Missing in action ~

Hello all my readers!

Let me apologize for my absence, as I'm sure some of you were/are wondering if I had abandoned my blog.
I can assure you that I have not!

I hope everyone had a wonderful fun-filled summer.  I did!!  And took a little break from blogging.
I have SO much to share of the things that I did over the summer and I can't wait for you to read.

Things are a bit crazy right now with me catching up from all the fun I had, plus all the fun I am currently having with training for some 5K runs that is leading up to the biggest event, Tough Mudder in Feb of next year.

I appreciate and cherish each and every reader of my blog.  Sure, I can throw a blog together....but that's not my style and that's not who I am.  I want you to be able to experience the journey as if you were with me as you read.  Those of you that know me (personally) know that my writing style is how I speak...so it's almost like I'm talking/telling you my experience in person.

I THANK YOU ALL for your support!

Best,

~ azgemfoodie

Can we do dinner?

I have a few girlfriends that I get together with,
either as a group or sometimes one on one time.  :)

It had been a while since Sherry and I had gotten together for dinner and she asked if we could meet for dinner ~ of course!! How could I say no?!

We decided to meet somewhere in the middle and chose to meet at TK's Urban Tavern in the Scottsdale Quarter.

We started the evening with cocktails, of course. ;)   Sherry started with a mojito and I had a topical tropical.

We had SO much catching up to do.  I think we talked for almost 20 minutes before we even looked at the menu to decide what we wanted to eat.

I mean cocktails ARE more important....right?  :)~

We continued to talk and half paying attention to the menu that was placed in front of us.  Our poor server kept checking to see if we were ready to order (about 4 times,maybe 5), so we finally looked at the menu.





This is our AWESOME server ~ Marissa!
Thank you again for putting up with us!

She was so sweet and patient with us.  Imagine two gals that haven't seen each other since...January!  Of course we've talked, texted and emailed but.....that's not the same as seeing each other in person.

And as with most of us females....we had questions about the menu, which Marissa answered all we had thrown at her with a great attitude.  She was really awesome with us. :)





Sean, the bartender (posed here..lol) makes awesome mojito's and topical tropicals!  I think we ended up having three each.  :)  Ok, in his defense he kept moving around so much for me to get a good shot while he was in action!


Then Marissa came with our appetizers!  Yum!!  We were hungry, though we took forever to place our order with her.  ~lol






Mmmmm.....who doesn't love mac & cheese?!
Let me just tell you how creamy and velvety it was..oh wait!  I just did!  OMG it was SO yummy!

It's house made with white cheddar cheese and they use panko bread crumbs in it!  A must have!

And along with that we had the chipotle shrimp.  Made with creamed leeks, pearl onions and bacon served with country bread.

Oh! And don't let this little dish fool you because it does have a nice kick to it!  It wasn't too spicy and was perfect.





We both had the same idea in mind for dinner since we had such rich and wonderful tasting appetizers.

We ordered the grilled salmon salad on a bed of mixed greens with kale, tomato, cucumber, baby sweet radishes with a vinaigrette dressing.

The salmon was done to perfection, moist and flakey and seasoned just right.  And the salad had just the right amount of vinaigrette on it without it drowning.

I have to say it was one of the most wonderful tasting grilled salmon I've had in a while. (since my Texas trip. At Sustenio, in the Eilan Hotel in San Antonio by Chef David Gilbert)






The bar area seats about 10 and then there are 6 high tops in the bar area.  The dining room has about 11 tables and there is a patio out side that seats about 20 or so.


The staff is really nice and friendly and I think that really adds to the ambiance as it was really comfortable and relaxing to have dinner and catch up with Sherry.


Marissa came back to see if we wanted dessert and Sherry and I looked at each other and then to Marissa and started laughing.  We told her that dinner would not be complete if we didn't share a dessert.






Dessert was a tough choice ~ chocolate cake with carmel ice cream, root beer float, grilled angel food cake with balsamic strawberries and whipped cream, seasonal cobbler ala mode or ice cream ala mode.

