Bunker & Hunker
We’re on day I don’t even know what of what feels like an extended pause on life. On Monday March 9th I left New York City for a work trip. At that point there were rumblings of Coronavirus gaining steam, but in general it was business as usual. I returned home that following Thursday to an eerily tense city (in hindsight - not tense enough), and the next morning left for the weekend thinking it would be prudent to avoid the usual weekend routine of pilling into tiny, packed bars and restaurants. What I didn’t realize was that weekend was the start of a month that no one saw coming. The only thing consistent about the last month has been inconsistency. First they said it’s just barely worse than the common cold, then they said only the old and un-healthy need to worry, the next was don’t bother with masks - they’re no help. The list goes on and on.
Talking about something like Bourbon during times like this feels strange, but I’m not a doctor, nor am I an economist, so I’m trying my best to be a distraction. I’m not going to write some stupid blog that tells you to open that bottle of Pappy Van Winkle you’ve been saving “because you never know when…” My advice? Drink a lot of water, stay home, wash your hands, binge Ozark, go out in the backyard and work on your short game, perfect that cocktail you haven’t been able to nail.
How does this pandemic affect the Bourbon world? I can’t say I’ve seen a massive dip on the secondary prices of the rare stuff, Willet Family Estate is still out there at 4k a pop, I can send you the online link if you’re so interested. I don’t think Pappy will appear on shelves for retail prices this coming fall. A close friend did find a 2019 Four Roses Limited Edition for $149, mentioning that the liquor store staff noticed an uptick in allocated bottles coming in due to bars and restaurants closing. Speaking of bars, in other cases some rare whiskey bars are selling off their collections of sought after bottles just to pay the bills and keep something in their employees pockets. Me personally? I have given some online business to stores back in the city, these are tough times, and as a member of a family business, I can say for certain that cash flow is everything. I’m happy to support a businesses who can use every $100 they can get their hands on. Past that, I’ve consumed more Manhattans than I care to mention, determined that Blantons is just not worth your time past $55, and in a rare celebration over the past month, cracked open a bottle of Old Forester Birthday Bourbon in honor of my 26th life lap.
To the 10 or so people who will read this, I hope you and yours are healthy and safe. Maybe at the end of this whole thing we’ll better appreciate the little things in life we so often overlook… like Benchmark Bourbon for $15.