July 14, 2010
I'll have to track some of this down. I'm a big Marker's Mark fan, so this is a must. Here's the press release:
Loretto, KY (June 30, 2010) – Maker’s Mark is once again bringing innovation to the Bourbon industry with today’s release of the company’s first ever new Bourbon, Maker’s 46. In celebration, Maker’s Mark President Bill Samuels, Jr., continuing in the tradition his father began, hand-dipped and sealed ceremonial bottles of Maker’s 46™ Bourbon in the brand’s iconic red wax with Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear at the historic Maker’s Mark Distillery.
Maker’s 46 is a handcrafted, full-bodied Bourbon whisky that starts off as original Maker’s Mark. The transformation into Maker’s 46 begins when fully matured Maker’s Mark is emptied from the barrel so that 10 seared French oak staves can be affixed to the sides. Then, Maker’s Mark, which is made with red winter wheat for a smooth taste, is put back in the barrel and aged for several more months, allowing the natural caramel, vanilla and spice flavors released by the staves to enhance the end product.
“This new expression is a breakthrough in the contemporary craft of bourbon,” stated Mr. Samuels. “We have used innovative techniques never before employed by the Bourbon industry to create a full-bodied bourbon without any bitterness.”
The creation of Maker’s 46 was a collaborative effort between Bill Samuels, Maker’s Mark Master Distiller Kevin Smith, and Barrel Maker and “Wood Chef” Brad Boswell of Independent Stave Company. Samuels and Smith started with a clear idea of how they wanted the new bourbon to taste – full-bodied without any bitterness – and turned to Boswell to help develop the recipe. They knew this would be no easy task, if it could be done at all.
After much experimenting, Boswell decided to try a searing technique on French oak staves that had never been used before to make bourbon. He delicately seared the staves just enough so that the caramel and vanilla flavors from it were released and only a small amount of tannin, which adds bitterness, came out of the wood. The name Maker’s 46 comes from the profile number Boswell assigned to this winning “wood recipe.”
Samuels notes, “Over the years whisky consumers’ palates have moved toward bigger and bolder flavors. So, I wanted to craft a contemporary interpretation of Maker’s Mark that matched with current tastes, but didn’t want to mess up what my father had created or disenfranchise any of our loyal fans.”
Kevin Smith adds, “Maker’s 46 is spicier and has a more intense aroma than Maker’s Mark. It has rich caramel and vanilla flavors, and even at 94 proof it’s soft enough to hold on the tongue. You can drink it on its own or mix it into a cocktail.”
Initial reactions from Bourbon experts to Maker’s 46 have been positive. Malt Advocate Publisher and Editor, John Hansell has noted in his review, “The French Oak staves in ‘46’ add firm, complex, dry spices (lead by warming cinnamon, followed by nutmeg and clove)…which dovetails well with Maker’s trademark layered sweetness.”
Additionally, Charles K. Cowdery, Editor-in-Chief of The Bourbon Country Reader – a publication dedicated exclusively to American whiskey – says, “Compared to standard Maker’s, there is less citrus and more fudge. It is very, very good.” Jose Garces, Owner of Garces Restaurant Group and Food Network Iron Chef, has also reviewed the Bourbon and states, “… I really enjoy its fruit-forward notes with flavors of vanilla and caramel lingering from the aging process. The finish is extraordinarily smooth and the flavor pleasantly stayed on my palate.”
Only 25,000 cases of Maker’s 46 will be shipped by the distillery this year, making bottles of this first batch a rare commodity. The new Kentucky straight bourbon whisky will be sold in 750ml bottles and retail for approximately $10 more than Maker’s Mark (prices vary state to state).
For more information about Maker’s 46 and Maker’s Mark, go to www.makersmark.com (must be 21 years of age or older), or visit Maker’s Mark on Twitter and Facebook.
Posted by Ghostshark under Spirits | Comments (0)
July 14, 2010
Anything that comes from Hawaii has to be pretty good. There's a lot of information in the press release, so here it is:
Kalaheo, Kaua`i, Hawaii, July 8, 2010–A scant ten months after becoming the first-ever distillery on the island of Kaua`i, The Ko?loa Rum Company has both captured several prestigious awards as well as begun expanding its distribution eastward, first, across the State of Hawaii and to the mainland, making landfall first in California.
