Knives and Spirits

[Railsplitter]

Great stuff everybody! Keep them coming!

Tonight I'm polishing off the bottle of Stranahan's that I started this thread with. It's okay though because I have a backup. The knife is a Tuna Valley Cattleman.

[jerryd6818]

Whoa. I havent seen that Estwing in a small forever. How's she treating you John?

[1967redrider]

Whoa. I havent seen that Estwing in a small forever. How's she treating you John?

Ol' Rocky is my farm EDC, Jerry.

[1967redrider]

Collect all 5!

Can you tell I like Johnnie Black Scotch a little?

[Railsplitter]

Collect all 5!

Can you tell I like Johnnie Black Scotch a little?

I haven't gotten around to trying that one yet, John. Seems like blasphemy to me because I tend to prefer Scotch over Bourbon and Johnnie Walker Black Label is readily available. I need to get some of this in the near future.

[Boji]

Years ago I spent a LOT of $$$ trying to acquire a taste for Scotch. Didn’t work. So back to bourbon and Jack Daniels. The variety in bourbons nowadays is amazing.

[Railsplitter]

Years ago I spent a LOT of $$$ trying to acquire a taste for Scotch. Didn’t work. So back to bourbon and Jack Daniels. The variety in bourbons nowadays is amazing.

You are absolutely right. I could try a different Bourbon every day for the rest of my life and only put a dent in the varieties available. Can't really say the same for Scotch or even Irish Whiskey.

I have a bottle of Smoke Wagon Uncut Unfiltered Bourbon coming soon from a friend at work who snagged be a bottle at a great price. I'll probably get it Monday or Tuesday but I won't get around to trying it until next weekend. I'm looking forward to it.

[Boji]

I’ve done the full tour/tasting at Jack Daniels. Has anyone done any of the big names on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail?
Heaven Hill interests me as I like several of their offerings.
Or some small obscure distilleries in MO, TN, or KY.
Not interested in the flavored moonshine ones.

[jerryd6818]

Along with a couple other distillery we took the tour of the Four Roses Distillery several years ago. It's on the trail in Lawrenceburg, KY. I can recommend it if you're ever down that way. Among several other distilleries, it's not very far from Louisville, KY.

https://getawaysforgrownups.com/bourbon-country/

[Waukonda]

Has anyone done any of the big names on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail?
Heaven Hill interests me as I like several of their offerings.
Or some small obscure distilleries in MO, TN, or KY.
Not interested in the flavored moonshine ones.

My wife and I visited some around Bardstown a few years back. We hit Beam, Four Roses, Makers, and Heaven Hill. I found Heaven Hill to be the best, it was a nice tour. Bardstown is a nice area, some historic building/homes there. We went on the Kentucky Dinner Train, not great scenery but good food and good for a train fan.
We bought a used barrel at Beam and hauled it home in the back of our SUV at the time. It happened to be a holiday weekend and on our return trip, the Illinois State Police were conducting traffic checks at an intersection of a neighboring town. When I lowered the window to hand the officer my license, he greeted us then got "that look" on his face and stuck his face nearly inside the window. The SUV reeked of bourbon from that barrel! I started laughing and explained the situation, he handed me my license and waved us on.

Pinckney Bend distillery in Mo. is a nice for a visit. It is located on the Missouri River between Washington and Herman, a scenic area. Washington has a decent knife show in late July if you could coordinate a visit.

[Railsplitter]

Smoke Wagon Uncut Unfiltered. Batch #106. The knife is a Case Tiny Toothpick that I won on this forum from Stanwade.

[1967redrider]

Reminds me of the movie, Tombstone, Rick.

I thought all Bourbon came from Kentucky?

[Railsplitter]

Reminds me of the movie, Tombstone, Rick.

I thought all Bourbon came from Kentucky?

I finished off that glass about 45 minutes ago and honestly, it's the best Bourbon I've had so far. Smoke Wagon offers two other variants. A Small Batch and a Regular which are both a little cheaper. I started out with the Uncut Unfiltered because I got it for a price that I couldn't turn down.

It is outstanding! Great flavors with just a little bit of spice and a very nice ABV of 56.6% (113 Proof) I loved it.

Not sure about the Kentucky thing. All I know is that it was dang good!

[1967redrider]

Reminds me of the movie, Tombstone, Rick.

I thought all Bourbon came from Kentucky?

I finished off that glass about 45 minutes ago and honestly, it's the best Bourbon I've had so far. Smoke Wagon offers two other variants. A Small Batch and a Regular which are both a little cheaper. I started out with the Uncut Unfiltered because I got it for a price that I couldn't turn down.