It came down to the cobbler and the grilled angel food cake.  We decided to go with the apple cobbler and it was the best choice we made!  It was SO good.

The apples had a nice flavor of cinnamon and nutmeg and the crust was nice and flakey and not doughy and the vanilla bean ice cream complimented the spices in the cobbler.






We enjoyed our dinner as much as we enjoyed our visit.

It's always a blast getting together with friends and getting caught up on the "what's going on" in our lives.

I had just gotten back from Texas and told Sherry all about the fun Chrisie and I had on the trip and she told me about her mom's visit to Arizona.

We did wind up being the last one's out of TK's

Good food, good friends.....who could ask for more?

Dining with one’s friends and beloved family is certainly one of life’s primal and most innocent delights, one that is both soul-satisfying and eternal. --Julia Child

SSSSSSSSSMOKIN' !!!!

 

I happen to be going through some messages on Twitter and saw a message about a cooking class at Distrito, at the Saguaro Hotel.

When I clicked on the link the class was about smoking meat. Hhmm....  It made mention that you would be taught how to smoke meat, how to make a rub and how to make beer can chicken.  I had no plans for that Sunday ~ so....why not!  I asked my friend Stephanie if she had plans and told her about the class and she was excited at the opportunity!  Woohoo!!





We learned in class that for smoking meat, the right type of charcoal is needed.  Chef Michael recommends using pure 100% hardwood as shown here by Chef Ken.

People will have different opinions on what type of charcoal to use, but mesquite or hickory are the most popular.  But Chef Michael mentioned that Ono from Hawaii (which is all natural) and Binchotan from Japan (white oak) are also great as they are not pressed from other woods.





The first thing Chef Michael showed us was how to make the beer can chicken.  He used a 4 pound free range chicken, rinse the chicken and then make sure to pat it dry.  This is VERY important to get the skin crispy.

Then Chef salted the chicken - all over and let the chicken sit while he showed us how to make the Adobo bbq spice rub and this allows time for the salt to sit and pull the moisture out of the chicken so the rub will stick.





While the chicken was waiting in the wings, (lmao!! ~ sorry fowl humor!!)  Chef Michael then combined all the ingredients needed for the Adobo rub.  He mixed it all up to make sure it was done well.  Once that was completed, he generously coated the chicken with the mixture.

Make sure the chicken is coated well.  He mentioned that you also want to make sure that you coat the inside too and to shake off any excess.




He then took a beer can and poured out half (usually he would drink it but since he was teaching he didn't feel right about it) and took some sliced lemon and oranges and put in the beer can.

Once that task was done Chef brought the chicken back so he could place the chicken on the can or is it the can in the chicken??  lol

I'll let you decide......

You'll let the chicken with the rub set for about 30 minutes before you put it on the grill.

One tip that Chef told us was that you'll want to make sure you tuck the wings into the neck.  The reason ~ it's one of the ways you can tell that the chicken is done.....the wings will pop out.  Make sure that the chicken and can are secure.

Cooking time for your chicken will depend on how many pounds but Chef recommends not going larger than 4 pounds and figure about 20 minutes a pound at 375 degrees.

                                                                               

One of the things that Chef Michael told us is that when you light your grill, you want to make sure that the center burner is off.  Only use the side ones.  Or if you are using charcoal ~ make sure the charcoal is on one side. 

You will place the chicken on either the non-charcoal side or the burner that is off.  

Here you can see Chef Ken placing the new bird on the grill as Chef Michael brings in the bird that is done.



You can see from the picture below that the wings have popped.  Oh...and don't worry about the color of the skin.  It's not burnt (cause that was my first thought).
It's from the rub and the caramelization of the sugar. (cause I don't like burnt food~and it wasn't)

Let me tell you what, when Chef brought the chicken in, I swear people were going to attack it.

That chicken smelled SO good.  And it was steaming hot!

