Not only is my son Ryan interested in cooking on his multiple Traeger Grills, but he is also a whiskey/bourbon connoisseur - and for the record, not a big drinker, and he likes a "taste" now and again. Last summer, we visited two Kentucky distilleries, Buffalo Trace (famous since the 1800s) and Woodford Reserve (sponsor of the Kentucky Derby). He and I, along with Hubby Bill, enjoyed learning about the process of making bourbon and other whiskeys in Frankfort, KY.
What we learned and remember: all bourbon is whiskey, but not all whiskey is bourbon. The Kentucky creed! HaHa!
So, when a local liquor store (Note: Maryland is one of only four states in the United States that doesn't allow the sale of beer, and one of only 11 that doesn't allow the sale of wine, in supermarkets, according to the Food Industry Association) was having a raffle to raise funds for three different Humane Societies in our county/state of Maryland, Ryan was all in. He bought raffle tickets on three separate occasions for the possibility of purchasing one of the 25 allocated bottles of liquor they had in the raffle. An allocated bourbon is any bourbon that a retailer, bar, or restaurant has only been given a limited quantity to sell. Some classic allocated bourbons include Pappy Van Winkle or W.L. Weller.
If you have a Pappy Van Winkle in your bar cabinet, man, you are lucky too! Pappy is nowhere to be found (or at least that's what Ryan says)!
When Ryan got the call that he was a winner in purchasing one of the allocated bottles, he was thrilled. He told me he wouldn't open it any time soon as he is saving it for a special celebration. Plus, he later told us Angel's Share Wine & Spirits raised over $18,000 for those Humane Societies. Those dogs and cats are winners too!
bSoleille!
Terri