Taking Beer To The Next Level.... By Distilling It Into Whisky

Yours truly, before I decided I didn’t like beer. I probably haven’t had a Bud since this photo was taken. (Photo courtesy of me, probably taken by Sheldon Sachs)

When I was about 4, after my mom had gone to sleep, my dad would plunk me on the kitchen counter, pop open a beer, and let me have a sip or two. I enjoyed the ritual and knew we were somehow being naughty, but I also remember thinking, man, this stuff tastes terrible. And I’ve never outgrown that sentiment. To this day, I don’t enjoy the taste of beer. I occasionally have to drink beer for work, and I’d like to think I can tell the difference between a good one and a bad one. And I do enjoy the occasional stout or oddball German smoked beer, though never, ever IPAs. But I rarely if ever have a beer voluntarily — if you see one in front of me, it’s usually because someone put it there without asking or I’m being polite. It’s the same thing with coffee. I mean, give me an espresso martini or an Irish coffee and I’m a happy camper, but I’ll turn down a regular cup of joe 100 times out of 100, no matter how much milk and sugar you put in there. It’s weirdly appropriate that I, an introvert, dislike the two drinks most consumed at get-togethers. No beers with the boys or meeting up for a coffee for this guy!

Of course, if you take that beer to the next level and distill it into whiskey, that’s a whole other ballgame. Whiskeys distilled from real, ready-to-drink beer aren’t exactly common, but they do exist, and they taste very different from your standard-issue hooch. It’s the hops, which you won’t find in the “distiller’s beer” generally used to make whiskey. And while I don’t go for a glass of suds, give it to me in a glass without the bubbles and with a higher alcohol content and I’m totally down. Which should explain why I love my latest Whisk(e)y Of The Week. Read all about it over at Forbes (link is -> HERE <-)!