Gotta love Dad! And when you become one you’ll understand how you earned all the shit you get from your own kids.
So I’m not here to get sentimental, but on this Father’s Day Weekend, I just want to say I’m glad my dad choose to drink the brown stuff and not the clear shit. (Or I’d likely be a vodka drinker.)
When I was growing up, he always ordered a drink called the Black Jack Manhattan. It sounded like something a pirate would guzzle as they ventured all around the globe. For the uninitiated, a Black Jack Manhattan is a Manhattan made with Jack Daniel’s. (Now we can debate whether or not JD is bourbon later).
One time I asked him why he drank it and he said the second (or was it third?) Manhattan opens the eye of the soul. Now I never really liked JD. I opted for Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey to open the eye of my soul. But if I’m not drinking it neat or with a rock or two, I’ll have a Manhattan and think of dad.
He lives across the country now, so I won’t be able to take him out for a JD or six this weekend, but I will send him a bottle. If your pops is still around, I hope you get the chance to celebrate with your favorite bottle of the brown stuff. And if you’re a dad…be good to those kids. They might be buying your bourbon one day!
Cheers!
Pappy 15 Drawing Tonight LIVE on Facebook.
It’s here! Tonight, we will draw the winner LIVE on our Facebook Page. If you don’t do Facebook, we will post the video immediately following the drawing on our website and send out an email to the winner. The drawing takes place at 9PM EST and you can buy chances until 8:45 on June 15.
Good Luck!
Sit back, Sip and Enjoy a few good reads on all things Pappy and Bourbon.
4 Shots:
How to Pick the Best Whiskey for Father’s Day
Whiskey is a popular Father’s Day present, but how does one pick a thoughtful bottle? We asked Jack Rose owner Bill Thomas—the man is behind the largest whiskey collection in the Western Hemisphere, after all. Though his Adams Morgan temple to brown liquor is stocked with rare finds, he clued us in on favorites that are more readily available.
Selecting a quaffable brown liquor doesn’t necessarily mean blowing your monthly budget–even for someone with a large collection. Thomas says to start with what dad typically likes to drink, and go from there.
For the bourbon-loving dad:
“I’m a bourbon guy at heart,” says Thomas. The five whiskeys he’s always happy to drink: Wild Turkey Rare Breed, Old Forester Birthday Bourbon, Four Roses Single Barrel, Booker’s Small Batch, and Maker’s Mark Cask Strength. “In addition to being fairly readily available, they won’t break the bank so you can afford to get him two.”
Thirsty Drinkers Cope with Scarcity Amidst Bourbon Shortage
Honoring Pappy’s Legacy: The Sisters Behind Pappy & Co.
“What the company is today is what my dad basically started over from nothing. He rebuilt the original older Van Winkle label,” Carrie says. “I definitely compare my dad to Pappy in terms of what he’s done for the industry.”
Spending their childhood watching Julian III work tirelessly for the company inspired Chenault, Louise and Carrie to eventually try to make their own mark on the Van Winkle legacy. “The older we got, the more we realized how special this history was within our family, and we didn’t necessarily work directly with our dad, so we had no role in the bourbon business,” says Carrie. “So starting Pappy & Co. just felt right.”
The sisters decided that Pappy & Co. would sell a variety of Pappy-inspired items, from cigars to men’s and women’s clothing to high-end barware. As Chenault and Carrie are both interior designers, it was easy for them to apply their design acumen to market an already exceptional bourbon. “We have a good sense of style, so we don’t feel worried about either diluting the brand or disrespecting the brand because it is just a part of us,” Carrie says. “We make sure we hold true to that and don’t do anything that feels too far-fetched or out of place with how we live. So a lot of the products we carry, people enjoy even if they don’t necessarily love bourbon.”
Patrick Carney of the Black Keys recalls Anthony Bourdain’s ‘very Akron sense of humor’
Anthony Bourdain had a very Akron sense of humor.
“Sarcastic, funny and witty,” recalled Black Keys drummer and Akron native Patrick Carney on Friday after Bourdain was found dead in his hotel room in France.
Carney spent a chunk of a day with the chef, writer and huge music fan, filming a segment of his No Reservations show that aired in 2012 on the Travel Channel.
The episode opened with Carney and singer-guitarist Dan Auerbach picking up Bourdain in what the TV host called a “van of death and possible dismemberment.”The No Reservations show, Carney said, “was shot with some sort of weird plot … We were kidnapping him. I think his thing was he thought there were a disproportionate amount of serial killers from Akron, Ohio, so he was making some sort of joke.”
The show featured Carney and Auerbach eating barbecue in Kansas City with Bourdain.
The episode was shot a few days after the Black Keys released El Camino and about two years after their commercial breakthrough, Brothers.
Carney said he and Auerbach were big fans of Bourdain’s show and books, and their publicist managed to get them on.
“We were sort of star-struck by him,” Carney said.
They bought Bourdain a bottle of the coveted Pappy Van Winkle bourbon to impress him and they all polished it off.
Cheers and Enjoy the Chase!