Back in March, Ko?loa Premium Hawaiian Rum—available in white, gold and dark varieties– won two silvers and a bronze award at the Fifth Annual Polished Palate Rum Festival held in Ybor City near Tampa, Florida. In its first-ever festival and competition outing, Ko?loa Rum won a bronze medal for their Kaua`i White Rum; a silver medal for their Kaua`i Gold Rum; and a silver medal for their Kaua`i Dark Rum. Festival organizer Dori Bryant, whose judges evaluated 42 rums on the basis of appearance, aroma, taste, “mouth feel” and finish, said, “It is obvious that rum’s star has already risen. The quality of new products entering the market—including those from Panama, Venezuela, Florida and Hawaii—bodes well for the industry.” The Polished Palate founded the first cane-based spirits competition in the US: www.polishedpalate.com/events/irf/2010.
Then, in May, K?loa Rum Company captured a Gold Medal for its Kaua`i Dark Rum at the Rum Renaissance Festival in Miami. This festival (www.rumrenaissance.com), the Western Hemisphere’s largest cane spirits event, featured more than a hundred rums in a variety of categories. A panel of international rum experts including authors, mixologists, collectors, journalists and others blind-tasted the rums in eight major categories. According to event officials, more than 1,900 people attended, with all having the opportunity to experience Rums from around the globe and enjoy public and VIP tastings. According to Paul Artrip, “The Rum Daddy” (www.therumdaddy.com), and host of the American Artisan Rums booth, “America’s entrepreneurial spirit is ‘alive and kicking’ in artisan and micro distilleries across the country, and rum is leading the way. Rum was America’s first widely-produced spirit, and American ingenuity is fighting a slow economy to showcase U.S. know-how and creativity. Having K?loa Rum Company win a Gold Medal in their first year of participation at the Festival is a tremendous recognition of their efforts and their people.”
Bob Gunter, President of K?loa Rum Company, stated, “Receiving multiple awards in two consecutive competitions is a tremendous honor and reflects our employees’ expertise, dedication, hard work and relentless efforts to produce premium products that consistently exceed our customers’ high expectations.
“These rigorous competitions and awards serve to validate these efforts and the quality of our products. One of the goals in creating our company was to bring favorable recognition to Kaua`i and Hawaii, and these medals bring positive attention and credibility to Hawaii as a premium rum-producing region and give all of us on Kaua`i something we can be proud of and share.”
Rum’s ingredients—sugar, water and history—have a rich and storied tradition in both U.S. and Hawaiian culture, and all are a part of Ko?loa Rum’s DNA. Called “America’s First Spirit,” rum came to U.S. shores with pirates, traders and explorers. It was believed that Captain Cook first brought rum to the Hawaiian Islands in the late 1700’s after it had become part of the daily ration for British sailors. Meanwhile, for 150 years, sugar was one of Hawaii’s principal cash crops, and its first plantation was established near Ko?loa Town in 1835.
To make Ko?loa Rum, the Company uses pure Kaua`i-grown raw crystal sugar from Gay and Robinson, the last plantation to operate on the island. Their raw crystal sugar contains naturally high concentrations of sucrose and molasses and provides for efficient fermentation. Pure mountain rainwater from Mt. Wai'ale'ale and the nearby peaks and rainforests filters slowly through layers of volcanic strata befo
Posted by Ghostshark under Spirits | Comments Off
July 13, 2010
This is pretty awesome. Though I'm not sure where I'd buy buns that small.
Here's the details:
Grilling sliders for a crowd is a snap when you use our customized grilling basket. Great for family barbecues or outdoor entertaining, it's designed to hold twelve 2-oz. slider patties, which can be perfectly shaped using our square slider press.
* Use this handy basket to grill a dozen crowd-pleasing little burgers at a time.
* Burger patties fit right into the stainless-steel wire grid, whose open bases and sides allow burgers to cook and brown evenly.
* One quick turn of the basket flips all the burgers simultaneously, so they grill at the same rate.
* Sliders are held securely inside the wells – there's no risk of losing them through the grates of your grill.
* To make sure burgers cook uniformly, remove the basket handle and close your grill’s lid during cooking.
* Dishwasher safe.
You can grab one over at the Williams-Sonoma for $30 HERE.
Posted by Ghostshark under Food | Comments (0)
July 13, 2010
This was shown off in Geneva this year, and it's created quite a stir. The car is a hybrid, yet has a 3.4-liter V-8 engine that produces 500hp, is reported to get 78mpg. Yet even with a hybrid engine, the car still gets form zero to 62mph of 3.2 seconds, and has a top speed of 198mph.
Obviously, it being a Porsche, it's going to cost a pretty penny. It was recently released that it will cost $630,000.
You can read more about the car, and check out some more pictures, over at MotorAuthority HERE.
