Last Night's Tipple

Another pour of Barton's 1792 Ridgemont Reserve. I still really like it (dark, dessert-like, viscous -- cinnamon bread pudding with pecan caramel sauce), and it makes me wonder what Barton's other Bourbons taste like. Well, not all of them. Mostly just Very Old Barton, which has next to no distribution outside of Kentucky.

It is a fact, childhood cliches notwithstanding, that a book's cover does matter. I like good packaging, and I know myself well enough to realize that good packaging increases my enjoyment of the spirit inside. The packaging of Ridgemont Reserve is just about perfect. I like the flask shape of the bottle. I love the fact that the bottom is nicely weighted to give it considerable heft. I like the understated labeling. I don't particularly like cork closures, but this one is at least attractive. Just about the only thing to complain about is the burlap band around the neck -- it's not in keeping with the rest of the packaging. Ridgemont Reserve would be good Bourbon even in a crappy bottle, and a good bottle could not save crappy Bourbon. But I am very pleased that Barton paired very good Bourbon with an excellent bottle.