I was reading about new whiskeys — Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Honey Cask Strength, Jim Beam’s Double Oak 13 Year, a few others. They’re all real, all released quietly, no fanfare, just bottles showing up on shelves in Kentucky, Texas, Oakland.
None of them are miracles. None undo the fact that whiskey takes years to become what it is — and most people still drink it too fast, with too much ice, or mixed with something that murders the nose.
I tried the Beam Double Oak last week at a bar in West Oakland. Good. Not holy. Just honest wood and time doing its job. The bartender said it’s selling well. I said nothing. Just nodded and stirred my water.
