Episode 4 - Matthew’s Longbranch

Hey there Backyardigans… “YOWA BACK-YAHD FRENZ THA BACKYA-DIGGINS” How y’all are? How are things going out there where you live? If you listened to the previous episode, you know there’s been a lot we’ve been dealing with over here at The Backyard Bourbon Broadcast. So with this episode, I’m really excited to get back to simple podcasting and drinking bourbon! Just a reminder, I post all of our episodes on YouTube, so if you’re looking for prior episodes, just search for the Backyard Bourbon Broadcast and you can find what you’re looking for. At this time, don’t expect any visual magic, because I basically just throw some of the pictures I take on top of the audio of the podcast and upload it to YouTube. It’s more than a little ironic that given my profession, I don’t put any time into decent videos, but I am SO swamped at the moment that it’s taking all I’ve got just to do that!

In other news, I don’t know if any of you listen to the Mike Rowe podcast “The Way I Heard It,” but it is easily one of the greatest podcasts out there. Seriously, you should probably stop listening to this drivel and head on over to Mr. Mike Rowe’s ethereal address and enjoy yourself. He tells stories like I wish I could, and many of them seem to start off in one direction, only to end up somewhere completely different from where you expected. He’s also got the obligatory social media pages (I’m getting to the point of all this, I swear), and on that page a couple of months ago, he posted the story of meeting this very interesting person at the bar on night. Well, long story short, the guy he met was Clint Hill, who was a Secret Service agent for Presidents Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon and Ford. Mr. Hill was the agent who climbed onto the back of the car when Kennedy was shot in Dallas to get Jackie back inside the vehicle as it sped towards Parkland Hospital right after the shooting. So Mike Rowe tells about the books Mr. Clint Hill has written, and immediately I get to the library to check out one of them. These are incredible stories. The first book I read of his was “Five Presidents,” and I just finished it. It details Mr. Hill’s life in the Secret Service and all the presidents he served and places he visited. Just the fact he served five different presidents is extremely interesting to me, but add in the fact that he was there in Dallas on November 22, 1963, AND the fact he was the first agent to get to the car right after President Kennedy was shot, simply amazing. Google it right now if you want - he’s the Secret Service agent climbing onto the back of the presidential limousine right after JFK was shot in the Zapruder film. He’s trying to get Jackie back in the car, and he explains in the book that, despite what some thought at the time, Jackie wasn’t trying to escape but was actually collecting pieces of skull as if they’d be able to put Jack Kennedy back together. Simply amazing and brutal at the same time. He explains how that day, and especially that site, affected him for years to come. He was also there at the launch of Apollo 11, was one of the first to receive a call regarding the Watergate break-in, and was even there as Nixon boarded the helicopter after resigning the presidency. It’s a fantastic book, again it’s called “Five Presidents” and you should look it up if you get the chance. I think one of the most impressive things I took away from his books is how he treats everyone with respect. You can tell in a few of the stories that he may not agree with some people, or even like them, but he doesn’t dog on them, even years afterward. Very instructive.

Alright, now we’re done with book club, children! OK, now to everyone’s favorite part of the show! So we got the Longbranch. How did we get the Longbranch, well that’s a long story I won’t bore you with, but suffice it to say there’s a couple of great professors at the university who appreciated my efforts on their content and videos and showed their appreciation in a very distilled way. I’ve been very interested in trying the Longbranch and this provided the perfect opportunity to try it. It’s made by Wild Turkey, and it’s the product of the work of the Wild Turkey Russell’s and Matthew McConaughey, who is now a creative director of sorts for the company. With Longbranch, they added a second step in the filtering process with mesquite charcoals, giving it a secondary smokey flavor and distinctiveness. And there is definitely a hint of smokiness that must come from that process. It’s not the first thing you taste but more like an aftertaste… kind of hits you after you’ve put your glass down, like “whoa, that’s interesting.” And “interesting” is probably the best word I could use to describe this bourbon. Interesting taste, interesting concept - using Matthew McConaughey’s warm personality to help craft and sell a bourbon, interesting choice of ingredients - using mesquite wood… I mean, I’m not from Texas so I really couldn’t tell you what a mesquite tree, (or is it a bush?), looks like… I kind of understand what it tastes like, but I don’t know... I don’t know if I care. This is a good bourbon, definitely wouldn’t turn it down, but to help figure out how I felt about it, I got a bottle of the Wild Turkey 101, my old favorite. Not a fair fight, to be sure. The 101 has a higher proof, it’s my favorite, it’s reliable… the Longbranch is the new kid… and no surprise, I like the 101 much better. The Longbranch isn’t bad! It’s just… a different version of the brand. Kind of like Coca-Cola and Coke Zero, right? Is that this is? I’m not trying to be a jerk here, maybe it’s just that I don’t get the point. The 101 is consistently good, consistently GREAT. Why bother with something else? Well, that’s why I’m not remotely considered anything resembling an authority on anything regarding bourbon. Obviously what they’re doing over there is working. Maybe I’m just trying to understand all the hubbub bub about an 86 proof bourbon… that sits around $45? When the 101 is higher proof, stronger character and cheaper…? And again, it’s good bourbon. I wouldn’t turn it down. It’s unique, for sure, really has its own flavor…

But if that 101’s on the shelf...

OK folks, that’s about it. If you’ve had the Longbranch, let me know about it, let me know what you think. Maybe it’ll grow on me after another bottle…? I don’t know, but I’d love to hear your thoughts on it. Again, if you have any comments on our program or the pictures and videos we provide, please drop us a line at backyardbourbonbroadcast@gmail.com or find us on the interwebs or social media - we’re on Instagram @backyardbourbonbroadcast and on Twitter @bourbonandstory. Once again, thank you for listening, and we’ll talk to you next time on the next episode of the Backyard Bourbon Broadcast!