Mitchter’s & The Man

I’m not well versed in Sour Mash Whiskeys. On occasion, I’ve been know to enjoy some Jack Daniels from time to time. Drinking this style of whiskey is an acquired taste. So this session of Coops Deck Therapy is going to be taking a trip to the dark side for The Fat Man and savoring the Michters Sour Mash.

My state has put the allocated tag on this bottle. I was in search for something other than something from Buffalo Trace’s Signature Lineup and snag the Michters.

Founded in 1753 by John Shenks in Pennsylvania, their primary product was Rye whiskey. During the Revolutionary War, George Washington himself visited the distillery and procured some Rye Whiskey for his men to enjoy during the long winter months in Valley Forge.

In the 1800s, Abraham Bomberger purchased the distillery and for many years after branded the name Bombergers. The distillery shut its doors during prohibition and it wasn’t until the 1950s that Lou Forman created the modern brand Michters as we know it today.

The Sour Mash process is similar to making Sour Dough bread. Once the distiller creates the mash, they allow it to rest a few days before distillation to “Sour” or get a little funky as I like to say.

A mashbill comprised of 72% Corn, 16% Rye & 12% Malted Barley and aged in American White Oak barrels and bottled at 86 Proof. A touch of citrus that transitions to flavors of Caramel and Honey which leads to a huge sweet bomb. A huge surprise to my liking!

I could see a few friends sitting around drinking this bottle to the corners (to empty) on a good night.

A whiskey like this needs a special cigar:

Don Carlos The Man

Origin is from Dominican and made in only a Robusto size.

Earthy with soft notes of sweetness.

Stone fruit that transitions to a creamy vanilla flavor on the mid palate. Mild mouth feel with an earthy funky on the finish.

A good 30-40 minute burn time and

for me, maybe the cigar of the year for The Fat Man!

Until next time Kids, Remember:

Life’s Too Short to Drink Bad Booze and Smoke Bad Cigars!

Cheers Y’all!

Give the Fat Man a follow on Instagram if you will: @crazynvirginia

E.H. Taylor Straight Rye & Davidoff Golden Band Award Limited Edition

I do like a good Rye from time to time. And since this bottle is from one of my favorite brands, I figured why not start Spring off with a pour of some E. H. Taylor Straight Rye!

Obtained a few years ago, I’ve nursed this bottle at an alarming slow pace. I knew trying to procure a replacement would be almost impossible but…I had some good fortune recently.

Someone failed to pick their lottery winnings at my local store and I happened to be in the right place at the right time! I’ll call this a late birthday gift to myself!

E. H. Taylor Straight Rye

Distilled by Buffalo Trace and made completely different than their Sazerac Rye. This is a simple mashbill of Rye and Malted Barley with no corn.

A gorgeous boutique of Honey and dried fruits on nose. As it fills the palate, flavors of rich Carmel and cinnamon are dominant. Black pepper and baking spices round out the finish.

This is a beautiful bottle that every whiskey lover should have on their shelf. Since this bottle is somewhat of a unicorn, I’m pairing it with a hard to find cigar.

Davidoff Golden Band Awards

Wrapper: Dominican Yamasa

Binder: Dominican

Filler: Dominican

The Golden Band Awards are given to merchants who exudes Davidoff’s highest standard of Excellence. Each merchant is given exclusive access to these cigars for one year.

From the first draw, you get notes of earthiness that soon transform with leather and petrichor. Flavors of cedar and hints of spice are well represented throughout the duration of this smoke. The finish gives us just a hint of sweetness that makes you wish this cigar would last for an eternity.

This may be the best pairing to date for Deck Therapy!

Until next time Kids, Remember:

Life’s Too Short to Drink Bad Booze and Smoke Bad Cigars!

Cheers Y’all!

Give the Fat Man a follow on Instagram if you will: @crazynvirginia

Johnnie & Rocky

I’ve been known to enjoy a glass of good scotch from time to time. My early years, I just couldn’t stomach the peaty or smokiness of this drink. Now that I’m old AF, the old palette has evolved.

From Islay to Campbelltown, even the blended options, I’ll give any of them a Hollar. And speaking of blended scotch, my random banter this month to all my 4 readers (I gained one last month) is none other than Johnnie Walker Blue.

The good thing about this bottle is I didn’t pay full freight for it. One of my boys was given the bottle for some work he had done. I told him the value and he sold it to me for $100. As my girl would say: “Snag!”

Johnnie Walker Blue

The mash bill is undisclosed but uses hand-selected rare scotch whiskies, only 1 out of 10,000 casks make the cut. Which is why this is the most sought after Johnnie Walker on the market. Only 3 years maturation is required but the blended juice must meet the 28 year requirement and some as old as 60 years.

