Ken Gargett

good news. rob is heading home. could be a slow trip.

best of luck. i hope it works out exactly how you want it to.

could it be as simple as that they have a couple of printing machines and one has the wonky 'i' and one does not?

another of those lists. they have talked to somms etc, to compile it. The Best High-Roller Bourbon Contributed by Liquor.com Posted on Nov 29, 2018 You know who knows best which bottles to buy? The people who pour and sell drinks—that’s who. We asked dozens of top bartending and spirits industry professionals to tell us which bottles they love and why. Heads up: The numerical order below is not organized by importance or quality; it’s an alphabetical list, not a ranking. Prices are averages and can vary from state to state. 1: Blanton’s ($70) “For true bourbon lovers, this is the first mass-produced single-barrel bourbon—vanilla, caramel, tobacco and toffee notes and a dry, medium finish. Collect all of the Blanton’s horse corks. They spell out “Blanton’s” and depict the horse and jockey in eight different scenes of a horse race.”—Jung Park, founder of Philadelphia's Cocktail Culture Co. Advertisement 2: Booker’s ($74) “It’s ready when it’s ready, and if you don’t like it, go kick rocks. This is one of the whiskeys that aren’t watered down for flavor. Raw, uncut and unfiltered, this bourbon is bad to the bone. You have to add a splash of water to it, though—whatever your desired amount is.”—Park 3: E.H. Taylor Jr. Small Batch ($60) “This bourbon will never let you down—a real crowd-pleaser. Coming out of the Buffalo Trace distillery and bottled in bond at 100 proof, it drinks super easy and is loaded with toasted vanilla bean, caramel, creamed corn and a nice oaky spice to back things up. No regrets here.”—Jordan Joseph, bar manager at Raleigh, N.C.'s Centro and Gallo Pelón 4: Elijah Craig Barrel Proof ($90) “Wow, this is the ‘smelling salts’ of bourbon.”—Adam Fortuna, assistant general manager and sommelier at Grand Rapids, Mich.'s Reserve Wine & Food 5: Four Roses Elliott's Select ($350) “I wish there was more of this to go around. It’s one of the best special releases from Four Roses in recent memory.”—Fortuna 6: George T. Stagg ($750) “Why buy Pappy Van Winkle when you can get high-proof, beautiful and flavourful beyond belief.”—Nathaniel David Smith, bartender at St. Paul, Minn.'s Hodges Bend and ambassador for Teeling Irish whiskey 7: Hillrock Solera Aged ($90) “The regular is fantastic, and the cabernet finish is like a Manhattan cocktail all unto itself.”—Patrick Marran, bartender at New York City's On the Rocks 8: Hudson Baby ($52) “This one is so unique because of its copper-still nuances. There’s a sharp finish on the palate indicative of rye.”—Lucinda Sterling, managing partner and bartender at New York City's Middle Branch 9: Jack Daniel’s Sinatra Select ($170) “A whiskey made to honor Old Blue Eyes, this whiskey takes the familiar lovely taste of Jack Daniel’s No. 7 to another level of richness.”—Cari Hah, bar manager at Los Angeles' Big Bar 10: Jefferson’s Ocean ($85) “Any of the Voyages you can get your hands on are worth comparing back-to-back with your home bourbon just because of how Jefferson’s is exploring the ways to age and utilize the barrel itself in the whiskey flavor.”—Marran 11: Knob Creek Single Barrel Reserve ($52) “I'm always surprised by how much I enjoy this whiskey.”—Fortuna 12: Murray Hill Club ($100) “It’s a blend of whiskeys from nine to 18 years old. The packaging is gorgeous, and the whiskey inside is delicious with good viscosity—a trait that I look for and love in my bourbon. I've yet to be disappointed with any bottle coming from this distillery.”—Jamie Boudreau, owner of and bartender at Seattle's Canon 13: Noah's Mill ($55) “Drinking this muscular 114-proof bourbon is like your granny's pecan pie rising up to smack your palate into deliriously happy submission. This spicy blend of whiskeys from four to 20 years old marries dried fruits and nuts beautifully, with just a hint of gingerbread and cut grass to remind you of the rye in the mash bill.”—Joaquín Simó, partner at New York City's Pouring Ribbons 14: Old Forester 1920 Prohibition Style ($69) “High proof, with distinct rich flavors, it can be sipped with a drop or two of water. Or try it in a Manhattan, with a deep sweet vermouth, such as Punt e Mes.”—Mike Strohm, lead bartender at Kansas City, Mo.'s The W 15: Old Forester 2017 Birthday ($450) “It’s one of the best expressions of Birthday bourbon—smooth and lots of flavor.”—Jose Medina Camacho, bar manager at Birmingham, Ala.'s Marble Ring 16: Old Weller Antique ($100) “It has all the richness of other wheated bourbons but with that extra bit of alcohol.”—Fortuna 17: Pappy Van Winkle's Family Reserve 15 Year ($1,500) “This one is so rarely available, and if it is, its pricey. Notes of caramel and a peppery nose might make this a good fireside chat.”—Sterling 18: Parker’s Heritage Collection ($400) “Everything a bourbon should be, it has notes of buttered popcorn, vanilla cream and charred oak, with a gentle smokiness, and finishes with rich red fruit.”—Brian Means, bartender at San Francisco's Pacific Cocktail Haven 19: Stagg Jr. ($90) “The kid brother to the legendarily hard-to-source overproof kingpin of the Antique Collection, this one proves that younger siblings are not to be ignored. Usually clocking in well over 130 proof, this spice bomb is somehow perfectly sippable even neat. Cigar box, cherry pie and vanilla all round out gorgeously integrated oak and varnish notes.”—Simó 20: Vintage Bourbon 17 Year ($950) “This bourbon is everything an older bourbon should be—rich, deep, warm and yet not overly oaked.”—Hah 21: Wild Turkey Decades ($140) “Everything is perfect about this bourbon. Nose, flavor, mouthfeel—all of it is exquisite.”—Hah 22: Wild Turkey Rare Breed ($54) “This cask-strength bourbon shows a surprisingly elegant side to Wild Turkey. Toasty pecans, orange madeleines, black pepper and tobacco notes display an extraordinary integration of oak and grain in this masterful blend of bourbons aged between six and 12 years.”—Simó 23: Woodford Double Oaked ($57) “It’s a scotch drinker's bourbon—a nice and toasty, strong woody kick.”—Marran

