Everyone has a story of when they first developed a taste for bourbon. Sometimes, there is a romanticism to explaining how you were introduced; other times, not as poignant.
- Did you discover you had a taste for the brown water that is bourbon at a bar?
- Did you discover your friends were drinking bourbon and wanted to jump on the bandwagon so you wouldn’t be looked at as uncool?
- Did the company for whom you work have clients that drink bourbon and wanted to fit in so you could have a better chance of earning business?
- Did you watch a video on YoutTube discussing a bottle of bourbon that impressed and mesmerized you where you decided to see what the “hubbub” was all about?
- Were you drunk at a house party, and someone gave you a shot that wasn’t Jack Daniel’s Old No.7?
- Did Jack Daniel himself come to you in a dream and say to do so?*
*Yes, we know Jack Daniel’s is not a bourbon officially as they insist on being classified as a Tennessee Whiskey… even though they meet the official requirements of what constitutes a bourbon… but we digress.
Regardless of what the reason is, it is irrelevant. The point is you found bourbon, and bourbon found you.
Once you’ve decided that you like the brown water known as bourbon, determining how much you love Bourbon is like asking whether or not you like NFL Football and how devoted a fan you are.
Are you…
A Newbie: That person who says, “I love that bourbon by what’s their name? Jack Daniel’s or something?”
Casual Drinker: A casual fan who knows that bourbon is something like Maker’s Mark, Woodford Reserve, or Pappy Van Winkle — only because you have heard it in conversation and seen pictures of the label.
A “Bourbon” Drinker: Someone with more than a few bottles (3-5 bottles) of bourbon on their bar who drinks it as the preferred spirit of choice and likes to do cocktails with it.
A Bourbon Enthusiast: A passionate fan who has a sizeable collection of at least 20 (maybe 50 or 70 bottles), knows how to talk shop with other bourbon enthusiasts, goes to bars with good bourbon selections, and meets up with other bourbon drinkers (like the Palm Beach Bourbon Society).
A Fanatic: Someone who lives and breathes for the brown water, who goes on auction sites and bids on bottles of Pappy Van Winkle and other rare or allocated bottles.
- Someone with a collection most likely comprising 100s of bottles to where there are shelves filled with them… everywhere in your home.
- Someone who hunts for allocated bottles in multiple states.
- When the opportunity approaches, someone that goes to visit distilleries with the hopes of a “talking shop” with master distillers, blenders, and tasters in hopes of trying something not available to the public.
- Someone who may have a spouse that secretly/openly hates this obsessive compulsiveness with bourbon to the point they are considering a break-up or burning the collection down to the ground… unless they are also enjoying the bourbon or tolerating/accepting this love to the “n”th degree.
No matter the type of fan you are, the fact remains that you like bourbon and want to enjoy bourbon with other like-minded bourbon individuals. The best way to achieve this is to join a bourbon group.
If you live in South Florida, specifically Palm Beach County, you can join the Palm Beach Bourbon Society and participate in our Facebook group feed and monthly activities.
But no matter where you are, you are not alone in your love of bourbon. There are many of us, and we seek friendship to share our devotion to the brown water.
Join us and enjoy the ride.
Fandom, and I believe JD did come to me in a dream.