Fine Bourbon and Cigar

I was in a wedding a few weeks ago for a good buddy and former co-worker. He happens to be a big bourbon connoisseur, collecting very rare and expensive bottles whenever he gets the chance. His Instagram @minneapolis_bourbon has around 4,000 followers and he posts a lot of cool pics of his collection and finds.

On the night of the rehearsal dinner he gave each groomsman a bottle of bourbon as a gift which was very thoughtful. He also included a cigar soaked in Pappy Van Winkle, a very rare Kentucky bourbon, because he knows I enjoy a cigar once in a while. Over the last year or so I have done a bourbon tasting or two and am starting to understand it's appeal. If you have never done one I highly recommend you do so as it will open you up to flavors you never imagined were involved in the spirit. No, bourbon doesn't taste like burning!

The bottle he gifted me was Weller Antique 107. I had never heard of it. Curious as to its origins I googled it and the first thing I see is that it's a $100 bottle. I looked at my wife and said, "wow $100 bottle of whisky! That was very generous!" After a little more research I noticed the $100 bottle was literally for an empty bottle, LOL. A full unopened bottle goes for around $200!

My buddy shared with me that Weller is almost the same recipe as Pappy Van Winkle only aged 7 years. It is some of the smoothest bourbon I have ever tried. Not as smooth as Pappy, but very close. The cigar as well was a great smoke. It accompanied the bourbon nicely!

At the end of the day I am still a midwestern beer drinker, but the Weller will stick around for a while and get busted out for special occasions.