Colonel Bourbon Blog

The tongue firmly in cheek faux label, that both pokes fun at the market prices for a bottle of the real Pappy Van Winkle bourbon, and also refers to the home recipes of those who attempt to get close to the nose and taste profile of the legendary Pappy.

(Pictured: A "Poor Man's Pappy" label, a "fan fiction" bourbon brand that does not exist. Photo credit: Bourbonandjeeps, used with permission.)

Whisky a Go Go on Sunset Blvd, Hollywood. Why is this American nightclub spelled whisky? Aka The Whisky. The club grew out of a franchise, with the first Whisky a Go Go in 1958, at Rush Street in Chicago, Illinois. It was called the first American discotheque, and -- here we go -- the name came from Whisky á gogo in Paris, built in 1947 (á goo means abundance or galore in French.) 

(Whisky a Go Go on the Sunset Strip, Hollywood. Wikipedia Creative Commons photo by Mike Dillon.)

On December 5, 1993, the 18th Amendment was repealed with the ratification of the 21st Amendment to the United States Constitution. The 18th Amendment had banned the sale of most alcohol throughout the U.S... with unintended consequences. "Whiskey (had) been part of American culture and commerce from the beginning. (Pictured: (America rejoices with the end of alcohol prohibition in 1933.)

In the movie "The Shining," Jack asks for a bourbon and the bartender serves him Jack Daniels, which the distillery calls a Tennessee whiskey. Was this a movie goof or an intentional message or clue by the meticulous director Stanley Kubrick?

(Jack's typewriter in The Shining where he types out over and over "All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy." Wikipedia Creative Commons, author China Crisis.)

As Prime Minister, Winston Churchill would have brandy and champagne for lunch and dinner, and throughout the day he would always have a glass of whisky by his side. It wasn't neat -- aka it wasn't straight. He'd water it down quite a bit, so it was more like whisky-flavored water, at least at breakfast. His private secretary said he would start his day with a "whisky mouthwash."

(Pictured: "The Roaring Lion" portrait, December 1941)