3FLOYD's PERMANENT FUNERAL @3floyds

Are there any beers with a more wicked name than Permanent Funeral?  I don't know and if there are I've yet to try them.  I picked this little number up at Ol Simmerals in Terre Haute one night when me and a few buddies went to watch some kick-ass blue-grass!  The thing about that night is, I was the only one from our group who was comfortable and I would've stayed but my bros insisted on going to a dive bar and checking out white trash bitches!  But before I left I not only sampled Permanent Funeral, but I also was allowed the honored privilege of buying a bottle off the owner of Simmerals!  Many thanks to him, but more importantly many thanks to the man behind introducing me to theFacial Hair Club of Terre Haute.  He was the person who so graciously let me sample Permanent Funeral and introduced me to the owner who sold me my very own bottle to take home to McHooligan's!

Style: American Double/ Imperial IPA
%ABV: 10.50
Brewery 3 Floyd's
Price $16.00
Beer Advocate: 100 WORLD FUCKING CLASS!

I held onto this beer for a few months with the intentions of taking it to Denver to share with Steveo!  I did just that.  We tried this beer after a hard day of climbing Mt. Bierstadt!  If I had to guess Permanent Funeral was not only a collaboration between 3 Floyd's and Pig Destroyer but also Lucifer.  I don't shit when I say that Permanent Funeral is a fantastic tasting Imperial IPA!  It has a blast form hell hop character with noted of citrus and sweet.  It just sits on you tongue and sip after sip you're left wanting more!  It's definitely a top 5 double in my book!  Sitting here typing I'm having a hard time remembering all the things about this beer that made is special reason being I left part of myself in Denver on that mountain and I was so fucking exhausted that I don't think I was able to enjoy this beer as much as I otherwise would have had I been sitting on the Porch of Wisdom.  But the thing that made this beer a great experience is I was able to enjoy it with Steveo who if it wasn't for I woulda never pushed myself up that fucking mountain!  Hopefully I'm able to find a bottle somewhere and give it another try, or you find one and let me know!  Until then...

Cheers!

WHISTLEPIG RYE WHISKEY @WhistlePigRye

When a guy decides to buy a bottle of rye whiskey you'd think he'd dip his toes and try something in the area of modest...well I'm not any guy and I don't dip my toes in anything!  I'm new to the world of rye whiskey.  Rye whiskeys contain mash that is made from 51% malted rye.  I read several reviews and did some painstaking research before settling on what to buy and I did it big, I bought a bottle of Whistlepig Straight Rye Whiskey!  

WhistlePig produces a 100-proof, straight rye whiskey, aged for at least ten years through a unique double-barrel process.

WhistlePig was released in the summer of 2010 to great critical acclaim, earning 96 points from Wine Enthusiast, their highest rating ever for a rye whiskey, a “highest recommendation” from Spirits Journal, as well as accolades from The Wall Street Journal, GQ, Forbes, Maxim, Imbibe Magazine, and many others. These extraordinary honors “humble and set a high bar” for Master Distiller Dave Pickerell.

WhistlePig embodies the perfect combination of proof, purity, and age — hitting “the sweet spot” in all three categories. In short: more rye, all the proof, and the perfect age. All in. Full stop.

like I said in the intro I don't just simply dip my toes, I jump all the way in!  I paid $70 for this bottle of Whistlepig!  Now some of you fucking retards who like to refer to yourselves as "ballers" might not think this is a lot of money and to you I say go fuck yourselves.  You're not a professional athlete, you're not filthy rich, and you're sure as not a fucking "baller"!  That term is ghay as fuck and I guarantee me and everyone else makes fun of you behind your backs so go fuck off!  Anyway I paid $70 for the Whistlepig!

I knew I made the right decision when the manager at Binny's was pretty stoked when he saw I was buying it (Whistlepig).  I asked if he tried it yet and he said "no I'm not a baller"!  Ha!  Actually he said he hadn't but he was going to get a bottle.  I hope he reads this review!

The Whistlepig was fucking awesome!  If every bottle of rye whiskey tastes like this then sign me the fuck up!  I could tell right off the bat that it had been aged 10 years in oak because the oak character jumped right off my tongue.  Notes of honey, spice, and woody smoke were also prevalent.  I added a few drops of distilled water and this created a monster!  Sweet notes of caramel again jumped off my tongue.  This was by far and away one of the most flavorful whiskeys I've had.  I am now a big fan of rye whiskey and I highly recommend Whistlepig to anyone who is a fan of whiskeys.  Ballers and Shot callers, I recommend you drown yourselves!  But seriously give Whisltepig a try!  I paired it with a Cuban Montecristo Petitie Edmundo and it was an awesome combo!

Cheers!

