Two sides to every story....

I can recall being in a class that I had no business being in while I was at Trinity. I think the only reason I was allowed in this class was because my brother was in it a few years before me. If you know anything about my brother and I, he came from the deep end of the gene pool when it came to smarts. I came from the end of the pool that had the no diving stickers everywhere for fear of breaking your neck. Anyway- one of the books we had to read was Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky. It was a long and sorta boring book but oddly enough it is one that I have kept to this day. While I didn’t enjoy the book all that much I loved parts of the book. The book revolves around the idea of the “duality of man.” In the book a random normal guy goes out and kills someone just because he hopes to do good with the money he would take from the person he murdered.  He also wanted to show that every person has or can have two sides.

I must admit I have long been fascinated by this duality theory and do practice it in my life. Before you get creeped out.... I have no desires to commit crimes of any nature but there are parts of me that show my two sides. I do not drink and never have. I think that started when I was in the 7th grade and my father made us a bet that if we didn’t drink, smoke, or get in trouble with the law, by the time we were 21 he would by us a Rolex. Actually it probably started a few years before that during adult pitch in baseball. I came up to bat and Dad said if I hit a home run he would take me to the toy store and buy me anything I wanted. I hit an inside the park home run. The next time I came up I said “Hey Dad, if I hit another home run can I get another thing I want?” That ball hasn’t landed yet. I learned very early on (and I think Dad did too) that I was motivated by the carrot on the stick and a pretty good negotiator. Regardless, after the drinking bet was made I had something to shoot for. My high school days were difficult because kids are mean and a lot of people made fun of me for not drinking. I didn’t care, I wanted the Rolex (and eventually came to appreciate it (not drinking) was the right thing to do). By the time I got to college I was in the habit of not drinking and to me it was no big deal. When I was looking at fraternities, I didn’t care what physical stuff I had to do but I would not be forced to drink. If I was going to drink- and lose my bet with my father- it was going to be on my terms. Thankfully that never came up and the most annoying part of not drinking in college was when girls would ask if I cared if they did. I would normally use the brussel sprouts analogy. Id ask them if they ate the sprouts, they would say no way, and Id say that I'm not annoyed by their choice to eat or not eat their veggies and it’s the same thing as me not drinking.

Well as I got older I became more and more fascinated with Bourbon. It isn’t because my grandfather was named B(o)urbon or that it is my father’s middle name.  While I can appreciate that, there are a lot of other factors for my hobby. Bourbon is distinctly Kentucky. In my travels in Europe and across America, Bourbon almost always comes up. Two, it is distinctly Southern. There was a scene in 24 where a high ranked Senator goes to a meeting into a higher ranking Senator’s office. The higher ranking member asks the other if he would like some Bourbon and the response was “your southern charm wont work on me.” You always see Bourbon in the show Justified on FX (in particular you always see Blanton's). I love being a Kentuckian and I love being Southern. As a result, Bourbon is one my biggest passions and I even collect it to the point that I have a pretty damned good selection for any guests that come. I love the history, the process, even the presentation. You may ask how do I know what is good if I don’t drink it and have never tasted it? I have never driven a Bentley and I know that it is an incredible car. I have a circle of friends that I trust with almost everything and it is no shock that many of them are Bourbon connoisseurs. If I trust them with my life, shouldn’t I trust them with this as well? Plus, I read a lot about bourbon- I mean a ton. While I may have never tasted this particular drink- I can suggested great brands.

So there you go- one of my other sides. Kentucky is beautiful and this is one of the great pillars of Kentucky. Don’t be surprised if when you visit me that I suggest you come on in, take a seat, let your troubles fall down, and may I offer you a drink?