Tales from the Cask #1: Tales of Tennessee
Whisky Party (Mike C.) has been very handily holding down the fort here while I’ve been mucking about at a certain music festival in Tennessee and StrongLikeCask (Dan) has been hiking across Thailand. The last time I saw those two in the flesh was Memorial Day weekend, when I enjoyed some of the best/most interesting/rarest whisky I’ve ever had– and it was done in the company of some of my best friends. I was thinking about that weekend’s activities combined with the fact that we here at the WhiskyParty generally split our time between working, whisky-partying, and travelling (usually for either work or whisky). This gave me the idea to begin a series of posts about more than just the whisky in the bottle, but about the spirit in the air, so to speak.
First stop on my stumble through TN was at the 5 Spot, an East Nashville establishment owned by our very good friend T-Money. As we pulled up to the bar after an eight hour trip down from Chicago, the proprietor of this legendary venue and musician’s hangout greeted us properly– with a hearty round of Irish Car Bombs. Well, that took the edge off for a couple of road-weary travellers.
I soon was able to meet a few of our more southerly blog readers (what up, Wes), and that was a lot of fun. After many pints of the Nashville area’s best local microbrews, including the delicious Yazoo, we got to the scotch. My friend, after a little brainstorming with the minds behind our very own Whisky Party blog, now stocks his well-run bar with a select variety of your favorite single-malts. I chose the Balvenie 12 year Doublewood for us and our compatriots, which at this point in the evening included the legendary fiddle player Buddy Spicher.
The Balvenie 12, in all its balanced earthy/fruity glory, inspired some fascinating discussions between myself and Mr. Spicher not only about whisky, but also about the relationship between human history and material culture (of which music and whisky are small– but important– parts). Then Mr. Spicher, along with many of the town’s best working musicians, gathered together in different arrangements to play a few impromtu songs and jams in excellent time. Incredible. The night ended back at my friend’s in-house studio, where we enjoyed large drams of Cragganmore 12 and the sounds of our own youthful wishes that we had become rock musicians rather than moonshiners banging on other people’s instruments.
Next stop: Bonnaroo! As me and my friend Outlaw Pete pulled out our poles to insert into the tents that we brought to the campgrounds, the downpour of rain began in a biblical fashion. Undeterred, we setup camp with all the effeciency of LOGCAP. Upon completion, beneath our canopy we warmed ourselves with towels and big drams of the uber-affordable (< $20) and quite tasty (blending primarily Laphroaig) Islay Mist. Since the festival doesn’t allow glass into the grounds, we had poured our prescious whiskies into empty liter-sized water bottles in order to bring them along. Sufficiently warmed, we began our comsumption of music, music, some great rye ales, and more music.
The other great whisk(e)y that accompanied us for the weekend was the fabulous and quite dry Bulleit Bourbon. And at $28 for a full liter, its perfect for just about any occaisson. One trick I discovered is that, if your whisk(e)y must unfortunately be left out in the hot sun or in your hot car or tent, and you do not love to drink it on the rocks, dropping an ice cube in the glass for just a few seconds will drop the temperature down to what would have been room temp; then, you can remove the ice cube and enjoy your drink the way it was meant to be– neat.
Although this tale should have ended with a visit to the nearby Jack Daniels distillery followed by a short stay in Bulleit County, KY, and then a romp down the Bourbon Trail (all of which we passed on the way home), all we were able to do by the time we left the festival grounds was promise that next year, there would be even more whisk(e)y.
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Nice post – I like the “whisky travelogue” idea.
I would also add that the 5 Spot in Nashville has a pretty sick beer selection. One of the few places I know that serves the Dogfish Head 90 Minute. Definitely worth checking out if you are in Nashville.