I'm not dead yet.

I know. No word from your fearless (blog) leader in just 2 days shy of a month! What have I been doing? Here's a list for those of you that like organization:
1. Getting a new job.
2. Shoveling snow. LOTS of snow.
3. Buying Michter's stuff (You have no idea.)
4. Buying whiskey and enjoying a shot each night of something new.
5. Making space for aforementioned Michter's stuff.
6. Apparently not blogging.

So now the actual update on my Michter's efforts:

The tours did not happen on Valentines Day due to snow and unsafe conditions. However, that gave me time to make contacts and get my hands on some colossal collections of Michter's items. Thanks to Mr. Mummert and his sister, Mrs. Foreman, I was able to secure over 50 decanters- most full with boxes for the collection. These decanters replaced empty ones in my collection which are being sold off. Mr. Mummert was a Michter's Collectors Society member and also provided me with a large amount of newsletters, mailings, advertising, and special event flyers. Several other individuals, EBay, and some local antiques dealers have also helped in securing rare pieces for my collection. I'm going to go out on a limb saying this, but as far as I can tell, I now have the most complete collection of Michter's memorabilia that exists. There are still several decanters out there that I do not have, but they are very rare (less than 500 made) and it may take some time to find them- if they even still exist today!


As for my whiskey for drinking collection, I am experimenting with "bottom shelf" and "middle shelf" economically priced whiskeys to see if there are some good bang-for-your-buck pours out there. Recently I've tried:
Banker's Club Blended Whiskey
Old Fitzgerald Bourbon 80pf
Pikesville Supreme Rye
Cabin Still Bourbon

For me, that standout was the Cabin Still. For being a 36 month old whiskey at 80 proof and only $8.50 a liter I was not expecting much. But I was amazed at how smooth it was. It presented itself as a more mature bourbon. It certainly did not have the oakiness and deep flavor that older bourbons have, but it was not harsh and bitter like so many other young bourbons are. I was really amazed at the flavor and that it even had a slightly sweet, lingering finish. If this stuff was made at 100 proof and aged 4 years, I'll bet it would be absolutely amazing. Only downside- it's not available in PA! From my list above, only the Banker's Club Blended Whiskey is available in PA at $8.50 for a liter. This is actually my second choice from the list above. But being a blended whiskey, one should expect it to be smooth and not so harsh already. It met, but did not exceed my expectations. A very good, easily found, inexpensive whiskey. I still recommend it for tight budgets. It would mix great in soda as well.

Michter's event is cancelled.

Due to an unsafe snow load on the buildings, a broken plow, and a few other snow-related problems, we have been forced to cancel the event at Michter's for the 14th until later this spring when the snow has gone.

The train derails in Manheim.

The local Norfolk Southern freight train derailed on the wye in Manheim this morning. I am an avid railroad fan and things like this don't happen very often. The train was making its exchange of tank cars with Ferrellgas when the one rail gave out and the train ended up on the ground. The track on the wye wasn't the greatest so I had a feeling this was going to happen sooner or later. I hear the horn of another train coming into town from the west so I am wondering if that is the wreck train from Lancaster. I think I'll go check it out. For now, here are a few pictures:

Videos of Michter's Distillery

Here is an overview of the site:




Here is the first warehouse that had collapsed showing our cleanup efforts:




Here is the second warehouse that collapsed and our recent cleanup efforts:

The Capri turns 24.

Today marks the 24th anniversary of my 1986 Mercury Capri coming off the assembly line at Ford's Dearborn plant. 1986 also marked the last year for the Capri and carburetted 2.3L 4 cylinder engines. Why is this car worth keeping? In 1986, only 20,869 Capris were made. Of those, only 1,774 were made in the Shadow Blue Metallic color- most of which were ASC McLaren coupes. The options package on my Capri is what really makes it unique. It has power locks, power windows, a 3 speed automatic, premium sound, a flip-up sunroof, and rear defrost, BUT no air conditioning and only the cloth interior. This options package would have had to have been pieced together, which would have made it very expensive. You could have gotten a decent V6 or base V8 engined car for the price. I have owned the car since July of 2000 and I've done an awful lot to it. When I bought the car, it had an Earl Sheib paint job, smoked a little, and needed a few other repairs. I fully repainted the car while in college and since then have done quite a bit of engine work. The Ford 2.3L OHC engine in it has 221,000 miles on it (From what I suspect. However, there is no 100,000 marker on the odometer so it's hard to say.). I put a rebuilt head from an 89 Mustang on it, the carburetor is a rejetted Motorcraft-Weber 5200 2 barrel from a 77 Pinto, I replaced the camshaft with a roller cam out of a 90 Ranger, the ignition was modified to a Duraspark-MSD hybrid system, I removed the air pump and a bunch of other emissions junk and also reworked most of the vacuum system. My modifications replace a computer controlled 1 barrel Carter carburetor and lots of other old, worn out, pathetic parts. Here's a few pictures of the car today:

The Official PA Wine And Spirits Inventory Search!!

Two posts in one day. I have no life I guess. ANYWAY, the other day while tooling around on the State's website I came across the holy grail that many of us PA liquor drinkers can't ever seem to find. Posted below is the link to the PLCB website's inventory search. This allows you to not only see if the state handles your favorite wine or spirit, but also how it is available, where it is available, and how many units a store stocks (plus the store's hours and address!!). VERY easy to use and an awesome way to track down your favorite drink! Enjoy!


http://www.lcbapps.lcb.state.pa.us/webapp/Product_Management/psi_ProductDefault_inter.asp?plcbNav=|32369|

This blog thinks this is not a valid link so you will have to copy and paste this into your browser.

One of my other collections...

This one probably isn't worth as much as my Michter's stuff, but it's actually usable on a daily basis. I collect records. LP's and 45's. What all do I have? Lots of stuff, mostly from the late 70's to the early 90's. Lots of Genesis, Rush, The Police, Pink Floyd, Yes, The Cars, and plenty of others. I've got everything from regular albums to special pressings, radio broadcasts, UK pressings, and promo albums. I've got an old Technics direct-drive turntable that is plugged into my old Pioneer silver-faced receiver. Here are 2 quick pictures: