Citizens, rejoice!

I don't know how many of you have heard about this yet, but Anchor Brewing is at it again. After the wondrous years of producing the "Old Potrero" straight rye whiskey, they've taken things up a notch. That's right, they've now started producing a specialty small-batch rye called "Old Potrero Hoatling's Single Malt Whiskey" which has been aged in old recycled bourbon barrels for seventeen years now, and I couldn't be more excited. Granted, I have no idea how I'm going to get some of this down my hatch any time soon, but I'll be damned if I don't find a way.

Why the enthusiasm? Simple. I have been a fan of rye for a while now, and often turn to it as a welcome change of pace from my beloved bourbon, but there's one problem: most liquor stores and bars only have Jim Beam. Now don't get me wrong, me and ol' Jimmy go way back, and the man (and his lineage) makes themselves a fine bottle of rye, but there is a whole world out there. So, by some divine happenstance, I wound up at a local bar just over a week ago that treated me to a lucky surprise. As a frequent orderer of rye on the rocks, I am used to seeing the yellow label of Jim Beam staring me back in the face as the bartender pours, or else being told that there is no rye to be had. But on this fateful night, the bartender pulled out a bottle and asked "Is this okay?" Nearly gape-mouthed, all I could do was nod, since he had produced a bottle of Michter's ten year aged rye. And boy was it phenomenal. However, after finally having this somewhat sought-after rye, my taste buds are clamoring for a taste of Anchor's rarity.

In an odd and almost completely unrelated side note, I will wind down this posting with a simple opinion: meats imitating as other meats are just wrong. You know what I'm talking about, when people make a type of meat out of something that it isn't supposed to be. What brings this about? Easy: a package of turkey pastrami that is in my fridge at this very moment. It goes against the laws of nature, but damn, it does go down smooth.