2011: The Year that Was

2011 was full of great music, wasn't it?  Let have a look at some of the great albums and bottles of booze that made this year so special.

Pallbearer - Demo.  Big thanks to DSFCB for introducing me to my new favorite doom metal band.  These kids are from somewhere in the deep south but damn if they don't sound like they are from England circa 1972.  The lead singer sounds like a young Ozzy so much it is crazy.



And he knew there's no hope of redemption!  Don't you want to cut your wrists listening to that?  Amazing.

Last spring I listened to Pallbearer constantly and drank Canadian whisky.  I enjoyed the 10 year version of Canadian Club.  Delightful stuff, really.  That was the spring, but moving on to the summer new jams were needed.  And what a hot summer it was.

Jan Hammer - Crockett's theme.  Felt hot like Miami this summer.



Just put it on repeat for a few hours.  Maybe open a bottle of Soberano brandy.  That was summer.

Summer was also a time of drinking bourbon and listening to Motorhead.  The classic album March or Die was my soundtrack.  For some reason it just fit.



In the thunder and heat!  Makes me think of the 90s and being young and full of vim and wanting so bad to taste the sweeter things in life like booze and women.  Sigh...good times.  Speaking of bourbon, I found an old bottle of Ten High 10 and it was pretty good whiskey.  Pretty cheap too.  If I make it back to the ghetto anytime soon I'll stock up for sure.

Moving on, this next gem is probably the only album released in 2011 that I actually bought.


Mithras - Time Never Lasts EP



Solid Mithras.  Enough said.

This was a good year for doom, wasn't it?  I can't remember who introduced me to this gem, but thanks for hooking me up with Lycus!

Lycus - Demo.  Another American doom demo?  We must be on the cusp of a great American doom metal awakening.



Reminds me of Ahab in many ways.

And finally, this was another great year for Bach.

The Emerson String Quartet - The Art of the Fugue.  This classic recording of Bach's 24 fugues from the Art of the Fugue is deft and wonderful.  I prefer the previous album of Bach fugues simply titled Fugues, but this is still solid work.



Starting this summer I had this set of Gymnopedie by Satie on repeat for hours.  Still do.  For those quiet moments.



That's kind of the year in music for me.  I didn't say it was the year in new music, because I am old and hate new things and there was very little new music worth hearing this year.

It was a good year for booze, particularly whiskey.  I'm not one of those whiskey snobs, we keep it real around here.  Real cheap.  In fact I am working diligently on a formula and a philosophy for making beer as good and cheap as possible.  Emphasis on cheap.  The sort of thing you could do in your dorm room if you had a sink, a hot plate, and a mini fridge.  Just don't forget to invite me to your next college party; I will show up with a fifth of whiskey and sit in the corner and drink and call people peasants and try to get in a fistfight with someone bigger than me.  Cheers.

Brandy Review: Alfonso I, Tres Cepas, Captain Apple Jack

Three new mystery brandies were sampled recently.  In order of price they were:

Alfonso I - A brandy de jerez, this clocked in around ten bucks.  A bit harsh around the edges but mellowed a bit in ice.  The flavor is consistent with Jerez brandies, and taste wise not bad.  Buy.

Tres Cepas - Around fifteen bucks, also a brandy de Jerez.  Less bite than the Alfonso.  Also a buy, but only nominally so.

Captain Apple Jack - This is a bottled in bond apple brandy.  The same stuff as Laird's apple brandy, but marketed for Virginia.  The label features an androgynous looking pirate.  I call it "Pat".  On closeout sale for 20 bucks.  Harsh around the edges, not as strong of an apple flavor as I recall from the Laird's.  Good for mixing but a bit too pricey for a mixing brandy, even at closeout prices.  Pass.

So there you go.

Booze reviews: Michael Collins and Ironic False Cognate

First I'd like to share my two cents on Michael Collins blended Irish whiskey.  It was on sale for 20 bucks, so I bit.  If you are familiar with The Tyrconnel or Irish Manor then the flavors in Michael Collins will be familiar.  The same barley profile and lemony sweetness.  It is very similar to Irish Manor.  But it is not identical.  The difference is in the finish, which has a large almost chocolately toffee flavor.  It is, by my tongue, a rather long finish.  If you find it for 20 bucks I'd consider that a buy.  Also, they repackaged it in the traditional Cooley blend bottle, so it will now fit in your shelf where you store your booze.

