Gotta Start Somewhere!

Been thinking about this project for far too long. Better just have a shot of tequila and start pounding some keys. No, wait a minute, it's 7 in the morning, yesterday was the Texas Package Stores Association tasting session where every supplier of alcoholic beverages in the state sets up to pour samples. Really. The prospect and the reality staggers the imagination. Is it a great place to do serious tasting? Well, maybe not. But it is a great place to see anybody who you worked with, crossed paths with, or just really drove you nuts. Everybody's tasting, everybody's getting a buzz, everybody's happy. Three rules: Taste something new, Taste what you can't afford, Stay within the lines.

Highlights:

• Mulderbosch Rose 2009
• Gaillard Condrieu
• Whichever bottle James MacFadyen just opened
• BREWDOG Ales
• The beasts of Ardbeg
• Who would win: Hennessy Paradis or Pierre Ferrand?
• DART rail, the safe way home!