---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Bourbon, Kentucky bourbon especially, is…"
description: "\"“Bourbon, Kentucky bourbon especially, is like Dante’s Inferno in a glass, fire walks down your throat, lungs, and heart and everything in between with..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/019/bruce-crown-23015_alcohol-abuse_bourbon-kentucky-bourbon-especially-is-l_39006.jpg"
---

#  Bourbon, Kentucky bourbon especially, is like Dante’s…

![“Bourbon, Kentucky bourbon especially, is like Dante’s Inferno in a glass, fire walks down your throat, lungs, and heart and everything in between with an unpleasant after-taste. We got along just fine.” quote by Bruce Crown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/019/bruce-crown-23015_alcohol-abuse_bourbon-kentucky-bourbon-especially-is-l_39006.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/019/bruce-crown-23015_alcohol-abuse_bourbon-kentucky-bourbon-especially-is-l_39006.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/019/bruce-crown-23015_alcohol-abuse_bourbon-kentucky-bourbon-especially-is-l_39006.jpg)

> ““Bourbon, Kentucky bourbon especially, is like Dante’s Inferno in a glass, fire walks down your throat, lungs, and heart and everything in between with an unpleasant after-taste. We got along just fine.””

[Bruce Crown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-crown/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

The quote likens the intense, fiery experience of Kentucky bourbon to a descent through Dante's Inferno, emphasizing its harsh, lingering aftertaste that still allows for a tolerable, perhaps even enjoyable, encounter.

**In simple terms:** Kentucky bourbon is a fiery, intense drink with a lingering harsh aftertaste.

Key Takeaway

Intense flavor can be both overwhelming and oddly satisfying.

Themes

Sensory intensity Literary metaphor Alcohol culture Taste perception Contrast

Mood

Bold Reflective Wry

Type

Descriptive Metaphorical Personal

When to use this quote

- Tasting a new whiskey
- Describing a strong drink to friends
- Explaining a harsh experience
- Comparing intense sensations
- Discussing regional beverages

Key Concepts

Flavor profile Aftertaste Cultural identity Personal tolerance

Practical Applications

- Crafting vivid beverage descriptions
- Creating marketing copy for bourbon

Questions to Reflect On

- How does intense flavor affect enjoyment?
- What role does metaphor play in describing taste?

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Alcohol abuse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/alcohol-abuse/) [Alcoholism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/alcoholism/) [Bourbon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bourbon/) [Dante](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dante/) [Fire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fire/) [Inferno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inferno/) [Kentucky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kentucky/) [Wine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wine/)

## Related quotes

> [I was brought up to believe that Scotch whisky would need a tax preference to survive in competition with Kentucky bourbon.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugo-black/i-was-brought-up-to-believe-that-scotch-whisky-would-need-a-tax/)

[Hugo Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugo-black/)

> [“How could Clay have said all that, smooth as Kentucky bourbon, and Mom just sitting there as if she’d already drunk the bottle...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/huntley-fitzpatrick/how-could-clay-have-said-all-that-smooth-as-kentucky-bourbon-and-mom/)

[Huntley Fitzpatrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/huntley-fitzpatrick/)

> [“A piercing screech from above caught my attention. However, it was the arm landing beside me with teeth marks that let me know what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-j-kolodziej/a-piercing-screech-from-above-caught-my-attention-however-it-was-the/)

[Elizabeth J. Kolodziej](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-j-kolodziej/)

> [“Be careful. You might find more than you bargained for in my larder, little goat.' I open the door of the fridge. The remains…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/holly-black/be-careful-you-might-find-more-than-you-bargained-for-in-my-larder/)

[Holly Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/holly-black/)

> [“I could write an epic poem about your thighs.” “That would amuse polite society rather too much, and I wouldn’t like that.” “I wouldn’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-dodd/i-could-write-an-epic-poem-about-your-thighs-that-would-amuse-polite/)

[Christina Dodd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-dodd/)

> [Not like Homer would I write, Not like Dante if I might, Not like Shakespeare at his best, Not like Goethe or the rest,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-allingham/not-like-homer-would-i-write-not-like-dante-if-i-might-not-like/)

[William Allingham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-allingham/)

> [“If the halls of the Hermitage should suddenly go mad, if the paintings of all schools and masters should suddenly break loose from the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/osip-mandelstam/if-the-halls-of-the-hermitage-should-suddenly-go-mad-if-the-paintings/)

[Osip Mandelstam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/osip-mandelstam/)

> [“It is not difficult to imagine that music, like Dante’s Beatrice, is one of the ways in which grace operates through beauty—that music, like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-kalkavage/it-is-not-difficult-to-imagine-that-music-like-dante-s-beatrice-is/)

Peter Kalkavage

> [“I wanted to tell them that I'd never had a friend, not ever, not a real one. Until Dante. I wanted to tell them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-alire-s-enz/i-wanted-to-tell-them-that-i-d-never-had-a-friend-not-ever-not-a-real/)

[Benjamin Alire Sáenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-alire-s-enz/)

