Bourbon & Chocolate

Last Saturday I hosted a bourbon tasting for a few friends of mine.  All of the attendees are bourbon enthusiasts, so we decided to taste our way through the Jim Beam Small Batch Collection.  If you are a bourbon rookie, when you hear Jim Beam you probably think of the ubiquitous white label bottle.  But we wanted to step up a bit from that so we chose the Small Batch Collection. The Collection consists of Basil Hayden's, Booker's, Baker's and Knob Creek.  Each of the bourbons in the Collection is aged for a different amount of time and they are bottled at different proofs.  Basil Hayden's even uses a different mash bill (recipe), so there is quite a lot of variance across the collection.  Which is what makes tasting your way through them so much fun.

Nicole, also known as the greatest wife in the world, prepared the tasting in such a way that none of us knew which bourbon was which.  She poured us samples ahead of time so none of us would know which was which.

After we tasted our way through, we voted on which one we liked best and which one we liked least.  Water and ice were available to dilute as necessary.  The winner was Knob Creek, which got three votes (Basil Hayden's got one).

This was mildly unsurprising as Knob Creek is a very recognizable bourbon, and there's a reason for that.  It is really well balanced and has a nice sweet finish that is quite pleasant to drink.  At 100 proof, it is right in my personal preferred proof.  If you're new to bourbon and want to start expanding your tasting experiences, I highly recommend Knob Creek. (Even if you aren't new to bourbon, it might be time to stop chasing Pappy or the Buffalo Trace Antique Collection and give Knob another try.)

Basil Hayden's got one favorite vote.  B-H is quite a bit lighter than the other bourbons, as it is 80 proof.  The other notable thing about B-H is that it is made with more rye than the others.   This gives it a spicier flavor.  Our tasters described it as "soft and smooth" which makes for nice drinking on a hot summer day.

The least favorite bourbon was Baker's, which was also unsurprising to me.  I've had Baker's on a couple of occasions and I can't say that I've ever really enjoyed it.  Our tasting panel found it woody and hot, and adding some water or ice did not really improve it. The best I can say about it is that it is boring--it doesn't stand out against the other bourbons in the Collection.

The last bourbon, Booker's, was apparently safely in the middle.  I've always enjoyed Booker's quite a bit, but the proof--130--can be a real turnoff.  Booker's almost always requires some dilution, but it is a whale of a bourbon. It's got lots of bold flavors, but if you can dilute it down just right, it strikes me as an incredibly flavorful, sweet bourbon.  My impression is that our tasting panel was a bit impatient with Booker's, as it takes some planning to dilute it down to each taster's preferred proof.

I should mention that we had a really nice spread of food to keep our stomachs full--again, thanks to my wife for that.  We made a special trip to the grocery store to buy some supplies and we put out some snack mix, potato chips, pretzels and had some shredded chicken sandwiches made in the crock pot.  Nicole was nice enough to bake us some cookies--they were a huge hit.

Via

Keith and I just can’t have a social gathering of any kind without a little bourbon. Case in point, we spike the apple cider at Thanksgiving with it. We didn’t serve champagne for our toast at our wedding. Instead it was a bourbon-based cocktail.  It makes a nice substitution for orange juice in a mimosa for brunch. And well, it’s just one of those things we pour when we want to have our own little celebration at home on Tuesday night.

With all of that in mind, Keith is frequently on the hunt for those rare, hard to find bottles. And when he finds one, the hunt is just as important as the sharing. Well, tomorrow is a day for sharing. Keith is having a group of guys over for a bourbon tasting. They’re going to focus on the Jim Beam small batch collection, which includes: Booker’s, Basil Hayden, Bakers, and Knob Creek. (I only wish the Knob Creek Rye was in our area to throw that in too.)

Why do I care especially since it’s a group of guys that will probably mess up my clean house? If you’re going to do something, you’re going to do it right. That means I’ve created special “place mats” that will have a place for the four cups. It will be a blind tasting, so all they will know is the letter identifying each. I’ll leave Keith an envelop identifying each. (I’m going to slip out for a little day drinking of my own with Andrea.)

