Patti Takes Manhattan.

What a great picture, from the Chicago Tribune. Aren't they the perfect reality-TV couple?

In case you don't know, that's ex-governor of Illinois Rod Blagojevich and his wife, Patti, in Manhattan to promote Rod's new book. Both Rod and Patti are the creations of long-time Chicago Alderman Dick Mell, who made Rod politically and made Patti the old-fashioned way (she's his daughter). Rod's downfall began when he crossed his father-in-law.

Because they are so made-for-TV, I wonder if their act is actually selling? Do people believe them or, like me, just enjoy the show?

Popular Kentucky Bourbon Trail Honors Army Pilot.

A Fort Campbell pilot, on a motorcycle tour with his family before he deploys for Afghanistan, is the 1,000th person to complete the world-famous Kentucky Bourbon Trail in the last 100 days.

Since June 1, the Kentucky Distillers’ Association has received 1,052 souvenir Passports from visitors who toured all eight distilleries. That easily surpasses the entire number of travelers – 718 -- who completed the Bourbon Trail Passport program last year.

The 1,000th person is First Lieutenant Clint Hooker, 26, from Grapevine, Texas. A graduate of The Citadel, he is stationed at Ft. Campbell, Ky., and is a reconnaissance helicopter pilot with the 2nd Squadron of the 17th Cavalry Regiment in support of the 101st Airborne Division.

“We are deeply honored that Clint and his family chose the Kentucky Bourbon Trail as a getaway before he deploys,” said KDA President Eric Gregory. “He deserves not only our congratulations, but our sincere thanks and gratitude for his service to our country.”

Gov. Steve Beshear said, “It’s fitting that this milestone comes during September, which is Bourbon Heritage Month in the Commonwealth. And it’s great that this honor goes to a member of our courageous armed forces who work so hard to keep our country safe.

“Congratulations to LT Hooker and the Kentucky Bourbon Trail on this outstanding achievement.”

LT Hooker and his family toured the Bourbon Trail from Aug. 11 through the 13th. His parents, Mike and Debbie, organized the trip as a surprise – an unforgettable, scenic ride on their Harley-Davidson motorcycles before their son leaves early next year for Operation Enduring Freedom.

“Each distillery was unique and I had a great time at every stop,” LT Hooker said. “It’s definitely one of the coolest things I’ve ever done. I’m already spreading the word in my unit – do yourself a favor and hit the Bourbon Trail.”

Mike Hooker said, “It was a perfect trip. Just ended way too soon.”

The Kentucky Bourbon Trail links eight legendary distilleries nestled among the rolling Bluegrass countryside: Buffalo Trace, Four Roses, Heaven Hill, Jim Beam, Maker’s Mark, Tom Moore, Wild Turkey and Woodford Reserve.

As part of his recognition, the KDA is sending LT Hooker a special gift package from Kentucky’s signature distilleries. And the association is contributing $1,000 in LT Hooker’s name to the Wounded Warriors Project and the Alpha Troop 2-17 Alumni Association.

The New Bourbon Country Reader Is Here.

Volume 12, Number 2 went into the mail last week, so all subscribers should have it by now.

In its unlikely 16th year of publication, The Bourbon Country Reader is still the only periodical devoted entirely to American whiskey.

We are always independent and idiosyncratic. We have no distillery affiliation and accept no advertising.

To join the party, you have to subscribe. Yes, it's old tree-based media. Indulge in the nostalgia.

The main story in this new issue is "25 Stops That Should Be On The Kentucky Bourbon Trail," which I think is self-explanatory. We also say goodby to Jimmy Bedford and sample some of the newly released limited edition American whiskeys.

For a FREE download digest of the contents of all past Reader issuses, click here.

Dr. Jonathan Cowdery and the Heroes Of Tripoli

Dr. Jonathan Cowdery is the second most famous Cowdery in history. No, I'm not #1. That honor belongs to Oliver Cowdery, the Second Elder of the Mormon Church, Mormon founder Joseph Smith's right hand man during the church's earliest days.

Oliver and Jonathan were first cousins from a large family. Another of the first cousins was Jacob Cowdery Junior, my great great great great grandfather.

On September 5, 1804, the bodies of 13 men of the USS Intrepid washed ashore and were buried at Tripoli, Libya. 

The U.S. Navy was there to fight pirates.

