Too Much Football to Handle

Pretty unbelievable games yesterday.  First, Oklahoma didn't exactly whip the buckskins off the Mountaineers like I thought they would.  Second, OREGON LOST?!  AND BAYLOR BEAT FREAKING KANSAS STATE?????  Two years ago, Baylor couldn't beat their own practice squad, but now here they are knocking off the no. 1 team in the country.  So many questions: I haven't broken down the OU tape yet, the new BCS standings haven't come out yet, and there are so many questions to be answered about where these teams are headed, viz., whether Baylor will now play the role of spoiler similar to what Tech had done in the last decade in the Big XII.

Wow.  What a Saturday.

I would like to sign off by reiterating my contention that friends don't schedule friends for parties during big games, but not everyone popped out of the womb blessed with Solomonic wisdom.

Bird in Hand: Pappy Van Winkle 15-year

And of all these things, the Albino whale was the symbol.  Would ye then wonder at the fiery hunt?

Pappy van Winkle whiskey is the white whale for nigh all whiskey connoisseurs.  Like any other commodity, supply and demand determine availability (and price).  And in a vicious cycle, like any luxury good, demand is exacerbated by the scarce supply.  Van Winkle releases between 6 and 7 thousand cases of whiskey every year.  That sounds like a great many, until you compare it to, say, Maker's 46--Maker's Mark's new product line--which releases 25,000 cases per year.  Note that that is four times as many cases per year.  Moreover, for whatever reason, this does not have the cult following that Van Winkle does.  So between the extreme cult following that it has obtained and the absurdly low production numbers (much appreciated for its quality control), it's a mighty tough bird to flush up.

And I have obtained a bottle.  It has yet to be opened.  

But I am excited about it, for I have sampled this whiskey before.  I have never tasted any so smooth yet full of character.  It's remarkably balanced.  Allegedly, its mashbill is very similar to Maker's Mark, deriving its sweetness from its high wheat content, and its heft and mellowness from its unhurried, slow stroll through 15 seasons of Kentucky's snow and sun.  Once you taste it, its devotees suddenly appear sane and rational.  "Of course their unrelenting fervor," you reason to yourself, "makes perfect sense."

And Thursday, I drove in the gray while after whiskey's white whale and brought it in.  Look for an update once the bottle is opened.