Blanton's Single Barrel Bourbon

God must hate the prideful folks at the Buffalo Trace distillery. Why? Well, the bible says pride is bad. I think. So Buffalo Trace better get off their high horse before somebody smites them.

So what gives?

Buffalo Trace, which produces Blanton's single barrel bourbon, clearly makes a huge effort to show the world theirs is a truly exceptional bourbon. And rightly so.

First, as stated, this is a single barrel bourbon. The process is very difficult because the whiskey isn't blended with a group of barrels to mask small imperfections. Single barrels have to be perfect. And when it emerges all perfect-like, it's bottled in an amazing grenade of a bottle with a metal horse stopper.

Additionally, they've carried their bottle philosophy through to the lowly miniatures. And just when you thought they couldn't possibly care any more about their product, you open your mini and, for better or worse, a genuine cork shows up in your hand. THAT is how serious they are.

In April I spent a rather obscene amount of money at La Maison du Whisky, and picked out two minis as well, including a Blanton's single barrel for 11 Euros. As a thank-you, they gave me the two minis for free.

I was so excited about the Blanton's that I drank it in my hotel room (and brought the empty bottle home). It was strong on the nose but around the alcohol I detected sweet caramel and cherries.

In my mouth it was zingy, but the cherries were there again, dancing alongside almonds. The intensity grew in my mouth and it became spicy. It was sweet but strong.

The finish was a bit short, dry and nutty. Walnuts maybe.

A very limited supply of this showed up at the LCBO a few months ago and I kicked myself for not forking over the $75 before they all vanished. Luckily I got a second chance in Paris. Next time it shows up in the LCBO, it will not escape my clutches.

La Maison du Whisky: Free ($14 Cdn)
50 ml
46.5% (93 proof)

www.blantonsbourbon.com
www.buffalotrace.com

Glenfiddich 12 Year Special Reserve

Six years ago I had a very unfortunate start to my whisky journey when a neighbour gave me a bottle of scotch for Christmas. It was Glenfiddich 12 year old Special Reserve. I'll bet you're wondering why this is unfortunate.

When I tried it, I wasn't sure what to expect. On the nose I got a quick punch of pears. The pears were huge. There was also a bit of wood, and it reminded me slightly of wine. It was amazing, and I was expecting something fantastic.

The taste, sadly, didn't quite match. It started off nicely with a warm pear-like sweetness, then went a bit sour. Yup, it was starting its decent.

The finish could've been the salvation, but instead the Glenfiddich crashed and burned. The finish was so vile I had a hard time believing, or understanding how, the flavour could've changed so drastically. Basically, it tasted like sour beer. And I hate beer. So this was sort of a double-whammy, and my poor tongue was the punching bag.

Based on this experience I stupidly thought, "I must hate all scotch. I'm never drinking scotch again!"

Years passed, and during that time I stuck to bourbon. Whenever I was offered a scotch, I always turned it down. When I finally caved and tried another scotch, I was so shocked that I went out and bought my own bottle, essentially hitting "reset."

I've since read that Glenfiddich wasn't happy with the Special Reserve and has changed the flavour profile noticeably. People who claim they hated it now admit that they like it. Even still, I am reluctant to try it again. After all, I have that Glenfiddich 12 y.o. Special Reserve to thank for five wasted years!

Special Reserve is like buying a DeLorean that looks great. The fascia isn't warped and the dash isn't cracked... but once you drive it away you realize the frame has rotted from the inside out. Disaster!

Xmas gift
375ml
40% (80 proof)

www.Glenfiddich.com

D-Rex Will Crush Your Face

Six years ago DCS Chicago celebrated the 25th anniversary of the DeLorean. It was the first DCS show I'd ever attended. I've now been to 4 shows, and the awesomeness hasn't dwindled.

D-Rex, the monster truck DeLorean returned to DCS 2012, and this time I got to see and hear it driving. Sure, it's not a true PRV-powered DeLorean: it's a DeLorean body on top of a Chevy 4x4 chassis. But it's huge, it's loud, and it's awesome. Alongside Rich's D-Rex was his Limousine with six, count 'em, six gullwing doors.

In addition to these two, the DeLorean Motor Company had the new DMC EV on display. You know the one. It's been all over the internet. The interior is updated and includes door launch buttons! It will purportedly use a 400 volt AC induction liquid cooled electric motor producing 260 hp (194 kW) and 360 lb·ft (490 N·m) of torque providing 0-60 mph acceleration of 4.9 seconds. Would you pay $90,000 for one?

The DeLorean prototype, named Proto1, was back again and owner Tony Ierardi announced it would be changing hands. Additionally, five unique-engined DeLoreans included the stage III supercharger (5 psi), a carbureted version, a Corvette LS1 engine swap, an Acura TL 3.2L engine swap and a turbocharged Toyota Supra inline six (2JZ) engine swap.

Back to the Future stars like Jeffrey Weissman (George McFly), Andrew Probert (artist), Kevin Pike (F/X) and writer/producer Bob Gale also joined in the fun. Claudia Wells (Jennifer Parker) even remembered my name - Marty. Should I be impressed? As if that wasn't awesome enough, Don Fullilove aka Mayor Goldie Wilson made an awesome surprise visit, awesomely posing for photos and signing (awesome) autographs.

Awesome.

Finally, making a very special appearance was the only screen-used DeLorean in private hands. The Time Machine from Back to the Future III was on display and, not surprisingly, drew a crowd.

Despite (usually) being the only Canadians at the DCS shows, we always have a great time and have made a couple of very close friends. If you weren't at DCS Orlando, you missed an amazing time and should plan on attending DCS 2014 in Dayton, Ohio.

Oh and if you recall, I was going to talk to James Espey regarding the unusual spare tire I have. Unfortunately it completely slipped my mind. Maybe he'll drop by my blog again with an answer.


DCS 2010
DCS 2008 #1
DCS 2008 #2
DCS 2006 #1
DCS 2006 #2
DCS 2006 #3

Canada's Royal Visit: DMC Midwest

Our DeLorean club in Ontario consists of over 60 members, 20 of whom are highly involved. Ten years ago it was not this way. But things have changed, and finally the United States has noticed. On June 2, 2012 the crew from DeLorean Motor Company Midwest paid us a visit. June 2, 2012 was a very special day.

Dave & Julee and their entourage drove ten hours from Illinois to Toronto, then spent an entire day diagnosing and repairing problems with our cars. Helping them get through the workload was the staff of Toronto Brake, who graciously hosted garage duties.

Upon arriving, one of our members, trapped inside his car, required an emergency rescue. DMC Midwest's visit could not have been better timed. Some of the other work was bit more mundane, however. While some cars had their CO mixtures adjusted, others had new window motors installed, a/c units diagnosed and hydraulic clutch lines replaced.

I myself had my door alignment checked, a windshield wiper electrical repair and a stuck open window temporarily fixed (until I can pick up a new motor at DCS 2012 next week).

Later in the day the most exciting repair took place: a torsion bar adjustment! This unique process done with proprietary "home-made" tools drew a crowd of onlookers. In less time than it took to replace a pair of inner door seals, Jason and Mike had the drooping doors functioning perfectly.

This was the largest DeLorean event in Canadian history, with approximately 20 cars showing up, including Ken's Time Machine and a DMC-12 from Quebec. At the end of the day we went for dinner locally, inadvertently holding an impromptu car show in the parking lot. For the next couple of hours we relaxed, told stories, ate, drank, and basically shared each others good company. A perfect day.