Win a Weekend in Vegas with Kid Rock

Our more perceptive readers have probably gleaned by now that we're fans of Red Stag from Jim Beam. If you've been following the brand at all, you also probably know Red Stag is sponsoring Kid Rock for his latest tour. What you may not know is that there's currently a sweepstakes running where you can win a weekend in Vegas with the aforementioned Mr. Rock, or some other pretty sweet prizes.

We don't often cover sweepstakes (or "sweeps" as the kids may or may not call them) but this one tickled our fancy. A weekend in Vegas with Kid Rock? Sounds like the premise for The Hangover 2. Or maybe Joe Dirt 2. Either way...awesome. Here's the pitch:

Enter now for your chance to win a trip of a life time for you and three friends to Las Vegas to attend a private Kid Rock concert - plus other amazing prizes including signed display guitars, T-shirts and downloads.

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I Survived the Drought of '09

We got a package in the mail yesterday that should have had booze in it. It said Knob Creek on the side, and that usually means we're going to be able to whet our whistles. But no. It contained a T-shirt that said "I Survived the Drought of '09" and a letter that started with "Thanks for nothing."

Yeah, exactly. Thanks for nothing to whichever one of you bastards who drank more than your share, because there's apparently no Knob Creek left for the year. Well, they're not exactly out, but they're expecting to run low this year because they didn't put enough whiskey aside for this year and demand has been higher than expected.

Some may think it's more marketing nudge than dire shortage, but we say if you're a big Knob Creek lover you may want to go lay some aside while the getting's good, just to be on the safe side.

@KnobCreek.com

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Red Stag Cocktail Recipes

We spent some time down in New York this week, and the main attraction of our whirlwind trip was sitting down with Bobby "G" Gleason, Master Mixologist for Beam Global, so he could trot us through some of his favorite Red Stag cocktails. In a masterly fashion, he mixed us a batch of cocktails that surprised us on multiple fronts, and most importantly, gave us a minor buzz at 10 AM.

We were fascinated by Bobby's patter about flavor profiles and his enthusiasm for experimentation (he told us of a bacon-flavored tequila he created), and we dug the drinks too.

We're including the recipes for our favorites - the Manhattan is one we'd drink with enough regularity to be worrisome, the Mating Call moved Red Stag from sweet to tart, and the addition of Tabasco to the Red Hot Stag worried us a bit, but turned out to be one of our favorites of the bunch. See the recipes and our take after the jump.

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Whiskey Stones for the Win

If you're ready to really take your whiskey on the rocks, you might want to think about getting yourself some Whiskey Stones. It seems like years ago that we covered sippin' on the rocks, a snooty-seeming product from Scotland, but these newest whiskey rocks are from a bit closer to home - our native state of Vermont. Stick 'em in the freezer and plop 'em in your drink to get the chilling effect of ice without watering it down.

A win no matter how you tally it, and we're thinking Dad might want some for Father's Day.

@ThinkGeek

(Thanks Tom and Christina)

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Canadian Club Classic 12 Arrives for Review

It's no secret we love whiskey in all forms, but there is one variant of this many-backed beast we haven't dedicated much time to - Canadian whisky. Nothing against Canadians...we love many things about our neighbors to the North (actually, pretty much just Bob & Doug McKenzie and the bacon), but we just haven't ever delved too far into their booze. That's about the change - we're packing our passport and heading for the border!

Blended then aged for 12 years in oak barrels, our Master Distiller has created a full yet smooth character with hints of spice and vanilla. Canadian Club Classic's® quality is exemplified in the winning of a double-gold medal at the prestigious 2003 San Francisco World Spirits Competition. It is the perfect whisky to enjoy by itself or as part of a classic cocktail.

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Jim Beam Red Stag Black Cherry Bourbon Review

We got our bottle of Jim Beam's soon-to-be-released black cherry flavored bourbon, Red Stag, a couple weeks ago and now it's time to review it. We mentioned this before - we were hesitant to even try it at first, because full disclosure requires us to say right up front we're Jim Beam White Label men from way back, and we were a bit concerned about a syrupy Nyquil nightmare that would forever tarnish our sweet, sweet nectar.

So how did we fare? Surprisingly well, we must say

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Jim Beam Red Stag Arrives for Review

When we first heard Jim Beam was coming out with a cherry-flavored bourbon, we have to say we were a bit...skeptical. Once we read Rick's review of the stuff on Martini Groove our mood shifted to cautiously optimistic. When we received the bottle, popped the top, and took a swig, things shifted even more in the positive direction.