Chef let the chicken rest for about 15 minutes before he removed the can.  Then he carved the chicken, though the meat practically fell right off and served it to us.



We were all enjoying the aroma of the sliced chicken and you could smell the adobo rub and it was amazing.

The chicken was SO tender, moist and SO flavorful.   And the skin, he just chopped up to sprinkle on top of the chicken for that added crunch texture.

I have NEVER had beer can chicken before and let me just say (per my notes for the blog -sorry in advance if I offend anyone) OMFG!!!  FIRST TIME AND LOVED IT!!





While we all chatted about the chicken and sipped on our margarita's. Chef was chatting along with us while cleaning his station to move to the next course.

From chicken we moved onto ribs.  For this Chef Michael used Tenderbelly (brand) ribs -which are Berkshire hogs.

The Berkshire breed is the most purest of breeds dating back almost 200 years and was discovered almost 100 years before that in the shire of Berks in England.





Chef also mentioned other breeds that are excellent such as Hampshire and American Yorkshire as they are higher in fat content and are very tender.

Chef started prepping the ribs by turning it over to remove the "pellicle" or membrane.  He showed us a simple way of doing that.  To score it down the middle length wise and then slide the tip of your knife underneath the pellicle to loosen.  Once you get a piece, use a kitchen towel to grip and peel off. Then turn it around and do the same to the bottom half.




Once that task was completed Chef salted the ribs and then pressed the rub into it.  He used bbq rub on the ribs ~ sadly we didn't we receive the recipe for this as it was the house blend.

Chef mentioned that if you don't have a smoker and are using a grill to make sure you leave the center burner off as you did with the chicken and place a foil packet of wood chips on one of the lit burner.

Use any chips that you desire.  The blend that was used was 40% hickory, 40% mesquite and 20% apple.

To the left you can see the ribs that Chef just got done putting love into and the two ribs to the right are the ribs that Chef Ken had just brought in.

And let me tell you, the aroma from the ribs were mouthwatering!!!  They smelled SO good!

While he let those rest, he was working on another set of ribs that he was going to cook in a different way, though the prep for it was the same that I mentioned above.






The difference with this one is that it is double foil wrapped making a pouch to add beer to it.  Make sure the top is secure and one of the ends are closed to pour in the beer.

Doesn't matter what kind of beer but for this cooking class he used Kilt Lifter Ale.  Once the beer is added make sure to seal tightly and place on the rack over the "off" burner for about 3 hours.

I'm sure you can imagine what those ribs smelled like when Chef opened the foil as the steam came out. OMG!!!

Chef Michael took the foiled ribs out of it's pouch and transferred it into the pan and poured the beer au jus over it while it cooled down a bit.

We were all focused on watching as Chef Michael and Chef Ken as they carved into the dry ribs.  And by dry I mean, no wet sauce.

What we didn't realize is that we were in for a treat.

Though we had two styles of ribs, we got THREE different takes on them.

We were served one of the ribs just as they were with the dry rub and then with the same dry rub ribs also drizzled bbq sauce on it.

And the foil cooked ribs were served as is.

Think the picture below says it all...it was terrible!!! LMAO!!!  IT WAS AWESOME!!!

What surprised me and I'm sure a few others was that Chef Michael made two different styles of ribs but by adding bbq sauce to the dry rubbed one ~ changed the taste or rather added another layer of flavor to it.

It certainly left us wanting more.  It was all SO good!

And to think if that wasn't amazing enough, Chef then cleaned up his station for the next course!!

From ribs we move to brisket.

I personally have not cooked a brisket before so it was interesting to learn about it.  

Chef used a beef brisket that was about 12 pounds.  You need to start brisket the night before as it takes about 14 hours.  So what he prepared in class would be used the next evening.

Chef recommends that if your grill is small and the brisket is too large for the grill then to use your oven.  The reason for this is when you cut the muscle, it changes the texture of the meat.

I learned that there are 3 tiers or layers to a brisket.  The bottom, top and crown.

