Thursday, June 14, 2007

There's always another contender

Right after I had submitted a story on the rye whisky rebound to the English magazine Whisky, something happened that totally changed my mind on which was the best. I had a birthday.

Not a remarkable occurrence in itself, since it seems to happen about once a year or so. The difference this year was that my wife surprised me with a bottle of an elusive distillation, Black Maple Hill 23-year-old Straight Rye Whiskey.

It is, without doubt, the finest rye I've ever experienced. From a Bardstown, KY, distiller, owned by CVI Brands of San Rafael, CA, this hand-barreled gem comes in at 95 proof. It is like the perfect woman: stunning at first, then surprising in depth and allure. My gift-giving wife didn't even object to this sexist description, that's how good the rye is.

I immediately dashed off a "Stop the presses!" e-mail to the magazine editor, along with an insert for the story and an addition for the tasting notes accompanying it. For an advance look at those tastings notes, go here.

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