Heeeeeeeeelllllllllllloooooooooo Otterites!
Mrs. Robert, Martin, and I attended Bellarmine University’s Sip and Swish event this past Saturday. It was a Bourbon tasting event organized by a former Bellarmine basketball player who works at Green River Bourbon. All the proceeds raised went to the basketball program. Great event for a great cause. After the event, I went across the parking lot to Knights Hall where Bellarmine played Eastern Kentucky. Refs sucked. Beyond measure. I thought the people around me were going to storm the court and lynch them for the non-calls, missed calls and all-around bad officiating. So many bad calls stopped Bellarmine runs in their tracks. They lost 75-65.
It’s been a rough year for the Knights. Several key players have been out with injuries and two starters were lost for the year a while back. Shortened the bench considerably. They’re done with their probationary period (for moving UP from Division II to Division I) this year, so I hope they can start getting some bigger bodies on the team. They get pushed around by some truly beefy opponents at times, which the refs let happen all too often.
But that’s a story for another time…
One of the perks of Sip and Swish was getting a bottle of Green River Single Barrel at 119 proof, signed by Scottie Davenport, the Bellarmine basketball coach. That man has a job for life. He’s a phenomenal man. Dedicated to his players and developing them as men, not just ball players. His passion and love for them is obvious on and off the court.
About a dozen or so distillers attended and had offerings for tasting. The only one that was really a big name was Makers. They had their standard bottle and the 46, which is excellent. Other notable bourbons were Blueprint from Steelhouse Distilling, NuLu Whiskey, Chicken Cock (the “official” Bourbon of the BU basketball team—Scotty’s son works there), Copper and Kings, Pursuit Spirits, Bardstown Bourbon Company, and Castle and Key.
HUGE shout out to Duffy Smallwood, Business Development Manager, and Travis Thompson, Assistant Master Distiller, from Copper and Kings. They were fun to talk to and even want to come on the show. We might get to arrange a recording session down at their distillery in Butchertown (Louisville neighborhood).
Didn’t have a bad drink all night. Even got to try the Knob Creek Single Barrel Select at 120 proof. Those are aged about 10 years and it’s a fantastic Bourbon. I’ve got an unopened bottle on my shelf I’m saving for a special event. Tried low ryes and high ryes. Tried some wheated bourbons. Bourbons aged in specialized barrels such as Apple Brandy (Copper and Kings).
The Firkin Podcast recorded and hosted with some live entertainment. They’re a relatively new podcast with connections in the industry, so they’ve got the pull to get some big names on their podcast. They don’t publish on a regular schedule though.
All in all, it was a really great night. Talked to a lot of distillers about their expressions and what they were going for. Different philosophies and ideas all around. That’s one of the great things about Bourbon. As long as you meet the legal definition, you can do so much. It’s an art form and a science.
