A few of us got together last night to honor the late Harold Ramis by watching two of his great non-acting films. In addition, we had five different Van Winkle bourbons and three of this year’s Buffalo Trace Antique Collection. To top it off - we had Pappy’s Barbecue - generally thought of as the best in St. Louis.
Movies:
Ramis wrote Animal House - and we watched it on Blu-ray. Almost like watching it for the first time. Seeing it on a big screen with incredible detail made a lot of Belushi’s facial expressions really stand out.
Ramis wrote and directed Caddyshack. Also watched on Blu-ray. This was not as mindblowing. Ted Knight and Rodney Dangerfield use some levels of expressions, but the real class of this movie is the dialogue.
Whiskeys:
10 yr 107 proof - the simplest of the line-up. I like it a lot - but in this group it was the least impressive.
12 year - I believe this was released this past fall. A little more character than the 10, a definite step-up.
15 year Pappy’s - for me - the quantum leap of the line-up. Much more “guts” and richness.
20 year Pappy’s - more subtle than the 15, perhaps a little creaminess on my palate. Very enjoyable.
23 year Pappy’s - when tasting through a line-up and ending here, I wasn’t blown away. Perhaps my palate was gradually adapting to the greatness of this bourbon one increment at a time. Very rich, smooth, complex, but didn’t jump out at me. Kind of an “aha” moment, when realizing that tasting bourbons in a line-up may be similar to tasting wines in a flight - Comparisons change how we might view something rather than in isolation.
Sazerac 18 rye - loved this. Higher alcohol in all three of these - and it hit me, but not in a negative way.
Thomas Handy - also a great rye. Perhaps a bit more spice than the Sazerac 18. Alcohol more noticeable - but at 65%, is it really surprising?
Eagle Rare 17 - very different profile than the Pappy’s line-up. More elegant perhaps? Very enjoyable also.
Barbecue:
Ribs - out of this world. Really great. Dry rub - no sauce. If you ever make it to St. Louis and like Barbecue - Pappy’s and Bogart’s really stand out.
Brisket - good - but in need of sauce. The buns that were included were excellent and so I had a few half-sandwiches (had to pace myself).
Potato Salad and Cole Slaw were both good, but nothing extraordinary.
Ramis and Pappy’s - a great idea that will need an encore at some point.
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