Secret to Life Dept: And spirits too!

[Capn Jimbo]

Life - and spirits - are a lot simpler than you think...


It's a not-so-funny thing - there are a literal ton of non-commercial websites published by great folks simply out of love for fine spirits, particularly wine, whisky, bourbon, beer and even gin, vodka and tequila. But rum? Not so much. There was/is a mere handful of sites - seriously, you can count them on one hand - about rum, and most of those are either commercial, or quasi-commercial.

It's a damn shame when other than The Project, the only two sort of active sites are one run by a rum rep whose lines are almost unknown and preciously few, and one by a wannabee with a bitter and unusual palate. Frequent these two and you'll be exposed to yet another marketing offering of yet another altered, spiced or flavored rums. It's like Taco Bell - how many ways can you serve refried beans, chopped up lettuce, tomatos and onions and ground beef. Round shell, soft shell, flat or rolled - it's all the same fackin shit.


So what did I drink last night?

Mind you I own perhaps 150 rums or more, and paid for every flaming one of them. Most were no more than average but to be fair there are a precious few that are relatively pure, unadulterated and magnificent. Still, I was in the mood for something really special and memorable, so out came...


Pappy Van Winkle 15 Year Bourbon

Now some of you idiots may be aware that PVW - the 20 year old - was until recently the highest rated spirit in BTI's history, year after year, scoring 99 of 100 by the blind tasting of their panels of unbiased experts. Inasmuch as I am a man of very modest means, I will never be a collector of fine single malts. But just this once, I was willing to part with $140 just to understand what spirit could possibly have earned this amazing score and claim to brilliance. Just once. The result:

PVW 20yo is indeed brilliant. You can nose it all night, and at $140 per copy, you'd better. I later bought the 15 yo, as there are those in the know who prefer it to the 20. And that too I needed to understand. So last night the Pappy Van Winkle 15 Yearl came out and I poured two drams for both Sue Sea and myself, and without telling her.


The Result?

Sue Sea has a truly expert palate, and in another life was Michael Jackson. She nosed it and immediately stopped. "This is something really special!" she exclaimed, "...what is it?". Of course I deferred. "A whisky, no a rum, maybe a cognac, a bourbon? I'm not sure." she wondered. I pointed out that the very finest spirits, with enough age, begin to merge into a state of quality, elegance, smoothness, harmony, consistency and integrated complexity that it really is hard to tell the difference.

That's the Art of Mother Oak and Father Time.

As for me, I must have spent close to an hour just nosing it. The Pappy just kept growing and emitting the most wonderful deep and delicious aromas, with a taste and seemingly unending finish to match. The aftertaste just wouldn't go away, with no need for a clarifying sip of water. Indeed, it was so pleasant that I rejected even the idea of palate clearing.


The Point:

There are times when we all should return to one of the truly great and magnificent spirits - those that define the art of spirit making. This kind of experience will remind you of just how mediocre most products are, and how few spirits really deserve a place in your cabinet. In the case of rum, we reflected on the fact that as few as five or no more than ten rums are all you'd ever need to truly appreciate and enjoy rum - and all of these available for not much more than that one brilliant bottle of Pappy Van Winkle.

As for the other 140 rums, well...