Not a whole lot going on in Jaynes town. Been hanging out a lot at home hating on the cold weather, wishing I had great ideas and money to tear up and rebuild my house. The cold keeps me indoors a bit too much. I get all stir crazy. A guy like me is not meant to be trapped inside void of nature.

School has started back up and so far I believe I might like my courses. A speech and a writing course. I dig the fact that I get to do something a little creative, even if it is school. That will be good for my mind.

That is it for now. Just thought I would say hello.

Whiskey Barrels

So I just read an article on Jim Beam.com that I thoroughly enjoyed. Now I have loved a great bourbon for my entire adult life and most of the information presented was nothing new, but still good stuff to know for other whiskey aficionados out there. I could almost write a book about all the reasons I enjoy a great bourbon and water. The fact that is 100% and totally American made, that my grandfather drank it and it reminds me of him, that when enjoyed properly it is the smoothest, most complex, & relaxing things on earth. Even though this a extremely long, I suggest the read. I still remember the scotch tasting class a bartender walked me through at Bosco’s years ago when I told him I was interested in learning more about scotch, whiskey, and bourbon. I need a  good bourbon drinking partner since my bro has moved out of town. Any applicants, please get in touch. And on to the article that I definitely did NOT write.

Volume 1.
Humble beginnings: The Dawn of Bourbon Whiskey
By F. Paul Pacult
Member Bourbon Hall of Fame

Bourbon whiskey is America’s official native spirit and, as such, is an elemental part of our unique history. In the last half-century much has been made about who “invented” bourbon whiskey. Some people have, without substantiation, put forward a late eighteenth century Baptist minister who also happened to be a distiller of corn mash. One of the more ridiculous myths even puts forward the name of legendary frontiersman Daniel Boone as the initial bourbon distiller. All claims are patently false.

Here’s the reality check on bourbon’s pedigree: Nothing in the historical records of the late eighteenth century points to any one Kentuckian as being the undisputed Father of Bourbon Whiskey. About the time that the first grain-based bourbons were being distilled by farmers in the early 1780s, Kentucky was a wilderness that was still a territorial part of Virginia. A mere two hundred settlers inhabited the fertile area influenced by the mighty Ohio River that is now referred to as north-central Kentucky. Except for the Long Hunters, the adventurers who opened up the Kentucky territory by establishing travel routes, all of the other settlers were farmers.

Since Kentucky’s environment was particularly conducive to the growing of corn, a sweet grain that did poorly along the eastern seaboard states, recordings from the 1780s indicate that north-central Kentucky harvests were bountiful and reliable. The crop volumes were so large, in fact, that one of the most profitable ways of utilizing the excess corn was to distill it in farm distilleries. The earliest bourbon whiskeys were powerful elixirs that were used as everything from liquid currency to trade commodities to medicines to libations that sealed land deals, affirmed christenings, and toasted marriages. The point is, virtually every agricultural concern in early Kentucky owned a still and virtually every farmer knew what to do with one.

So, who invented bourbon whiskey? Probably at least a hundred late eighteenth century farmer-distillers who all at the same time perceived the raw, clear spirit later to be called “bourbon” as a necessity as much as they did a boost to living. As a whiskey historian and critic, that’s the best that I believe anyone can do in response to that query. In the end, I think, “Who cares?” The important thing is that after over two centuries we have bourbon whiskey around to savor life’s best and most memorable moments. Not bad.

Next, I’ll discuss how to gain maximum pleasure from drinking bourbon whiskey. Until then, bottoms up.

Paul

Volume 2.
Matters of Taste – Part One: True Bourbon Enjoyment
By F. Paul Pacult
Member Bourbon Hall of Fame

Tasting professionals each have their own manner of evaluating alcoholic beverages. One thing that the pros unanimously agree on is that sampling libations that are distilled at high proofs, like bourbon whiskey, is a different exercise from critiquing lower alcohol fermented beverages, such as beer and wine. The intensity of alcohol levels that range from 40 percent and up to as lofty as 65 percent automatically means that professional evaluations become more demanding.

