Episode 5 - High West Campfire

Welcome to the Backyard Bourbon Broadcast! In this episode, Jerimy discusses his recent trip to Poland, tries High West’s “Campfire,” tells stories of salmon and misery, and much else in this, Episode 5 of the Backyard Bourbon Broadcast!

Hey there, ya bunch of Backyardigans! How y’all are! “YOR BACK-YAHD FRENZ THA BACKYA-DIGGINS” Welcome back to the show where we’re always sippin’ corn and spillin’ tea. How’s your summer? It has been crazy around our place, as I’m sure it’s been wherever you are! It has been more than a month since our last podcast, and that’s simply because my schedule is nuts AS OF LATE. You know last year I think I did 36, 37 podcasts? Something like that. That’s like a podcast every two weeks! We’re gonna be lucky to do 12 this year. Work has been absolutely crazy, which is a good thing, but it’d be OK with me if it would slow down just a bit. I also travelled to Poland again to play with the cover band I’m in. This time, we played a lot more venues, went to more cities, played out on the street in Lodz, the square in Pietrkov again and even played in a psych ward, which was intense to say the least. It was incredible, actually, one of those moments you know you’ll never forget. We only had an acoustic guitar and some tambourines for that show in the hospital, and didn’t speak a word of Polish… but the tears just streaming down their faces... as they enjoyed not only the music but the fact that people actually spent time to come visit them. In Poland, people with mental health issues are looked down upon, and most of the folks in this hospital don’t get very many visitors, even from family. So we visited them and sang some songs for them, and honestly, it was one of our best performances. We don’t normally do an acoustic set like that, and happily it came off great.  One of the “guests” there at the psych ward said the funniest thing as we were leaving. “If it wasn’t for the Russians, we would’ve been friends years ago.” But they were incredibly gracious and nice to us there. In fact, everywhere we went and played, the people were incredibly nice. I never thought of going to Poland, just didn’t seem like a place I’d want to go, and now I’ve been there twice. I think part of that is growing up in the 80s, and any images you’d see of, well, really any communist-controlled country showed it for what it was… cold, gray, industrial… communistic... so that didn’t really excite a young boy to travel there, ya know? But boy do I have a love for that place now. Such special, strong, kind people with an incredibly rich history. If you ever have the chance to go, GO. You definitely won’t regret it.

My only complaint during the trip, well both trips actually, would be that bourbon is nowhere near anything they’d prefer to drink. Beer, for sure. Wine? Yep. Luke-warm water with gas? (Soda water) Every meal. But bourbon? Viskey? Here’s the thing, they have it at every bar. Jack Daniel’s (as per usual), Wild Turkey 101… even saw Woodford there. But after playing and visiting over two dozen bars and pubs there, I’ve had exactly TWO drinks total. Promptness isn’t exactly a valued commodity there, but especially not when they don’t understand why you’re drinking this brown Kentucky water. In fact, I’m pretty sure the 750ml bottle of 101 that I finally got to partake of had been there undisturbed for quite some time. I got a few looks as if I was drinking liquid magma and that made me feel like a superhero.

So this episode’s bourbon is not really a bourbon. It’s “Campfire” by the High West distillery in Park City, Utah, and that version, according to their website, is a “blend of bourbon, rye, and peated Scotch whisky, ranging in age from 4-8 years old.” It goes on to say “The peated Scotch whisky in this blend offers a delightful smoky note, reminiscent of a campfire. It is also best enjoyed round a blazing campfire to warm up, wind down your day, share stories, and deepen friendships.” Well there’s nothing wrong with that, to be sure. In fact, my old roommates, some who actually listen to this show, shout out to my buddy J King!, anyway my old roommates and I would camp alllllll the time in Colorado, and they are some of the best memories I have. We wouldn’t have been classy enough, or rich enough, to purchase this high-dollar hooch, but I appreciate the sentiment! It’s 46% ABV, so 92 proof, very highly rated by scores of people who know way more than I do. And I can verify the smokey campfire taste and fragrance. That sure comes on strong from the outset. I really liked the bottle style - super-cool, made Old West-style, with the bubbles trapped in the glass and all. They certainly know their vision of the product. As far as taste goes, I wasn’t a big fan. I’m not a huge fan of Scotch. And yes, I can hear eyes roll all across the world when I say that. And I’m sure that marks me as some kind of knuckle-dragging cretin with neither high breeding nor moral compass to correct my distaste for the finer things in life. Whatever. What can I say, I just like the taste of bourbon. I’m an American. I like football. I like corn. I like bourbon. I don’t like licking moss off a rock. This was some very peety stuff, folks. Too much for my tastes. Now if it’s the only thing in the cupboard, hey, pour me a glass. But otherwise… 

So that brings up the question, especially for you bourbon drinkers, what are your thoughts on Scotch? Do you like it, hate it, can’t care less about it? My brother is a scotch drinker, and he’s given me a glass of Macallan a time or two. And all I get is moss. Wet moss, folks. Oh and hot kerosene fire down my throat. It just doesn’t get smooth or tasty or enjoyable. Now why is this not the case with bourbon? Well, for one thing, I don’t know. For another, it’s bourbon, and as you may remember from earlier, I like that. You know a similar thing happened long ago when our neighbors came back from Alaska. Fresh-caught Alaskan salmon. BLECH. As Brian Regan says, “Horrific… excruciating… would rather have shards of glass in my eyes.” I hear fresh-caught Alaskan salmon is as good as it gets, and I can’t stand it at all. In fact, at my neighbor’s house, I was forced to try it and just kept it in my mouth, trying not to gag, and said “This is good. Can I use your restroom?” And out I spit it into the toilet. I’m classy like that. Of course this was a LONG time ago. Like Tuesday. No, it was actually years ago. But the point is you like what you like, and there’s no reasoning or debating with your taste buds. So I was a “no” on the “Campfire,” but I will certainly keep it on the shelf for my Scotch-drinking buddies, should they show up. 

OK folks, that’s about it. If you’ve had the Campfire, let me know about it, let me know what you think. 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!