Althouse: "There is a stream of bourbon and water running down the hillside that has taken much time to properly and thoroughly assess..."

June 23, 2018

"There is a stream of bourbon and water running down the hillside that has taken much time to properly and thoroughly assess..."

"Thousands of full barrels of bourbon, and possibly other spirits, came crashing down when a storage warehouse in Bardstown, Ky., partly collapsed on Friday... [Tt]he Barton 1792 Distillery... structure houses about 20,000 barrels, and... 9,000 barrels were amid the rubble... Each barrel holds 53 gallons....The Environmental Protection Agency responded to the collapse because of concerns that alcohol may have seeped into the area’s groundwater."

The NYT reports.

A view of the aftermath:

38 comments:

Darrell said...: Red meat for the Althouse Hillbillies.
Or rather moonshine.; 6/23/18, 6:17 AM
Rusty said...: Darrell.
If it's been barreled it's no longer raw spirits and since it's been distilled under lisence it isn't moonshine. Which if you ever had any you'd prefer over 'bottled in bond'. And finally not everyone who prefers bourbon is a hillbillie.
When the TVA was building dams and flooding the vallies of Kentucky and Tennesee the displaced farmers were given land in what is referred to as 'the driftless area' of central and western Wisconsin. So while there are hillbillies in Wisconsin most of the people who contribute here aren't hillbillies unless you are being derogatory. In which case, y'all come on up and have a drink a whiskey or git off my propty.; 6/23/18, 6:26 AM
Darrell said...: Bardstown, Ky.

Even the water is a very good year.; 6/23/18, 6:28 AM
Humperdink said...: What caught my eye was that a barrel of the spirits is 53 gallons. A barrel of oil is 42 gallons (300#s). Just no standards in this country.

As an aside, the spouse's horse is named Moonshine.; 6/23/18, 6:33 AM
Peter said...: I believe there was a time when being a Federal revenue agent searching for illegal stills in Kentucky was a very dangerous job. I wonder whether EPA agents trying to mess with that sweet, wonderful ground water are in similar danger.; 6/23/18, 6:36 AM
Darrell said...: Just no standards in this country.

Wrong. There are just many different types of "barrels." Each with its own standard. [hint:Weight was the prime consideration.]; 6/23/18, 6:38 AM
rehajm said...: Fortunately it wasn’t the good stuff.; 6/23/18, 6:43 AM
Meade said...: We ain't paid no whiskey tax since 1792
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whiskey_Rebellion; 6/23/18, 6:46 AM
Owen said...: EPA can chart the spill by looking for happy deer and rabbits down the valley.

Is Evian going to partner with the warehouse on a new Enhanced Water product?; 6/23/18, 6:48 AM
Mary Beth said...: Bourbon and branch.

If I remember correctly that was what JR Ewing always used to order for his drink.

I took a class on bourbon that was taught by the master distiller from Four Roses. A small bit of water added to the bourbon really does alter the flavor and let it bloom, but I think the creek will be too much.; 6/23/18, 6:57 AM
Humperdink said...: "Just no standards in this country."

"Wrong. There are just many different types of "barrels." Each with its own standard."

Of course you are correct. My comment was facetious. It's early.

I buy chemicals. The drums are predominantly 55 gals. Unless you want 1/2 barrel, they are 30 gallons.; 6/23/18, 7:03 AM
Darrell said...: Rusty,

I'm the one that coined BillHillies to taunt the "Althouse Hillbilly" assholes. The comment was pre-emptive.; 6/23/18, 7:51 AM
Fernandinande said...: A view of the aftermath:

Heh - right below that, the (video) picture of a smiling Charles Krauthammer.

(Sometimes the youtube embeds show up in the wrong place; being able to do that with two different browsers on two different OSs is a tribute to google's commitment to quality software); 6/23/18, 7:54 AM
gspencer said...: "Environmental Protection Agency responded to the collapse because of concerns that alcohol may have seeped into the area’s groundwater."

And that would have been a problem how? The EPA: Johnny-on-the-spot for this, but when a whole river turns yellow, WHICH THE EPA CAUSED, no where to be found.; 6/23/18, 8:08 AM
Unknown said...: The distillery was already giving the Angel's their share. Now it seem the Angels got greedy. Now that is rather large wee dram.; 6/23/18, 8:08 AM
mockturtle said...: Makes me think of Burl Ives singing from The Big Rock Candy Mountain:

In the Big Rock Candy Mountain
You never change your socks
And little streams of alkyhol
Come trickling down the rocks; 6/23/18, 8:13 AM
Dagwood said...: Sounds like some folks might get drunk off their assess.; 6/23/18, 8:15 AM
hawkeyedjb said...: In a world of sorrow and woe... This is a true tragedy.; 6/23/18, 8:57 AM
Crimso said...: Not too many years ago, there was a fire in a building at a distillery near Bardstown (Maker's Mark?), causing thousands of barrels to spill. A picture taken from the air (at night) showed the clear course of a nearby creek that was on fire.; 6/23/18, 9:26 AM
Francisco D said...: "A small bit of water added to the bourbon really does alter the flavor and let it bloom,"

Yes, and even more so with a nice single malt Scotch. It cuts the burn of the alcohol and lets you enjoy the skills of the distiller.

