Taste

If you haven't read my last post, go get that out of the way first.  It's okay, I'll wait.

My last post.

Now that we're done with that, here's something I'd rather talk about.

My friend, Tobi, is married to my friend, Jimmy.  Jimmy and I were roommates when they were dating, so we used to see a lot of each other, and it was Tobi's interest in and exploration of wine that taught me everything I ever knew about the subject.

So when Tobi recently decided to start learning about whiskey, she thought of me.  She has been bugging me for a month to go to this food/whiskey pairing class with her.  I assume she can't take Jimmy because someone has to stay home with the kids.

I wasn't sure if I'd be in good enough shape to go with her, but I recently decided I'd give it a try.  The class is this coming Saturday, but Tobi wanted to come over and taste some of my collection as she had almost zero experience with whiskey.

So last night Jimmy took the kids, and Tobi brought dinner and some desserts, and we set about eating and drinking.  I enjoy owning whiskey, and I enjoy drinking whiskey on occasion, but I really enjoy sharing it with friends, so this was a lot of fun.  We got to sample some Maker's Mark, some Glenlivet, both 12 and 15 year, some Jamison, and some Henry McKenna Single Barrel.

I paired those drinks with a green Thai curry, some club crackers, some bourbon pecan bars, and some bourbon ice cream.  It was a delightful experience, and it was fun to sample so many of my whiskeys side-by-side to compare flavors.  I hadn't done that before.

The good stuff

We had a lot of fun, and by the time Tobi's ride picked her up around 9:30, I was feeling pretty good.  Tobi wants to institute a "Whiskey Wednesday" policy that involves a weekly trip to a bar that has a good whiskey selection.  I'm not totally opposed.

As it turned out, after Tobi left, Mister Gus became free, and came over sans Evelyn to help me enjoy an EXTREMELY sharp cheddar that our friend, Caitlin, got us and a bottle of Riesling I had been saving for the occasion.

I can't even tell you how good this cheese was.  It was so sharp it had crystals in it.  Little crunchy bits.  I know I'm not making it sound good, but it was spectacular.  The wine was a little older than it should have been, but it was sweet and had a bit of a tart apple flavor that complemented the cheese perfectly.

Sharp!

So we sat around for a couple hours and watched some of the KU basketball game and talked about racing motorcycles.

The whole evening was the most fun I've had in what seems like forever.  So many flavors, and such good company.

I didn't sleep very well, but it was totally worth it.  I was still in bed at noon today when Gus and Evelyn showed up with Starbucks and these incredible donuts from Rise over in Durham.  We split a Creme Brulee and a Basil Creme with Pistachio.  The donuts are extremely high quality, and that second one is truly remarkable.  A sweet and slightly salty mix of flavors you don't expect in a donut, but that works so well.

Anyway, it was a great 24 hours.  I spent the rest of today (Thursday) recovering, and I'm currently crossing my fingers that tomorrow will be almost as good.  Stay tuned.