agree. i'd certainly try it (i'm sure i have drunk way worse). not sure i'd pay to drink it, though.

great effort to win it for sure. i used to be a huge tiger fan in the past but i thought he proved himself too much of a grub and i found that so disappointing. no doubting his talent and congrats for a great victory, but him winning does nothing for me.

i am no fan of politicians of any stripe but i did like the farewell speech of one C pyne. while all the other tossers told of humble beginnings and their rise despite the overwhelming odds they faced (what a monstrous load of tosh - the worst most of them ever faced was the risk of not getting pre-selection), pyne got up and said that he was unable to come up with his own log cabin background, but he had known hardship. on one occasion at parliament house, he'd been forced to slice his own lime for his G&T.

absolute tragedy. hopeful not too much lost and that they can rebuild. visited many times, although only ever went inside on one occasion, many many years ago. on the family holiday and we were in paris around christmas/new year. wandering around inside the cathedral, i saw people all lighting candles. so i lit a candle. my knowledge of religion is minimal, to put it nicely, and i had no idea one was suppose to pay to light the candle (still beyond me why one does that) but the look-could-kill i got from some "official" was enough to tell me i had somehow transgressed. so i scurried out with someone yelling at me to cough up. for a candle that i could not even take with me? not likely. mentioned this to my mother when we were all outside. she is reasonably religious (CofE) but was brought up in a house where catholics were considered on a level lower than toe fungus. she was not too bad about that stuff but my grandmother was immovable (folau could have added catholics to his list and that still would not have been good enough for grandma). i was so oblivious to all that, that i did not even twig that this was a catholic cathedral, and nor could i have cared less. but mum was truly mortified i'd lit a candle. that was my eternal soul gone. have always remembered the old place fondly. but never been game to set foot inside again (too worried there might be 'wanted' posters on the walls inside). hoping for the best for it.

shame! that is not camping! mind you, this was my tent the past time i went camping. second time i have stayed there - fabulous. that said, this time, they had banned smoking in the hot tub outside. the bathroom is behind the bed. the hot tub. it is sort of camping.

where on earth are you? perfect day here. i think you are in the backyard and have set up a hose to make it look tough. but seriously, you have gone camping and taken door mats. not one but three. that is mortifying. who even thinks of that? i'm lucky if i remember the tent. you are the kardashians of camping.

many many years ago, we went on a family camping/motel holiday up and down the east coast. mostly motels but a few nights camping. my uncle, who was always a car nut (had a collection of old vintage cars including several rollers, the first from back in the 1920s which he found half buried in a banana plantation and which cost him five quid plus the cost of getting it back to brizzy - family still has it). he had the second range rover to ever arrive in australia - i did say many years ago. he lent it to dad for the trip as his car had an issue. dad knew no more about cars than i do. in other words, absolutely zero. i remember the fuss when we pulled into a campground. within minutes, surrounded by almost everyone in the ground. no one had ever seen such a car before. all the blokes asking dad questions (they may as well have been speaking japanese). they all wanted him to open the hood. i'm not sure he actually knew how. we were the rockstars of the campground, bathing in adoration and admiration. until we pulled out our tents. the good one was little more than a tarp to be tied between trees. the other was the little tee-pee we'd had as small children. adoration turned to humiliation and pity. every time. got so that as soon as we arrived in a campground, mum would go for a long walk. eventually, we'd wait until dark and try and put the 'tents' up. problem was that we were not good at doing it in daylight. no chance in the night. it was tail between the legs as we drove out the next morning, every time.

the ones that really get to me are the scrum injuries suffered by rugby forwards. seeing a young kid paralysed forever for playing a game he loves. too tragic to even think about.

many many years ago, when working in london, i got picked in the English Law Society cricket team. we were to play Oporto (all the old Brit winemakers, although their captain was a young Aussie). we were staying at the Oporto Royal Cricket and Lawn Tennis Club. brilliant place. so much fun. arriving from london and seeing sun, the first thing i needed was a drink. the second was a shower to wash the london grime off. there was a button/buzzer on the wall in the shower. could not work out what it was so of course, i pressed it. three minutes later, the door to the bathroom opens and a waiter asks for my drink order. i'm still under the shower! still one of my all time fave places.

still do. i posted it but i certainly could not bring myself to watch through it. strange that alex smith's injury apparently very similar and yet seemed so much more innocuous.

mind you, joe theisman is looking at that, going so what! what is sadly always forgotten about that is that the skins still went on to beat the giants. and even as a rusted-on skins fan for whom watching the cowgirls, giants, iggles sink without a trace is close to heaven, one had to admire taylor as one of the truly greatest of all time.