🥃 How a St. Bernard, a Bourbon, and a Blizzard Made My Wildest Christmas Memory

💥 Opening Pour

There’s cold… and then there’s Christmas Eve in a Vermont blizzard kind of cold.
I had one bottle of Old Forester Birthday Bourbon, 60 stranded guests, and one mischievous St. Bernard.
By the end of the night, I was either going to be a holiday hero — or blacklisted for life.

📖 The Story

The plan was simple: spend the holidays sipping something special at a luxury ski lodge in Vermont.
I brought a unicorn — Old Forester Birthday Bourbon. Rich. Rare. The kind of bottle you don't open… unless it’s for something unforgettable.

The blizzard rolled in by noon. The power went by five. The wine ran out. The guests were grumpy. The bar was down to schnapps and regret.

So I pulled the bottle from my bag and made a bold move:

The room transformed. Spirits lifted. A man named Dave proposed to his girlfriend. A kid played “Jingle Bells” on the lodge piano with surprising skill. For a moment, we were golden.

Then Barley, the lodge’s oversized St. Bernard, saw the bottle.

In a leap worthy of the Winter Olympics, he dove for it.

Glass shattered. Bourbon spilled. Silence.

The crowd turned on me like I’d just shot Santa.

Right then, the lodge manager walked in — surveyed the scene — and gave me that look.

I’m not banned exactly. But I am on the “suggested not to return” list during peak season.

🥇 The Weekly Pour

Bottle: Old Forester Birthday Bourbon
Price: ~$169 MSRP (but expect $700–$1,200 secondary)
Proof: Varies by year (~98–101)
Age: 12 years

Nose: Roasted almonds, caramel glaze, orange zest
Palate: Vanilla bean, cinnamon spice, sweet oak
Finish: Long, warming, nutty — like a cozy winter hug

✅ Complex without being complicated
✅ Smooth as freshly fallen snow
✅ Pairs perfectly with bold stories and cold nights

🛒 Buy it now → Whiskey Caviar ($749.99)

🍹The Art of Mixing

Some bottles are too good to mix. This is one of them.
But if you're feeling wild? Try a Holiday Old Fashioned with maple syrup and black walnut bitters.
Just promise me you’ll use a different bottle.

Holiday Old Fashioned

Ingredients

• 2 oz bourbon (use something good, but not your unicorn)

• 1/4 oz pure maple syrup

• 2 dashes black walnut bitters

• 1 dash orange bitters

• Orange peel, for garnish

• Cinnamon stick (optional, for garnish)

Instructions

1. In a mixing glass, combine bourbon, maple syrup, and bitters.

2. Add ice and stir until well chilled — about 30 seconds.

3. Strain into a rocks glass over a large ice cube.

4. Express the orange peel over the drink, then drop it in.

5. Garnish with a cinnamon stick if you're feeling festive.

Tip: Warm the maple syrup slightly before mixing — it blends smoother and adds a rich, silky texture.

🍖 Flavor Pairing Picks

Pair it with:

🍗 Smoked duck breast — Rich enough to stand up to the spice, with a touch of sweetness to match the vanilla.
🍑 Chocolate pecan pie — Sweet, nutty, decadent — the dessert version of this bottle.
💨 Arturo Fuente Hemingway Short Story — Toasty and refined, with enough body to complement the pour without overpowering it.

🧠 Big Lesson of the Week

Whiskey doesn’t just warm your body — it warms the room, too.
But beware of dogs with good taste and no boundaries.

🥂 Final Toast

Some bottles get poured. Others get remembered. The best? They do both.

🥃 Repeatable Proverb

“Never trust a dog around good bourbon.”

📖 The Whiskey Journal Is Here

For those of us who believe every bottle tells a story worth writing down.

I finally released The Art of the Pour Official Whiskey Tasting Journal—the same one I use to jot down:

🖋️ Tasting notes, barrel picks, and “finally cracked it open” moments
🗓️ First pours with friends
🧠 Thoughts that hit halfway through a good pour

🎁 And because I love a good surprise, I’m throwing in a free printable Whiskey Tasting Wheel—yep, the one folks keep asking about from past newsletters.

Already a subscriber? You’re first in line.
👉 Get the Journal + Free Whiskey Wheel

Now Its Your Turn

📩 Ever had a bottle save the night — or totally backfire?
Comment below and share your best (or worst) whiskey holiday story.
Or just tell me what you’d bring to a blizzard party.
⭐️ Save this post
📤 Share it with a friend who needs a laugh (and a pour)

Cheers to snowy nights, whiskey rites, and bottles with a bite,

Ethan “Neat” Whitmore

P.S. Next week, we kick off a brand-new 3-part series:
"Build Your Whiskey Collection Without Going Broke or Blind"
Part One: “Start With These 5 Bottles That Punch Above Their Proof.”
Don’t miss Tuesday. 🥃