Full disclosure, we're Jim Beam guys for a decade and a half now. We will always take Beam over Jack when given the choice, and we were concerned about some syrupy glop closer to Nyquil than our old standby. You'll have to wait for the full tasting notes, but we have to say...our fears were not justified. Red Stag will get a wide release in June, so you have that to look forward to, and our review will be done well before then.

If you absolutely can't wait, keep refreshing the page on JimBeam.com until they announce it's been released. [Update: They've actually got their own site over at TheRedStag.com...that's where you want to fiendishly refresh]

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Guest Review: Michter's US 1 Whiskey

We haven't done a guest review in a while, so we're excited to drop this great review of Michter's. As usual, the only problem we have with this review is that we didn't get to drink it, but we've had the stuff before and thought it kicked some serious arse.

Thanks for the reivew, Carlos.

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(ri)1 Rye Whiskey Review

News flash: we love whiskey. Bourbon, rye, Canadian, we just can't get enough of it. We've always felt rye got a bad rap as most people like its sweeter cousins, but the rip roar of rye has its place, especially in a well-crafted cocktail. (ri)1(pronounce it with us, rye-one) is the ultra-premium rye offering from the Jim Beam family.

So how does this new top shelf whiskey hold up? Read on to find out.

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Bourbon at its Best

We've been getting more and more interested in bourbon lately, and while we could just stick a nipple on a bottle of Maker's and be completely happy, we're always interested in trying different labels. That's why we have high hopes for Bourbon at its Best - we've seen the drink at its worst (and it's seen us that way too). This looks like a great book if you're interested in learning more about the history and creation of the sweet nectar, as well as information about particular brands.

Bourbon at its Best: The Lore and Allure of America's Finest Spirits

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Old Fashioned Whiskey Cocktail the Robert Hess Way

If we've said it once we've said it a million times, the Old Fashioned cocktail is one of our favorites of all time. Commenter Temptin steered us toward this great video of Robert Hess (aka Drink Boy) making what looks like it could be the greatest Old Fashioned ever. Check the out the video, and don't miss the end, when he brings flaming orange oils into the mix...a must watch for Old Fashioned enthusiasts. Be patient - he doesn't even start mixing until somewhere around the halfway mark, but just like creating the drink itself, it's all about the journey.

We weren't familiar with this series of videos Robert is doing, but they're leaps and bounds better than most of the "bartending" crap you find on Youtube, etc. We've added his feed to our reader, and we can't wait to keep watching the vids...we're just bummed we couldn't figure out a way to embed them on our site.

Old Fashioned cocktail video at Small Screen Network

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Brave Spirits: In Remembrance or Celebration

We're not usually ones for waxing patriotic, but not too long ago, the 44th president of the US was sworn in to much pomp and circumstance. He made a great speech, and we can't think of any way to celebrate that moment better than acknowledging the men and women who spend their lives protecting the nation and its citizens. That's why we're telling you about Brave Spirits line of liquors, made up of Valor Vodka, First In Whiskey, Standing Guard Gin, and At Ease Rum.

Brave Spirits is for Soldiers. Marines. Sailors. Airmen. Police officers. Fire fighters. You come to the rescue. You protect. You defend American freedom. You are America's bravest.

We honor you by celebrating your bravery and dedication with something to truly call your own.

For every bottle sold, Brave Spirits donates $2 toward charities that support the men and women of America's military, fire departments and police departments.

Brave Spirits are distributed in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland and Washington DC, as well as on select Army and Air Force bases. They are are also available nationwide from several online merchants. More at Brave Spirits

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Michael Collins Golf Flask Set

It's funny that Kevin over at The Scotch Blog decided to feature this Michael Collins Golf Flask gift set during his Twelve Days of Scotchmas series today, because we saw this thing in the liquor store yesterday and it took every ounce of willpower we had not to buy it for ourselves. If you're looking for that last-minute gift for the golfer/Irish whiskey drinker on your list, pop into your local liquor store and see if they have these on hand.

The set includes a 750ml bottle of Michael Collins Blended Irish Whiskey, a gorgeous stainless steel Michael Collins flask, and a genuine leather flask holder that is perfect for golfers. The handsome leather holder includes four golf tees, two ball markers and a divot repair tool. Delicious Michael Collins cocktail recipes are printed on the back of the box.

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Canadian Club 30 Year Old Limited Edition Whisky

We have to say, we've been digging on the latest series of ads for Canadian Club (y'know, the ones about your dad). On top of the cool campaign, they've also released a limited-edition 30 year old version of their whisky to celebrate their 150th anniversary. We usually pick on the Canadians, but we'd give our right arms to try this one. Just don't make us play hockey or watch Trailer Park Boys.

Canadian Club [via Acquire]

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