The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-01-08
DOORS Disagree.
Even Kentuckians Differ as to the
Quality of Whisky Samples.
From the Wa shinoton Post

Even Kentuckians Differ as to the
Quality of Whisky Samples.
From the Wa sttngton Post
1--WE have some queer cases to adjust in
this branch of the service, i" said an official
of the internal revenue bureau to a reporter
al never thought before that there was any
doubt about thorough Kentuckian's ability
to Judge good whisky, but it seems that
things have come to such pa out in
Breathitt county, IN that state, that a num-
Der of the citizens there deem it neceSS aIy to
make affidavits to the fact.l Some time ago
small distlllery in BFeathitt county was
des royed by fire. and a,question arose as to
the payment of the government tax on about
800 gallons OF liquersi There = as also dis
pute as to the quality of the staff, and the
department has been deluged with evidence
Of one kind and another. p u So
"What has amusei US all so much is that
in the various atfidavits submit ed these
Kentuckians, with scarcely an exception,
have deemed it necessaryito swear that they
are all good Judges d, WHISKY.
There is another affidayltfrom man who
states that the morning after the fire he
rode his horse along the road he was In the
habit of travelling very often, and about a
| mile below the spot where the still formerly
| stood the auimal was accustomed to drink
water from the creek.
The horse had never before failed to drink
| at that place, but on this particular morn
| ing he elevated his nose in the air and posi-
lively refused to touch one drop of the fluid
because it was impregnated. We have CO i
| cluded that inasmuch as the average Ken
tuckian takes his liquor straight the horse
decid d that be would take his drink straight
or not at ALL
This same official says that the Breathitt
| county case has brought to mind a story
that was told several years ago on Senator
Blackburn and the late Senator Beck. A
friend OF theirs, moving that all Kentuck-
1ans are fond of good Bourbon, is said to have
sent the senators whole barrel 4 the best
| whisky that the state could afford. 1t was
a p. ime article, and when the barrel was
tapped and the senators had sampled it they
pronounced 1t fine, but each of the gentle
men declared that there was a slight faint
in the taste.
~ am of the opinion that it tastes of iron,'
| said Mr.. Beck.
Blackburn. "Accordi to my taste some
body has dropped a small piece of leather
in the barrel"
AS time wagged on the contents of the
barrel were consumed. and when at last the
barrel had been emptied with the aid of a
| hundred or two of the friends of the SEN
ators, Mr.. Beck is declared to have insisted
Ou nhNlH6 Luo DdTIel Opoueu, WIFI view
of determining whether he OF his colleague
was right. SO the barrel was mashed all to
pieces, and after dilligent search carpet
| tack was found. Mr.. Beck was right.
There was faint of iron, and his friends
admitted that his taste was decidedly
| acute.
When Mr.. Blackburn first became a SEN
ator he had an experience that will be APP
| propriate to relate just here, though the
story has, perhaps, been told in print be-
fore. He was speaking to some friends in
one of the Senate committee rooms about a
celebrated brand of whisky, and made a
statement which one of the party disnuted.
There was nobody present who could decide
the matter, however. In a few moments
\ Senator Blair, who has been an abst liner
| from alcoholic beve ages all his life, en-
| tered the room. The New Hampshire
man was in a dreadful hurry to get re-
| p rt. so he snatched il up aud was about to
| leave the room, when he was accosted by
| Mr.. Blackburn and asked what he thought
| of that particular brand of whisky. Mr..
BLAIR quite rudely replied, as he drew him
self away and snatched the door open, "My
dear sir, l cannot tell whisky from
| brandy"
Mr.. Blackburn, not knowing that Mr..
Blair was such an enemy TO intoxlcants,
turned to the other gentlemen present and
said: "a mans stomach must be in devil
of condition when he can't tell whisky
from brandy"