Next up is Soberano.  You see the word sober immediately, but it is a false cognate.  Pan in Spanish is not a metal cooking thing, it is bread.  False cognate.  Likewise Soberano is not a sober dude, it is a Sovereign.  And how does it taste?  Surprisingly good, actually.  It is smooth and sweet.  I would rank the flavor profile close to the legendary Veterano.  The price point was good as well, 13 dollars.  Definitely a buy.  Much better in both price and taste than Terry Centenario.  Sad, because I wanted to like Terry.  Happy because I have a new go-to Spanish Brandy.  That bottle with the wacky netting...

Post Script:  Posting is infrequent and will probably continue to be so.  Life happens.

Terry Centenario

I had an opportunity to try another Brandy de Jerez recently.  This time it was Terry Centenario.  This caught my eye for two reasons.  One, it is purportedly the best selling brandy in Spain.  Two, the bottle comes wrapped in that netting they use to hang big sausages in the deli.



You know what I'm talking about.  Why do they do this?  It is so strange.  I don't know, but there it is.

So how is Terry Centenario?  Not bad.  I think that for the price (20+ dollars) it isn't exactly a buy.  I liked it, especially as the ice melted.  The flavors were good, but it is still short of the standard bearer Veterano.

Funny, I was told that bodega Terry also makes Fundador, the worst tasting Brandy de Jerez I've had.  I guess those Terry folk aren't all bad.

Still, it is almost worth it just for the bottle.  It seems like something the Most Interesting Man in the World would drink when he's not drinking Dos Equis (he doesn't always drink beer).  Stilling around in his den with a cigar and a snifter of brandy...



File photo of Mr. Booze thirty years from now.

Also, I'd like to take this moment to criticize Spanish brandy makers for doing a very poor job at branding and marketing their product.  Most booze genres depend on a strong flag bearer in order to raise the status of all the spirits.  Take for example Scotch.  Your entry level Scotch is Johnnie Walker, and it is priced at the standard bearer entry level price:  about 20 bucks for a fifth.  You can find it in every bar and liquor store.  It sets the example for the brand and it is a good representative.  It is smooth and free of harsh rubbing alcohol notes and fusel oils.  You know that if you go cheaper you run the risk of rotgut.  You can branch out into different blends and reach different flavors that may be more to your liking, but it is a deviation from the flag bearer.  The same thing is true of Irish whiskey.  Your standard bearer is Jameson, a solid whiskey all around that costs about 20 bucks and sets the tone of Irish whiskey's flavor and Irish whiskey as a brand.  As Jameson's fortunes have risen, so too has it raised all Irish whiskey.  I could go on about the entry level American whiskey (Jack Daniels) or Bourbon (Jim Beam) or single malt Scotch (Glenfiddich), but I think you get the point.

So is there a standard Spanish brandy?  The closest is Fundador, which I think is terrible.  It is the most widely available in stores.  But it isn't any good, and that is probably doing more to hurt Brandy de Jerez in US markets than the lack of ad campaign funds.  What I think Spanish brandy needs is a good flag bearer to run some good ads and try and break into the US market a little.  But it must cost about 20 bucks for a fifth and be a good representative of the genre as a whole.  I think the best fit would be Veterano because it is so smooth and drinkable.  Centenario is a decent brandy and could go a lot further than Fundador.  They also need a good way of branding themselves.  What sort of identity can Spanish brandy represent?  Should they go for the sophisticated market?  The cigar bar crowd?  A hip alternative to Cognac?  Or the everyman brandy, the Joe Sixpack's brandy for those summer afternoons relaxing by the barbecue?  Probably not the latter but I'm not in charge of PR.

Note to the Spanish bodegas:  put me in charge of your PR.  I will basically run The Most Interesting Man in the World commericals for you, but with a different guy and less silly.  You will sell a lot more.  Thanks.