August Marked the 100th anniversary of the National Parks Service. While we’re a month late in celebrating it there’s never a bad time to celebrate what is, arguably, one of the nation’s greatest achievements. We love to travel and experience different places and the national parks, in my experience, always offer a great opportunity for exactly that.
Read moreWhy we love Old Crow and Thelonious Monk (and so should you)
I’m nursing a $6 glass of Old Crow on the rocks at the legendary Vesuvio Café in San Francisco. Today is labor day. Jazz is playing in the background behind layers of conversation and the crinkling folding paper of tourist maps.
Read moreEnjoy These Five Places In Virginia - Including Some to Celebrate Bourbon Heritage Month
In honor of Bourbon heritage month and by merit of the fact that we've been touring around different places in the Virginia (mostly Central Virginia) the last month or two it seemed like as good a time as any to layout our five favorite places to visit in that state.
Read moreHow to be a whiskey spy (Graham Greene's Our Man in Havana)
Everyone knows that the most important element of being a good spy is being a whiskey collector. Everyone does know that? Don’t they?
Read more5 Once-in-a-Lifetime Whiskey Experiences You Won't Want to Miss
What if there was a world of whiskey experiences to be had right under our noses, ready to be grabbed? What if one trip could load you up on stories to tell at your favorite bar
Of the hundreds of treks possible, here are a few to get you started in the unique, once-in-a-lifetime direction. Dust off that travel glass and get out there!
Read moreWhisky The New and the Old in Central Virginia (Visiting the VA Distillery Co.)
I’m sitting in a newly designed room in a picturesque little hollow whose only neighbor is the Jehovah’s Witness Kingdom Hall. Not the neighbors you would expect, necessarily, for a distillery but whisky itself has become a bit of a religion lately too.
Read moreI found myself in Portland for three days drinking local whiskey
The distillery scene feels new though built in an old industrial section of town. Batches are personal and won’t scale to Kentucky distribution levels for years if ever - one distillery, for example, was currently completely out of whiskey and another down to the last bottle. This is what small batch really looks like. Small batch also means creative and unique offerings – a value I admire and seek out.
Read moreDrinking Bourbon in DC; or Corn: a Torturous Love Story
The first time I remember tasting bourbon was less than a decade ago. I was at a party hosted by a colleague and her husband in an up-and-coming neighborhood within the DC city limits. My wife and I were living in a small studio in the upper reaches of the Georgetown neighborhood. She was away for a few weeks, somewhere in western Africa on behalf of Uncle Sam. These were exciting weekends. The apartment, being what it was at 500 square feet, was mine alone for a brief respite. I took these opportunities to explore and perhaps indulge a little more than I would otherwise.
Read moreEnough to keep from turning back
If you find yourself on one of those steamy summer days in central Virginia there is a world of possibilities for things to do. As many already know there is a booming craft beer industry that has cropped up in the area. All you have to do is head out to Route 151 in Nelson County to go touring many of the local beer and wine options. However, maybe beer or wine aren’t exactly what you’re looking for. Or maybe you have a group of people with you and you’re trying to find a variety of activities that will keep everyone occupied. Just keep driving. Charlottesville is not too far away and their downtown mall, among other things, has something to offer as well.
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