NCGA House Alcohol Beverage Control Committee

You know how they say a picture is worth 1,000 words. How about several photos which demonstrate a point. I got to wondering the House ABC Committee and their decision to gut House Bill 500 and why that might have happened. Then I took a few minutes and looked at the campaign contributions they have received from the NC Wine & Beer Wholesalers and it paints a picture of pay to play politics. Take a gander at the screen shots below and see if you come to the same conclusion.

It should be noted a few are not in the pocket of the NC Wine & Beer Wholesalers, but it should be obvious a majority of the committee are on Tim Kent’s payroll through campaign contributions.

McClelland’s Highland Single Malt Scotch

When McClelland’s Highland Single Malt Scotch went on sale in NC I decided to give it a whirl since it was a single malt for $22 a fifth. Unfortunately every inexpensive whiskey cannot be a winner. This one was rough around the edges and everywhere else. It did work well after having other palate numbing foods and beverages, but had a rough raw oak/wood character which had undertones of cedar. It just did not trip my trigger and for the same price I can pickup a blended Scotch or Bourbon which would be more enjoyable. I tried it neat and with water and never found the secret sauce to making this wonderful other than having it once your tastebuds had been beaten to submission by another alcoholic beverage. The finish was acceptable, but the harsh wood character is just a bit much for my tastes. At $22 it is a pass and so if you find it for more, it is even more of a pass. The wood also made the alcohol present as almost hot. At 80 proof it really should be easier to consume. Pass on this one if your tastes are similar to my own. It really is not worth the price of admission.

2 Gingers Irish Whiskey

When it went on sale at NCABC for $16.95, I picked up a fifth of 2 Gingers Irish Whiskey to give it a whirl. I’ve been trying to expand my horizons and to give time to other spirits besides Bourbon and Scotch. Most proclaim Irish Whiskey to finish sweeter than Bourbon and Scotch and thus far I have found that to be true. 2 Gingers is just a tad sweeter than some blended Scotch, but not cloying. I drank it neat and found it tasty neat, but not overly complex and borderline boring. It had honey, citrus, and a light spice attribute. I’m sure it was crafted for mixing and it would be just fine for that purpose. It was a good choice to accompany food and I had several meals and snacks with a glass nearby. I probably would not stock the bar with 2 Gingers, but if you were running out to a party and wanted an Irish Whiskey which would not assault your palate and would pair well with whatever your host brought out it would be an excellent choice. Couple that to a low price and I can see it becoming the life of the party. On the other hand, if you want to sit on the couch and contemplate life I might seek out something with more character because we all philosophize best with a complex beverage in our hand. 😉

Glen Moray Single Malt Port Cask Finish

Anyone who has read the blog more than once knows I am all about a deal. When Glen Moray Single Malt Port Cask Finish went on sale at NCABC in February for $25 a fifth I knew I had to give it a whirl. In truth I wasn’t expecting much out of a cheap single malt, but what I got was surprising. First off this Scotch is a bit on a sweet side, but that makes it so very easy to consume. It has a light touch of oak and the port cask makes you think it might be a Macallan Jr. It has dark fruit flavors and even a hint of chocolate coupled with caramel. It is a decidedly dangerous bottle as it hides all the alcohol and so you then decide to have another glass even though previous glass should have been your last for the night. At $25 or less I’d pick this up in a heartbeat. The sweetness will be off putting for some, but everybody needs a little sweetness in their life so pick yourself up a bottle of this.

Bourbon – Columbia, SC

It’s been rare in the past I have highlighted places I believe you should visit and I’ll try to correct that in the future. Last night I found myself in Columbia, SC at a bar named Bourbon and had an experience worth sharing. Most of the time any bar with a name like Bourbon or including Bourbon has very little Bourbon on the shelf when you actually get there. This place is the exception and was truly exceptional. They have a long list of Bourbons, many of which are near impossible to get even on the secondary market. The pricing on some was out of sorts, but there is a cost associated with procuring those fifths so I’m not going to begrudge them for their pricing. Some Bourbons were downright affordable to even be called cheap. You could get a half pour of any of their offerings and their selection was as good if not better than Front Street in Wilmington, NC which I consider the gold standard for Bourbon bars. They have food and it was very good, but the draw here is the bar and the Bourbon. So get in the car, head to Columbia, and thank me later.