> [“I thought: Now I am like Dante. I walk through hell, but I am not burning.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-hahn-beer-a/i-thought-now-i-am-like-dante-i-walk-through-hell-but-i-am-not-burning/)

[Edith Hahn Beer a](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-hahn-beer-a/)

> [I am like Dante, I walk through hell, but I am not burning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-am-like-dante-i-walk-through-hell-but-i-am-not-burning/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [We must do all we can to empower parents and communities to protect our youth and to encourage healthy behavior free from binge drinking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-corzine/we-must-do-all-we-can-to-empower-parents-and-communities-to-protect/)

[Jon Corzine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-corzine/)

> [In reality, we can prove that the incidents of drug, alcohol abuse and violence have dropped dramatically among professional athletes - but the problem…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leigh-steinberg/in-reality-we-can-prove-that-the-incidents-of-drug-alcohol-abuse-and/)

[Leigh Steinberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leigh-steinberg/)

> [“I spent the rest of that day and most of the night thinking about all the hundreds of people I had met in rehabs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pax-prentiss/i-spent-the-rest-of-that-day-and-most-of-the-night-thinking-about-all/)

[Pax Prentiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pax-prentiss/)

> [“Alcoholism is a choice... not a life sentence.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-norman/alcoholism-is-a-choice-not-a-life-sentence/)

David Norman

## More by Bruce Crown

> [“To say she is only a woman is to say a violin is a piece of wood with strings, and Dante is mere ink…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-crown/to-say-she-is-only-a-woman-is-to-say-a-violin-is-a-piece-of-wood-with/)

[Bruce Crown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-crown/)

> [“Unfortunately for him he looked more like an innocent man on America’s terror watch-list rather than a gallant Viking possessing all the benefits of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-crown/unfortunately-for-him-he-looked-more-like-an-innocent-man-on-america/)

[Bruce Crown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-crown/)

> [“What kind of dark, twisted mind preys on young women? I think it was Poe that said the death of a beautiful woman is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-crown/what-kind-of-dark-twisted-mind-preys-on-young-women-i-think-it-was/)

[Bruce Crown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-crown/)

> [“A costume party… great… a chance for the bimbos to whore themselves out with no penalty of conscience. I found myself excruciatingly curious as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-crown/a-costume-party-great-a-chance-for-the-bimbos-to-whore-themselves-out/)

[Bruce Crown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-crown/)

> [“We enter this universe alone in search of microscopic beauty—and while we love, or are loved by others—we leave this world completely alone, having…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-crown/we-enter-this-universe-alone-in-search-of-microscopic-beauty-and/)

[Bruce Crown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-crown/)

> [“A happy clown inside spat out a pig-in-a-blanket and yelled at the cute waitress holding the tray. … I had to throw up but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-crown/a-happy-clown-inside-spat-out-a-pig-in-a-blanket-and-yelled-at-the/)

[Bruce Crown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-crown/)

> [“He pulled back the sleeve of his jacket and glanced at his vintage watch tick away the seconds in a conventional way, even though…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-crown/he-pulled-back-the-sleeve-of-his-jacket-and-glanced-at-his-vintage/)

[Bruce Crown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-crown/)

> [“Angels should never be exposed to the dire darkness of despair in the tunnel of cosmic nothingness, and although I never believed such maddening…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-crown/angels-should-never-be-exposed-to-the-dire-darkness-of-despair-in-the/)

[Bruce Crown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-crown/)

> [“The car housed a hysterical bumper sticker: Save the Planet, and I permitted a moment of contemplation to truly bask in this thought. Save…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-crown/the-car-housed-a-hysterical-bumper-sticker-save-the-planet-and-i/)

[Bruce Crown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-crown/)

> [“He was a man more concerned with the truth than his arrest quota, a philosophy that would often have him skate on thin ice…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-crown/he-was-a-man-more-concerned-with-the-truth-than-his-arrest-quota-a/)

[Bruce Crown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-crown/)

> [“Last call. It was about that time. He’d probably been drinking liquid courage all night, waiting for his chance to hit on her. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-crown/last-call-it-was-about-that-time-he-d-probably-been-drinking-liquid/)

[Bruce Crown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-crown/)

> [“The sound of her laughter eased Clark’s migraine.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-crown/the-sound-of-her-laughter-eased-clark-s-migraine/)

[Bruce Crown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-crown/)

> [“Philosophy demands knowledge, ignorance demands happiness, love demands both.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-crown/philosophy-demands-knowledge-ignorance-demands-happiness-love-demands/)

[Bruce Crown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-crown/)

> [“Here… our failures are known to every Tom Dick and Harry while our successes fall only on deaf ears. It’s death, hostile civilians, greedy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-crown/here-our-failures-are-known-to-every-tom-dick-and-harry-while-our/)

[Bruce Crown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-crown/)

> [“Naturally, the plague of humanity named confidence (or pride to some), which symptoms often render each person to fiercely believe himself to be above…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-crown/naturally-the-plague-of-humanity-named-confidence-or-pride-to-some/)

[Bruce Crown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-crown/)

[Explore all 26 Bruce Crown quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-crown/)