You cook with the fat side up and when you transfer the meet for serving, you put the fat side down.

I also learned that when you smoke meat, that once the meat temperature reaches 150 degrees it doesn't get any smokier.

Again if using a grill make sure the wood chips packs are on the "on" burner, leaving the center burner off. 

Chef Michael generously puts on the adobo spice rub.  I mean he put on a lot, massaging it and pressing into the meat.  Once he felt that there was enough on there (if that's even possible) he then cooks it for 14 hours or until the brisket reaches 170 degrees.

Once 170 degree temperature is achieved, you want to take gently take your brisket and place in double foil making a pouch like you did with the ribs.

You'll add two cups of water and seal the foil and place the brisket back on the grill for 2-4 hours or until the brisket reaches the temperature of 185 degrees.

Once the brisket is done, allow to rest for 2 hours and make sure to keep the juices from the meat.

Chef Michael recommends getting whole spices instead of pre-ground dried if you can, as the whole spices have a longer shelf life.

Once the meat had rested, Chef Ken taught us how to remove the fat cap from the brisket.

He told us that you put the fat cap placed towards you where you can scrape the fat with the grain of the meat ~ never scrape against the grain.

And that when you cut the brisket, you cut it against the grain...  it's more tender when you do.

After Chef Ken removed the fat, he turned it over and started slicing the brisket and Chef Michael jumped in to help.

While they were slicing, Chef talked to us about the "smoke ring".  Smoke rings are a good thing to have on your meat.  It shows that it's been done good.

Basically the smoke ring is the pink color that's just under the bark (the crust).






A good smoke ring is around 1/4 inch in thickness.
It's the water soaked wood chips that produces nitrogen dioxide loaded smoke.

As you can tell by the picture to the right, the smoke ring on THIS brisket ~ was PERFECT.  And when the plate was passed around Chef also passed a plate of the bbq sauce for those who wanted a little something extra - but it didn't need it.

The brisket was SO tender and moist and I think the best part of it was the bark.  It was like dessert ~ it was very, very YUMMY!!






After the brisket we couldn't imagine having anymore...well, ok maybe we did.  :)-

Chef Michael pulled out some green onions.  Ok-so those that know me, know I don't care for green onions.  But I watched and listened with great interest.

Chef took the green onions and drizzled them with olive oil and sprinkled salt on them and gave them to Chef Ken to grill.




While Chef Ken was keeping a watchful eye on the onions, Chef Michael was making the pipian rojo.  And the best part was he made it using a mortar and pestle.

You can use a food processor but using a mortar brings out the flavor in the spices.  Don't worry about the pipian sauce being a bit loose, as it sits or when you refrigerate it ~ it will thicken.

When the plate with the onions with cotija cheese sprinkled on top came around I was a bit hesitant but I grabbed one and tried it with the pipian sauce.
Umm.. Chef Michael ~ I LOVED IT!




I don't know if it was due to the onion being grilled or the sauce or perhaps both....but I would gladly have more!! (thank you Chef ;)   )

We thought that was the end of class as the pipian sauce was the last on the hand out BUT Chef Michael had one last treat for us.

He made us a coleslaw with cabbage, jicima and carrots. He whipped up the seasoning for the coleslaw and added it to the slaw.




He topped the coleslaw with a julienned granny smith apples and can I just say WOW.  I'm not a huge coleslaw fan but I LOVED how Chef Michael made this one.

I think it had to do with the fact that it didn't taste like vinegar.  It was smooth and refreshing and the apple added the perfect balance to the dish.

While we were finishing our slaw, Chef Michael had one last treat for us.

They had set up a station with the spices used in the adobo rub with mason like jars for us to be able to make our rubs to take home!

It was SO awesome and fun do to.  It made the class that much more memorable....not like you could forget Chef Michael or the team that assisted him ~ Chef Ken, Chef Nate and last but not certainly least Mateo.

