No, not that kind of spirit. Although, I might be writing about that soon. This post is about a spirit you can drink. A spirit called Blanton's. Blanton's is a bourbon. Please don't call it a whiskey, that would be illegal. Seriously. It would. I'll talk more about that later.
A hashtag touting the wonders of beer has been floating around for some time now. So, I wanted to give some love to the spirits out there, too. As mentioned above, this post is about a bourbon called Blanton's.
Blanton's is made in Kentucky and is a member of the Buffalo Trace family of bourbons. It has a nose of vanilla and a palate of citrus and oak. At least, that's what it says on it's website. I don't really know. I'm not an expert by any means. I've tried five, maybe six, different bourbons in my life.
What I do know is that Blanton's taste good to me and goes down very smooth. So, it's a winner in my book. However, getting my hands on a bottle is no easy feat. Last year was a really good year. I managed to obtain two bottles. I was about half way through the first one when I decided to make this post. The second bottle will be reserved for a special occasion.
Speaking of bottles, the stoppers in every one of Blanton's are collectibles. They features a horse and jockey in any one of eight different poses depicting various stages of a horse race. Is mine coming down the stretch? Or, is it just stretching before the race? I don't know. Maybe you can tell me.
And, if all of that wasn't enough to convince you that Blanton's is the greatest bourbon in the entire universe, then Mr. John Wick would like to have a word with you.
Which bourbon does John Wick use to dull the pain while having his wounds fixed by an illegal doctor in a seedy hotel full of assassins? Why...Blanton's, of course!
Speaking of illegal activity, remember when I said it was illegal to call Blanton's a whiskey? That is true thanks to the federal regulations imposed upon the manufacturing of alcoholic beverages in the US.
Under the Code of Federal Regulations Title 27 Part 5 Subpart 143, there are strict guidelines one must follow in order to slap the bourbon label on a bottle of whiskey. According to the chart below, bourbon must be made from a minimum of 51% corn and be stored in a charred new oak barrel. Those are the main differences between bourbon and whiskey.
Yes, I know this is not being published on a Saturday, but the spirit of spirits can spirit us away any day of the week. So, for whatever your drink of choice is, I say...enjoy.
Wherever we are, we are surrounded by nature. It's always trying to communicate with us. Take time to notice. #NoticeNature.