## More Alcohol abuse quotes

> [“Alcoholism is a choice... not a life sentence.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-norman/alcoholism-is-a-choice-not-a-life-sentence/)

David Norman

> [“I spent the rest of that day and most of the night thinking about all the hundreds of people I had met in rehabs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pax-prentiss/i-spent-the-rest-of-that-day-and-most-of-the-night-thinking-about-all/)

[Pax Prentiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pax-prentiss/)

> [In reality, we can prove that the incidents of drug, alcohol abuse and violence have dropped dramatically among professional athletes - but the problem…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leigh-steinberg/in-reality-we-can-prove-that-the-incidents-of-drug-alcohol-abuse-and/)

[Leigh Steinberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leigh-steinberg/)

> [We must do all we can to empower parents and communities to protect our youth and to encourage healthy behavior free from binge drinking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-corzine/we-must-do-all-we-can-to-empower-parents-and-communities-to-protect/)

[Jon Corzine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-corzine/)

> [“I don't like to abuse alcohol-anything you abuse will abuse you back.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michka-assayas/i-don-t-like-to-abuse-alcohol-anything-you-abuse-will-abuse-you-back/)

[Michka Assayas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michka-assayas/)

> [“the difficulties that ravaged the lives of many young African American men of Powell’s ilk: drug and alcohol abuse (or, in his case, self-medication),…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guthrie-p-ramsey-jr/the-difficulties-that-ravaged-the-lives-of-many-young-african/)

Guthrie P. Ramsey Jr

> [“As a girl gets older, father-connectedness is the number one factor in delaying and preventing her from engaging in premarital sex and drug and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-johnson/as-a-girl-gets-older-father-connectedness-is-the-number-one-factor-in/)

[Rick Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-johnson/)

> [“An alcoholic is dependent on alcohol. Alcohol is dependent on the bottle.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tamerlan-kuzgov/an-alcoholic-is-dependent-on-alcohol-alcohol-is-dependent-on-the/)

[Tamerlan Kuzgov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tamerlan-kuzgov/)

> [We're number one in domestic violence homicides. We also have a high rate of alcohol abuse and drug abuse and there's a high lethality…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-birch/we-re-number-one-in-domestic-violence-homicides-we-also-have-a-high/)

[Diane Birch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-birch/)

> [“Whether the underlying cause of your dependency is a chemical imbalance, unresolved events from the past, beliefs you hold that are inconsistent with what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-prentiss/whether-the-underlying-cause-of-your-dependency-is-a-chemical/)

[Chris Prentiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-prentiss/)

> [“When you die, your sphincter muscles relax to the point where you empty your bowels. While alive, you instinctively maintain enough anal tension to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-goad/when-you-die-your-sphincter-muscles-relax-to-the-point-where-you/)

[Jim Goad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-goad/)

> [“To begin with, there is an almost compulsive promiscuity associated with homosexual behavior. 75% of homosexual men have more than 100 sexual partners during…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-lane-craig/to-begin-with-there-is-an-almost-compulsive-promiscuity-associated/)

[William Lane Craig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-lane-craig/)

> [But in college, we can wear our alcohol abuse as proudly as our university sweatshirts; the two concepts are virtually synonymous.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/koren-zailckas/but-in-college-we-can-wear-our-alcohol-abuse-as-proudly-as-our/)

[Koren Zailckas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/koren-zailckas/)

> [Alcohol and drugs are not the problems; they are what people are using to help themselves cope with the problems. Those problems always have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-prentiss/alcohol-and-drugs-are-not-the-problems-they-are-what-people-are-using/)

[Chris Prentiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-prentiss/)

> [“Prosperity and democracy does seem to be a good way to wean a population off massive alcohol abuse.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-bullough/prosperity-and-democracy-does-seem-to-be-a-good-way-to-wean-a/)

[Oliver Bullough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-bullough/)

[Browse all 50 Alcohol abuse quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/alcohol-abuse/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“Bourbon, Kentucky bourbon especially, is like Dante’s Inferno in a glass, fire walks down your throat, lungs, and heart and everything in between with an unpleasant after-taste. We got along just fine.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Bruce Crown"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-crown/bourbon-kentucky-bourbon-especially-is-like-dante-s-inferno-in-a/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Alcohol abuse"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-crown/bourbon-kentucky-bourbon-especially-is-like-dante-s-inferno-in-a/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/019/bruce-crown-23015_alcohol-abuse_bourbon-kentucky-bourbon-especially-is-l_39006.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/019/bruce-crown-23015_alcohol-abuse_bourbon-kentucky-bourbon-especially-is-l_39006.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/019/bruce-crown-23015_alcohol-abuse_bourbon-kentucky-bourbon-especially-is-l_39006.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Bourbon, Kentucky bourbon especially, is like Dante’s Inferno in a glass, fire walks down your throat…” — Bruce Crown",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Bruce Crown",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-crown/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“Bourbon, Kentucky bourbon especially, is like...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-crown/bourbon-kentucky-bourbon-especially-is-like-dante-s-inferno-in-a/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-crown/bourbon-kentucky-bourbon-especially-is-like-dante-s-inferno-in-a/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
