They say too much of a good thing is bad. Leaving Whiskyfest New York, Clyde says to me, “One more hour, what else do you want?” I give up, surrender and say “home.”

I’d been drinking for 12 hours, not buzzed even once. I was just done. You can drink lots without being an alcoholic or blitzed out of your mind if getting drunk isn’t your goal. It wasn’t. Volume was never an issue, but research and sampling was. It’s a pain the ass, but every Whiskey bar should offer ¼-ounce tastings. Charge me a bit more for the glass and time, but I want two sips many times; that’s all I want or need. Unfortunately, you do get burned out, and right about this point I was.

Want to try some 21 year scotch sir? No, thanks.

Craig Beam asking if I wanted some more 21 year Bourbon? All set.

Jim Rutledge, with that “what time is my flight? ” look, asks if I wanted the last of the 125th Anniversary. Like a flu shot, I’m not stupid and begrudgingly take the pour, carrying it around for a few minutes sniffing it and thinking I might hate Bourbon, even with this gem in my hand that has a very good chance of becoming the sort of legend A.H. Hirsch 20 Wax and others now enjoy. So far, 125^th tops them all, but there it is in my hand and at that moment, I hate Bourbon.

It all started 10 days before in Cascade Hollow/Tullahoma, Tenn. Keep in mind, Whiskey isn’t my vocation but a passion, and circumstance, luck and schedule led me on this 10-day excursion. George Dickel is in the middle of nowhere, which is expected. Not much is bottled there. They make the Whiskey much the same way they have for 50 or so years. I remember in an interview I heard with an old Master Distiller (I think Elmer) he spoke of the modernization of distilleries and what’s been lost by the automated nature and computerization. One thing that stuck was how a still would hiss a certain way and the still operator that had been there for 30 years and he would immediately know something was wrong.

I thought of that during my walk through the place. They stagger fermentation on the schedule of being off on the weekends so somehow what they make goes in barrels after four days and some five days. They also stagger the barrel ages, with some being a year older than others and merged at bottling. I was curious of the new Private Barrel program and how some were 9 years, others 14. It never occurred to me the distillery closed for five years, so the 9-14 year gap was circumstantial, not choice.

I was shown the area where the 14 year old barrels were sleeping. There were around a couple dozen left although I’ve increasingly gotten so cynical with this stuff. Just when you think you can/want to trust someone making booze, you’re afraid you’ll feel their hand coming out of your pocket and a bag of sand is where your wallet used to be. With that thought, I have to excuse the male dominated references. It’s just habit. Lots of women getting into this stuff. My warped, effed-up theory is that women are responsible for the Whiskey shortage. If we have to share half the allocated stuff, it’s less for us chest-thumping, Whiskey-drinking apes!

Anyway. Only a few Private Barrels per region are done, so the 14 year will be a thing of the past most likely real soon. They are at barrel proof and made me take notice of Dickel that I had smirked at as the underachieving cousin of American Whiskey. If you see the private 9 or 14: Very different barrels than typical Dickel; ones that I’ve had were very good in taste and nice value. Word is there was a truck load of full 25 to 30 year old Dickel barrels going around. Barrels were tasted and turned down until they found an eventual home at a soon to be released Jefferson 26 (the minimum age in the batch). I’ve never had it. I’ve been told what I know by some of the best people in the Whiskey-making businesses that have had it.

Lastly, Dickel is owned by Diageo, the largest Whisky Company around, searching for ways to get deeper into American Whiskey. If this stuff was so good, would it be making an “ugly duckling” tour around the South? Buyer beware. On a side, when a movie is going to be a dog they don’t screen or preview it to the press. Same with Whiskey. The older expensive stuff, as of late, hasn’t been going out to the trade much or at all as far as I can tell. Also, the old adage “if you can’t say something nice, say nothing at all” weighs heavily in the Whiskey Trades, so no news is almost always bad news.

