It's a long holiday weekend so I'm doubling up my whiskey and vinyl pairing ... this week it's @riversetrye with B.B. King Live in Cook County Jail & @bluenotebourbon Juke Joint Whiskey with B.B. King Live at the Regal.
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Riverset Rye and Blue Note Bourbon are both bottled by B.R. Distilling Company of Memphis, TN. B.B. King first made a name for himself in Memphis as a disc jockey in the '40s. He went on to cut his first record in 1949 which began a music career that spanned six and a half decades!! B.B.'s legacy lives on in Memphis with his namesake club on Beale Street as well as B.B. King Boulevard which runs through the heart of the city.
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B.B. King made an impression everywhere he went, but especially so on my hometown of Chicago where blues and jazz music have and always will play a huge part in the culture of the city. He recorded many live albums over his illustrious career, but these two albums might be his greatest live performances, and they both took place in Chicago.
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Live at the Regal was recorded on Nov. 21, 1964 at The Regal Theatre in Chicago's Bronzeville neighborhood. What is so amazing about this album is how B.B. and the crowd feed off of each other. It's a performance that 55+ years later will still give you chills when you listen to it.
Live in Cook County Jail was recorded almost 6 years later on Sept. 10, 1970 in front of 2,117 inmates in the yard of the jail. Again, this was one of those performances where B.B. and his band really used the energy of the audience to put on a great performance.
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Riverset Rye is a 4yr Small Batch Tennessee Rye, 95% rye 5% malted barley, 93°, unfiltered. Nose: Vanilla, honey, white fruits, and some orange peel. Palate: Apple, pear, orange, vanilla, and a nice kick of rye spice. Finish: Bread dough, vanilla, citrus-mint. Overall: Enjoyable pour w/ good complexity.
Blue Note Juke Joint Whiskey is a 3yr Small Batch Bourbon, 70% corn 21% rye 9% malted barley, 93°, unfiltered. Nose: Fruity, red berries, fresh corn, very light char. Palate: Sweet corn, rye spice, berries, gatorade orange gum. Finish: Citrusy and spicy. Overall: This is a nice light pour, great for a warm day.