Complex spirits, like bourbon whiskey, require more time for assessment than, say, a cabernet sauvignon, which is lower in alcohol and far less dense and complicated. With spirits, more time is needed in order to discern what other virtues and characteristics exist along with the alcohol. I’ve found that ordinary consumers can with relative facility apply some of the techniques that professionals employ for the purpose of deepening their own enjoyment. A few easily applied tasting guidelines can expand anyone’s comprehension of the true, but often subtle make-up of fine spirits.

Let’s begin with your sense of smell. Perhaps the most important piece of advice regarding the sense of smell is to leave your lips parted when sniffing a bourbon whiskey. By doing this, the taster circumvents the main thrust of alcohol, thereby, allowing the other qualities of the bourbon to be more readily noticed. Too big of a rush of alcohol can irritate the sensitive olfactory sense. Clearly, we want to avoid that situation.

Lips parted slightly, take a healthy inhalation. Relax for fifteen seconds and breathe out. Repeat the deep whiff. Exhale. Relax for fifteen seconds. Then ask yourself the following three questions. One: is the bourbon’s aroma sweet, spicy or dry? Two: is it harsh inside the nasal cavity, or is it smooth and soothing? Three: does the oak barrel influence come across in the aroma in any of the following forms: wood resin (astringent), maple (bittersweet/sweet), honey (sweet), breakfast cereal (off-dry to semisweet), or vanilla bean (bittersweet)?

Since corn is the sweetest type of grain used in whiskey production, chances are you’ll discover at least a hint of sweetness. The type and concentration of grainy sweetness varies from bourbon to bourbon. That’s in large measure what makes the exploration of America’s native spirit so compelling and for some consumers a lifelong passion. By doing this simple sniffing procedure, you’ve started on the path of greater bourbon whiskey enjoyment.

Next up, more thoughts on smelling bourbon as well as taking that crucial first sip.

Cheers until then, Paul

Volume 3.
Matters of Taste – Part Two: True Bourbon Enjoyment
By F. Paul Pacult
Member Bourbon Hall of Fame

In our last visit, I discussed the critical importance of the sense of smell when it comes to evaluating powerful and complex distilled spirits, such as bourbon whiskey. Sensory experts have postulated that the sense of smell is our most primal sense and accounts for up to as much as 90 to 95 percent of the sense of taste. The importance of smell when applied to the appreciation of bourbon whiskey, like Jim Beam or any one of The Small Batch Bourbon Collection, cannot, therefore, be overstated.

Continuing with our Internet course on bourbon appreciation and prior to chatting about taking our first sip of bourbon, I’d first like to mention a couple of other key hints that will significantly add to your bourbon enjoyment: one, the type of glassware that I think one should employ when discovering the manifold nuances and virtues of bourbon and, two, the use of water in the process of aromatic discovery.

I recommend that consumers who are keen to learn as much as they can about bourbon utilize a stemmed, tulip-shaped wine glass of no more than six ounces capacity. I further suggest that that glass be tapered upwards so that the bowl of the glass in the middle is wider than the opening at the rim. Why? In order for the aroma to be naturally funneled towards the rim in concentrated waves. Why? So, that the drinker can receive the full complement of bouquet characteristics in the first few crucial minutes of sniffing.

The main reason that I urge you to use a wine glass as opposed to, say, a squat, wide-mouthed old-fashioned glass is to fully enhance your appreciation by intensifying the aroma by forcing it to go through a confined space, kind of like a springtime river rushing through a narrow gorge. The drinker experiences all the splendor of the bouquet when it is required to squeeze through a small opening.

