Original Goodyear NCT Tires

The high road. The low road. The road not taken. Where we're going, we don't need roads. Ah so many road quotes... but how about the risky road?

Today was Christmas. Well, for a totally spazzed out nerd like me anyway. You see, today I scored myself a set of Goodyear NCT HR60 tires. They're old, they haven't been available in 30 years, and they're probably dangerous. YA!

I just happened to be in the right place at the right time as my buddy Ken packs up his house for a move. And, since it's easier to give things away than to move them, I ended up with a nice looking set of NCTs.

When I got them home I inspected them and cleaned them. What I found was kind of surprising. Decent tread, and virtually no crack to be found anywhere! Nope, these tires were no Mayor Rob Ford.

I've read many opinions regarding the NCTs. And they are generally not good. Strapping a bunch of hot dogs to your rims get better reviews than NCTs. After all, even Goodyear discontinued them after a short time due to poor design. No, people don't particularly like the NCTs and most think driving on a 30 year old tire is dangerous.

I don't see the big deal. I currently drive on 26 year old tires. And, no, I'm not a Sunday driver - I push them pretty hard. However, I check them carefully every time I drive. And with the NCTs, I plan to be extremely careful. In fact, with a second set of wheels, I plan to mount the NCTs only for DCS 2014 in Ohio.

That's plan A anyway. But if I decide I don't like them, I will resort to plan B. Plan B is to drive to Ohio on 26 year old tires. Ya, I guess I'm taking the risky road either way.

Evan Williams Kentucky Straight Bourbon

Eight dollars. That is about the price of a Big Mac combo at McDonalds. That is also the price of a bottle of Evan Williams Bourbon. Not a mini bottle. A completely regular 750 mL size bottle.

In Florida, I visited the mind-boggling Lueken's Liquors. Their selection is huge. Their prices are tiny. I headed straight to the bourbon, no pun intended. I picked out a nice green, no age statement bottle for $7.99

What does the price say about Evan Williams?

I opened the bottle with a clear mind, trying to be as objective as possible. Alcohol, sweet, medicinal. It was really hard to judge from the nose.

The taste was an eight-dollar surprise. Sweet and slightly spicy, a touch of honey, maybe a hint of that goo. You know, the stuff in the middle of butter tarts, but not quite as sweet. Yes alcohol was present but it was, um, well, smooth. The mouthfeel was thin, but not bad. Actually, it was really nice. Eight dollars nice? No. Nicer.

The finish was another eight-dollar shocker. Spicy (rye maybe?) and sweet. Quite short though. I was impressed. Eight-dollars impressed. No, that doesn't sound right.

Evan Williams isn't complex, that's obvious. But it's definitely eight-dollars complex. This is a bargain. Eight bucks? Seriously? For eight dollars most people would exepect their whisky to be mixer quality. And even then some wouldn't tolerate it in a mixed drink. But not only is this drinkable neat, it's GOOD.

Evan Williams is a barn-find DeLorean. Everything is covered in 3 decades worth of stinky barn dust. The leather is dried up. The tires are cracked. But surprise! Everything works. A steal for the price.

Lueken's Liquors: $8
750 mL
40% (80 proof)