Chef Michael, the class was amazing and thank you SO much for taking the time.  Hope you come back to teach another in the near future!

To the team ~ Chef Ken, Chef Nate and Mateo, thank you for your hard work and making sure we were all taken care of.

To The Saguaro Hotel and Distrito ~ Thank you for putting on an amazing class and I can't wait to take another one!




                            The secret to creativity is knowing how to hide your sauces. 
                             – Albert Einstein

New Class in Session ~ Bourbon 101

   

After having done the whirlwind Texas foodie trip and returning home on Saturday night ~ had to get rested for my bourbon class the next day.

This would be my second class with the Whisky Professor John Christie and I was looking forward to and excited to learn about bourbon.

I got to class a few minutes early.  The set up for class wasn't like the last time. They had changed things up a bit and we were having class on the couches.

I found a seat and got my area set up to take notes and check out what kind of bourbon we were going to be tasting.

I saw the display of bourbon's we were going to be tasting.  I only recognized two of them, though I've never tasted either.  Would be an interesting class I was sure.

As I was taking pictures, more people had arrived for the class including a co-worker Peter.  He found a spot next to me and was excited and ready for class.

We waited for a few more people to arrive and then John began class with a brief American Whisky history lesson.

In the early 1600's whisky traveled overseas and has found its home in Kentucky from Irish-Scottish immigrants.  Irish-Scottish immigrants from Pennsylvania traveled to Virginia as the United States expanded and they took their whisky making with them.

Whisky and other distilled spirits played an important role in the economy and culture of the American colonies and the early United States.





As early as 1657, a rum distillery was operating in Boston.

The Colonies cultivated wheat, corn and rye, though rye wasn't used much for food, the Irish-Scottish immigrants used it for making whisky.

Bourbon received its name due to two circumstances. The state of Virginia had a large amount of French immigrants.

Once Virginia and Kentucky became two different states the first Kentucky county took the name of the French royal family, Bourbon.






One of the settlers in Bourbon County, KY was Reverend Elijah Craig and he produced whisky and sent it to New Orleans.

Legend has it that Elijah experienced a fire while making his whisky and once the fire was extinguished all the barrels were left charred.  He decided to use the charred barrels.

Corn based whisky was clear when produced but when Elijah sent his first batch of clear whisky in the charred barrels to New Orleans, the clear liquid had a light carmel color and vanilla flavoring and Elijah named his new whisky, bourbon.

Whisky production has historically been a preferred way to convert surplus grains into a valuable commodity that is readily transportable and non-spoiling, dating back to the origins of whisky production in Ireland and Scotland.

The expansion of a corn belt in Kentucky and Ohio create an abundant supply.  There were no roads in the region and most transportaion was by packhorse.  It cost more to transport corn or grain than it could bring on the eastern markets, so farmers distilled it into "liquid assets" that could be easily shipped or bartered.

Practically every farmer made whisky and it became a way to trade.

When the British blockade prevented the importation of sugar and molasses, and disrupted the production of rum, whisky was increasingly used as a substitute to meet the demand for spirits in general and for provisions for the Continental Army.

The Whisky Rebellion was a tax protest in the United States beginning in 1791, during the presidency of George Washington.  Farmers who sold their grain in the form of whisky had to pay a new tax which they strongly resented.  The tax was part of treasury secretary Alexander Hamilton's program to pay off the national debt.

After serving as president, George Washington became probably the new federal union's largest whisky distiller.

Our first bourbon was Bulleit Bourbon aged  4-7 years.

Augustus Bulleit was born in Belgium. The Bulleit family emigrated from France in the 1700's.  Around 1830, Augustus Bulleit moved from New Orleans to Louisville, KY taking with him his talent for brandy making.  As a tavern keeper in Louisville, he began producing small batches of bourbon and continued to produce it during the 19th century.

In 1860, America was rapidly expanding westward and business was good for Augustus. That year, when he was transporting barrels of whisky from Kentucky back to his hometown of New Orleans, Augustus Bulleit died, though it is still unknown how and with him so did his legendary bourbon.