Fresh hay smell and earthy notes with a heavy alcohol presence. Honey with a touch of citrus with a smooth vanilla finish. The perfect sipper for a warm day.

I’m trying to procure another bottle for my shelf!

I’m pairing this with the Rocky Patel Special Edition.

This medium-bodied cigar consists of small-batches of tobaccos. Original released at PCA 2022 in Vegas. We were the first in Virginia to get them in stock. This limited edition has found its way back to our shop recently and is selling well. Available in 3 vitolas (Robusto, Toro & Sixty) I chose the Toro.

Wrapper: Habano

Binder: Nicaraguan

Filler: Nicaraguan

Nutmeg and coffee flavors on the first draw. As the smoke swirls on the mid palate baking spices of sugar and cinnamon. The finish has some hints of petrichor.

This is a well balance pairing that would be a nice addition to your regular rotation of deck therapy.

Until next time Kids, Remember:

Life’s Too Short to Drink Bad Booze and Smoke Bad Cigars!

Cheers Y’all!

Give the Fat Man a follow on Instagram if you will: @crazynvirginia

A Rare Pairing

It’s fun going out into the wild, the crisp morning air to take down large game.

Oh who the hell am I kidding, I’m riding around in the hills from liquor store to liquor store hunting for allocated and unicorn bourbons. However, there’s a good chance I have a roadie in a camo koozie!

These past few months have been good to the Fat Man! Procured 5 in the wild, 2 were sent to me from my boy and 1 given to me. Even the cigar shop got something unusual or rare if you would.

Murph had told me about this bottle. It was years before a TV series, movie or Godless Hipsters made bourbon relevant in the world.

I would grab multiple bottles and had a nice stash. And then it happened…it became allocated, one per day.

When your regular sipping whiskey becomes popular and unable to find, you become frustrated and even drown your sorrow with a glass of this brown juice to ease the suffering.

As much as it hurts my soul to do a Deck Therapy Bottle Crack, it’s my duty to do so to provide you with some helpful information while savoring this brown water goodness.

Eagle Rare

Now most will argue that Buffalo Trace is a better product that Eagle Rare and I admit Trace is good but not as good as ER. For the price point, I’d rather have a 10 year aged bourbon compared to a 4 year aged. That being said, it’s time for some Bottle Crackin’ Szn!

As I swirl, the aromatics are very inviting; hints of coca, brown sugar, cinnamon permeate the glass.

The mouth feel is soft on the first sip, shows notes of toasted oak with a touch of honey. The mid-palate has a large presence of oak which is from the 10 year aging process. The finish shows a bit of spice with a hint of white pepper.

This is a must for your shelf and happy hunting for this elusive bottle.

Keeping with the Rare theme, I chose a limited release cigar to pair with my adult beverage:

Arturo Fuente Rare Pink Signature.

The Rare Pink Series was created to raise awareness for breast cancer. A portion of each box sale is donated to the American Cancer Society – Making Strides Against Breast Cancer.

Great draw fresh hay and earthiness with notes of cocoa and a hint of sweetness. Creamy & smooth on the mid palate with a touch of spice. Available in 6 sizes, I chose the Signature for today.

The full lineup of sizes:

Short Story: 4 X 42/49

Queen of Hearts: 4.125 X 60

Work of Art: 4.875 X 46/60

Happy Ending: 5.5 X 53

Signature: 6 X 53

Sophisticated Hooker: Figurado

This maybe one of my new favorite pairings for deck therapy and if given the opportunity, you must stock your shelf and humidor with these Rare picks.

Until next time Kids, Remember:

Life’s Too Short to Drink Bad Booze and Smoke Bad Cigars!

Cheers Y’all!

Give the Fat Man a follow on Instagram if you will: @crazynvirginia

1792 Full Proof & El Septimo

It was time to break in Shorty’s Man Cave. The newly refinished basement turned out amazing and he invited a few of the Whiskey Weekend guys to christen his new space.

There was no shortage of Bourbon or Beer with this group. The Autumn day was a warm 85 degrees which called for me to conduct Deck Therapy in another part of the state.

These boys were more interested in their college football parlays and for the record, none of them hit any. I found solace on his deck enjoying the nice hillbilly surroundings. Horses, deer and most importantly…peace and quiet. As I sampled the bottles that were open and drank beer for hydration purposes, I would occasionally “rest my eyes.”

Around 11:30ish, several had already made their way to sleep off their righteous buzz. I made a comeback! Shorty and I were the last boys standing at 2:30 in the morning. The old man can still hang!

