Thursday, December 31, 2020

REWAKENING

      As this day opens I fill my head with the many traditions before. Family, friends and laughter. The gathering of thoughts and ideas for the coming year. Resolutions made and resolutions broken. How I long the little arms that wrapped around my neck and required my protection, kissing the loved one as the New York ball drops. Shucks y'all, it was just last year....people were wearing depends to see it fall. New regulations from terrorists efforts and we see we are forbidden to go to the bathroom, yet no one stopped coming. I guess something new had to be tried....even before co-vid-19 the ability to change the way people do things was occurring and yet...no one noticed. Did anyone ever believe that people would wear a depends just to see to a New Year's Celebration? No, I don't suppose we did. In only 18 hours, this day will close and a New Year will begin and I pray for a revival and an awakening that no man has ever known.

 I pray that Americans stand for our country, Christians for their faith and parents for their children. Oh yea, we didn't lose our children.... we gave them away. We gave them to XBox and Nintendo and cell phones. We allowed Facebook, Twitter and Snap Chat to entertain them. While Grand Theft Auto taught them how to kill cops and victimize bystanders. Oh, I do pray for our youngsters! I pray that a shelter of protection keeps them from Satan's temptations they face in today's world. Heroin, crystal meth.....things that have robbed them from life for way too long. I pray that those who are on ADD/ADHD drugs..., are filled with a peace that drugs can not give them. Let me ask you this.....Has anyone tried taking your child to church and reading the Bible with them? Have you ever walked the grounds of a battle field and talked with your child about the sacrifices that were made? Do you even know what those sacrifices were? Has anyone mentioned to children of color that it was white men who fought and died for their freedom? Without them they could still be enslaved. Yet no one mentions the bravery of the American soldier and it's so painful to see how far respect and honor have been cast by the wayside. Our men in uniform have been treated as though their sacrifices mean nothing and our very foundation is being rocked. I pray for an awakening... a revival ..... A "Revakening ", per se.

As I close, much of what you just read will be forgotten....just like a lot of things that occurred this past year but some things are embedded in your mind for ever. Whether its the loss of a loved one....a new child or any other type of major event and if there wasn't one ....there's always Covid and the attempted dismantling of a strong economy. REVAKE AMERICA....stand up. We need real men to stand for this country and I just don't see men in high heels and dresses doing that for this country. I love you all....but it is what it is. HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!!!! May God keep you and shelter you from all the evil that lies waiting and always remember ......THOU WILT KEEP HIM IN PERFECT PEACE WHOSE MIND IS STAYED ON THEE. ISAIAH 26:3


****See You January 6th in D.C. Start letting people know where you will be meeting to leave from your town. Not a million man march...how 'bout a 74 million man march. That's what I'm talking about.

GOD BLESS AMERICA!

 

     

Tuesday, December 29, 2020

The most Expensive Spirit Ever Produced In Virginia, 8 Shires Jamestowne 1608 Single Malt Whiskey At $1,195.00 Per Bottle

 

(By; Chuck Thompson)

What is the most expensive spirit ever produced in Virginia?  8 Shires 1608 Single Malt Whiskey at a price tag of about $1,195.00 before tax.  So what makes this release so darn expensive?  The story behind this release is a very long one that is best experienced at the 8 Shires Coloniale Distillery in Williamsburg, but we are going to touch on a good amount of it here.  Back some years ago, the archeologists at Jamestown unearthed a well on Jamestown island that they estimated to have been capped back in 1608.  The well was no longer producing water.  When the archeologists uncapped that well, they found roughly 20 gallons of water at the bottom of the well.  They recovered the water and set it aside trying to figure out what to do with it.

  One of the archeologists is a brewer of beer, so he decided to try and make a special beer with some of the water.  It didn't come out very well.  With 10 gallons left, the archeologists still wanted to see something done with it.

  Enter Dr William Dodson, owner of 8 Shires Coloniale Distillery in Williamsburg.  After Dr Dodson was giving a lecture in town, the archeologist who had attended his lecture went up to meet him and told him about their find and that they still had 10 gallons of water left and did he have any ideas on what to do with it?  Dr Dodson knew exactly what to do with it.  Dr Dodson said, let's recreate the first distillations done in Virginia, aka North American continent and we will add this water into the release making it a very special limited edition.  This water is 412 years old now.  It was tested and is free of any contaminants.  

  Based on research, it was determined that Single Malt whiskey was the most likely base for spirits in Jamestown at that time period.   Dr Dodson set out to find a malt house in England that was in business during the Early 1600's and is still in business today.  He found one.  So the malt was brought in from England to make the Single Malt.  The next question, what kind of still did they use?  The archeologists were able to answer that having unearthed a glass alembic still.  So now the mission was to have several glass alembic still heads recreated so as to produce an authentic time period distillation.  Corning Glass works in New York State covered that.  They hand blew 5 period pieces.  

