[Leica] OT Thoughts on Irish whiskeys

[charlie at droolassicpark.com (Charlie Meyer)]

As a former gin-slinger at the Irish Times on Capitol Hill ('An  
airplane hangar with personality'), and having spent some significant  
time on islands north of the Channel, I remember when a junketing TD  
appeared at a birthday party, mine, cradling a bottle of duty-free  
Powers ('Three Swallows' for the initiated).  Left when the bottle  
was empty.  For a long time, Tullamore Dew had to be smuggled back in  
one's baggage, another case of distillers/distributors  redlining the  
market.  An act of war, some thought, 'Drink having been taken'.  
Ergo, it is not hard to believe that the 'garlic-breathers' at Pernod  
would pull a similar stunt with Paddy.

Scotland was fun too...one could get a taste of non-mass marketed  
single malts and not look far to find them.  Hint: Don't put a rare  
single malt in your luggage close to the Transportation Security  
Administration Christmas Party.

In so-called 'control states', a legacy of the repeal of the  
Eighteenth Amendment (and a sop to the lunatics who still thought  
Volstead had merit), one must jump through hoops to get the state  
liquor board to order the interesting stuff, and then only in case  
lots.  Hence, plenty of rail vodka one wouldn't do a back-alley CLA  
with, but forget something of obscure taste.  Liquor distribution  
schemes like this make the states tons of money.  Even when the right  
wingers were in the Virginia governor's mansion, and eyeing  
everything for privatization, the government-run ABC liquor store  
system was a retained shrine to Soviet-era central economic control,  
but it did pay well.  Privatization of the Virginia state liquor  
stores flew like a lead balloon, as I recall. Buy liquor in DC,  
cigarettes in Virginia, and a house in West Virginia. (Yes, Marc, I  
am aware what Section 2 of the Twenty-first Amendment says. <grin>.)

Forbidden fruits are always the sweetest.

Meanwhile, back to the Grand Marnier bottle I am in 'Executive  
Session' with.

Charlie

"Decaf? Listen, lady, this is a bar.  Everything we sell is bad for  
you. We're proud of that."


On Mar 25, 2007, at 1:04 PM, C. Kevin O'Hagan wrote:

> Nectar of the Gods is Paddy; Pernod controls the distribution and this
> best of Cork never reaches our shores.
>
> I hate that no one coming from abroad can bring it in any more
>
> Kevin O'Hagan
>
>
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