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.