Too much water (and ice) in your bourbon or scotch is like drinking lite beer. What is the point?; 6/23/18, 9:30 AM
largely for my amusement said...: https://youtu.be/gI3nb9x5VhY

No words...; 6/23/18, 9:37 AM
Original Mike said...: ”The Environmental Protection Agency responded to the collapse because of concerns that alcohol may have seeped into the area’s groundwater."

No problem, unless it’s a dry county.; 6/23/18, 9:38 AM
robinintn said...: “A small bit of water added to the bourbon...”. My cousin uses an eye dropper. I think he also took the Four Roses class. It makes a surprisingly big difference in deliciousness.; 6/23/18, 9:53 AM
buwaya said...: When I drank, I liked a bourbon.
Cannot drink now, diabetes.

But this is indeed a tragedy, and its put me in the mood for a bourbon and branch.; 6/23/18, 10:01 AM
khematite said...: We can only thank God that at least it's not Bob Dylan's whiskey involved in this heartbreaking story.

https://www.mensjournal.com/food-drink/bob-dylans-heavens-door-whiskeys-are-unusual-and-seriously-drinkable/; 6/23/18, 10:16 AM
Etienne said...: Gravity always wins.

Only a stupid insurance company would allow these buildings to exist.

Only a stupid city would allow them to exist uphill from a river.

But then who would want to build a structure from Chinese steel? Who I say?; 6/23/18, 10:51 AM
Howard said...: Alcohol is highly biodegradable in groundwater: no harm, no foul; 6/23/18, 10:55 AM
rcocean said...: Bourbon & branch water vs. Bourbon & ground water.

Which is better?; 6/23/18, 11:17 AM
Howard said...: Branch water is essentially groundwater. It's surface water located very close to a spring (where water springs from the ground). Most "spring water" is groundwater from a well. Groundwater is better because it is low in organic carbon and other near-surface pollutants while higher in essential minerals. The different types of beer were originally developed to compliment the unique local spring water dissolved mineral chemistry. http://allaboutbeer.com/it%E2%80%99s-the-water/; 6/23/18, 11:39 AM
Douglas B. Levene said...: That's one of the saddest pictures I've ever seen.; 6/23/18, 11:48 AM
Meade said...: Worse than separating crying children from parents. Trump sees it and thinks, I rilly don’t care. Do you?

Hell yeah we care, evil hitler!; 6/23/18, 12:16 PM
Char Char Binks, Esq. said...: There's a lake of stew, and of whiskey too
You can paddle all around 'em in a big canoe; 6/23/18, 12:19 PM
Meade said...: And I’m not even a drinker. Although I do like to sometimes put a few drops of whiskey in my water. In case my water is tainted. Tainted like a bob mueller poisonous fruit tree investigation. Tainted like time magazine. Tainted like Rachel maddows fake sobbiosity.; 6/23/18, 12:28 PM
Meade said...: Taint no use to sit n wonder why, bob. Like u never done before.; 6/23/18, 12:31 PM
Jim at said...: Yes, and even more so with a nice single malt Scotch. It cuts the burn of the alcohol and lets you enjoy the skills of the distiller.

Yep. One of my favorite moments is drawing in the aroma immediately after a couple drops of water. Releasing the bouquet, as the snobs might say.; 6/23/18, 1:51 PM
Freeman Hunt said...: In the Big Rock Candy Mountains
You never change your socks
And the little streams of alcohol
Come trickling down the rocks

The brakemen have to tip their hats
And the railway bulls are blind
There's a lake of stew
And of whiskey too

You can paddle all around it
In a big canoe
In the Big Rock Candy Mountains; 6/23/18, 3:58 PM
Freeman Hunt said...: God hears the prayers of the hobo.; 6/23/18, 3:59 PM
s'opihjerdt said...: ”The Environmental Protection Agency responded to the collapse because of concerns that alcohol may have seeped into the area’s groundwater."

https://youtu.be/gI3nb9x5VhY; 6/24/18, 9:27 AM