I was sitting in my chair having my usual nightcap and contemplating how the news feed on my phone seems to be alarmingly full of opinion pieces about bourbon earnestly provided by a whole range of sources from the venerable to the seriously dubious. Most are along the theme of “the best XYZ bourbon”, whether XYZ is “won’t may you go blind” or “you can afford on a minimum wage job” to “you’re Matthew McConaughey and dreaming”. All of this got me thinking about bourbon and what I like and how I like to drink it. While I do certainly appreciate a truly well-crafted bourbon that has incredible complexity and nuance, I also like a bourbon that goes well with the Meyer lemons from our tree and a little simple syrup in a whiskey sour. And, no; these are never the same bourbon. But, I have a few bourbons that I just like to visit again and again. Whether that’s when we have a friend visiting (remember when that happened) or it’s just the end of the day and B and I are sorting out some of the world’s problems. There’s just some quality about these bourbons that you never grow bored or tired of them.
All of this brings me to the question of “What is your desert island bourbon?” That got me thinking of something a little something different for the blog. We are going to ask some of our favorite bourbon aficionados to offer up their “desert Island” bourbon. In the end (or maybe somewhere before that), I will also add my entry into the race.
Before we begin, though, I think we should clarify what a “desert island” bourbon is and is not. We’re going to be on this island for a while and you only got off the shipwreck with a couple of cases of one bourbon. “Why didn’t you take food? Or clothing? Or the radio? Or the motorized lifeboat capable of getting you to civilization?” You are reading this blog. You know the answer. Anyway, a “desert island” bourbon has to be a one you want time and again as it’s the only one you have. It also has to be a bourbon you can reasonably get “a couple of cases” of. So no Buffalo Trace super-ultra-limited-edition Hogwarts bourbon aged in new charred American oak wyvern bladders. You have to be able to plausibly get it and afford it.
Hopefully you are as interested as I am in seeing what my fellow bon vivants’ selections are.
Cheers!