Something different

Bill's First Introduction.

With the wheel house still parked at JR's and some family stuff to do last weekend it was pretty quiet around the fishing front lately.  That will change as Mark Applen and I are heading up to Red Lake for our last fishing trip of the year to Red, which will result in pulling it home then spending some time on Mille Lacs Lake in February.  One of the things that I have come to learn to enjoy is a nice whiskey.  Traditionally beer was the beverage of choice when I was young, Walter's Beer happened to be my favorite.  Brewed in Eau Claire Wisconsin it was a popular local beer, especially with some of the guys I worked for when I was young and helping Bud Tollefson and Ronnie Petersen to whitewash barns on the weekends.  Walters was a full bodied beer but met its demise when the light beer craze pretty much wiped out most of the traditional style German beers.  From there I followed my mentor in life, Vic Wenaas as he always drank brandy, and it became my choice of refreshments for many years.  Today I really don't drink very much beer, actually liking a good glass of dry red wine, and have started to enjoy the taste of various whiskeys these days.  My fiend Mark Applen started this business with his choice of beverage, Maker's Mark Bourbon.  It's not bad and Mark has gained his own notoriety as Maker's Mark himself!  I do not like a lot of that burn offered by the standard types that are better mixed with something to tame them down with.  Yet over the years and with the help of some good friends like Bill Dull, of California fame, or Matt Davis, from Texas I have learned that there are a lot of good stuff out there, deserving of a simple glass of Ice mixed with a dash of time.  Bill and I had spent some time in Savannah a few months ago and he introduced me to a California based whiskey, a smooth blend of Bourbon, Rye, and American Whiskey called St. George Breaking and Entering.  It is quite nice however difficult at best to find in Minnesota. After getting back from Savannah I found it on line and picked up a bottle for myself and my friend JR at JR's Corner Access.  He absolutely loved it and I suspect that he would be really hard pressed to find this around St. Cloud, MN.  Bill Dull and I have a common thread via our Taiwanese business Partner, Axis, whom we have been doing business with since 1998 and as well, Axis bought the company he was working for, Triad, is Perris, California.  Bill has always been a friend as we typically meet a couple times a year, once at the Medical Device

Angel's Envy is as it says!

and Manufacturing  (MD & M) in Anaheim.  It appears as though I will not be attending that event this year as seeing all my industry friends had been a staple for the last 10 years.  Bill and I usually catch dinner one of those nights and this is where he tends to surprise me with his new discoveries.  I would say that we both have the same tastes and it's always an adventure being with him.  A couple of weeks ago he sent me this belated Christmas present, a bottle of Angel's Envy, Caribbean Rum barrel finished Rye Whiskey.  I have to admit it is pretty incredible stuff, as I opened it an took a whiff, it smelled as though someone inserted a caramel apple in the bottle.  It is incredibly smooth and with that heavy base of caramel mixed with spices ( Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Cloves) and a nutty base, it is very hard to describe.  All of these flavors are not added rather the result of the proper distillation and knowledgeable use of the proper wood barrels to age the liquor.  It's truly hard to believe but I guess one has to try it to realize how well made this stuff is.  Checking on line as it is a very limited release product, the dang stuff is $80.00 a bottle.  Well, this is typical of my friend Bill as a few years ago we had dinner and insisted on buying me a bottle of a nice red wine he liked, Quintessa Cabernet Sauvignon.  It was absolutely amazing but also about $150 a bottle in the stores.  I guess you get what you pay for and hanging with Bill is a lot of fun but it can also be very expensive!!! Never the less it's a great learning experience and hopefully I will get to see him again soon as I really don't mind being spoiled by him!

 As stated earlier, my good friend from Garland Texas has graced my palate with a nice smooth Whiskey from Fort Worth Texas called TX.  It is quite nice and a lot more reasonably priced than the stuff Bill gets me tied up with!  Nevertheless he definitely keeps my cabinet well stocked as it is only available  in Texas, Louisiana and it's starting to make it's way up north.  It been awarded the best American Whiskey with a double gold award, and well deserved.  One interesting aspect it the cork cap that they use on the bottle.  It's best described by their story on their website:   First, we select the leather. In the beginning, most of our leathers were re-purposed from boots donated by some of our friends in the community and by visitors to the distillery. Now we primarily use leather pieces from the best boot and saddle makers. We acquire exotic skins and different colors of leather from those extra pieces that the boot and saddle makers can no longer use. Next, we use unique tools to punch out a circle of leather. We then measure the thickness of the leather to determine which cork size to use. Then we hammer a custom-made wood ring over the leather to secure it to the cork. Finally, we add very small pins for reinforcement. Every resulting bottle cap is a unique example of fine Western craftsmanship – just like our whiskey. Stop by the distillery and swap stories with us – maybe even bring your own boots for topping off a bottle of F&R spirits; we’d love to make you a part of our history. It is actually quite interesting as each cap is unique in its own way and definitely represents the state where it derives from, Texas as this is where many of the great and classic cowboy boot manufacturers are located. 

Auchentoshan Three Woods.

Finally not forgetting an experience in Savannah with the new owners of my business, especially David Ashton, an industry consultant who is from Scotland.  During an event in Savannah we stopped at a Scottish Pub called Molly MacPherson's.  Being of Scottish descent, David decided to treat us to a single malt scotch of his liking.  It was Auchentoshan Three Woods Single Malt Lowland style scotch, one that did not exhibit that traditional smokiness associated with Scotch Whiskey's.  The Three Woods title comes from the fact that it is cured in 3 different wood barrels, first in used American oak bourbon barrels, then it is transferred to a used Spanish Sherry wine barrel before finished in a different sherry wine barrel.  Again incredibly smooth, flavorful and with no burn, it's a perfect after dinner treat.  Of course I had never heard of this and definitely found it in the Minneapolis area.  It is a little on the expensive side however their American Oak brand is almost as good, 100% cured in used American Oak barrels it is more reasonably priced and one can overlook that extra Sherry barrelled cure for $30 less!  Admittedly it's been and interesting year learning about different types of Whiskey's especially breaking the old assumptions of what was called whiskey, Jack Daniels, Windsor, Canadian Club, and Seagrams..........all needed Coca Cola or Seven Up to make them palatable!  Here's hoping the fish are biting on Red as many of the ice houses have left the lake which means less traffic and maybe a better bite.  A friend Chris Worms called me earlier this week stating he was going to JR's this weekend and it would be nice to see him again as the last time was at Lac Seul Outposts, on the 2018 Ontario Fishing Opener.