In 1987 his great-great-grandson, Tom Bulleit ~ returned to revive the family business.


For me the nose was spicy and sweet.  The taste for me had honey, vanilla and carmel tones.  The finish was short, didn't linger.  Was a bit spicy for my liking.

The five elements for making whisky are:

1) The grain
2) Water
3) Fermentation process
4) Maturation time
5) Distillation

For Bourbon to be legally called bourbon - the grain must be 51% corn, aged in new~charred oak barrels, distilled to no more than 160 proof and aged a minimum of 2 years.

Next we tasted Maker's Mark aged 6 - 7 years.

In 1954, T. William "Bill" Samuels, Sr., purchased Burk's distillery in Loretto, Kentucky and began production of Maker's Mark with a new grain formula, which eliminated rye, replacing it with red winter wheat as the grain.

The first bottle of Maker's Mark was bottled in 1958 and featured the brand's distinctive dipped red wax seal. It was four-fifths of a quart and sold for $6.79 a bottle and was available for purchase in 1959. The first case sold to Keeneland Racetrack in Lexington.

As for the name, Bill's wife Marjorie was a fan of fine pewter pieces, which were known for the mark their maker put on them ~hence Maker's Mark and to truly embrace the name created the SIV symbol for Samuels-4th generation, however Bill was actually the 6th generation. ~ lol

Maker's Mark is one of the few distillers to rotate the barrels from the upper to the lower levels of the aging warehouses during the aging process to even out the differences in temperature to ensure that the bourbon in all the barrels have the same quality and taste.

For me the nose was smooth (meaning didn't burn my nose -lol!!).  The taste for me had a light cinnamon spice but not too strong. The finish was warm and very pleasant.  I actually enjoyed it (FYI John Christie, you're creating a monster!!) 

During our tasting the Old Town Whisky guys brought out snacks for us.  I've never had duck-fat fries before but I could have eaten the container of them all by myself though I would have had to fight Peter for them!



They also brought out pickled cherry tomatoes with crostini and tater tots!  All very yummy!  Once we snacked a bit we moved to the next bourbon ~ Baker's 7 , 7 year old and 107 proof!

Baker's 7 is named after Baker Beam, the grand nephew of the Jim Beam.

The Beam name is legendary in bourbon, and just because of the heritage.  They family has dominated the world of Bourbon whisky, mostly as distillers and whisky craftsman.

Johannes "Jacob" Beam (1770-1834) of Pennsylvania (the family name Boehm was changed to Beam after emigrating from Germany) started the Beam story in 1795 ~was said to have begun selling his own whisky.  Jacob brought one of his 12 children into the family business ~his son David Beam (1802-1854)


Two of David's 11 children, Joseph B Beam (1825-1912) and David M. Beam (1833-1913) also went into the family trade as did many of their progeny.  Two of David M's sons, Colonel James Beauregard "Jim" Beam (1864-1947) and William Parker "Park" Beam (1868-1949)
** Baker Beam's father ** went into the trade and, post-prohibition, it was they who established the modern Beam dynasty.

Then Jim Beam had one of his son's that entered the trade, T. Jeremiah "Jere" ~ pronounced Jerry (1899-1977)  and one of his daughters, Margaret, married Frederick Booker Noe and their son Fredrick Booker Noe II (1929-2004) joined the family trade.  He, in turn was succeeded by his son Fredrick Booker Noe III (1957 -present) who still produces whisky at Jim Beam. (whew ~ a lot of history, but so cool!!!)



For me the nose was super spicy.  The taste for me had a cinnamon and nutmeg taste -actually reminded me of a cinnamon disk candy.  The finish was a long cinnamon linger.  Wasn't too bad.

We then moved to Bulleit Rye aged 4 - 7 years.