I’m also going to be the responsible one, or as much as I can given I won’t be there. What goes with bourbon, but barbeque? Given safety and convenience is key, I’m going to throw something together in the slow cooker. Thinking it will be a feast of shredded chicken sliders, slaw, and chocolate chip cookies. Although, the more I consider this, I should proceed with caution. I don’t want to make them too comfy and find a house of boys when I return.

I’ll have pictures of at least the set up and tasting notes on Monday. In the meantime, I hope everyone has a nice weekend with perhaps a splash of bourbon. Seriously, bourbon makes it better.

I have a confession to make and it may come as a shock to some of you. I read all three books commonly known as The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins. In fact, I essentially devoured them in 72 hours.

For those that don’t know much about the books, the story takes place following the destruction of North America as we know it. The area now consists of 12 districts controlled by The Capitol and one outlying district that is essentially left alone. For the most part, each district is poor and ruled by an iron fist. As punishment for rebellions several generations earlier, one boy and one girl from each of the remaining districts is forced to participate in the “Hunger Games” aka a fight to the death where there can only be one victor. The Hunger Games are to serve as a deterrent to those thinking about rebelling and for the Capitol’s entertainment.

Honestly, I didn’t know that when I started reading, which is probably a good thing. Had I started with that much detail I probably never would have picked them up. If I ruined it for anyone else, I apologize.

Given the audience is young adults, the books are a quick and easy read. Occasionally, you’ll find the plot has been simplified a bit too much. However, you will be entertained. Several friends described the first book as the best and leaving you anxious for the second. The second book started slowly, but kept your interest. By the third book, I was over it. The story was starting to unravel and the writing was not as strong as the first book. Not to mention, I found the ending as an abrupt stop.

With all of that said, if you want a quick easy read for the beach or a rainy weekend, these books are a great option. You’ll be entertained and won’t have to think too hard.

Apollo’s Angels has been on my nightstand for far too long, so I hope to finish that one up soon and report back. What book or books are you reading?

By no means am I in amazing shape. I’m afraid that ship has sailed, but I have dreams. Well, remember that barre class?

I was pretty excited about the class considering it incorporated ballet and that had been a part of my life for over 10 years. I had high hopes of it being just what I needed to jumpstart the exercise regimen I continue to procrastinate.

BikerBarre - A spin & barre studio

The studio was fresh and modern with warm, friendly staff. So far, so good. We’re instructed to leave our shoes and bags in a cubby upstairs and then grab our weights – one lighter and one heavier pair along with a mat.

The first third of the class was awesome. The focus was on arm strengthening exercises. In fact, the weights may have even been too light. Yeah, I said that. It then transitioned to the barre work for legs and that’s where it all went down hill. Pile' after pile' had my quads on fire. And all the while the teacher was all happy pushing you to go more. Of course, she was happy she was walking around the room correcting form. The rest of the class was a bit of a blur for me as I was distracted by the raging fire taking place in my thighs, so I'm of little help in providing feedback.

The class was an hour and definitely had my heart rate up. I’m thinking had I not had a session with a personal trainer that decided squats and lunges of all types were necessary the day before I might have felt better. Just to confirm this theory I’ve signed up for another class this coming Saturday.

Do you find short workweeks more exhausting than a full one? Maybe it’s just me. I feel like we’ve tried to fit in as much as possible this week, but then that did help it pass quickly and bring us to the weekend.

What plans await you this weekend?

Saturday appears to be the busy day for us. Keith has plans to play a round at the Renditions Golf Course with some buddies. I think he feels like a pro for a few moments. That is until he snaps back to reality as he’s searching for his ball in the woods.

I’m kicking myself now, but I signed up for a barre class at the new Biker Barre on the Hill. Fingers crossed that I fall in love with this style of strength training and work myself back into some pants. (If you’ve taken such a class and have tips for survival, I would love to hear from you.) After all the hard work, I’m rewarding myself with a mani/pedi using one of the new Essie polishes.

The night wraps up with dinner at Art and Soul. Their fried chicken equals bites of heaven. Guess that’s why I’ll be working out in the morning. I really need to work on more than maintaining.

Who knows what Sunday will bring, but I’m sure it will involve some sort of lazy breakfast.  If only it could be spent with a book and a hammock like this. Enjoy your weekend!

Via Adam Meaney, Flickr