It is outstanding! Great flavors with just a little bit of spice and a very nice ABV of 56.6% (113 Proof) I loved it.

Not sure about the Kentucky thing. All I know is that it was dang good!

Sounds delicious and I'm intrigued.

[Boji]

Reminds me of the movie, Tombstone, Rick.

I thought all Bourbon came from Kentucky?

nope, the only requirement to be a bourbon is the mash bill has to be at least 51% corn.

[1967redrider]

Reminds me of the movie, Tombstone, Rick.

I thought all Bourbon came from Kentucky?

nope, the only requirement to be a bourbon is the mash bill has to be at least 51% corn.

Good to know, thanks for the clarification.

[Quick Steel]

Why do all the knives here look even more attractive in the company of spirits? Interesting phenomenon.

Back in the day, during long travels throughout S.E. Asia, Johnnie Walker was held in the highest esteem by Vietnamese, Chinese, Philipinos, etc. Could be used in place of currency. Most common was Red Label. Very special gifts would likely be Black.

[jerryd6818]

School is in session. Bourbon school that is.

IS JACK DANIELS BOURBON?
RICHARD HAMMOND
BLOG

Jack Daniels is the world’s top-selling American whiskey.
It has a delicious flavor with hints of caramel, oak, banana, nuts, and crème anglaise and is considered a versatile spirit that can be enjoyed straight or with a variety of mixers.
Many people believe that Jack Daniels is an American bourbon.
While it has ingredients similar to those found bourbon, it actually is Tennessee sour mash whiskey.

This article will explain why Jack Daniels isn’t bourbon (or at least, isn’t called a bourbon) and share some interesting information about the history of Jack Daniels.

WHY ISN’T JACK DANIELS BOURBON?

Bourbon whiskey is one of the world’s most popular types of spirits. It has a distinctly sweet aroma with a delicious flavor profile. For a spirit to be considered bourbon it must be:
Produced in the United States
Made with a mash bill that is at least 51% corn
Aged in new, charred oak containers
Distilled to no more than 160 (U.S.) proof (80% alcohol by volume)
Entered into the barrel for ageing at no more than 125 proof (62.5% alcohol by volume)
Bottled at 80 proof or more (40% alcohol by volume)
Jack Daniels has a mash bill of approximately 80% corn, 12% rye and 8% malt.

It is fermented in copper stills then aged in new charred American white oak barrels for at least 2 years.
The ingredients and distillation process used to make Jack Daniels fulfil all of the requirements necessary for it to be considered an American bourbon whiskey — yet it is not called a bourbon.
The reason it is not called a bourbon is the additional step that Jack Daniels take when making their whiskey.

Before the distillate is placed into barrels for ageing, it is slowly filtered through 10 feet of sugar maple charcoal.
This process removes some of the impurities and harsh flavours from the spirit, making it smoother and easy-to-drink. It also makes the whiskey take on a slightly smokey character.

This filtering technique called the “Lincoln County Process” is why Jack Daniels is considered a Tennessee whiskey instead of a bourbon.

Having said that, it is Jack Daniels themselves that choose not to call it a bourbon. Technically it could be called bourbon despite the Lincoln County Process as nothing is added during this stage.

So the jury is still out really!

School is dismissed.

[Railsplitter]

Interesting. Thanks for sharing that, Jerry.

[Quick Steel]

I'm thinking those oak barrels for Jack Daniels are made at the cooperage just down the road a piece. I was surprised to see the large number of people employed there. I understand a cooper can turn out about 5 barrels a day; one more skilled might do several more than that. I imagine more modern techniques will have increased that number.

[1967redrider]

Nice article and clarification, thanks for posting, Jerry.

[jerryd6818]

Interesting. Thanks for sharing that, Jerry.

Nice article and clarification, thanks for posting, Jerry.

Well, I do have a bit of interest in the subject.

[1967redrider]

Interesting. Thanks for sharing that, Jerry.

Nice article and clarification, thanks for posting, Jerry.

Well, I do have a bit of interest in the subject.

I saw Ron "Tater Salad" White a few times at the Warner in DC. He said he drank enough Johnnie Walker Black that they send him Scottie dogs, and he now has a herd.

[Boji]

If you are in the area I highly recommend touring the Jack Daniels distillery. Very interesting, about 1 1/2 hour scenic drive from Nashville. Another side note, the county Is a dry county! Only place you can purchase JD is at the distillery.

[Railsplitter]

If you are in the area I highly recommend touring the Jack Daniels distillery. Very interesting, about 1 1/2 hour scenic drive from Nashville. Another side note, the county Is a dry county! Only place you can purchase JD is at the distillery.

Remind me not to ever move there.