Beverage of the Week - Appleton V/X Estate Rum

The best part of doing these booze reviews - it gives me a reason to go dig about and research the product at hand. I've already learned quite a bit of interesting stuff about previous beverages, and this week was doubly nice because I've a lot less background in rum than whiskeys or beer (though I did pick up some interesting historical knowledge from Tom Standage's A History of the World in Six Glasses, which I highly recommend).

In the snifter this week we have one of our household-standards, Appleton V/X Rum. Aside from stimulating me to look a bit more closely at an old favorite, I thought it would also be a good departure to review something in the bargain category - you shouldn't have any trouble finding this for $15-$18, though I'd happily pay more if necessary. Appleton V/X is a perfect example of what rum should be, and if your experience is limited to Bacardi and Captain Morgan you're missing out.

A blend of 15 rums aged between 5-10 years (hence, V/X), this Appleton takes its golden hue and vanilla-toffee notes from the oak barrels its components mature in. Tasting it neat, I swear I picked up a pleasing bit of burnt hazelnut that spiced up the more mellow flavors and sweetness, making it really interesting on the palate. The nose is mainly brown sugar and vanilla, with a touch of spice to perk things up again. And, while I'm mostly opposed to polluting good liquor with mixers, I have to say this stuff makes the best damn rum and coke or daiquiri's you are likely to find. That sweet, smooth spice really brings something out of a soda...I think the carbonation opens some flavors up in the rum, too.

For more on Appleton's offerings, and a good bit of quick history on this classic molasses afterthought that once fueled the British Navy, check out their website.

Get Up, Uh - Get On Up(date)

So, I've been blog-AWOL for a bit. Two weeks back we had midterms, and last week was spring break. I made a secular vow of celibacy from any intelligent activities over the course of spring break to give my brain a rest - which included no blog posts, since I always aim for at least some small modicum of intelligence on here. That vow didn't prevent me from drinking heavily and playing a lot of Fallout 3 and Rock Band, though (consider the post title a tribute to the recently released RB funk pack).

Anywho, all the preceding activity and post-ceding leisure managed to kick the dust off the more reflective parts of the ole' brain, so I've got several things planned to post about in the near future. In the interest of setting the task for myself, here's a list of things to come:

1. A discussion of being still.
2. An indictment against the standard/traditional/pervasive educational model.
3. The continuation of the BoW, and expansion into as-yet-untapped liquor varieties, starting with rum (yum).

Additionally, I've every intent of updating the daily random fact more regularly (if not daily). AND, I've added a new link over there in right-hand-o'page-land: friendlyathiest.com. Check it out.

Until next time, JB said it best. Stay on the scene, uh - like a sex machine.

Nobody Likes A Monkey With A Funky Grill

I really can't even begin to come up with a comment on this one. Just go check out this tidbit on the BBC. The only more bizarrely unexpected thing I can think of is if I was sitting here, working in the office one night and suddenly looked over to find one of the snakes cracking a beer.

Wait, wait - I do have a comment. "In this tough economy, you just got one more reason to fear they can train a monkey to replace you."

Beverage of the Week: Left Hand Brewing Co.'s Sawtooth Ale

I remember that when taking my first baby-steps into beerville I always shied away from ESB's. "Bitter" sounded like the flagship style for everything I hadn't yet learned to appreciate about beer. Turns out, though, ESB's are one of the mildest, most drinkable ales you're likely to find - a long way from the "bitter" hop bite of so many American style ales at the time.

Left Hand's Sawtooth is a Colorado ESB that does the British standby style not just justice, but a few favors too. The Sparrow's had it on tap for several weeks, so I've had several opportunities to...evaluate. It's got all the pound-it-down mildness, but added character in the form of a citrus note (seems to be an "American touch") and some other complexities I enjoyed but couldn't quite pick out. That's the key to a great ESB - interesting, but nothing so interesting as to get in the way of smooth, thirst-quenching enjoyment. Yum.

For more on ESB's, check out this NYT article. They agree with my high opinion of Sawtooth, by the way.

Cabin Fever

I feel ya, buddy.

No News = Good News

To change something, build a new model that makes the
existing model obsolete. - Buckminster Fuller

I have been known to take my laptop to the bathroom with me. I say this not out of my insatiable desire to make others uncomfortable by sharing minor, inappropriate details (it's fun, try it). Rather, I point it out because I may well be ahead of the curve - inadvertently preparing for a future where you no longer hear the rustle of newsprint in the stall next to you, but instead the peck-tap-peck of keyboards. Yes, the traditional newspaper may well not make it through the next decade.

