My man, Popkin Pans. There you go. Peerless small batch. Indeed. $65 to $69 every day, depending where you go. Amazing product. Props to Peerless. All of their expressions that we've had. Yeah, and not for $60, but Peerless High Rise. Oh, yeah, good Lord. One of the most delicious things that have spent time in my mouth. Yeah. Absolutely. Well, we'll move away from your mouth on that one. But, yes, the High Rise is pretty amazing. We bought a bottle directly from the distillery. One of the few distilleries that you can buy from directly. They'll ship it to you for about $10. Well, unfortunately, it came from a third party because the distillery can't ship directly to Florida. So I had to come from Texas. Oh, okay, okay. But still, we got it pretty much at MSRP. We got it. It was about $20 to ship. It wasn't too bad. We can't find it here in Florida. Well, we probably can, but we just don't know the right place yet. And I don't quite understand why Peerless is on more shelves. Because even the small batch isn't on all the shelves. Publix regularly carries it, but a lot of other stuff. And it's not an allocated product. Correct. And it is delicious. And, honestly, the small batch is really good. Their toasted is good. Their double oak is good. Their rye is good. The high rye is good. They have a double oak toasted. We haven't had that yet. You have not had that yet. Maybe if I make it to Kentucky, I can grab one. But I doubt it. You have a great trip in front of you where you might actually be really close to the Peerless distillery. If I fly? No fly. Right. That's true. But, I mean, this has been an exceptional conversation with you about one of our absolute favorite things. Yeah. Absolutely. So we have a myriad of things that we like to talk about today just happened to drop onto the bourbon. We definitely want to deep dive a little further into a few other conversations we move along as dance dads, as parents. There's so many things that we talk about on the regular that we want to share with you guys. And we want to try to maybe pull a topic or two in our next podcast. Yeah. Well, I think bourbon is the, I hate to say, the easy conversation for us. But quite honestly, every time we get together and we don't have a mic in front of us, we're talking bourbon. One way or the other, we're talking bourbon. So maybe for the future, we can just share with the audience our experience with a handful of the places we've been into where the experience might not have been what you'd want to see or what you might expect from a secondary retailer. Yeah, indeed. So that was, we've had some interesting experiences there. But there's a lot of things for us to talk about. I'd love to connect with people, especially as dads, as humans, as men. We have a unique perspective shaped by our lives, shaped by our backgrounds, shaped by our lived experiences, shaped by the people around us. And I love you, man. I think we've got a really good thing to talk about. We've got a lot to say. And I think that people will enjoy listening in on our conversation. Indeed. As you know, ex-feelings are mutual. And for everybody listening out there, one thing we're going to try not to do is we're going to try not to enter into that political spectrum. Yeah, not here. We want to keep topics to things that we all can relate to, things we can all agree upon. Let me just say this. If we accidentally get serious... Accidentally? Yes. If we accidentally get serious. If we stumble into serious shit, Lumpy, I think that it would be something that's more personal than problematic. Okay. Politics, that's just a potato I want to stay away from. I mean, I'm interested personally, but I think that the relationships we build with each other matter a hell of a lot more than any politician that happens to be out there. I couldn't agree more, sir. So, well, we have many other things to cover. We thank everybody for taking the time to listen to the shit we're talking today because, well, this is just what we do. And we wanted to share just a little fun and a little happiness, a little information. And we thank you for joining us today. I'm Lumpy. I'm X. We thank you for being with us today and hope you come back for episode two. Peace out. Peace. We out today. We out today.