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June 2017 Pick of the Month: Wild Turkey 81

Each month, Flight Club selects a club-endorsed “Pick of the Month.”  The parameters on the Pick of the Month are (a) locally available in Wichita, Kansas (b) under $40 and (c) something believed to be a good value or limited availability at the moment.  We invite everyone (Club members or not) to break open a bottle and provide comment and feedback. 

WIld Turkey 81

This month we thought we would cater directly to the “believed to be a good value” criteria.   This bottle of Wild Turkey 81 is actually a 2015 Limited Edition label that happens to still be sitting on shelves around town.  However, one such location’s sale price, along with a mail-in-rebate attached to the bottles, makes this a prime candidate for “good value” whiskey.

At under $10 for a name brand, mid-shelf bourbon, we felt we had to give this one the spotlight.  This bottle offers a lower proof than its 101-proof brother, which may be more suited for those who desire strong flavors (straight or in a cocktail).  But, this bottle is palatable on its own, especially for a new bourbon drinker, and a good one to pick up to use for those cocktails where you (or the drinker) does not desire the whiskey-forward profile.   Continue reading “June 2017 Pick of the Month: Wild Turkey 81”

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New York Yankees Narrowly Escape Late Rally by the Wichita Wingnuts (This is actually about whiskey, I swear)

Wheat State

Wichita, Kansas, is the home of a professional, independent league baseball team known as the Wichita Wingnuts (Go Nuts!).  The team has been quite successful, winning multiple division titles and and a league championship in its short nine-year existence.  Locally, many are quite proud of their team. And for good reason.  They are a solid baseball team, filled with players with big dreams who all have much more talent and guts than I’ll ever have.

The New York Yankees is a household name across the United States.  Like them or not, there is no dispute as to their historic success, with 27 World Series titles to their name.  In today’s time, you can watch every single game (all 162 ), if you should choose.   With the Yankee’s pedigree and financial strength, the world can rightfully expect much from the Yankees, year in and year out.

The two teams are in totally different leagues, pun intended.  While a head-to-head competition would never occur, there is no doubt on who would prevail and it would not be as close as this article’s title would suggest.  If you were to judge quality of play, a Wichitan would never leave their house and would simply tune in on TV or online to watch the Yankees over heading out to a Wingnuts game.

With all that, why do people follow local baseball?

Continue reading “New York Yankees Narrowly Escape Late Rally by the Wichita Wingnuts (This is actually about whiskey, I swear)”

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Old Fitzgerald Bottled in Bond Revisit:  They Don’t Make Them Like They Used To.

Old Fitzgerald
Several months ago, Stephen Netherton landed upon a pretty dusty find here in Kansas.  Old Fitzgerald hasn’t been brought into the state in years, and finding the Bottled in Bond expression anywhere tends to be difficult.  That find led to a review, with some pretty tasty results.  Lucky for me, Stephen shared a pour with me shortly after his review.

Fast forward a few months.  While shopping online over my lunch hour, I stumbled upon a few 1.75 liter bottles of Old Fitzgerald Bottled in Bond located just outside of Chicago.  I’d been searching for months to no avail, but finally I had come upon it.  And only after working my way through the checkout process did I learn that they would not ship that particular item to Kansas.  After communicating this problem to fellow members, Jay Cary saved the day with a Chicago connection that was able to go into the score and buy a few for later export to Kansas.

Last week I twisted open that handle and had a pour.  I have to say I loved it.  It now stands as one of my favorite value pours.  At 100 proof, for me, it hits that mark where flavors are ideally concentrated without the overshadowing of proof.  However, this newer bottle certainly did not live up to my memory of the sample I tried from Stephen’s bottle.

Only a revisit of the older bottling next to the newer one would decide.  I shared a sample of the newer bottle with Stephen, and he shared a sample with me.

Continue reading “Old Fitzgerald Bottled in Bond Revisit:  They Don’t Make Them Like They Used To.”

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Michter’s Rye Review: 264 Years in the Making

Michter's

What’s in a name?  According to Michter’s, a lot.

Take a look at any current Michter’s branded whiskey bottle and you will find the phrase “Distilled in small batches according to the Michter’s pre-Revolutionary War quality standards dating back to 1753.”

Continue reading “Michter’s Rye Review: 264 Years in the Making”