I am going to do something different here. In the late 50's and early 60's Pappy Van Winkle wrote a series of "articles" that were really advertisements for Old Fitzgerald. They are humorous and informative and were collected in a booklet published by the distillery in a pamphlet called "A Jigger of Common Sense" by Julian P. Van Winkle. I thought what I would do is simply keystroke in these articles one at a time and let you all read and enjoy them as well. Here is the first one:
"The Day The Rhino Came To Town"
By Julian P. Van Winkle
Three years after being called a "Rhinoceros", a field hand in our home county beat up his tormentor.
Asked by the judge why he waited so long, the boy explained he'd never seen a rhinoceros until the day of the beating when the circus came to town.
To some folks our term "sour mash" as applied to whiskey, are "rhinoceros words".
Few men know what they mean. Others have suspicion they can't promise anything good!
In spite of the unsavory implications, nothing could be farther from the truth.
Sour Mash Bourbon, made on a proven recipe, is the finest whiskey a man can pour - never sharp or sour, but rich, mellow, full-bodied, a delight to the tongue and solace to the soul!
In fact, "Sour Mash" is to bourbon what Sterling is to silver, a hallmark of quality recognized in Kentucky since the first corn was mashed.
More than sixty years ago when I started in this business, all the great Kentucky Bourbons were "sour mash". They were always in top demand even at twice the price of sweet mash distillations.
Part of the reason for the extra price was the patient way in which they were made. The original sour mash method called for extra grain, slower mashing, longer fermentation, more thorough aging.
But those old-time whiskeys brought more, not simply because they cost more, but because only the tedious sour mash method could imprt the rich full flavor of Kentucky bourbon as it ought to taste.
Today in our small family distillery Old Fitzgerald is still being made with the same lavish care that originally brought it great fame as one of the leaders among those original Kentucky sour mash bourbons.
Mike Veach