Posted by Ghostshark under Cars | Comments (0)
July 8, 2010
This is a pretty awesome sweepstakes. There are a total of three Grand Prizes, one to Vegas, one to The College Championship in AZ, and one to an MMA event. Here's the details on all three:
ENTRY PERIOD 1 GRAND PRIZE: A trip for two (2) to Las Vegas, NV. Trip package includes roundtrip coach-class air transportation from an
airport near winner's home (determined by Sponsor in its sole discretion) to Las Vegas, NV; two (2) nights' accommodations at a hotel determined by Sponsor in its sole discretion (suite, double occupancy); two (2) tickets to attend the 2010 Mr. Olympia event; full access to the Brock Lesner VIP party with VIP club credentials; Dymatize products (products to be determined by Sponsor in its sole discretion); and $1,000 spending money. Approximate Retail Value ("ARV"): $5,000. Winner must travel between September 24, 2010 and September 26, 2010 or prize will be forfeited.
b. Entry Period 2: ONE (1) ENTRY PERIOD 2 GRAND PRIZE: A trip for two (2) to the College Championship Football Game in Glendale, AZ. Trip package includes roundtrip coach-class air transportation from an airport near winner's home (determined by Sponsor in its sole discretion) to Scottsdale, AZ; two (2) nights' accommodations at the Doubletree Paradise Valley with buffet breakfast (single room, double occupancy); two (2) tickets to the College Championship Football Game; a College Championship Football Game program; Private game day transportation; a PrimeSport ticketholder and lanyard; 24-hour on-site professional
assistance; and $500 spending money, awarded as a Visa gift card (terms and conditions of gift card apply). ARV: $11,500. Winner must travel between January 9, 2011 and January 11, 2011 or prize will be forfeited.
c. Entry Period 3: ONE (1) ENTRY PERIOD 3 GRAND PRIZE: A trip to an MMA event and training session with an MMA Fighter. Trip package includes roundtrip coachclass air transportation from an airport near winner's home (determined by Sponsor in its sole discretion) to a location determined by Sponsor in its sole discretion; two (2) nights' accommodations at a hotel determined by Sponsor in its sole discretion (single room, double occupancy); and two (2) tickets to attend the MMA event.
THREE (3) ENTRY PERIOD 3 FIRST PRIZES: An EA Sports MMA themed gaming console, winner can choose between Playstation 3, Xbox or Wii. ARV: $250.
TEN (10) ENTRY PERIOD 3 SECOND PRIZES: An EA Sports MMA Game of winner's choice, awarded as an easports.com digital code.
You can enter all the contests HERE.
Posted by Ghostshark under Contests/Sweepstakes/Giveaways, Vegas | Comments (0)
July 8, 2010
After ten long weeks, there are 100 women that are trying to make it into the final top 10.
You can head over to Maxim to cast your vote on your ten favorite girls, and help them make it to the next level, HERE.
Posted by Ghostshark under Internet | Comments (0)
July 8, 2010
I've never been a big fan of orange on a sports car, but I'm pretty sure I wouldn't complain if I could even get remotely in the price range of this car.
The Super Sport has a 16-cylinder turbocharged engine that has been specially tuned to produce 1,200 hp. That's about 200 more horsepower than the standard model.
All that extra horsepower, along with Bugatti'sofficial test driver Pierre Henri Raphanel, produced a top speed around the track of 265.9 and 269.8 mph. That gives it an average time of 267.81 mph making the car the new world record holder for a production car.
You can read more about the car, see more pictures, and read the official press release from Bugatti over at the Autoblog HERE.
Posted by Ghostshark under Cars | Comments (0)
July 1, 2010
This is kind of a cool sweepstakes, except for the fact that I don't think it includes airfare. Without the airfare, it's just ok. Here's the details:
Grand Prize: A Penthouse VIP experience for 1 grand prize winner and a plus one. The penthouse suite includes 2,700 square feet of living space, 2 bedrooms (with a total of 3 beds), Jacuzzi tubs, LCD and plasma screen TVs, Full Wet Bar, large living room, and walk-closet. The space is also Hi-Fi equipped and ready to integrate iPod sound systems, plus additional amenities upon arrival. Approximate retail value: $3,500 per night. 4 First Prizes: A $1000 shopping spree in one of four cities: New York, San Francisco, Boston, and Los Angeles, including the attendance of the event by 10 friends selected by the winner and 1 $100 shopping spree for each friend.
You can enter the contest HERE.
