19 May 2017 - Louisville, Kentucky USA - The Bourbon Trail

A few weeks back, after returning from my month of work in Singapore my manager encouraged me to take a week off to make up for all my lost weekends. I decided to finally get to work on one of my bucket list items of visiting the Kentucky Bourbon trail. I found a tour company, Mint Julep Tours, and signed up. I also invited an old high school friend, (and experienced Bourbon connoisseur) to drive down from Columbus and join me.

The evening before, I tried a Mint Julep for the first time. I primarily wanted to try this drink only because it was featured in one of my favorite James Bond films.

See the resemblance? It was too sweet.

The next day, we headed out on the tour starting from the old Galt House hotel in downtown. Our first stop, Buffalo Trace, was about 60 miles East of Louisville in the town of Frankfort, KY. I learned that Bourbon requires a mix of at least 51% Corn, distilled in the USA, and must use new Charred Oak Barrels. It was really impressive seeing and experiencing the history of a company that had survived the 1919-1939 prohibition moment. The best find here appeared to be a Bourbon Cream liquor because it didn't have the nasty finish of Baileys Irish Cream.



The tour took a break with a lunch stop at a local BBQ chain. The sign cracked me up...

Next, the tour bus took us to Four Roses Distillery in Lawrenceburg, KY. We only did a tasting here. This place has a bit of a negative history. When it was bought out by Canadian Company, Seagram, a few decades ago they continued to ship the good stuff to places like Japan and Europe, but created trash for the USA. This is why you either don't know this brand or cringe when you hear it's name. I recommend giving it a another try. The past is gone, the new standard is quite high.



After that tour, the tour bus took us to the nearby Wild Turkey Distillery for our final tour of the day. Nestled along the Kentucky River, this place has amazing views of the rolling bluegrass hills.

I'll let corporate spokesperson, Matthew McConaughey, tell the story...

Here are some photos from the Wild Turkey facility.


The highlight of this part of the tour, however, occurred at the gift shop. Master Distiller, Jimmy, was on-hand to sign your bottle of Bourbon or Rye. This man has worked at this for 62+ years. I feel that the opportunity to meet a true master, whether artist, kung-fu, swordsmith, chef, is a rarety in this life that should not be missed. This, my friends, makes for a truly unique souvenir and an even better story.

18 May 2017 - Whisk(e)y

I've been to the Jameson Distillery in Dublin, Ireland. There have been multiple tours (including Famous Grouse and the Scotch Whisky Experience) in and around Edinburgh, Scotland. I am pretty sure I have found my favorite in Scotland in the form of Glenfarclas 21 Year.

I am not much of a drinker(a bottle of whiskey or rum lasts me about 6-8 months) because I grew up around some serious alcoholics and had many negative childhood experiences. That being said, I think being able to enjoy a little bit is really important for a traveler. I honestly believe that you can't experience a culture without having a social drink or two. I also prefer to set my ego and my past aside and see what life has to offer.

About 8 years ago I had the pleasure of hiking the Hocking Hills Grandma Gatewood Trail with the amazing Cliff Bender and Brian Chin. At the end of the day we sat around the campfire and sipped either a good Rye, Scotch or Bourbon (I trusted Cliff with his recommendation). This is one of my greatest memories and life experiences.

Recently, I've felt obligated to give American Bourbon and Tennessee Whiskeys a chance. I also need to get to work on Japanese Whiskeys (8+ trips and yet to try). So this weekend I will take a tour out of Louisville, KY and get started on the Bourbon Trail. Stay Tuned...

7 May 2017 - Orange County Half Marathon

This year I am working on the Beach City's running challenge. Basically, if you run the Huntington Beach, Orange County, and Long Beach Half or Full marathons you earn a special medal. It's no Dopey Challenge, but it does force me into staying in "running" shape for the whole year. This race is one of my favorites because the course covers a great deal of beautiful scenery (biased because the area is my home too).

There was a new challenge this year in the form of rain. In all my races, this can absolutely destroy a day making you feel cold/miserable as well as promoting race-killers of blisters, chafing, and other gross runner injuries. I've survived rainy races before. The toughest one happened in April 2013 in Toledo, Ohio. It was about 45-55 Deg F (7-12 Deg C). It rained for most of the whole race. Here is a throwback photo I stole (note how I am still smiling - this goes a long way to help me finish):

So Orange County, a place I moved to nearly 2 years ago to get away from bad Ohio weather, decided to keep the end-of-the-California-drought-party going. From 0530 to my start at 0640 I took shelter under a nearby office building overhang. It actually stopped for about 10 mins as the race started. Here was the starting line experience.

It proceeded to rain until about mile 4 and then the bad weather was gone permanently. I found my pace around mile 3 and for the first time since my 2016 Disney races didn't need walk breaks for a few miles. This is an amazing sensation I have rarely experienced where everything in my body is working perfectly and I feel as if I can go on forever! Due to being in the zone, I didn't take many photos. Here is my race map and finish photo. My goal was to break through the barrier of 2h 40m (last year this race took me 2h55m). My next goal is to get below 2h35m...