GLEN MORAY SINGLE MALT SCOTCH

I’ve found that most dudes either like scotch or don’t because Scotch isn’t for everyone but it’s definitely for me!  Another thing about scotch, it’s expensive depending on your taste!  The first scotch I tried was a little number from Gordon Macphail distillery called Mortlach 15.  It was a cask strength single malt scotch whiskey and it was amazing.  The downside of trying a premium scotch right off the bat is you compare every other scotch you try to it.  Another downside is at $80 a bottle Mortlach isn’t something I want to drink all the time!  That being said the Glacier reads Whiskey Advocate and through several reviews he found what I consider to be one of the best value single malt scotch whiskeys on the market right now-Glen Moray Speyside 12 year Single Malt Scotch whiskey.

The Glen Moray distillery is a distillery in Speyside, Scotland that produces single malt scotch whisky. The distillery was sold in 2008 by the Glenmorangie Company Ltd to La Martiniquaise. The distillery is on the banks of the River Lossie, and has been known to flood in the past.

Glen Moray started life as West Brewery in Elgin run by Robert Thorne & Sons, and was converted to a distillery with 2 stills in 1897. Following a fire and extensive rebuilding program at their Aberlour Distillery, the company focused on production of Aberlour whisky, allowing the Glen Moray distillery to run down. It was closed in 1910. The distillery was purchased by the owners of the Glenmorangie Distillery, the MacDonald and Muir families at some time during the 1920s. The distillery received 2 additional stills in 1958 and at present has an annual capacity of around 2,000,000 litres.

The company now belongs to La Martiniquaise which uses part of its production in their blended Whisky Label 5. The distillery was expanded in 2012 and now produces 3,300,000 litres annually from 3 wash stills and 3 spirit stills.

Glen Moray has been entered into the International Wine and Spirits Competion for several years now and has won a vaqriety of Gold, Silver and Bronze awards including Gold Beset in Class for the non aged Glen Moray Classic. Entries have performed modestly at international Spirit ratings competitions. Its 12 and 16-year single malts, for example, have received silver medals at the 2007, 2009 and 2010 San Francisco World Spirits Competition.

At anywhere from $24.99 to $30.00 a bottle this is a value scotch.  I think its priced way too low and I wouldn’t be surprised if at some point they raise the price of this scotch.  It seems to fly off the shelf.  It has a sweet start with a very oaky character.  It is smooth for a 12 year scotch and goes well with just about any cigar.  There are hints of wood and spice in the front end.  A few drops of water opens up the character of this scotch releasing fruit notes and amplifying the oaky character. 

If you’re wanting to get into the scotch game then I can’t recommend this single malt enough.  At $24.99 per bottle (for the 12 year) it’s just too good a value to pass up!  I’ve bought a few bottles to hoard in case the price ever increases to a more logical number ($50).  This is an everyday drinker for sure!

Cheers!

BLACK SWAN BREWPUB

I’m sure it seems like I come off like a woman hating prick from time to time, or all the time!  But I do have a heart or at least the remnants of one and it beats from time to time and I decide to do something legitimately nice!  Take for instance GQB7, her birthday was in May and we road tripped to Plainfield, IN to the Black Swan Brewpub! 

Turbo has been there a few times and was impressed with not only their beer selection but food as well so it seemed like a good place to take the birthday girl!  We took the scenic route up Rt. 40 and headed east towards Plainfield!

The brewpub is located just off I-70 at the Plainfield exit and is nestled on the north-west side of the exit behind a Burger King and an Arby’s!  It’s a very unassuming joint and hard to spot and even harder to imagine as a brewpub! 

They have several solid entry beers.  We got the full flight and sampled everything they had in their catalog.  My personal favorite was their Chanook IPA.  GQ liked the Cherry Sour Ale!  Both went well with food and Black Swan has a great food menu.

 

They have signature French fries coated in spices that you choose along with signature sauces you can pair as well.  They have a giant Bison Burger that is super tasty.  At an hour and forty minutes away from where I live Black Swan is a great choice for a road trip to go and relax, have a good meal and enjoy good craft beer at a reasonable price!  If you’re ever in the area give it a try!

Cheers!

LIGA PRIVADA T52 BY DREW ESTATE

For those of you who aren’t familiar with Drew Estate, they’re the makers of the highly popular ACID line of cigars.  I read a story about Drew Estate in an issue of Cigar Aficionado.  It’s a pretty cool story and I recommend doing a Google Search and getting familiar with Drew Estate.  Recently they’ve began releasing cigars with more traditional blends unlike their ACID line which are infused…btw don’t call then flavored because Jonathan Drew might kick your ass!  I recently dug into the ARK and pulled from its dark depths a Liga Privada T52 robusto I purchased at Binny’s around a year ago.

Country: Nicaragua

Wrapper: Natural

Strength: Full

Length: 5

Gauge: 54

Price: $10

Liga Privada T52 Cigars offer a luxurious full-bodied smoke designed for cigar smokers who appreciate the finer qualities of robust, complex cigars.  The core is blended with Nicaraguan, Dominican and Honduran long-fillers bound by a zesty Brazilian leaf.  But the piece de resistance is the U.S. grown stalk-cut Habano-seed oscuro wrapper.  The result is a leaf that’s more intense in flavor and richer oils.  The smoke teems with creamy flavors of wood, espresso, peppery spices and sweet tobacco.  A must smoke!

