Friday, August 31, 2007

Whiskey River

Whiskey River take my mind.
Don't let her mem'ry torture me.
Whiskey River don't run dry.
You're all I got take care of me.

Yes, that is perhaps the ultimate Willie Nelson song.

I learned to drink beer so long ago that I hate to think about it. Olympia (do they still make that crap?), Schlitz, Falstaff, Miller, Bud, Bush, Coors.

I had drank wine and some mixed drinks. For a time rum and coke were what I craved. Haven't tasted one in nearly two decades.

Along the way through my life I tasted Irish and Scotch whiskeys and decided that they were for me. Scotch more than Irish. The flavor was more rich and complex.

Yes, I've used whiskey for analgesia. When Vicodin didn't ease the pain after surgery Scotch did.

I'd avoided bourbon. To me bourbon was the foul-tasting stuff I sometimes mistook for soda in a glass that tasted worse than medicine. Bourbon balls were different, but just barely.

The move to Texas has prompted me to explore more whiskeys than just Irish and Scotch.

So far I've tasted Jack Daniels, a Tennessee bourbon and Bulleit, a Kentucky bourbon. I've also tasted Crown Royal. The Canadian whiskey on the rocks seemed light, almost tasteless. I prefer richer flavors.

Jack Daniels is OK. I'm trying to decide if I prefer Kentucky to Tennessee method. Kentucky is limestone filtered, Tennessee is charcoal filtered. There are some complex differences between the two I tried.

The flavor is not as bad as I recall. There are rich flavors that rival those I find in Scotch. I think I'll be exploring these for a time.

Tomorrow I should be trying my father's brand, Jim Beam.

NOTE: Alcohol and gunpowder do not mix. I will not touch a gun or gun part when drinking. When touching guns or gun parts I do not drink. Even though I do not drink past a certain warm feeling I know that my judgement is impaired and I could ease up on my safety discipline.
I've already had one negligent discharge in my life. I was young. I was stupid. No one got hurt. I want that to be the only one for the rest of my life.

6 comments:

the pistolero said...

While we're talking beer, and since you're in Texas, you need to get your hands on some good ole Shiner Bock. I don't know what you think of dark beers, but as far as they go, it's hard to beat. It's my favorite, light or dark.
And my favorite Willie Nelson cover song is "Stay A Little Longer." It can be found on both the Willie And Family Live 2-cd set and Greatest Hits (And Some That Will Be). There's a second great cover of "Whiskey River" on the Willie And Family Live set, too.

Hyunchback said...

I have tried, and enjoy, Shiner Bock. I'm not as impressed with their other variations but the Bock is a smooth drinking, full flavored beer. Far, far superior to Lonestar.

I had asked Lemuel Calhoon for input on the subject of Texas beers some time back and the recommendation for Shiner Bock was right on the money.

I may have to see about getting the Willie and Family Live set.

What do you think of the duet Willie and Toby Kieth did, "Beer For My Horses"?

Hyunchback said...

The version of "Stay A Little Longer" you mentioned is wonderful!

Did you ever hear the version done by Asleep At The Wheel on their "Ride With Bob" cover album? It's labeled as "Stay All Night" but at root the two are the same song.

the pistolero said...

Did you ever hear the version done by Asleep At The Wheel on their "Ride With Bob" cover album? It's labeled as "Stay All Night" but at root the two are the same song.
Yes! That entire cd is just awesome; I loved Chesnutt & AATW's take on that song, as well as the Dixie Chicks' cover of "Roly Poly." As for the Willie & Toby duet, I'll be honest, I could take that one or leave it. I never was a big Toby Keith fan, and that didn't have so much to do with his politics as with his music. Songs like "How Do You Like Me Now" and "I Wanna Talk About Me" just aren't my cup of tea, though I do like "I Love This Bar."

Hyunchback said...

While I grew up listening to the more traditional sounds I've had exposure to a very wide variety of sound.

I consider the sounds of Trace Adkins and Toby Keith to be "new country". Some of the people who are sold as part of that genre harken back to the older sounds, though. Josh Turner's "Me And God" sounds like solid gospel. His covers of Jim Croce tunes are decent, too.

the pistolero said...

While I grew up listening to the more traditional sounds I've had exposure to a very wide variety of sound
As have I, and I like a good bit of the new country, but my preference is for the older stuff like Merle Haggard, George Jones and Buck Owens. Which is pretty ironic, because most of it came out either before I was born or when I was too young to understand it. I do like Josh Turner, as well as Billy Currington and Dierks Bentley.

 

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