Brunch Anyone – S155

On Wednesday Senate Bill 155 was introduced and while I wish it was more encompassing, it is nice someone finally realized there is no reason to wait until noon to have a bloody mary at brunch on Sunday. This bill addresses two things, one of which is the silly rule to only allow alcohol sales at restaurants after noon on Sunday. The second is to allow off-premise free tastings for those holding a distillery permit. Where it falls short is not allowing alcohol sales in retail stores until noon. I’m not saying everyone needs to have a drink at 10am on Sunday, but how about you are heading to lunch with friends and forgot to grab the wine on Saturday before lunch on Sunday. Now you run to the store to quickly pick up a red for the event and are told you need to wait until noon. Why do I need to wait until noon exactly? Because someone feels my ability to purchase alcohol should be based on their religious convictions? That’s a special kind of stupid considering all the various religions and when they have services. Are we to continue to cowtail to the prohibitionists or can we all agree it is 2017 and the chances of someone getting all liquored up and going to church service is not going to change with a change in the laws. This bill is on the right track, but let’s complete the circle and send a message to people like Rev. Mark Creech that his skewed sense of values is not that of the majority of NC.

Aberfeldy 12 Year

I was quite excited when NCABC put Aberfeldy 12 Year on sale a short while back for $34 so I snagged a fifth. As the bottle is about to disappear I find myself underwhelmed every time I pour a glass. It had a moderate level of banana ester when first opened that seemed to lessen slightly over time, but I still found it off-putting. The distillery webpage notes pineapple, toffee, vanilla, honey, and apple. While I can see all that, none of it quite works for me. It has an underlying sweetness and honey which are well placed, but the fruity notes just are not what I want in my scotch. Now on the bright side at $34 this is a steal compared to some who charge $45 or more. On the downside I could have purchased a handle of 12 year Blended from Costco for only $38 and would have enjoyed it twice as much. 😉

Finding A Whale At NCABC

I finally made all the information available from NCABC work for me. Recently in Wake County the ABC stores got rid of all the waiting lists. Now all bottles are distributed as evenly as possible to the 24 stores in the county. This was an effort to make the system fair for everyone and while I admire it, it really makes it difficult to find something special. The other day I happened to be checking out the NC Warehouse Stock Status Report and spotted a special item on it in stock. I called Wake County ABC to try and order a case to get ahead of the curve and it was allocated so that was not possible. After asking several questions I determined some of the Wake County stores receive their shipments directly from the NC Warehouse and others from the Wake County warehouse. Of the stores close to me, one is a Monday delivery from the NC Warehouse and the other two are Thursday from Raleigh. It was not possible to tell what Monday the one close to me would get the goodies, nor what Thursday, so that meant checking repeatedly. I was out of town last week, but checked one of the Thursday stores on my return and they had not gotten the item. Knowing this I figured the Monday delivery had not received it earlier in the week. As luck would have it I needed to be out and about on Monday to pick up some items and so I went to the ABC store and walked in just as it opened. They had received the item last week, but received one additional case of three yesterday and I was lucky enough to bring one home.

So it is possible to get any new item at a Wake County ABC location. If you can find a location which is convenient to you and determine their warehouse delivery date and time you could simply stop by near opening time on that day and get anything new. As most of the items are not something I am after I will just keep checking the Warehouse report and once I see an item in stock I will then start making the rounds. My next goal with this quest would be to get a list of all the delivery days for all the ABC stores in close proximity. I have three, but knowing another handful could prove useful.

Celebrating Five Years

Today is the fifth anniversary for the blog. When it started 1,827 posts ago the direction was unclear and with this post once again the direction is a bit of a mystery. Trying to post daily has proven difficult when a fresh topic idea isn’t forthcoming, for that reason the plan is to only post when there is something relevant or fun to say. That might be a reminder of a particular day to celebrate a drink or beverage of a discourse on how ignorant a politician is on the topic of alcohol or firearms. The goal will be for topics to concentrate on firearms and fermentation only occasionally coloring outside the lines. Thank you to everyone who receive the blog via email and to those who visit regularly to read what we have to say.

Cheers to you all!

Auchentoshan American Oak

When NCABC had a sale in December I decided to snag a bottle Auchentoshan American Oak when the recommended Valinch was MIA. In fact I could not locate Auchentoshan Valinch anywhere so I opted for the little brother. At $35 on sale it was not much of a stretch to give this single malt a whirl. First the good news, this Scotch is filled with oak aroma and flavor. Now the bad news, this Scotch is filled with oak aroma and flavor. The aroma was fresh cut oak and the flavor was sandalwood, cinnamon spice, leather, and more oak than I would tolerate when combined with the other flavors. It just didn’t work for me and as I placed the bottle in the recycling bin last night I was not sad to see it go. If you are an oak fan you should probably give this a whirl if you can find it at a price point similar to the NCABC sale, but otherwise I would suggest you take a pass.