Upon returning home, the party continued on my deck and I savored a bottle we cracked open the night before. Here’s this months Coops Deck Therapy.

1792 Full Proof

This bourbon is not for the faint of hearts. Coming in at 125 Proof, it’s called full proof because they add water to cut the proof back to what it was originally when it entered the barrel.

Aromas of honey and cinnamon make this very inviting. When you get that first blast of heat, you take notice and your sips become shorter and you have respect for this beverage. Hot and I mean damn hot!

Once you get past the warmth of this bourbon, notes of nutmeg and chocolate fill the mid palette. The finish is still warm with a much needed sweetness.

A bourbon with this much heat calls for something special to smoke and I selected a cigar given to me by a customer.

El Septimo

Mirifico Sapphire

Zaya Collection

A brand that was only available in Europe in the early 2000s, the company was purchased in 2019 and made available world wide. High quality tobacco aged 15 years with 5 fillers which gives it the larger size.

Ring Guage: 58

Size: 6.75

Wrapper: Costa Rican

Binder: Undisclosed

Filler: Undisclosed

Nice creamy notes fill your mouth in the first draw. The mid palate had comparable flavors of leather and nutty/earthiness. Even though this is a medium to full-bodied cigar it had a touch of sweetness on the finish.

This is a remarkable cigar!

I would encourage true cigar smokers to try and maybe stock their humidors with a few. However, it retails for $74.00, your choice.

Until next time Kids, Remember:

Life’s Too Short to Drink Bad Booze and Smoke Bad Cigars!

Cheers Y’all!

Give the Fat Man a follow on Instagram if you will: @crazynvirginia

Ashton Churchill

It was over 20 years ago when I went into my local B&M. The owner recognized me as I had been in with Grandpa numerous times. He was surprised to see me go into his walk-in humidor to check out his selection.

At that point, I tried several drug store cigars but I wanted to try something a little more high brow. As I exited the room, he commented: “you don’t have your grandpa’s taste in cigars!”

I was enamored by the label and the look of the cigar I had chose. And was even more impressed with how it tasted. Even today when a customers come into the shop I work for and they are new to the cigar world, I tend to lead them to that cigar brand I tried many years ago: Ashton.

These are beautiful cigars that are dear to my heart. From the construction to the way it burns. It’s the perfect starter smoke to the new kids to the cigar brethren. Primarily it’s because they are some of the best in the business. From the Connecticut Broadleaf to their Maduro line, they are consistent and true to their products. One of their brands that I’ve become a huge fan of is the VSG, especially the Symmetry.

For my first review this evening, we are going back to my roots, old school or retro as the kids call it. The first premium cigar that made me turn my nose up to those in a convenience store, Ashton Churchill.

Let’s see if it lives up to my hype!

Ashton Churchill

Size: 7.5 X 52

Wrapper: Connecticut

Binder: Dominican Republic

Filler: Dominican Republic

From the first draw, the Connecticut wrapper displays mellow, creamy notes with a touch of earthiness. Hay or grassiness hits the mid-palate with a touch of cedar/nuttiness to a balanced finish. An overall impeccable smoke with a burn time of about an hour.

This is a must for the humidor and pairs well with bourbon, beer, single malt or wine. Actually it’s the perfect smoke for all occasions and beverages.

Until next time Kids, Remember:

Life’s Too Short to Drink Bad Booze and Smoke Bad Cigars!

Cheers Y’all!

Give the Fat Man a follow on Instagram if you will: @crazynvirginia

Still Crackin’!

My deck is gonna assume I’m cheating on her. I’ll only have 2 quality days to truly enjoy her company.

3 days of driving this week and 2 in the cigar shop has me busier than normal. However my first day allows me some bottle crackin’ Szn!

New Riff Single Barrel, aged at least 4 years and a mash bill of 65% Corn, 35% Rye and 5% Malted Rye. Bottled at 108.4 Proof.

Sweet to the tasted with baking spices and a soft burn on the back palette. This is definitely a perfect bourbon to serve neat.

I’m pairing this brown water goodness with a limited edition release:

My Father Le Bijou 1922 100 Anos

Binder: Nicaraguan

Filler: Nicaraguan

Wrapper: Nicaraguan Oscuro

Size: Lonsdale

With the smaller gauge, you really get some great flavors from the wrapper. Earthy, Oily and coffee notes. Mild to medium flavors with little to no spice. Overall Awesome Smoke!

I’ve always been a big fan of My Father Cigars and even bigger fan of the New Riff Distillery products.

Until next time Kids! Another milestone for me next week and I’ll tell you about it later.

Cheers Y’all! Let’s Get After It!