PARKER

I hit a few more distilleries, drinking more booze. Learned some cool stuff I’ll be putting out there in time. One thing is that Parker Heritage Promise of Hope is made up of Parker’s favorite barrels, favorite age, ABV, mashbill, etc., but also the rickhouses that are his favorite at the old T.W. Samuals Distillery. This was the place that the Samuels family owned before Makers Mark. I believe he picked these from high storage from one of the funkiest warehouses I’ve ever seen.

One look and the shape and airflow characterizes are incredibly different from the typical rectangle shape.

Parker has ALS, so one really needs to listen carefully to understand him. I swore to myself I would try to talk to him a bit, having never met Elmer and still regretting it greatly.

Parker was awesome, funny and a great personality. The couple times I met him over the 10-day span, it was happy yet sad. You could see it in everyone’s eye the unspoken look witnessing one of the last glimpses of Bourbon and human greatness in one package. He talked excitedly of the Heritage Golden Anniversery 3rd Edition. At least a barrel from each of the five decades he was master distiller. I believe he said the oldest barrel only had about two bottles worth, 1/2 gallon or so in it. He was later honored at Whiskyfest, which was done very nicely. Had the Unity Bourbon that came from not a barrel from each participating distillery, but some just a few gallons.

LOUISVILLE

One of my favorite stops while in Kentucky was the Silver Dollar. They somehow continue to have the great Whiskies long gone from the downtown places in Louisville, reasonably priced and the waitresses knew more about Whiskey than most bartenders in the country’s best Whiskey bars.

We are about ready to get closed down at the Seelbach bar. Someone found the last bottle of Rathskeller Rye in another bar in the hotel after the Bourbonfest people were told it was all gone. Six people shared the last 1 oz of the stuff that is legend.

ON TO CHICAGO

Picked some barrels for private bottlings then moved on to Chicago. I’ve already blogged a bit on the Chicago place I went to, but a bit of a recap on Deliliah’s. Finally got there. Very cool, very great selection and knowledgeable staff. Shared a free taste or two with the staff. Reasonably priced and at some point I’ll do my favorite 10 Whiskey bars – I expect they will be on it. Spent way too much, which hurt when I left a large tip.

Went to Twisted Spoke twice after being told the first day that Wednesday was half price day and I hadn’t tried the Tempura Bacon. If you ask real nice they will get you some of the Pappy private barrel they got a few years back that they re-barreled and bottled. They had a few like this. It’s billed as a cool biker bar, but it’s just a melting pot of cool people. Thank god I don’t live in Chicago, as I’d have to get banned from the place or it would be trouble. Endless great selection of modern and retired stuff and half price.

D.C.

Next morning flew to Washington, D.C., and Jack Rose. I brought a group of about 20 people there. It was my fourth visit and the selection is still great, but dwindling in some spots. Not cheap and surprisingly lacking in some very modern gems. I blogged about this one already.

Then Whiskyfest that weekend. After the awesome rare stuff at the seminar, halfway through the VIP tasting I was done, I hated Whiskey for about three days.

A COUPLE MONTHS LATER, BACK TO THE WEST COAST

I had some business in Denver and went back to Bull and Bush. Sadly the $50 Pappy 23 decanter was all gone. Older Black Maple Hill and Classic Cask was not. Very, very reasonable prices, and thank you Denver for not knowing, wanting or caring about what this place has. Great food too. I e-mailed the owner a few times to try and catch up to him to chat but, as with Jack Rose, no answer told me what I needed to know.

I stopped off at Downslope Distilling. Toured and talked about the Double Diamond Whiskey and some cool distillery-only special bottlings. Now that they are getting some older barrels in the mix the stuff is shaping up nicely. Stopped at a few good liquor stores with my fingers crossed. Just last year got some old gems including a Parkers Heritage 27 year. Not so much now. They might not get to Bull and Bush to clean them out but they have gotten to the bigger stores.