In 1997 the Bulleit brand name was bought by Seagram, and began being distilled in Lawrenceburg, KY.  The brand was introduced to U.S. markets in 1999, and to Australia, UK and Germany in 2000.  Bulleit Rye was introduced in 2011 with a mash bill of 95% rye and 5% malted barley and is only available in the U.S.

For me the nose reminded me of pumpkin pie spice.  The taste was spicy on the tongue but the finish was smooth and subtle.

Small Batch ~
There's no real legal definition for "small batch" but essentially it means that a distillery uses fewer barrels to make a bottling.  Still this could mean that a distillery culled (mingled, mixed) the choice stuff from 4 barrels or 4,000.

Single Barrel ~
A single barrel bottling is made from one barrel and bottled without mingling the bourbon with any other barrels.  Single barrel bottling can be different from barrel to barrel, as each barrel offers different flavors depending on where it was stored in the warehouse and a variety of other characteristics, such as age and natural differences in the wood.

Bottled in Bond ~
Back in the day, a bottler might label a whisky as 100 proof and the whisky might actually be less.  The coloring might even have been tainted with iodine to give the false impression of aging.  The federal regulators stepped in to protect the consumer from fraud with the Bottled in Bond Act of 1897.

A labeling term "bottled in bond" (BIB) was created to guarantee that the whisky was at least four years old, made by one distiller, and a bona fide 100 proof.  Whisky designated as "bottled in bond" was stored in rickhouses (warehouses) considered "bonded" by the government. These storage units were under lock and key by federal agents to guarantee no one had tampered with the whisky.




The last bourbon we tried was the Jack Daniel's Single Barrel minimum of 4 years old.  The bottling for Jack's Single Barrel started in 2001.

No one really knows when Jasper Newton "Jack" Daniel was born due to the courthouse fire and birth records were destroyed, but there is speculation he was born in 1846.  And there is argument of when distillery was founded.  Some say 1866 and some say 1875.

Jack was one of thirteen children.  Jack's grandfather, Joseph "Job" Daniel emigrated from Wales as did his Scottish wife.  He was of Welsh, Scottish, English and Scots-Irish descent.

Jack never married and did not have any children and before he died in 1911, he took his favorite nephew Lem Motlow under his wing.


Lem was very skilled with numbers and was soon doing the bookkeeping for the distillery.  In 1907, due to his failing health, Jack gave the distillery to Motlow, who then bequeathed it to his children upon his death in 1947.

In 1956, the Jack Daniel's Distillery was sold to Brown Forman Beverage Worldwide, Inc.  The company realized that the special formula of Jack Daniel's included the people of Lynchburg as well as the product.  The old adage "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" resembled the working philosophy of Jack Daniel himself and the company has prospered.

Jeff Arnett , an employee since 2001, back the master distiller in 2008 and is the 7th person to hold the position in the distillery's 143 years.  His predecessor, Jimmy Bedford, held it for 20 years.




For me the nose was smooth with a bit of smokiness. The taste for me had a cinnamon and rockcandy like taste -just that perfect mix of a bit of spice and hint of sweet.  The finish was really, really nice.  I found myself actually wanting more of this. (Yikes!)

We ended class with John making us a cocktail with Maker's Mark ~ the Commodore.  Has Maker's Mark, lime juice, simple syrup, orange bitters.  It's shaken and served in a mescal rinsed glass.

This was a nice refreshing cocktail.  Has a nice citrus smell and the taste actually reminded me of a light orangina ~good with a bbq!







OH!!!  Did I mention that you can win a gift certificate if you do well on the test?  That's what John is doing, grading our tests.

This was my second class attendance and I loved it just as much as the first!  If you've never been to one you should go.   It's certainly interesting if you're a newbie and even if you're not, John takes the time to make it a personal experience which I LOVE about him.

Looking forward to the next class!







                                      When we drink, we get drunk.
                                      When we get drunk, we fall asleep.
                                      When we are asleep, we commit no sin.
                                      When we commit no sin, we go to heaven.
                                      So, let's all get drunk and go to heaven!

                                      --Old Irish toast