Grain elevator

Earlier this year, The Food Section conducted a survey to find out more about our readers. Among the questions you answered was, “If you had to select one food or drink item to give as a retirement gift, what would you choose?” Probably unsurprisingly, this turned up a lot of booze-related responses.

Besides wine and the occasional nod to local beer and cider, the entries included global spirits such as Hibiki Japanese whisky, Casa Dragones tequila, and Midleton Very Rare Irish whiskey. But plenty of readers picked strictly Southern products such as Blanton’s bourbon, Cathead vodka, and JT Meleck Louisiana rice whiskey.