I likewise encourage bourbon aficionados to add a few drops of mineral or spring water to the whiskey to further release the subtleties of the aroma. Water separates the molecules, unleashing more of the bouquet in the process. Also, be sure to use room temperature bottled water that’s as unadulterated as possible. Refrain from using tap water for the obvious reason that municipal tap waters have chemical elements, such as fluoride, lead and chlorine, all of which can adversely affect the taste of fine bourbon whiskey.

These two simple things, proper glassware and the addition of a splash of mineral water, can immeasurably add to the bourbon whiskey experience.

Next stop, tasting bourbon whiskey.

Cheers, Paul

Volume 4.
Matters of Taste – Part Three: True Bourbon Enjoyment
By F. Paul Pacult
Member Bourbon Hall of Fame

Having thoroughly discussed in our two previous visits how to gauge a bourbon whiskey’s qualities by the employment of the sense of smell, now it’s time to finally take a sip. All that’s required is two ounces poured into a stemmed, wine glass. While I explained the last time how smell influences taste, the taste buds nevertheless detect all sorts of other sensory properties that our olfactory apparatus, meaning our nasal cavity, can never perceive.

It’s our taste buds, for instance, that sense the “feel” the texture of a bourbon whiskey. In other words, as a half-ounce of bourbon (the amount that I consider a sip) rests on our tongue does it feel silky smooth, harsh, thick, or oily? When a bourbon’s silky smooth on the tongue that’s a good sign, an indicator that the whiskey in question is in balance. A harmonious bourbon whiskey is one where all the various foundational components, specifically, alcohol, acid, wood influence and grain, fit well and are melded into one overall flavor experience. So, smooth is a positive sign.

Harsh, and by that I mean a kind of raw, prickly, burning sense on the tongue, can mean that the whiskey is slightly off-balance with a bit too much emphasis on the alcohol. But, let’s be clear, harshness/rawness is far different from the pleasant warmth that most upper echelon premium and super-premium bourbon whiskeys emit.

Top-notch “small batch” bourbons, like Baker’s, Knob Creek or Booker’s Bourbon, for example, are purposely bottled high in alcohol because that is their particular style. Booker’s Bourbon especially needs to be diluted with mineral or spring water for the purpose of enhancing its multitude of flavor levels. When cut with water, Booker’s is about as smooth and luscious as fine bourbon can get.

When a bourbon whiskey feels “thick” or “oily”, it means that the glycerin level in that whiskey is particularly high. Glycerin is a sweet, viscous byproduct of fats and oils. When grains are made into a mash for fermenting and, later on, for distilling, some of the natural oils found in the grains (corn, rye, barley) remain. When those oils are concentrated, glycerin, a whiskey’s thickness or butteriness, is evident, even to a bourbon neophyte. This situation, in terms of like/dislike, often comes down to stylistic preference by the drinker, as well as gender. I personally don’t mind heavy-bodied bourbons.

Next up on our bourbon appreciation tour: learning how to savor bourbon whiskey. Until then, stay safe by drinking responsibly at all times, under all situations.

Cheers, Paul

Volume 5.
Matters of Taste – Part Four: The Zen of Bourbon
By F. Paul Pacult
Member Bourbon Hall of Fame

In our previous three Matters of Taste installments on bourbon appreciation, we’ve discussed the importance of the senses of smell, touch and taste and how best to utilize them for deriving maximum bourbon whiskey pleasure. Now, it’s time to step back for a moment and allow these evaluation components to do their job. I’ve found that average consumers can sometimes become so enamored with the mechanics, so focused on the system of tasting that they fail to enjoy the object of their examination. In other words, people who are learning how to properly sample fine whiskey can often begin to think too much about the procedure itself and not enough about the whiskey.

One way to avoid that common pitfall is to sit back and relax with a glass of shimmering bourbon. Don’t stand; sit. After you’ve sniffed and sipped your way around two or three bourbons, take the one you’ve most favorably responded to, pour an inch of it in a favorite glass and simply sit with it in a special chair. No analysis is necessary at this juncture. No elemental breakdown is called for. You don’t even have to know exactly why you selected that particular bourbon. Just sit and let your mind wander as the bourbon mingles with the air, expanding in scope with every minute.