LAS VEGAS

Met some online friends shared some special stuff and wine. Then stopped for a brief time to see Max at Delmonico to say “Hi.” Not much has changed in the Vegas Whiskey scene other than the Distillery now doing tastings and sales.

PORTLAND

A new Whiskey bar opened that I never got to. I spent time at the Widmer brew pub trying some great barrel-aged beer and good company. Who would have thought a carmalized raisin beer would have been really good?

Clear Creek Distillery has been on my wish list for awhile. Steve McCarthy has a great reputation and has been in craft distilling longer than just about anyone in the US. Sadly he loves his fruit and herbal concoctions more than Whiskey: fruit eaux de vie, grappas and wine brandy. He uses the same German pot stills that he use for the brandies as his “McCarthy’s Oregon Single Malt Whiskey” which is made from a fermented mash of peat-malted Scottish barley. I wasn’t sure what to expect, as he reluctantly agreed to meet and show me around. Awesome, passionate guy that knows his craft well. The Single Malt Whisky that he likes to say he created for his love of Lavigulin is real good for a three year old. Its ready once a year and now gets grabbed up like Pappy. Fortunately, in some pockets around the U.S., you’ll find some still, so get it while you can. One can only wonder how nice a Bourbon would be, as the rest of the things were really good. I’m not a big juniper or gin fan, but it was stongly suggested I have the “Douglas Fir” liquor. I can’t figure out what it is, but it was really good and I bought some. It has a clear greenish-blue hue; if I didn’t know better would have sworn it was a citrusy lime concoction. I put them up with Charbay and Hillrock in the super cool craft places not to be missed.

Went to Woodsman Tavern for dinner. They got a top 10 Whiskey Bar rating in GQ.

By modern standards, this place is a small bar. By my modern standards, this bar has the best Whiskey selection of what I would want to drink anywhere I’ve ever been. Almost all the A.H. Hirsch, Black Maple Hill, A few pre-prohibition things, Pappy 23 Decanter, Rathskeller Rye, William Heavenhill 225^th Anniversary 1^st Edition, lots of private barrel Willet, including their own 19 year wheated, Vintage, Michter’s 10, 20, 25 (the best batches too), every Pappy, 6 very, very, and very and XO Old Fitzgerald from Stitzel-Weller, all three Distillers Masterpieces, all BTAC and Parker’s, Evan Williams 23, and on and on. It’s not cheap, but you will never find a better collection 20 feet from your mouth anywhere. Food is one of the best in the USA too.

SEATTLE

I had to make a special trip to Canon Whiskey and Bitters Emporium in Seattle, so a three-hour drive later, I meet up with Jamie Boudreau. A good and terribly bad surprise is Fred Noe is visiting. I’m sorry Jamie, but Fred’s a moving target, and he sat by himself with a Beam rep for a bit, and I then took the seat next to him for awhile talking Whiskey. Mentioned I really wanted to see an ultra great release. Mentioned a better private barrel program might be good, especially with maybe some exclusive stuff.

I finally spent some time with Jamie, and what a great guy. I knew he had the best collection from his online menu but when I mentioned that Jack Rose lined the walls with about twice as many things, he jumped on the chance to show me the shelves in the back areas, restrooms and a treasure trove in the basement of old stuff, more by far than I ever thought possible.

It was one of my most disappointing visits, but not in a bad way. I didn’t really get to drink or talk much with Jamie or the staff, and Seattle’s a long way from me. I’m not a big Beam drinker, but I can’t insult Fred Noe by drinking anything but Beam while I’m sitting with him. So I’m in one of the best Whiskey bars in the world drinking a brand and selections I could get a mile from my house. Ironic isn’t it?

So until the next time, I need to dream some more. If you love Whiskey, get your ass to Canon. I flew directly home that night and in two months I’ll look back and think if I should be writing a book. ——-Nah, I’d never finish it.