  Now, how was the spirit collected, into what kind of vessel and how long would it might have sat?  The research shows the most likely vessel for collecting the distilled spirits was into a wooden barrel and the barrels would have been set aside until needed.  Ah, the aging process.  Distilling was mainly done in the spring and the fall and enough was made to put into storage for a multiple amount of reasons.  So it may have sat for up to a year and a half before being used.  

  Now, packaging.  What Dr Dodson knew, glass blowing was one of the first industries in Jamestown and started in the year of 1608.  Each bottle of Jamestowne 1608 is hand blown by the glassblowers in Jamestown and the release comes with 2 shot glasses that were the common design of the time period, also hand blown by the Jamestown glass blowers.  The release comes in a hand made wooden box made with exotic woods.  The main wood used is walnut.  Each bottle is also hand dipped in wax to seal the tops and each waxed top has a special seal stamped into the wax.  Once this release sells through that's the end of them.  10 gallons of water only goes so far.  

  This is the most unique spirit I have ever seen produced anywhere by anyone.  This is not the full complete story, but it's the main gist of it.  The Jamestowne 1608 Single Malt is a distillery only release and can not be bought anywhere else including Virginia ABC stores.  So you will have to visit them at 7218 Merrimac Trail in Williamsburg.  They are open Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 1pm til 7pm.  The Distillery just released these and has already sold 108 bottles as of this writing.  A visit to the Distillery allows you to see and learn the rest of the story not covered here.  Cheers.

How To Save Your Restaurant Business. The Covid 19 Plan

 

(By; Chuck Thompson)

In the age of Covid 19, Restaurants are taking a major hit and are hurting financially like never before.  A business already known as very difficult to make money in, the restrictions of Covid 19 by government are making it nearly impossible for any owner of any restaurant to survive.  

  The latest ideas are curbside pickup or takeout are being pushed as owners try to find a way to survive in this new business climate.  The dinning in experience is now dead thanks to the new regulations.  Some still venture out for the dine in experience but the idea of having to wear a mask in between eating just does not sit right with many.  But it's the only choice given to the mass number of folks.

  What if we could devise a better plan?  Well this article is designed to help do just that.  I am not saying it is going to work, or that it will work for the majority, but it has tremendous potential.  A plan that lowers costs to the owner and increases potential sales across the board for the owners.  This can work for single owner establishments as well as very large national chains.  I call it the minimalist plan.  

  So what is the minimalist plan?  Here goes.  I propose that restaurants pick one menu item per day to serve for both lunch and dinner.  What that means.  If you are a sit down restaurant, the menu item could be for the day, Chicken Cordon Blue, French String Beans and Rice as the meal.  This meal can be adjunct with extra sales of say a dinner salad, and another adjunct of desert.  A sign is put out of what the meal of the day is.  This cuts the cost of preparing your full menu on a per order sale.  Everything can be prepared ahead of expected rush times and kept warm and fresh until sold.  What this accomplishes is a much lower food costs, lower labor costs and lower utilities costs.  You know what your customers will be ordering as they can only order what you have to offer.  

  Now I would not keep the same menu everyday.  The menu would change daily.  You can choose a 7 day cycle menu or a 14 day, 21 day, or even a 30 day menu cycle for your offers.  You can serve each customer much faster.  A switch in the menu each day could be instead of the main menu item, you could sell someone a full size salad instead of a dinner salad.   But that would be the only variation I would offer in order to keep costs down and service up.  If folks wish to dine in, they can do so but the offer is still the same and comes packaged in the same manner, again, to keep costs down.  

  Packaging is all throw away takeout style.  Even in house sit down dining.  Drinks are non alcoholic and sold in cups the same way as done in the fast food chains.  For sit down, drinks can be whatever you are allowed to legally sell.  If you are allowed to sell to go alcoholic drinks, then by all means never look a gift horse in the mouth.  

  Now, with lower costs it would be a good idea to lower the costs of the daily offering.  I myself do not want to pay full menu price for less than a full experience.  I have not been to a full service restaurant since Covid began.  To me, there is no longer a value in it.  But I am still willing to pay for a decent meal prepared, just not the full price of the sit down experience.  Some are and that's great.  I am not.  Now this isn't the only idea to use here.  This same plan can be put into play and used as a way of attracting new business and still maintain your normal daily restaurant business routine or use this as the main plan and supplement with a smaller version of what was once your main menu if you go such route.  Now these are just ideas.  I offer them as I do not like seeing businesses going out of business because of government interference.  I am working on other ideas that I hope to get up for other brick and mortar businesses that are equally being hurt by Covid 19.  Cheers.