If you can, imagine yourself in the place of the farmer who supplies the golden corn to the distiller; or perhaps fancy yourself as the master distiller as the whiskey comes off the still, raw, fresh and incredibly aromatic; or as the warehouseman as he knocks the bung from a barrel and smells the biscuity, slightly sweet perfume of aging bourbon. This is the moment that bourbon was made for. This is the point where the drinker and the drink connect. The essential enjoyment comes when the pleasure of bourbon goes beyond the analysis. Call it the Zen of Bourbon. Call it whatever you like. But, it is the time when all the history, toil, pedigree and natural ingredients of America’s native spirit come together.

Most of all, think of it as your own time with bourbon.

Bottoms up until the next time, Paul

Volume 6.
Woodn’t It Be Nice? – Part One
By F. Paul Pacult
Member Bourbon Hall of Fame

The raw, flowery smelling, crystal clear grain spirit that is pumped into oak barrels doesn’t legally become bourbon whiskey until it’s spent a minimum of two years resting in wood. Well, why wood? Why oak, for that matter? And further, what if the new spirit was placed in glass or steel containers or aluminum kegs or spruce barrels rather than oak barrels for its legal period of maturation? Consumers frequently ask me practical questions like these at tasting events. Fact is, they are all logical queries. Let’s click them off one at a time.

Distillers and winemakers around the world centuries ago figured out that some grain and grape spirits and almost all red wines mature best in wood casks. The reasons are simple. Top grade spirits, like grain-based bourbon whiskey or grape-based cognac, are far more palatable after they’ve quietly relaxed in wood barrels for a spell. When the wood’s acids, mostly tannin and lignin, mingle with the clear, high-alcohol spirits, the rough edges of the spirit, or spikes as some distillers call them, get smoothed out and the spirit becomes mellower. Also, because wood is porous, a small amount of air invades the barrel and affects the spirit in positive ways. Fine spirits require some contact with air in order to gracefully mature and evolve.

Oak is the wood of choice for the overwhelming majority of spirits and wine aging across the globe because it possesses the right amount of porosity. In other words, oak’s grain pattern allows just the proper amount of air into the barrel at just the correct rate for fine spirits to evenly and gradually mature. Other types of woods are either too porous or too dense in their make-up, letting in either too much or too little air for adequate maturation.

Last and obviously, hermetically sealed vessels such as glass, steel or aluminum kegs aren’t used for aging fine wine and spirits because they prevent all transfer of air. This means automatically that the wine or spirit wouldn’t change or improve with age at all. In other words, the spirit trapped in an aluminum keg would be the equivalent of moonshine (a k a, white dog, smash skull), the harsh-tasting grain-based spirit that hasn’t been matured in oak barrels. It’s the same as raw spirit taken straight from the still, which, while intriguing, is hardly drinkable.

Oak barrels, then, are the major difference between what makes moonshine and what makes fine straight bourbon whiskey. Next time, we’ll discuss why some bourbons, like those considered as “small batch”, just keep getting better while aging in oak barrels.

Cheers, my dears. Paul

Volume 7.
Woodn’t It Be Nice? – Part Two
By F. Paul Pacult
Member Bourbon Hall of Fame

In our last installment we discussed why distillers prefer oak barrels to any other type of aging vessel for the maturation of their whiskey. This time let’s talk about the importance of the length of time that a spirit will spend in a barrel and knowing when to draw it out. First, it’s best to understand that the grain spirit that is produced in the distillery and then pumped into barrels is neither technically nor legally whiskey until it spends a minimum of two years in those brand new and unused, charred oak barrels. The regulations that define what whiskey is in the United States stipulate that the high-alcohol, transparent liquid only can be called “bourbon whiskey” after it spends a minimum of twenty-four months quietly resting in the oak barrel.

