April 8, 2020
Whiskey Class covid-19: day 27 | US: GA | info | act
Tonight, I attended the “Bottled In Bond Happy Hour with Bernie Lubbers and Quarantine Cocktails.” This event was hosted by Quarantine Cocktails (a bourbon aficionado from one of the mid-western I states) and featured Bernie Lubbers, a whiskey expert and, from what I inferred, an employee for Heaven Hill Distillery. I originally heard about the event on r/Bourbon, and I signed up. I can always learn more about my favorite beverage, right?
It was interesting, and I certainly did learn a few things. Lubbers first gave his spiel about Bottled in Bond. Passed in 1897, The Bottled-in-Bond Act stated that any spirit with this label is strictly controlled by law and must measure up in particular ways, like ingredients and proof. Whiskey is serious business, and this law was designed to protect those who purchase and enjoy distilled spirits from shady distillers trying to cut corners in their recipes. I had never heard of this before today, and I will definitely be trying a couple of these bad bois.
I also discovered the infinity bottle: a home-made blend that’s ever-changing based on what you add to it. An once here and there from your favorite bottles produces a flavor that evolves according to its creator’s tastes: “the infinity bottle exists as an all-inclusive chronicle of one’s entire Whiskey collection: From Japanese Whisky and Irish Whisky to Rye, Bourbon, and Scotch, to name only a few, they would all be included in the bottle’s blend, typically in equal measures as well.” This is a cool idea, but I never seem to have more than one bottle at a time. I wonder if I could change that? Lubbers mentioned creating a bottled-in-bond infinity bottle—that’s a cool idea, and would at least offer a guide for approaching my first (and perpetual?) infinity bottle.
Finally, Heaven Hill also makes something called Mellow Corn that I might have to try.
Since my daily-driver bourbon is Evan Williams, their bottled-in-bond white label might be a great place to start. Now, to find a bourbon delivery service...
