Blanton's "The Original"

Name: Blanton's "The Original"Single Barrel Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey

Dumped On: December 19, 2000

Barrel #: 64 (each Barrel Holds about 250 Fifth Bottles of Blanton’s).

Stored in Warehouse: H

Rick #: 10

Proof: 93

Approximate Mash bill: 80% Corn 10% Rye 10% Malted Barley (It is aged in #3 charred Barrels & stored in a Heated Metal Clad Wood Warehouse devoted especially to the single barrel products. They are chill filtered before bottling.).***

Price: $38.50 @ Williams County State Store, Marion, OH.

Bottle: After gently opening the Gold Embossed (with horses and riders) forest green box and peeling away the spiffy brown bag protecting the bottle, one is treated to the prize. The “Holy Hand Grenade” of Bourbon (or so it has been called) comes in a stylish squat 18 sectioned round container with a brown strip label across the midsection. On the label, the dump date, warehouse, rick and actual proof (it is said to vary occasionally) are hand written among the classy script text. The cork finish is accentuated by a minute metallic horse and jockey stretching for victory.

Color: A divine, almost ruby deep red. This, more than any other bourbon I have tried, alone tempts me to have a pull every time I glance at the bottle on the mantle. It is an enticing color.

Nose: Carmel apples, Burning Leaves, Cinnamon Toast. The more I nose the more nutty smells. . . . Like Buttery Pecans & Almonds and Raisins.

Taste: There is a lot more to this bourbon than I could describe. The flavors I could pick out were the Butter Pecans, prunes and the dark fruits of the nose. But there is much more, I am not really doing it much justice. It is Balanced, Everything here belongs.

Finish: Long, warm, smoooooooooooooth, coating and buttery. More almonds & Pecans. Almost Syrupy like real maple syrup.

Mouth feel: Big, Smooth, Like melted butter or Maple Syrup.


Conclusions: First I must say that whether it is craftsmanship at its best or just a marketing scam, I really enjoy the idea of Single Barrel Bourbons. The idea that you have to get every individual barrel right raises the bar of excellence. You don’t have anything to “mingle” it with later, so if ya screwed up, oh well. That means you have to work extra hard on every barrel to get it just right.

And man did they get it just right with this stuff. It is balanced and smooth and special. Everything you taste in your glass belongs. There has been a lot of hype surrounding this bourbon from the first day I became interested in the spirit. Well I firmly believe it in this case. This shit is the real deal. The entry fee may be a bit steep, but it is well worth it. To rip off the STUFF mag line this truly is “ a thoroughbred Bourbon”. Buy Some and treat yourself today.






w00t!

TomC

Ashton Virgin Sun Grown Illusion

Ashton VSG Illusion 6.5 X 44

As many of you know I posted a less than pleasant review of an Ashton VSG Wizard recently, owing my underwhelming experience to the ring guage of the stoie. The thig 56 ring guage of the cigar lead to an overwhelmingly strong smoke that blocked out all the nuance to the smoke. Well smoking this Illusion pretty well reaffirmed my point. But anyway, on to the Review.

Appearance: Like most VSGs this cigar looked beautiful, smooth and rich looking dark wrapper leaf without veins or blemishes. Luscious is the word that comes to mind, rich like chocolate. God enough to eat. This cigar also clipped cleanly.

Pre-Light: The draw was just perfect. Due to the smaller guage of this stogie, Pre light draw seemed a little more restrictive than the Wizard, and this is a good thing! Could already taste the cocoa and mocha notes, before lighting.

Construction: Exemplar as always, just the right amount of resistance on the draw, produced a good amount, if not too much smoke, focused on the palate just the right way. the burn was straight the whole way down, and after lighting I did not have to think anout tmaintanance of this stogie anymore.

Flavor: Fabulous, this is the VSGs I remember, know an love. Starts creamy and sweet, chocolatey at the beginning ang builds steam as it goes. About a third of the was its more mocha/coffee, and notes of leather and sweet pipe tobacco. Two thiurds of the way more strong spices, cinnamon, then almost peppery, with a cedar note creeping in and that nic strong black coffee base. Jusst delicious. Strong but not too much. Full bodied but not overwhelming. A Joy to smoke.

As you can see, this stogie was far better than the wizard IMHO. lending creedance to a feeling that has been gaining with me for a while: The size and shape of the vitolas can drastically effect your opinion of a certain brand/ blend (another example with me is I like the Chiselitos of the La Flor Dominicana Double Ligero Line way more than any other of the shapes). All this said, I can heartily RECOMMEND this cigar.

TomC

My First 2008 Presidential Election Comment. . .

I am sure plenty of my political comments and opinions will show up in due time, so for now all I will say is I could get behind this Bi Partisan ticket in '08:



TomC

Tiffani Thiessen

Its amazing when one of you childhood crushes stays hot as you age. I was lucky, both of mine did. I talked in the past about Topanga on Boy Meets World. My other dream girl during my formative years was Kelly Kapowski on Saved by the Bell. Except for a stop on 90210, the rest of her career to date has not been noteworthy, but as a character dear to my heart I have followed it anyway. And tonight I share some with you. Enjoy.



TomC