Rantings and Ravings

First, the ranting.

Last week, the gift shop at the distillery George Washington built at Mt. Vernon started selling whisky.
At last, a bit of Americana I can get behind.
I read about the plan to begin producing whisky for retail sale a while back in the Washington Post when the Mt. Vernon folks decided to reconstruct the old cherry chopper's grist mill and distillery. I assumed (only made an ass out of me this time!) that because they had a working distillery on their hands, they'd make some of the historical hooch available to the rest rest of us. Since Washington didn’t age his whisky (few did at the time), I was looking forward to a few slugs of presidential moonshine.
White lightning or not, I was eager and interested. So when the mini bottles finally …
Wait, mini bottles?!
Ugh. So when the mini bottles filled with a blend of commercial whiskies went on …
Commercial whiskies? Isn’t there a working distillery on site? It's brand new, right?!!
God damn it! Only the government could screw up whisky.
So instead of producing small batch, unaged whisky on site, those willing to pay $25 for a mini bottle, shot glass and a blue box (wee!) can get a taste of a blended whisky they can buy at any liquor store or lounge.
Awesome. I think I'll pass.

Now the raving.

In a move that was both flattering and a little insulting, my buddy Bill put together a tribute to my recipe blogs. Do enjoy the hamster boy’s handiwork. He makes a pretty mean sandwich.
Another blog that’s worth a look is the one from Cigar City Brewing. Never heard of it? That’s because the brewery doesn’t exist. Not yet, anyway.
The folks behind Cigar City (Wayne Wambles and Joey Redner) are building a brewery in Tampa (God bless them). Having grown up in Tampa, I can assure you there are very few local breweries. Sadly, the King of Beers reigns over my hometown.
As a result, there are only a hand full of local breweries and brewpubs in the area, so Cigar City will be a very welcome addition.
Cigar City's blog about the experience of building a brewery from the ground up and launching a product line is fantastic. If you've ever wondered what it would be like to start your own brewery (talking to myself here), then check out their blog.
It doesn't look easy (or cheap), but it sure as hell looks rewarding.