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BOURBON AND BASEBALL
Bourbon and baseball are two great characters in the American Story. They came of age at about the same time and, like all great characters, they've become both complex and familiar. And yet, despite all the complexity, Bourbon and baseball are two words that strike up such a deep feeling of warmth and Americana. One has been called the great American spirit, the other, the great American pastime. Together, they are legends.
Like all legends, their origin stories are shrouded in mythology. Whiskey had been distilled from ancient Babylonia to Greece. But by the time it found its way to distant Louisville, Kentucky, by way of Evan Williams, it was ready for the American contribution - charred barrels and corn mash. Legend has it that Evan Williams, a Welsh immigrant, was America's first commercial distiller. After he was elected to Louisville's Board of Trustees, he would bring a bottle of his own whiskey to Board Meetings. Unsurprisingly, he continued to be elected for years to come.
Baseball comes to america
Baseball came over in much the same way. The French game soule, the British rounders, eventually formed into the game we know as baseball today. Abner Doubleday, inventor or innovator, became the father of the modern game. By the 1840s, while the nation was still young and growing, it is probable that many town squares became ball fields, with Bourbon whiskey to refresh participants and spectators alike, in between innings.
Over the years, while distillers experimented with aging techniques, mash recipes, and barrel chars, baseball went about cementing its own rules - positions and base paths, foul balls and home runs. And yet, despite time and innovation, here we are, sitting in ballparks, sports bars, and around our television sets, sipping Bourbon and watching baseball.
In the end, there is one thing that binds Bourbon and baseball more than any other-time.
Coming of age
Most of us have our own coming of age stories of Bourbon and baseball. There's a reason we feel so much nostalgia for both. We remember our first baseball game and whether we were rooting for - or against - the same team that our grandparents did. Likewise, we remember our first pour of good Bourbon and how we'd never be the same.
In the end, there is one thing that binds Bourbon and baseball more than any other - time. Baseball moves at its own pace. It has no shot clock, no timed quarters. It is played for 9 innings, sometimes longer. Bourbon ages for at least two years, sometimes longer. There is no way to speed it up, no way to hurry it along. It requires patience, and calm. It's best to drink it the same way. Whether mixed or straight, neat or on the rocks, it is a spirit to enjoy. To savor.
Times change but Bourbon and baseball endure. They bring us closer to our past and toast to a brighter future. They remind us to relax. And most importantly, they bring us joy. Cheers and play ball!