Pretty sweet press release actually!  I was unfamiliar with the Liga Privada until I read a review in a cigar magazine and I pretty much had to try one.  Prior to the T52 I bought a Liga by Drew Estate as well.  I reviewed this cigar a while back and wasn’t impressed with it.  So naturally I was a little hesitant to spend $10 on a top of the line cigar from Drew Estate.  For the record they make some of the coolest cigars on the market today. 

The T52 is a beauty as well.  It is well made, maybe too well made.  When you hold the T52 in your hand it looks like a museum piece!  The cigar cut easy and true but here is where I got worried.  The Draw was terrible.  I was super butt-hurt too!  That’s why I said the T52 is maybe a little too well made.  The draw was way too tight and it would be a problem throughout the whole smoke!

Despite the terrible draw the T52 was a flavor monster.  The smoke was definitely aromatic and sweet smelling…and man did the T52 smoke.  Smoke just rolled off that thing!  The flavors were all over the spectrum of taste!  I got coffee notes, hints of nutty smoothness.  There were a few instances where spice showed through.   The most prevalent taste was that of a creamy, rich bitter dark chocolate.  Smoking the T52 was like eating a double chocolate cake soaked in crude oil!  It was a great smoke, but I still didn’t enjoy it as much as I would’ve liked because of that damn terrible draw!  At the end of the day I don’t think I will get any more Ligas from Drew Estate because the two I’ve had haven’t had good draws!   At $10 a stick the cigar is pricey and it shouldn’t exhibit the inconsistencies that I’m feeling is associated with the Ligas!  If I had a choice right now between a $10 Liga Privada or an $8 Gurkha Ghost I’d go the Ghost based on the problems I’ve had with the draws.  I just trust the Ghost more!  That being said I look forward to trying more of Drew Estates traditional line of cigars in the future!

Cheers!

MONTECRISTO PETITE EDMUNDO

Sometimes you just have to indulge.  You just have to say “fuck it” I want the best of the best!  In the case of cigars that would be an authentic Habano or Cuban cigar.  I have around 50 in the Ark!  So this past week after dropping around $150 on a bottle of Rye whiskey, tequila, and 5 cigars I decided to celebrate by myself on the porch of wisdom with a Montecristo Petite Edmundo!  It’s nice to be able to do that anytime you want.  It’s called freedom.  Freedom entails not listening to skirts complain and driving you up the wall, no crying kids, barking dogs ect…just a man and his thoughts smoking a premium Cuban rolled cigar with a glass of premium spirits!  I will say this though, absolute freedom is a lonely place to be, but it’s nice once you get used to it!

Country: Cuba

Wrapper: Cuba

Strength: Medium

Length: 4.3

Gauge: 52

For more than thirty years no new format has been created in its size range but it was worth the wait.  The name “Edmundo”, the main character of the novel after which the brand was named is chosen for the cigar that Habanos S.A. hopes will shortly play the lead within the brand.  An historical event like this one has been possible due to the effort, dedication and love given by the Cuban Agriculture and industry to the creation of a format that faithful consumers of the brand have long been demanding.  Its exquisite tobacco blend has been prepared exclusively with selected leaves from Vegas Finas De Primera in the region of Vuelta Abajo in Cuba!  A rich and powerful cigar showing loads of coffee flavors such as roasted coffee.  A refined sweetness makes this a perfect smoke for those enjoying big ring gauge Havana Cigars!

The best cigar I’ve smoked to date was a Cuban Montecristo Edmundo!  So naturally when I had an opportunity to purchase a few boxes of its smaller form I didn’t balk!  These have been in the Ark since January.  I bought them as an early present for the anniversary of my divorce as a show of financial freedom.  Boxes of Cubans are not easy to come buy nor cheap!  So as I relaxed last week with a glass of Whistlepig I cut, lit and smoked the Petite Edmundo for the first time! 

The initial draw was rich and crisp like every Cuban I’ve had.  I got woody notes along with some earthy spice as well!  Each draw was flavor filled yielding a rich tobacco flavor unique to the Cuban cigar.  I can tell you for about an hour I enjoyed every puff!  There were coffee hints but they were masked mostly by the burnt wood noted that were strong in this smoke!  Although not as creamy smooth with buttery hints like the Edmundo this cigar did have some moments where it became buttery and creamy!  The finish was slightly strong not flavorful! 

This was just a great cigar!  I won’t smoke them very often, but when I do you can bet your sweet ass it will be for a special occasion that will not involve any women or drama lamas!  It will be me as always free, alone and with my thoughts relaxing and taking in the big picture!

Cheers!