Don't Knock It 'til You Try It, Ms. Bourbon

Sometimes I can be a snob. It's not something I'm particularly proud of, but it's true.

One reason I like bourbon so much is because it doesn't "hurt me." It doesn't give me headaches the next day like some alcohols can. One way I make sure to avoid those headaches is to not drink "below" a certain cutoff. I'm not gonna lie - I *like* top shelf. Additionally, I'm not moved to waste my allotted calories on crap. I want the good stuff if I'm only having a little. Right?

Perhaps that last paragraph was a pretty lame excuse for my snobbery. Oh well. I'm not perfect.

Getting on with it - I originally considered Jim Beam to be below my cutoff. It's not expensive, it's readily available, it's very well known, and so I figured it must be no good. Not complex enough, and probably something that would hurt me, come morning. Not even the company's recent hire of Mila Kunis as spokeswoman convinced me - and that's saying something. I'm all about a smart, beautiful woman telling me what to do. Ha. As happens all too often these days, I found out I was so very wrong.

I'm pretty choosy about who I listen to on different topics. I tend not to be convinced of something until I am first convinced that this person knows what they're talking about. (No offense, Mila, but you *are* being paid to sell it.)

Recently I met a bourbon friend. Well, actually I had met him years ago, but recently we discovered our mutual love of bourbon and became friends. What better thing to bond over? ;) As it turns out, although this guy, Carlos, is younger than me, he figured out that bourbon was awesome well before I did. He has family in Kentucky and they know what's up, so he's been a bourbon guy for years. So. Carlos and I had the chance to try a few bourbons together on a couple occasions and he kept telling me that Jim Beam was good. I resisted this. I thought it couldn't possibly be true. Yet Carlos insisted. He knew how to appreciate different bourbons and was able to detect flavors and nuances in them that I was not. I started to listen to him.

I tried Jim Beam. Now - I didn't go in all the way and buy a bottle. I was out at a local pub and they didn't have many bourbons to choose from. I saw Jim Beam and ordered it, thinking I'd tell Carlos I'd tried it and to quit with telling me to. Turns out he was right. It's very easy to drink, sweet without being too sweet, and just enough heat to prove it's whiskey. Very nice. For the price, you really can't beat it.

So it's official. I'm a fan. Just goes to show I shouldn't knock it 'til I try it. I've had it several times since that first night. No hurting. Just a nice, basic bourbon. I suppose they know what they're doing over there at Jim Beam. ::shrug::

If you'd like to watch Mila learn the Kentucky Chew, click here. It's cute.

Cheers, people! Go try something new today. :)