WILD WILD TURKEY (THE REAL TURKEY OF THE WEEK)

For someone who does not drink, I have been to a few breweries (Anheuser-Busch, Coors, and Miller) as well as distilleries (Jack Daniels, Jim Bean and Wild Turkey) more than an average drinker.  I enjoy learning about how products are manufactured and am facisnated with the operation of assembly lines.  During our recent road trip to Kentucky, I had a great time learning about the whisky legacy and how master distillers created their signature brand of bourbon.  There are six distilleries listed in the promotional brochure of the Kentucky Bourbon Trail.  We only had time to visit two - Jim Bean and Wild Turkey.    

Inside these giant gilos (above) are simple ingredients of wheat, corn and malted barley, add pure iron-free limestone spring water . . . mixed together in the tanks,   

produces 30,000 gallons in each tank - that is a lot of whisky to help drown a person' sorrow :)

42,000 gallons of beer well would help take away any pains or heartbreaks.  In the tasting room, I took a small sip of the bourbon and my upper lip stung for an hour!  I bought a small bag of Bourbon Praline pecans.  Even though the pecans had only natural bourbon flavor, I almost got drunk just eating a few - haa haa

Kentucky's finest bourbons aged in traditional white oak barrels from Michigan.  We were told that the minimum for the whisky aging process is 4 years.  Unlike people, whisky increases its value as it ages.  A 14-year old bottle costs about $50.  I hope my neighbors did not see that lately I have been spending time in the aisle of liquors at the supermarket!  Not sure if anyone would believe me when I tell them the reason I know so much about America's official native spirit only from touring the distilleries. 

I am starting a new category called "The Real Turkey" and this week's biggest turkey goes to the one that pandering to the women with big mouth and narrow views while our national security and world peace is being threaten.  The other turkeys are the replacement refs and the Seahawks.  Even if you are not football fans, you probably heard about the Packers v. Seahawks game on Monday night and the bizarre ending with the wrong call by replacement officials.  The worst thing was even after the replay clearly showed that the Seahawks never had full possession of the ball, the officials still confirmed that the call on the field stand.  When were the rules changed to putting your arms around the player who is holding the ball as full possession for the touchdown?  In my book, it was unsportmanship for the Seahawks to celebrate a victory that they knew they have gotten due to errors made by the refs.  Wasn't it like accepting the Nobel Peace Prize for doing nothing and knowing full well that you have not earned it?