The Man in Black abused pills and liquor and sang in a deep baritone about the outlaw life, but that's not who we meet at first.

NPR: 'Walk the Line' Walks a Straight Line

The Vikings who settled Iceland smoked, dried, salted or pickled just about anything to get them through the long Arctic winter and their descendents still occasionally indulge in the delicacies of their ancestors, washing it all down with Black Death, a caraway-flavored liquor that apparently goes well with rancid shark.

NPR: Whole Foods to Sell Exclusive Icelandic Delights

Likewise, some of the best bourbons, including Black Maple Hill, don't really exist as a single liquor with a single recipe: They're mixed from different bourbons acquired from multiple sources, and aged and bottled by the Willett Distilling Co. (which has its own line of superb whiskeys, some of which are labeled Willett, some of which aren't).

WSJ: Bourbon Mania!