The unmarked graves of the 13 officers and sailors are 720 feet south-southeast of the Red Castle's walls, a few feet below Green Square. The officers were identified by Jonathan, who was ship’s surgeon for the Philadelphia, whose Captain Bainbridge and his 300-man crew were being held in the castle dungeon. Jonathan and a party of prisoners from the Philadelphia buried the men together, marking the graves one cable’s length south from the castle walls.

According to sailing manuals of the day, one cable length is listed as 720 feet.

Jonathan and the other prisoners were eventually released. The story of the Heroes of Tripoli is largely known through the journal Jonathan kept and published upon his return.

Oliver's most famous work is also a book, The Book of Mormon, for which he was the principal scribe.

As a writer, I have a lot to live up to.

The 2009 Old Forester Birthday Bourbon Debuts.

The fall releases of limited edition whiskeys keep coming. (Some of the others are here, here and here.)

Latest is the 2009 edition of Old Forester Birthday Bourbon, unveiled at a press event last night at The Violet Hour in Chicago. Old Forester master distiller Chris Morris walked the guests through a tasting of all three Old Forester expressions, including the new Birthday Bourbon.

Old Forester Birthday Bourbon celebrates the birth of Brown-Forman founder George Garvin Brown on September 2, 1846. It is a special selection of Old Forester barrels chosen by Morris to highlight some aspect of the bourbon palate.

“This year’s vintage release of Old Forester Birthday Bourbon is crafted from a 98 barrel batch,” said Morris. “These barrels were stored in the small warehouse B and larger warehouse J, on their 5th and 8th floors respectively. These upper floor locations exposed the barrels to a great degree of heat during the summer months which resulted in a rich, complex maturation profile.”

Unlike the standard Old Forester, which is a blend of whisky from several different years, Birthday Bourbon is a vintage-dated bourbon, hand-selected by Morris from one specific day of production. The result is a one-of-a-kind character and flavor that will never be replicated again. Its unique decanter style glass bottle is a throwback to the late 1800’s when Old Forester was first produced.

Morris selected these barrels because he thinks they show that a 12+ year-old bourbon can have a lot of flavor and barrel character without hitting you over the head with it. He considers this a softer example of what a long-aged bourbon can be.

One nice thing about Old Forester Birthday Bourbon, in this season of special editions that are priced at $90 to $150 or more per bottle, is that the suggested retail price is a mere $39.99.

Coming soon, the Buffalo Trace Antique Collection.

Here are the aging and proof specifications for the 2009 Buffalo Trace Antique Collection, which should be in stores by the end of October. Quantities are limited so if you’re interested, talk to your whiskey monger now.

• Sazerac Rye 18 Year Old. This 90° proof straight rye whiskey was aged on the first floor of Warehouse K.
• Eagle Rare 17 Year Old. This 90° proof rye-recipe bourbon whiskey was distilled in the spring of 1992 and aged on the third floor of Warehouse K.
• George T. Stagg. This uncut and unfiltered rye-recipe bourbon whiskey was aged on the first and third floors of Warehouses I and K. It was distilled in the winter of 1992. The proof is 141.4°.
• William Larue Weller. This uncut and unfiltered wheated bourbon was distilled in the fall of 1998 and aged on the fifth floor of Warehouses N and O. The proof is 134.8°.
• Thomas H. Handy Sazerac. This uncut and unfiltered straight rye whiskey was distilled in the spring of 2002 and aged on the third floor of Warehouse K. It is 129 proof.

The Antique Collection was introduced nearly a decade ago and continues to grow in popularity. For more information visit http://www.greatbourbon.com/

So You Want To Be A Distiller? Read This:

The American Distilling Institute (ADI) is the largest association of micro-distillers in the United States. Among its services for present and aspiring micro-distillers is its hands-on distilling workshops.

The next one on the schedule is at Stillwater Distillery in Petaluma, California, December 6 – 11, 2009. The $3,500 tuition includes lodging and meals. Also included are tours of St. George Spirits/Hangar One Distillery in Alameda, Anchor Distillery in San Francisco, and Cahill Winery in Sebastopol (where they distill a pomace brandy).

Then in the Spring, ADI will return to Huber Starlight Distillery in Borden, Indiana, for the ADI Whiskey & Moonshine Distilling Conference, May 2 – 5, 2010. Attendees will stay in nearby Louisville and tours of Vendome Copper & Brass Works, Kelvin Cooperage, Buffalo Trace Distillery and Woodford Reserve Distillery are included. Costs have not yet been announced.

For more information go to http://www.distilling.com/.