Was on a quick plane flight the other day - decided to give Southwest a try again after I heard about their new boarding procedure. Not half bad. And, I got a drink coupon out of the deal, so how am I to complain? In any event, I ordered a Jack Daniel’s - my only other option was Dewar’s, which I’m not a fan of. I ordered it neat. “Like a shot?” was the response from the stewardess, hostess, in-flight dancer, whatever the appropriate term is now. For lack of time allowing for an explanation, I just opted for a “Yes”. Sure enough, I was getting pot-shots from nearby passengers. “Bet your college days were fun.”

“Yes, asshole, they were amazing. Sorry yours must’ve sucked.”

In any event, I hadn’t had Jack Daniel’s in a while. And it was good. Really good. Strong fruit finish - not strictly citrus, more, dare I say, American fruits. Apples, pear, orange (ok, maybe that one is citrus). The moral of the story is that Jack Daniel’s is a great plane drink. Just enough to get one over the edge of the traveling public.

Upon my return, I was greeted with an unexciting email from my local liquor store manager. Don’t get me wrong, this manager is great - and their store generally has a great selection. But they are overpriced. Another overpriced store - separate from my more recent post. Turns out they received stock of Laphroaig 21, Balvenie 17 RumWood, and George T. Stagg. Usually this would be exciting, especially right around bonus season. Odd how things come in three’s though - this trio was released right after Saint’s Row 2, Gears of War 2, and Call of Duty World at War were released in a short period. But I digress. The email lacked excitement because of the pricing. They want $80 for the George T. Stagg! Maybe if I’m being fiscally imprudent, $55. So that is way over market. The Laphroaig 21? Over $550. Sure, this is the latest American gimmick from Laphroaig (of which I’m a Friend), but geez! The Laphroaig 30 sold for just over half of that! So you’re knocking off 9 years and raising the price by 40% give or take? Un-freakin-believable.

Finally, my Balvenie. The damned RumWood I’ve been waiting all too long for. Price? Just over $130. This one isn’t quite as offensive, though. The price was originally earmarked at $150 - still almost double the price of their 17 year series. But, the GBP has dropped about 25%, so I want 25% off of the $150 I was expecting. This would put pricing closer to $110. So I’m getting ripped for $20 a bottle. Pricing really should be at $80 to $90, especially considering that is where the Sherry Oak was priced, and scotch-aficionados seem to love Sherry way more than Rum finishing. So, I’ll have to decide on how many bottles to get now. I may consider only 2 instead of 3. Bummer.

I have a Christmas party to go to tomorrow - should be a great time. So while I was picking up a choice bottle of wine for the hosts (Wine Spectator’s Top 100 came in handy!), I decided to grab some fun brews.

Blitzen would be proud.

I picked up the Alaskan because a smoked beer sounds way too interesting. Could it be beer’s version of peated scotch? One can only hope. From there, I stayed true to Deschutes as if I were on the payroll. I picked up 3 bottles of the Abyss (I’m wondering if I should have grabbed more), 2 bottles of the Hop Trip, and a 6-pack of Jubelale. The first bottle of Abyss will be open tonight and I will return soon with notes.

If the economic rhetoric produced via mass media hasn’t turned you to drinking, maybe the joyous celebration of the holidays will! Either way, choice beverage companies will be bringing in the cash. I intend on doing my part to help.

With that, I stopped by the local (and over-priced) liquor shop today to pick up a few non-standard items. I strayed from my single malt comfort zone and picked up a handful of (hopefully) quality beers. However, I was sure to keep a close tie by picking up a bottle of Ola Dubh Special Reserve 30 (for a meager $17…). This ale is finished in Highland Park 30 YO casks, which should impart an oaky taste. Oddly enough, the tasting notes on the Harviestoun website note this boldly. I say oddly because overly noticeable oak taste is not a desired trait in the whisky. I’ll be sure to return with tasting notes on this.

Below is the list of today’s run:

Deschutes Obsidian Stout
Ommegan 10th Anniversary
Ola Dubh Special Reserve 30
Samuel Adams Chocolate Bock (x2)
Mephistopheles Stout
TenFidy Imperial Stout
St. Peter’s Cream Stout

 I love the holidays!