The death-knell has already sounded for some major papers - Denver's Rocky Mountain News died last week and Tuscon's got one going soon. The Tribune company's bankrupt, though for now it's just financial purgatory as their many papers are still being printed. Others, such as the SF Chronicle are "restructuring" - a PC way of saying "panickedly selling off assets and cutting expenses (i.e., jobs)." Even the NY Times is 400 million in the hole. Meanwhile, all the other news outlets can't keep quiet about it - NPR's hit on it several times recently, and even the BBC's been talking. Some think it's inevitable, some fear it as a sign/source of devaluation for journalism, others shrug and read the Onion, missing the humor entirely.

For my part, I don't think we'll live in a world without newsprint within our lifetime. For starters, it's not just online journalism that's hurting the papers - free papers are doing quite well, hitting the same markets at everyone's favorite price. The desire for the tangible, tactile experience of reading a paper is still there - it's just that between the ad-driven free model and the instant-access online model, few see the need to shell out subscription fees for either information or newsprint-rustling pleasures. The old model of print journalism has been rendered obsolete - Buckminster Fuller-ed, if you will.

However, what really interests me - irks me, even - is how many folks are calling the failure of the traditional newspaper business model (and it is just the business model that's failing) a "blow to democracy" or lauding it as the "death of impartial journalism." For starters, part of me is almost glad to see these old daily papers go - most, like the rest of the mass media, are owned by huge conglomerates. This obviously injects a large amount of homogenization into coverage, and potentially into perspective; but more dangerously, this amplifies advertiser influence to the point where stories potentially threatening to them can get canned for fear of the consequences (or, due to direct threats, such as Monsanto shutting down exposes on its bovine growth hormones). No, saying goodbye to corporate media does not sadden me, and I've no fear of a hastening fascist state because of it. Quite the opposite.

Many criticize internet journalism as "lacking objectivity." All journalism lacks objectivity. Internet journalism increases access, and moreover, it increases the voices involved in that journalism dramatically. There aren't just a thousand news sites - there are thousands of blogs, thousands of individuals conveying and commenting on whatever happenings...happen...to be happening. Never mind that much of it is shit. That is democracy, kids. Of course, this exponentially increases the amount of "bad information" (which is often a fairly subjective notion, anyway) - but is this really a problem? I'd argue that the flood of contradictory, untrustworthy information is one of the greatest gifts of the internet age. Twenty years ago, the average person absorbed information from "official" sources - books, newspapers, TV - under the general assumption that, surely, it was truth (or close to it). Now, everyone is acutely aware that we must think critically about information. And it isn't just that we question the veracity of knowledge, but its importance. That flood of noise, those millions of voices out there on the internet - they make us acutely aware that we need to decide what is relevant for ourselves, in a way that a world of homogenized TV, newsprint, and radio did not.

Pretty cool. At least as long as the WiFi signal is strong in my stall.

Beverage of the Week: Glenlivet Nadurra (16y)

This week's BoW comes from my liver's spiritual home: Scotland. Well, more accurately that'd be Islay, Scotland - but close enough. A fairly recent addition to Glenlivet's bottling roster, Nadurra (gaelic for natural) is an excellent introduction to several of my favorite stylistic touches. Plus, it's more accessible than similar whiskey's I might personally prefer - availability, fiscally, and pallate-wise.

First off, Nadurra is cask-strength, meaning it's bottled just as it comes out of the aging barrel (spirits are normally cut with water to homogenize alcohol content). Such whiskey's are potent, and I'll be the first to recommend adding a little water yourself to dig the flavors out from beneath the ethanol. But the best thing about cask-strength is you can work your own magic with (clean, room-temp) water and explore all the flavors to your preference. Most whiskey "opens" as you add water; I recommend trying any glass straight and adding in increments to see what you find.

Secondly, this is non-chill filtered. Personally, I find such whiskeys a bit cleaner (though one might think the opposite would be true). It's certainly paler in the glass than Glenivet's other offerings, and underneath the 58% or so alcohol, I find the flavors a bit more delicate. Also note this is a Speyside whiskey, and a much truer expression of the area than the standard 12 year bottling, or the 15y French oak.

Okay, so my notes: the nose is definately full of toffee - to be expected with ex-bourbon barrel aging - but there's also a hint of vanilla, and a floral note I'd prolly be able to name if I wasn't too manly to know about flowers. It's very light on the pallate; there's a decide pecan-like nuttiness and some whole cream. Verdict: 7.5/9