Bulleit Bourbon

Another Bourbon to try was purchased this week on my latest wine and spirits run.  I picked up a bottle of Bulleit that my blogging buddy, Banu, mentioned in a comment to one of my posts.  She writes a fabulous blog about food and cooking that I love to read.  It also turns out that we both love Bourbon.  I find it an extremely satisfying thing to have after a big dinner, or a great drink to warm up with on these cold nights during the long New England winters.  Last night, I poured myself a nice tumbler full and enjoyed it in bed while doing a little reading with covers pulled up and a snuggie!  I wish my beautiful, but old and drafty, apartment building held heat better.

Bulleit has a story that goes back around 200 years.  It was initially produced by someone who disappeared without a trace and later revived a hundred and fifty or so years later by a surviving grandson.  It has a higher percentage of rye than a typical Bourbon does, but still maintains the minimum corn mash quota for Bourbon - at least 51%.  That extra amount of rye gives it a spicy and zesty backbone that a lot of other Bourbons don't have.

I like it for its bold aromas and mouthful of flavor.  It has plenty of warm toasty notes on the back end that still make it smooth and warming balancing out all of that fire and spice at the beginning.  I'd venture to say that it's one of the more complex Bourbons I've had and I think the quality backs up its slightly higher price making it a justifiable indulgence.  It was a very satisfying way to unwind after a long service at work on one of the biggest days of the year.

Evan Williams Distillery, 2000 Single Barrel Vintage

I am most definitely on a Bourbon kick.  These long winter nights make me enjoy the smooth warming drink all the more.  Because of the increased interest folks seem to have these days in brown liquor there is no shortage of new and tasty ones to try in my local shops.  I recently bought a bottle of the Evan Williams Single Barrel from 2000.  They release them every year or so, and I've had the 1997 and 1998.  Both were very good as is the 2000.  It retails for around $30 a bottle, so for a single barrel Bourbon, it's a pretty good deal.

Eagle Rare Bourbon, a good drink for a cold night

I write this entry while I lay in bed under a stack of 3 comforters and a couple of blankets listening to a playlist of Bach 'cello suites, violin partitas, and preludes and fugues for the piano. The snow is falling outside my window in "Nor'eastah" style; the large, wet flakes blown by the wind almost perpendicular to the ground.  I'm very glad to be inside enjoying my night of reading while I sip on one of my favorite Bourbons, Eagle Rare.  It's the last of a bottle that I shared with friends at The Majestic on Christmas Eve.  It inspired some pretty fabulously frenzied frippery on that evening and tonight it's doing a good job of keeping my warm and toasty in my drafty Boston apartment.

Tamdhu 10 Year Speyside is a Delicious and Affordable Single Malt Scotch

The weather outside has indeed been frightful. Icy cold temperatures and chilly gusts of wind have been making it tough to warm up over these past few days. When I got home after work last night, I felt chilled to the bone despite the four layers of clothing I was wearing. I first made a pot of rice and heated up some gumbo that I had made earlier in the week. Then I cracked open a new bottle of Scotch to chase away the chill. It was a good decision!