Whiskey Wit

“Bourbon and an Altoid.” — Chris Morris, master distiller of Woodford Reserve  

At a dinner recently with special guests Jimmy and Joretta Russell, above, we were discussing flavor profiles of bourbon. “I use simple terms,” Jimmy said, noting the vanilla and caramel notes in Russell’s Reserve 10. And then he told a…

“It can really have a nice nose – a great aroma – and a nice mouthfeel, but if it doesn’t finish right, that overrules the others. You don’t want something to have a kick or a bite.” Four Roses Master…

“You can get too much age on a bourbon. It gets too damned woody.” Jim Beam master distiller Fred Noe, speaking at the inaugural Bourbon Classic in Louisville. Agree or disagree?

“If there is anyone who feels like they know what they’re talking about, it’s someone who’s been drinking whiskey. Wine makes you tired. Beer makes you loud. Tequila – you just go nuts.” Derek Waters, creator of “Drunk History,” a show…

“Pretend that you’re not. Try to act as though everything’s normal. And of course you do walk a little slower, but that’s because you’re being so careful you don’t want anyone to know you’re drunk. It’s almost like you back…

“There ain’t enough bourbon in Kentucky for me to forget you… there ain’t enough bottles I could break to make ‘em feel as broken as I do…” Dierks Bentley’s latest, “Bourbon in Kentucky”

“Tell me what brand of whiskey that Grant drinks. I would like to send a barrel of it to my other generals.” Quote attributed to President Abraham Lincoln in reference to complaints about the alleged drinking habits of Ulysses S….

“I need something to eat.” “Ice doesn’t count?” Interplay between new partners Ted Chaough (Kevin Rahm) and Don Draper (Jon Hamm) as Don drinks Ted under the table at work on “Mad Men.”

“I often like working with a hangover, because my mind is crackling with energy and I can think very clearly.” Irish painter Francis Bacon (Oct. 28, 1909-April 28, 1992). How many of us feel this way post-Derby, I wonder? (Fun…