Is that how long all bourbons remain in wood? No. In fact, while two years is the legal minimum, the majority of bourbon distillers leave their whiskeys in the barrel for longer periods. This is because the longer the whiskey spends in the barrel, mingling with the oak and oxygen, the better it can often become. Notice I employ the word “often”. What the master distiller, working closely with his warehousemen, must determine is, how long is long enough? One of the pivotal responsibilities of the master distiller is after evaluating “barrel samples” knowing when to say, “Okay, barrel number so and so is ready.” What he’s looking for is that difficult to define peak of maturation in which all the various components of the whiskey – the alcohol, the grain, the acids and the impact of the wood – are all pulling the sled at the same time, with the same vigor. In other words, the whiskey is at its prime stage of harmony and evolution and, therefore, continued time in the barrel might start to tip that balance.

So, the master distiller, recognizing through the power and prism of his deep experience, decides that it’s the proper moment to have the bourbon either become part of a blend that will become a straight bourbon whiskey or, in far rarer instances, be bottled as a single barrel offering. The overwhelming majority of bourbons are married to bourbons taken from other barrels in order to maximize the virtues of each to create a better overall bourbon, one that reflects the house style of the distillery. Case in point are the so-called small batch bourbons developed by master distillers like the late Booker Noe, master distiller emeritus of the James B. Beam Distilling Company. Small batch bourbons are super-premium bourbons that are comprised from a small number of barrels. These bourbons are typically more intense and often richer and more textured than more standard, younger types of bourbon. At this point the master distiller becomes like an orchestra conductor, trying his best to make all the instruments in the orchestra play in harmony. The great ones always hit the right balance.

On that note, I’ll bid you adieu until next time. Paul

Volume 8.
Coming to Terms – Part One
By F. Paul Pacult
Member Bourbon Hall of Fame

Like all industries, America’s whiskey business has its own lexicon, its own unique list of terms that helps one member communicate with another member of the whiskey trade. In learning about bourbon, America’s native spirit, I’ve found that the education process is significantly accelerated when the student becomes comfortable with the terminology. To that end, our next couple of articles will focus on the special language of American whiskey.

When you hear the terms “alcohol by volume” or its shortened version “AbV”, it signifies the percentage of alcohol included in a particular whiskey. For example, the overwhelming majority of bourbons are 40 to 45 percent alcohol by volume, meaning that the actual liquid is that percentage of grain-based alcohol. Some special, limited edition bourbons, though, are purposely bottled at higher AbVs. Knob Creek, for example, is bottled at 50% and Baker’s Bourbon is bottled at 53.5%. Sometimes the higher alcohol levels bring out particularly good characteristics in some whiskeys.

“Sour mash” or “backset”. These technical terms each refer to the same thing: the soupy alcoholic liquid that’s held back after the first distillation and that’s added to the next batch for distillation. Dr. James Crow, a bourbon distiller in Kentucky in the mid-19th century, developed this process. This groundbreaking process promotes consistency from batch to batch of bourbon and is still utilized today by virtually every distiller of American whisky.

“Beer” is the fermented grain mash (typically around 7 to 8 percent alcohol) that is distilled in the “beer still”.

“Straight whiskey” is a whiskey comprised of a minimum of 51 percent of one variety of grain (corn, wheat, rye, or barley); is not distilled at more than 80 percent alcohol; and is not matured at higher than 62.5 percent alcohol in oak barrels for at least 24 months. So then, “straight bourbon” is legally defined as a whiskey that is made up of at least 51 percent corn; is not distilled at more than 80 percent alcohol; is matured at no higher than 62.5 percent alcohol; is matured in new, charred oak barrels for no less than 2 years; and is bottled at a minimum of 40 percent alcohol by volume.

