I've heard they exist, but had not actually met one until tonight.
My local liquor store was having a 'Bourbon Seminar', so of course I decided to go. They had the following:
Basil Hayden
Jim Beam Single Barrel
Maker's 46
Maker's Mark Cask Strength
Knob Creek Single Barrel
They were all fantastic whiskeys, and there was a representative there from Jim Beam to explain what all the whiskies were and how they came to be. Everything was going fine, and I was getting a history lesion in Bourbon while I drank! The issue arose when an employee of the store, a friend of mine who came with, and myself started describing the whiskies. I had just described one of them as having an 'apple-y' quality (don't remember which, but that's not important) and my friends nod in agreement, when the representative chimes in as follows...
"Hey man, you don't know what the (bad word) you're talking about. Never describe a drink using anything other than similar drinks to describe it. If it's bourbon, it tastes like a (similar bad word) bourbon not no (similar bad word) 'fruity apple'."
Seriously? Again, I've heard of people like this but had never actually met one. My perspective on the matter is that describing the drink against things people have had (mainly foodstuffs) is far more useful that saying "Tastes like bourbon. You know, this very specific bourbon you may or may not have had!" He's not wrong, as to other whiskey professionals it might be more useful as a descriptor. In my case, it would be like a quantum physicist speaking in his jargon to a Shakespearean actor. Sure the actor may pick up on some of what he says, but most of it would probably be meaningless nonsense.
At least I can take some comfort in that everybody around him (both customers and employees) looked just as surprised and frankly shocked at the unprofessional outburst. I think he got the hint he was alone is this viewpoint and kept to his scripted facts from there on out.
Cheers, and here's to an apple-y yet smokey bourbon!
My local liquor store was having a 'Bourbon Seminar', so of course I decided to go. They had the following:
Basil Hayden
Jim Beam Single Barrel
Maker's 46
Maker's Mark Cask Strength
Knob Creek Single Barrel
They were all fantastic whiskeys, and there was a representative there from Jim Beam to explain what all the whiskies were and how they came to be. Everything was going fine, and I was getting a history lesion in Bourbon while I drank! The issue arose when an employee of the store, a friend of mine who came with, and myself started describing the whiskies. I had just described one of them as having an 'apple-y' quality (don't remember which, but that's not important) and my friends nod in agreement, when the representative chimes in as follows...
"Hey man, you don't know what the (bad word) you're talking about. Never describe a drink using anything other than similar drinks to describe it. If it's bourbon, it tastes like a (similar bad word) bourbon not no (similar bad word) 'fruity apple'."
Seriously? Again, I've heard of people like this but had never actually met one. My perspective on the matter is that describing the drink against things people have had (mainly foodstuffs) is far more useful that saying "Tastes like bourbon. You know, this very specific bourbon you may or may not have had!" He's not wrong, as to other whiskey professionals it might be more useful as a descriptor. In my case, it would be like a quantum physicist speaking in his jargon to a Shakespearean actor. Sure the actor may pick up on some of what he says, but most of it would probably be meaningless nonsense.
At least I can take some comfort in that everybody around him (both customers and employees) looked just as surprised and frankly shocked at the unprofessional outburst. I think he got the hint he was alone is this viewpoint and kept to his scripted facts from there on out.
Cheers, and here's to an apple-y yet smokey bourbon!
