When it comes to “best of” lists, I’m not sure there’s been a year like 2012.

At least for Louisville.

My beloved hometown has been called one of the world’s top eight foodie destinations by Zagat and the top U.S. travel destination for 2012 by Lonely Planet.

By itself, Harvest has racked up bushels of recognition this year, including a James Beard best new restaurant, southeast, nomination, a slot on Bon Appetit’s 50 best new restaurants lists, and a best cities for southern food in the U.S. nod from Food & Wine.

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Life’s fun when you’re not really a VIP, yet you get invited to VIP restaurant functions, like the pre-opening party at Bistro 1860 Tuesday night.

You’d have to be jaded to not enjoy being among the first to touch, taste, smell and see what’s turned out to be a very impressive place since the extreme overhaul of the Mellwood Ave. spot began several months ago.

Two snaps up for Dennis Tapp (Designs by Dennis Tapp), who renovated the bedraggled building (formerly known as L&N Bistro) by installing a color palette of gold, black, brown and cream that’s accented with modern and dramatic lighting.

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What’s interesting about Kentucky is we’re fiercely proud of our two centuries of bourbon heritage, yet it’s taken nearly that long for us to get really fired up about it and promote it seriously.

The state’s whiskey makers surely are saying and sighing simultaneously, “It’s about time!” and they’re right. They’ve done their part; it’s time to do ours.

The good news is the urge to promote the only true American whiskey is upon us, and the pride in our potable past is really starting to surge.

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If you’ve ever watched an episode of the Discovery Channel’s “Moonshiners,” you know that even the most rudimentary hooch operation is a scientific marvel.

How did anyone ever think, “Now, if I boil this grain/sugar cane juice/roast this agave and let it sit a few days, it’ll ferment, stink like the devil … and then I’ll add yeast, let it stink and bubble some more and then boil it and condense it and it’ll taste really good.”

Even smarter minds considered how to turn that rocket fuel into something that actually tasted really good by aging it for years.

Which brings us to the point of this blog: When it comes to whiskey, tequila and most rums, the really good stuff is born of time in a charred wood barrel and years of confinement in a dusty warehouse resting undisturbed (but, unfortunately, not un-taxed in Kentucky).

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When the Patient Protection Affordable Care Act was deemed constitutional in June, many saw it as a promise of free healthcare paid for by employers.

Get real. Please.

Despite the government’s good intentions of hoping to insure the populace, there is nothing affordable about the PPACA. As is usually the case with anything the government gets involved in, it will cost more for all parties involved.

Especially if you’re an hourly worker paying for insurance.

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Normally we put new menu information in our press release section because it’s not always news.

The new lineup at Asiatique, however, is an exception because, well, it’s exceptional. Asiatique executive chef and co-founder Peng Looi insisted, “My customers would kill me if I did a complete overhaul,” but to our eyes, this is at the very least a major makeover, a fusion-fest of international cuisines, which is what he does best.

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Beer Engine, a small and well-regarded craft brewery in Danville, Ky., will open a second site in Germantown sometime around the middle of next year. The site is the old Zeppelin Café at 1036 East Burnette, cattycorner to Check’s Café. 

Founder, owner and brewer Brian Holton, who not only lives in Louisville, but works as an emergency room nurse at Baptist East Hospital, said that despite Germantown’s excellent brewpub reputation, is long overdue.

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Unless you’re a problem drinker, consuming alcohol privately just isn’t fun. The great social salve has little value without actual socializing.

Especially when it’s good stuff, like premium bourbon, which is practically bubbling up through the Bluegrass these days. Good spirits are best shared, discussed, sniffed, sipped and savored (repeat procedure) with those who appreciate them. Which is why some bourbon-loving folks started The Bourbon Society here in 2006. Sipping, socializing and learning about the only true American spirit’s history is, indeed, fun for them, and they’d like you to join them for their next meeting.

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The phrase “going old school” is way overused these days, but here’s an occasion when it’s entirely appropriate. These guys are going ancient.

On Nov. 18, Holy Grale (a truly exceptional beer bar if you’ve never been there) will host a St. Sour’s Day celebration of sour beer.

Yes, sour beer, as in intentionally, flavorfully sour, not “left open in the cooler in my trunk” sour-rank. Sour beers get their tart flavors as a result of fermenting in open vessels—some of which as large as indoor swimming pools—which attracts wild yeasts. Since most brewing is done in closed vessels that are sterile, sour flavors don’t develop. In open environments, wild yeasts feast and bring acids to the party. (Would druggies say that’s out of sequence?)

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