“Proof” is the measure of alcohol in a liquid. In America, proof is defined as being twice the AbV. For instance, a straight bourbon that is labeled as “40% alcohol” is considered to be 80-proof. This is, in fact, considered an archaic term in 2004 and an old-fashioned way of describing the alcohol strength of a whisky.

“Rackhouse” is the word for the warehouses in Kentucky in which whiskey is aged. It is basically synonymous with “warehouse”.

Paul

Christmas time is around the corner. It definitely is everywhere. Traffic is bad. Lines are all the way to the backs of stores. There are more ads up and commercials on than ever. Well as much as I’d love to hold out as one of the last great humbugs, I am kind of getting into it. I’m really not sure why. I’ve been generally cheerful, am anxious for Christmas morning, and am already planning my light display for next year. The thing about it is, you might as well get into it. It’s more fun. You could lock yourself in your house, stay drunk, and act like Christmas doesn’t happen. But the fact is, it happens.

Granted, as a general rule, I wouldn’t piss on a burning man, even if I had to really go. But I’m even into the whole goodwill toward man crap everyone spews this time of year. I hope I’m not getting soft. I still feel like the same old pessimistic asshole who doesn’t like people. Maybe it is the Christmas spirits, like I heard about on A Christmas Carol. (I’ve even been watching horrible holiday Lifetime movies with the wife. Don’t tell anyone.)

I really can’t say.  I grew a beard, have been listening to holiday tunes, and I like Lifetime movies. I’ll still choke you if necessary and talk bad about you at your funeral. But other than the oddly placed Xmas cheer, things have been about normal for us. I keep getting down on myself for not trying to make music, then trying to make some, only to get stressed out and wanna throw everything away in the office. Lexy’s music however is another story. That girl can play the piano.

She had her recital on Friday and wow she sounded great. The whole family attended. She had never played in front of an audience until then. She walked confidently to the beautiful black grand piano. She played perfectly and authoritatively. She stood, did her little bow, and strutted back to her seat with the look of an accomplished pianist. Big time Daddy moment. I want her to teach me to play now.

Well I really have a lot to talk about since there has been so much on my mind as of late but do not have the motivation to type on the keyboard for more than a few minutes. I could write loads more at home but never want to use the computer at home. It stresses me out too much to go in there. Well have a happy Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Christmas, Pagan festival, whatever.

20 days

Those that care, I’m thinking nobody but me. Day 20 here is here. The day before the 3 week point. 8 days from getting to do a little shaping. And almost halfway to the long awaited 6 week Grizzly Adams, full beard day. On this journey of self discovery, manhood, and foolishness I am having mixed emotions. While I am proud of myself for staying strong, showing up to  meetings, and walking a little taller; I am also having a few insecurities about the whole deal. Maybe I’m just a bit too anxious. It could be that I’m afraid I will hate it. Or worse I will love it. Will it like me?

Questions, questions. It is a funny feeling to know you look ridiculous everywhere you go. I am feeling like some sort of a badass knowing that I really don’t give a damn about everyone else’s opinions. And in time I know that my wife will probably not be able to keep her hands off me because of my full, luxurious beard.

I’m growing as much inside as I am on my face and neck. Although this is not my first time to try this. This is my fist time to be dedicated to it. Even though on Monday I have to put on a suit and go to a semi-formal dinner where my Grandfather is being given an award. So growing a beard for the first time has very little to do with just not shaving and has a lot to do with self discovery, introspective though, and pondering some of life great mysteries.

I leave you with a quote from Henry David Thoreau and a few great bearded men in history. A man who, as a youth, I read countless works from and really admired but somehow forgot about when I became an adult.

It is what a man thinks of himself that really determines his fate.
Henry David Thoreau

Abraham Lincoln

Tom Selleck

Charles Darwin

Teddy Roosevelt

Friedrich Nietzsche

Sam Elliott

Chuck Norris

Kenny Rogers (pre surgeries)

ZZ Top

Mark Twain

Wyatt Earp