(the)ryeborg

I must admit I rather loathe the lie of the Non-Distiller Producer (or, NDP, as they are commonly called), but I am in that uncomfortable position of admitting that I actually like some NDP products (I do find the use of the acronym ”NDP” rather gauche, so let’s substitute something a bit less vulgar: non-distiller shall work for our purposes, or mine at least).

I mean, that shit looks cool and sounds impressive, and that’s why I drink it… to impress orange skinned girls while I’m playing shuffleboard.  That and my thick, manly biceps and/or my jaunty hat that doesn’t at all make me look like a jackass.

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After an arduous day of exercising the wonderful “prickliness” of my personality (let’s just say “arrogant prick” and be done with it), I reach first for the “slug” of whiskey.  I want to say that I arrived at this conclusion on my own, for whiskey is proof that god loves us and wants us to be happy (per Benjamin Franklin’s “beer” quote of which I doubt the veracity)… except of course that I don’t believe in god, but I do believe in the sublime power of whiskey.  Hmmm.

At any rate, I won’t pretend that I was not won over by the eloquent, dry wit of Bernard DeVoto who’s book “The Hour” is essential reading for anyone with a modicum of interest in liquor, drinks, and the history of it all. The book that was so influential that Wicker Park’s “The Violet Hour” takes its name from his apt prose.

For those of you who are familiar with my screeds, I apologize, as there is perhaps little new here… other than a slight variation in the arrangement of 26 characters and a handful of punctuation symbols.  

I digress.

But I share DeVoto’s opinions on drinks.

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When the sun came shining as I was strolling,

And the wheat fields waving and the dust clouds rolling,

As the fog was lifting a voice come chanting:

This land was made for you and me. - Woody Guthrie

I miss your musk. The sweet fruity spice that washes over the sweet flavor of corn. When this is all over, we should move in together. Get some alone time.

For me, it’s always “rye rye rye”.  I prefer rye whiskey over all others and I like my bourbons to be spicy, fruity, and rather high on the rye.  But is wheat a bad thing?

The path untrod.

Wheated bourbon dates back to a Sitzel family recipe (the Sitzel-Weller distillery was eventually closed and the brands were sold to the winds) but was appropriated by others.  It should be remembered that the Van Winkle bourbons have largely been wheated and contain no rye (now they do have a Rye whiskey, but that is another matter).

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