Now that all of my posts about our trip to Colorado are finished up, I thought I might cover some other topics before I dive back into the travel posts. It seems like everywhere you go these days there is drama to be found. Even here on Hive we have our own little pockets of drama. I'm not going to call out names, but the folks involved know who they are!
Honestly, we all have our own drama, so it could be any one of us at any given time. Don't tell my wife, but I have been known to be a little dramatic at times myself.
My solution... Let's kick that "A" to the curb and have a nice dram instead. Now, don't misunderstand, I'm not saying you should drink away your problems. That would be silly and unhealthy. Instead, what I'm saying is that sometimes you need to realize there are more important things in life and for me one of those things is a nice glass of whisky.
I already talked about this bottle of Deer Hammer that I picked up in Colorado when we were out there, so you can catch up with that in this post
I also picked up this bottle of bourbon when I was out in Denver. It's from a Colorado distillery in Greeley called 477 Distilling. I didn't realize it at the time, but we visited Greeley as you can read in this post.
I selected this bourbon because as you can see in the first photo it was awarded a gold medal. The fact that 477 was established in just 2016 and they are already producing a single barrel offering is pretty impressive. In fact, seven years is usually about the minimum you see for single barrel offerings in my experience.
Typically distilleries source their whiskey from other places and blend it with their own to get the flavor profile they desire if they haven't been around long enough to let their own whiskey or bourbon sit.
As I said, seven years is about the minimum and then it just goes up from there.
Folks over in Scotland and Ireland probably don't realize just how good they have it with their offerings that are sometimes aged just shy of 100 years. I'm looking at you Macallan 1940 (The Reach). I'd need a cool $125,000 for bottle of that though.
If you can read that label in the picture above, 477 got their name from the passage of the dissolution of the city wide temperance. The measure passed by just 477 votes, opening the door for this namesake 47 years later.
Finally, this is the one I am most proud of. I read an article online that indicated this Scotch was available at Costco Warehouses across the country for a fraction of the price. They suggested you could get a bottle of the Quinta Ruban for $35 USD.
Alas, upon visiting my local Costco, I found that the price was still in the $70 range. They had it though, and I was there, so after a brief pep talk from my wife, I ponied up the $70 and bought a bottle.
I'll be the first to admit that I haven't drank a lot of Scotches in my life, but this might be one of the best I have ever had. Also, at a 14 year age statement, it might be one of the oldest I have ever drank too.
I think one of the things I like the best about this is the fact that at 46% alcohol by volume, it is actually a pretty mellow drink compared to many of the high proof bourbons that are all the rage these days. The fact that they age it in bourbon casks is also probably part of the reason I enjoyed this so much.
If you get a chance to try this, I highly recommend it. Especially those of you across the pond from me who can probably get it readily and for a fraction of the price I paid. Not to be too dramatic, but I actually envy you if it is highly accessible to you.
Sadly, I didn't get a photo of what the pour looks like, but honestly, it looks really similar to most Scotches you have probably seen. Lighter than the dark amber that you come to expect from American bourbons, it still retains a bit of color from the bourbon and port casks. I have to admit, that port finish is really starting to grow on me.
Oddly enough, although that $70 price point might seem high, that price point is considered the higher end of mid-range by American standards. I typically pay $50 to $60 for a decent bottle of whiskey, with a few favorites coming in below the $40 mark.
It's safe to say I am going to savor this one for as long as possible. It might be a full year before I finally finish this bottle.
With the drama of the US election right around the corner, there is a good chance I will be killing a dram or two quite frequently between now and then!
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