Posted by Ghostshark under Contests/Sweepstakes/Giveaways, Vegas | Comments (0)
July 1, 2010
Parker Brothers Choppers is creating five custom bikes for the upcoming Tron: Legacy movie. The bikes are currently up on Ebay HERE. You'll have to be quick about it though, as it ends in about 24 hours. Below are the details:
From the Builders of the now famous "Batpod" replica recently listed here on ebay comes the next exciting movie bike from the big screen. The new Tron Legacy movie will hit theaters in December of this year and the lightcycle sequence will be the hit of the movie. To celebrate this historic event, the Parker Brothers team is building 5 custom one off "Lightcycles" to the exact specs of the movie bikes. Each bike will be black with an accent color – 5 bikes with 5 different accent colors (red, blue, yellow, green, and orange). There will only be one bike made per color so if you must have a certain color, you better call now. This is a first come first serve project so don't delay. Disney designers built a "movie prop" of this bike for the TRON Legacy promotions and not a running version so these will be the only known running versions to exist. The engineering behind a fully functional version is mindboggling to say the least.
Now, about the bikes themselves, the wheels are custom made 22" x12" dual hubless wheels with custom made tires (Hoosier is custom making 5 sets just for us specifically for this project). (Buyers will have the option of additional tires as needed) The frame is 2" cold rolled and boxed hardened steel with carbon fiber/fiberglass bodies. Accent colors are neon glowing from behind frosted plexiglass and can be turned off or on with the flip of a switch.
Unlike the "Batpod" replica, the "Lightcycle" is being built for everyday street use. Each bike will come with a manufacterers build sheet and a certificate of title with purchase. Each bike will come with either a high powered electric motor or a high performance gasoline motor and transmission depending on the buyers needs. Be the envy of everyone who sees this bike as it will make motorcycles as you now know them seem like antiques on the road. No future "Lightcycles" will be made to ensure the value of these custom motorcycles in the coming years. They will get individual vin numbers at first order 001 to last 005 as well as the original prototype vin number 000.
The back cover opens up at the push of a button and there is a neon glow that exits from the back of the bike to resemble the lightcycles colored light trail from the original game. These bikes will also come with a TRON style helmet (Not DOT Approved) and all bikes will be available within 6-8 weeks of contract. A nominal deposit will be required to start the build and you will receive a youtube uplink to follow the progress of your individual bike until completion. Please contact us if you have questions and we can iron out the details before starting your build.
Please note, these bikes are offered starting at 35,000 , which is a standard Lightcycle including either a gas powered or an high output electric motor as well as a complete carbon fiber/fiberglass body and led neons throughout. Additional upgrades are available upon request at an additional charge. Serious buyers are encouraged to call Marc at 321-960-0756 to discuss your options. While we appreciate enthusiasm and would love to sell everyone a bike like these, please don't waste our time or yours with lowball offers. Financing is available on most models, contact us for details.
Also, please note that if you are looking for a custom chopper, bobber, pro street or anything else made, we are the company to get it done for you. When everyone else says "It can't be done" we make it happen. Remember our slogan - "If you can dream it, we can build it!" We would also like to thank everyone for their support in our journey.
Posted by Ghostshark under Motocycles | Comments (0)
June 30, 2010
I really haven't messed around with Hulu that much, but it is a great idea. There's really not a while lot I can add here, so I'll just add in part of the Hulu press release:
Hulu Plus is not a replacement for Hulu.com. Hulu Plus is a new, revolutionary ad-supported subscription product that is incremental and complementary to the existing Hulu service. For almost all of the current broadcast shows on our service, Hulu Plus offers the full season. Every single episode of the current season will be available, not just a handful of trailing episodes. Now there’s never a bad time to jump in on a hot new show like Modern Family (which I recommend highly). From Family Guy to Glee, from The Office to 30 Rock, from Grey’s Anatomy to Desperate Housewives, from Parks & Recreation to Parenthood, from House to Saturday Night Live, and dozens of other hits, the best time to jump in on any series is any time, and with any episode, that’s right for you.
As a Hulu Plus subscriber, you’ll now also have access to back seasons or full runs of some of TV’s greatest shows. All nine seasons of The X-Files. All three seasons of Arrested Development. Ten seasons of Law and Order: SVU. All five seasons of Ally McBeal. Seven seasons of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and three seasons of Roswell. Every episode ever of Grey’s Anatomy and Desperate Housewives. Classic skits from the first five and most recent five seasons of Saturday Night Live. The list goes on. This is all on top of hundreds of shows already on Hulu.com today. It’s a treasure chest in the cloud for TV lovers.
How can someone watch all these TV shows? The only possible way is if someone could pull up these shows wherever they were, on whatever device they happened to have available. That’s why we’re excited to announce that Hulu Plus subscribers can now watch their favorites through more than just the browser on their Mac or PC.
You can read more of the release HERE.
Posted by Ghostshark under Internet, Television | Comments (0)
