So as of right now it’s more of an “About Me” vs an “About Us”, but this page is about a community and I have a few good friends that might jump on board once I get this up and running.
So what is “Bourbon By Proxy”?
Excellent question. For starters I like the sound of it, but that’s not the main reason why. By Proxy, by definition is to basically do something through someone else. The most appropriate example is a politician sends a staff member to vote “by proxy”. A congressperson’s vote is counted, but acted through someone else. How does this apply to bourbon? Well, in my story, more than you know. I believe most of us has experienced Bourbon By Proxy. Let’s explain.
Bourbon is big right now. It hasn’t always been that way, but in this day and age it’s big. There was a time when Blanton’s, Pappy, Weller, Michter’s, and other highly sought after bourbons would be available for MSRP, on the shelf, and you could purchase as needed. That day is not today. I walk into a liquor store these days and I have owners bragging that they just got a new batch of Buffalo Trace and they’ve been out for quite some time. Buffalo Trace! This of course isn’t a knock on Buffalo Trace, I absolutely love it. But, it’s more of a comment about availability. Buffalo Trace is the flagship brand of one of the largest bourbon distilleries in America. That would be like Jim Beam running allocations on regular Jim Beam. Anywho, I digress.
This isn’t about “the good old days”, because my bourbon journey started about 6 years ago when I was at a conference in Montana. A fellow conference attendee from KY sat down next to me at the bar and saw I was sipping Bulleit on the rocks. He said “have you tried Blanton’s before”? Being a basic bourbon drinker at the time my obvious answer was no. That’s where it started for me. My new bourbon friend and I talked about Kentucky, race horses, distilleries, and the like. When I got home I found 8 bottles of Blanton’s on the shelf in the liquor store for $53. I bought one, but wish I would have gotten 2 knowing what I know now.
So let’s circle back to “Bourbon By Proxy”. Fast forward to today. I have a bar in my basement with 80+ bourbons at any given time. This is a hobby for me and I would never claim to be a “master” taster, reviewer, or anything of that nature. I am pretty good at drinking whiskey and telling you if it’s good or not. I’m always out looking for new bourbons that I haven’t tried before. I’ve kept a log of every type of bourbon I’ve drank for the last 5 years, whether I found a bottle or tried it in a bar, it’s been logged. As I go out and search I commonly find myself with a bottle in my hand and before I jump on the price grenade (due to popularity it’s not unusual to see bottles from $100-$200), I many times pull out my phone and look up a review. I live that Bourbon “By Proxy” if you will. Many many times I find that it takes a bit to find the actual review because it’s usually after a short or many times long winded story. I love the stories, but not when I’m in a store with a bottle in one hand and my phone in another and the clerk is looking at me like I’m crazy.
I believe many are like me. I love to drink bourbon, look up bourbons, plan my next distillery tour, etc. I believe that one time or another we have all lived Bourbon By Proxy. “Hey, I see you found Old Forester Birthday Bourbon.. How was it”? I personally haven’t tasted Pappy Van Winkle 20, but I can assure you 100% I have looked up a review (or 10) from someone that has.
The premise is simple. I will post a review, the review will be the first thing listed, followed by the story. I’ll always give my honest opinion. I welcome comments, feedback, opinions, etc. I fully support the bourbon community and will soon add a shoutout page to the many other bourbon review sites who add value to the community.
Many are disappointed by the Bourbon hype the last decade has brought us. I, for one, support it. No I can’t just grab a highly sought after bottle without extensive searching, winning a bottle lottery, paying secondary prices, or pure dumb luck. But with this popularity we are seeing more Bourbons becoming sought after. We are seeing more distilleries experimenting with special blends, single bottlings, and interesting finishings. Take the good with the bad, but I choose to look at the good. Cheers!
-David S