Lots of people like to talk about how they thought something was hip before the rest of the world caught on. Witness all the people who talk about knowing and preferring the "early stuff" from some band that's being played all over the place. And, worse yet, witness all the affected snots who show disdain for things simply because they have become popular.

Well, this time I can show I've long been harboring a taste for something that the NYT is now declaring as "in".

And for the record, I'm currently very much into the 18-y.o. Elijah Craig. There's a nice vanilla note in there somewhere that makes me very happy when it hits. But it still retains some edge, and gives that little kick you're looking for to remind yourself that this is, after all, whisky.