Greetings, True Believers! It's your old pal Spider-Man.
The past couple of shaves have been rather mediocre. But one thing I realized is that I need to get myself more organized, and that starts with putting up some shelves in my bathroom and finally getting my den unpacked. I've been cobbling around for a few months since I moved. I have the basics unpacked, so I've been focusing on the rest of the house, leaving my den for last. But if I keep putting it off, I'll never get around to it. I realized this because I have about a dozen razors unpacked, all with blades in them, and have just been using them until they give out. Well, I think I'm to the point where they have all given out, and I need to refresh the razors and their blades. I need some fresh razors to keep things, well... fresh. My counter is covered with all the new aftershaves and colognes that I have recently purchased making my sink really cramped. And I'm tired of it. Also, I have way too much stuff, but that's a story for another day.
So, over the weekend, my girlfriend and I visited a couple of Distilleries in the Kansas City area. We had done tours of two last month, and hit two more this month. These tours were great. The first one was the Holladay/McCormick Distillery. McCormick has their own line of bottom shelf products but also makes the 360 Vodka line. The brand also owns and distributes several other lines like Broker's Gin, Hussong's Tequila, Tarantula Azul, Tequila Rose, Triple Crown Whiskey, Platte Valley Moonshine, Ke-Ke Beach Liqueur, and many others. It was a large walking tour from building to building across their complex, and we got to stick our finger into the mash at various stages to taste their whiskey at different stages, including their white lightning (direct from the still). The bottle their white lightning, which they call white dog, and you can buy it on site. It's 118 proof! Of course I got a bottle. Interesting stuff. Also, after the tour, you got two free samples of anything they have, and then after that samples are 25 cents, and you can try it all if you want. I was very impressed with Triple Crown. If you are a Crown Royal drinker, I highly suggest you find some Triple Crown. It's smoother and better, and costs about the same. Also, if you drink Fireball, then you need to try Platte Valley FireShine..... it's way better!
The second Distillery we hit was S.D. Strong. It's a new small distillery that's only been in operation for a few years. The make Vodka, Gin, Barrel Aged Gin, Bourbon, and Rye. Steve Strong is the owner and did the tour himself. Great guy. His distillery is located in a cave under Park University. (There are lots of caves in KC that are used for storage, industrial, and business). After the tour, he sat the group down, and led them on a tasting of all of his spirits. It was a very unique experience, and he produces some fine spirits. So far, I think he said they are only in 5 states, and their bourbon & rye production is very slow right now. But I expect you will be hearing form them in the future.
So, Last night I attended my Masonic Lodge. We had a military member recently PCS (move to another base), and left his seat open. So I was voted in to fill it. So for the remainder of our Masonic Year, I am the Senior Warden of out lodge, which is basically second in command. We generally progress through the chairs, so next year it is very likely that I will be voted in as Master of the Lodge. (Term starts in October) I've got a lot of studying to do before then.
The past couple of shaves have been rather mediocre. But one thing I realized is that I need to get myself more organized, and that starts with putting up some shelves in my bathroom and finally getting my den unpacked. I've been cobbling around for a few months since I moved. I have the basics unpacked, so I've been focusing on the rest of the house, leaving my den for last. But if I keep putting it off, I'll never get around to it. I realized this because I have about a dozen razors unpacked, all with blades in them, and have just been using them until they give out. Well, I think I'm to the point where they have all given out, and I need to refresh the razors and their blades. I need some fresh razors to keep things, well... fresh. My counter is covered with all the new aftershaves and colognes that I have recently purchased making my sink really cramped. And I'm tired of it. Also, I have way too much stuff, but that's a story for another day.
So, over the weekend, my girlfriend and I visited a couple of Distilleries in the Kansas City area. We had done tours of two last month, and hit two more this month. These tours were great. The first one was the Holladay/McCormick Distillery. McCormick has their own line of bottom shelf products but also makes the 360 Vodka line. The brand also owns and distributes several other lines like Broker's Gin, Hussong's Tequila, Tarantula Azul, Tequila Rose, Triple Crown Whiskey, Platte Valley Moonshine, Ke-Ke Beach Liqueur, and many others. It was a large walking tour from building to building across their complex, and we got to stick our finger into the mash at various stages to taste their whiskey at different stages, including their white lightning (direct from the still). The bottle their white lightning, which they call white dog, and you can buy it on site. It's 118 proof! Of course I got a bottle. Interesting stuff. Also, after the tour, you got two free samples of anything they have, and then after that samples are 25 cents, and you can try it all if you want. I was very impressed with Triple Crown. If you are a Crown Royal drinker, I highly suggest you find some Triple Crown. It's smoother and better, and costs about the same. Also, if you drink Fireball, then you need to try Platte Valley FireShine..... it's way better!
The second Distillery we hit was S.D. Strong. It's a new small distillery that's only been in operation for a few years. The make Vodka, Gin, Barrel Aged Gin, Bourbon, and Rye. Steve Strong is the owner and did the tour himself. Great guy. His distillery is located in a cave under Park University. (There are lots of caves in KC that are used for storage, industrial, and business). After the tour, he sat the group down, and led them on a tasting of all of his spirits. It was a very unique experience, and he produces some fine spirits. So far, I think he said they are only in 5 states, and their bourbon & rye production is very slow right now. But I expect you will be hearing form them in the future.
So, Last night I attended my Masonic Lodge. We had a military member recently PCS (move to another base), and left his seat open. So I was voted in to fill it. So for the remainder of our Masonic Year, I am the Senior Warden of out lodge, which is basically second in command. We generally progress through the chairs, so next year it is very likely that I will be voted in as Master of the Lodge. (Term starts in October) I've got a lot of studying to do before then.
