Whiskey and Rye

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y0Y_XRiJsCI

I never understood the line in American Pie when Don McLean sang, “And the good ole boys will be drinking whiskey and rye”.

After all, as a kid I had no idea there was such a thing as rye whiskey and when I grew up and started drinking/guzzling the stuff, I didn’t understand why people would drink whiskey AND rye when rye is a form of whiskey.

According to Rock Genius, however, the lyrics are commonly misunderstood and McLean’s song actually refers to people drinking in a town called Rye.

So there you go.

That’ll change your next karaoke night.

Yet it turns out you can now buy whiskey and rye – or, more specifically, Wild Turkey Forgiven, which is a blend of bourbon whiskey and rye whiskey.

By this stage you might be thinking this post is a shameless plug for Forgiven – and you’d be right. I called them up, begged them for a bottle, and am now peddling this story because I’m too cheap to fork out the cash in a store. That’s the kind of guy I am.

In my defence, however, I get sent other bottles from companies and never write about them because – well, because I’m a bastard and don’t like feeling like a prostitute. But I do like Forgiven enough to throw my sweet honky ass on the street and say it’s not a bad drop. Not bad at all.

Wild Turkey claims the drink was a lucky accident and that someone in the distillery mistakenly blended six-year-old bourbon with four-year-old rye. Some say the story reeks of a marketing gimmick while others say it’s true – either way, I’m enjoying my Forgiven. The mix of rye to bourbon in Forgiven is 22 / 78 – and while the spicy rye taste really comes through, the bourbon adds sweetness and softens the kick (although at 45.5 % alcohol this is still strong enough to slap you around).

I’ve tried Forgiven in Sazeracs, in an Old Fashioned, I’ve drunk it straight and if I had enough of it I’d bathe in it.

If you want it then it has an RRP of $90 but is only available in limited quantities – to find out more, check out the Wild Turkey Facebook page.

Ok, I think I’ve peddled myself enough for one day.

Here’s a picture of my cat:

I know. He’s a sexy bastard.