Been following this thread for awhile.
Did not even drink ANYTHING (presumably my Baptist upbringing when Jesus turned the water into grapefruit juice or something like that) until I was over 40. (The fact my dad is a recovered alcoholic probably had a lot to do with it quite frankly).
I began with Maker's Mark added to some Diet Coke back when I was a heavy soda drinker (in the most literal sense of all words).
I actually began imbibing on a regular basis while I was going through my divorce. I suddenly had money (since my ex could charge a small New England state within about 3 hours) and time on my hands, and one night I bought two different bottles of $30 bourbons or Scotch (in all seriousness - I DON'T remember because I got wasted) and put "Walking Tall" on the DVD (the old Joe Don Baker one, of course). Other than the fact I got into my bed all alone and still don't recall how I got there, it was great. (I must have - the doors were locked, I only drink at home, and there was nobody else there).
But I tried a bunch of different things. Then in 2017, I was making my rounds of the 50 states and added Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan. I spent a couple of nights in Duluth (my 2nd time there) and after watching us lose the Iron Bowl in my hotel room, I ventured over to see the Christmas lights at Bentleyville and then wandered into Grandma's Saloon at Canal Park for some Johnny Walker Black. I'll tell ya - I didn't mind losing the Iron Bowl nearly so much after several shots of that.
The next year - almost a year to the day later - I went back to Duluth and flew in on the night before Thanksgiving. Technically, it was Thanksgiving when I got there, and I went out for a walk. Imagine my surprise to find an open tavern right across the street from my hotel. The key point here was that despite the fact I'd checked the forecast repeatedly, even they didn't know they were gonna get a snow dump off the lake that piled high alongside the street. So I wandered into the bar, and I sat down with less than an hour til closing time. I asked Sam (they're all named Sam) if he had any Johnny Walker Blue, which if you know anything about Scotch goes for about the price of a new house. He looked at me kinda shocked, presumably because I looked like a guy who had been up since 4 am working and then traveling and said, "You know that's $26 a shot?" I said, "Do I look like I care?" He brought me a double and let's just say I slept like a baby that night.
When I finally got debt free a few months later, I celebrated by buying a huge bottle of the JW Blue and enjoying it one drop at a time. (I did the same last month when my son graduated from college). Yeah, I know "whiskey snobs" will say, "But it's a blend," but let me tell you - as my brother said when I got him a small 50 ml for Christmas last year, "I can taste the inside of the barrel."
It's my go-to when life is rough and let's just say I've been keeping some on the shelf for a bit now.
Did not even drink ANYTHING (presumably my Baptist upbringing when Jesus turned the water into grapefruit juice or something like that) until I was over 40. (The fact my dad is a recovered alcoholic probably had a lot to do with it quite frankly).
I began with Maker's Mark added to some Diet Coke back when I was a heavy soda drinker (in the most literal sense of all words).
I actually began imbibing on a regular basis while I was going through my divorce. I suddenly had money (since my ex could charge a small New England state within about 3 hours) and time on my hands, and one night I bought two different bottles of $30 bourbons or Scotch (in all seriousness - I DON'T remember because I got wasted) and put "Walking Tall" on the DVD (the old Joe Don Baker one, of course). Other than the fact I got into my bed all alone and still don't recall how I got there, it was great. (I must have - the doors were locked, I only drink at home, and there was nobody else there).
But I tried a bunch of different things. Then in 2017, I was making my rounds of the 50 states and added Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan. I spent a couple of nights in Duluth (my 2nd time there) and after watching us lose the Iron Bowl in my hotel room, I ventured over to see the Christmas lights at Bentleyville and then wandered into Grandma's Saloon at Canal Park for some Johnny Walker Black. I'll tell ya - I didn't mind losing the Iron Bowl nearly so much after several shots of that.
The next year - almost a year to the day later - I went back to Duluth and flew in on the night before Thanksgiving. Technically, it was Thanksgiving when I got there, and I went out for a walk. Imagine my surprise to find an open tavern right across the street from my hotel. The key point here was that despite the fact I'd checked the forecast repeatedly, even they didn't know they were gonna get a snow dump off the lake that piled high alongside the street. So I wandered into the bar, and I sat down with less than an hour til closing time. I asked Sam (they're all named Sam) if he had any Johnny Walker Blue, which if you know anything about Scotch goes for about the price of a new house. He looked at me kinda shocked, presumably because I looked like a guy who had been up since 4 am working and then traveling and said, "You know that's $26 a shot?" I said, "Do I look like I care?" He brought me a double and let's just say I slept like a baby that night.
When I finally got debt free a few months later, I celebrated by buying a huge bottle of the JW Blue and enjoying it one drop at a time. (I did the same last month when my son graduated from college). Yeah, I know "whiskey snobs" will say, "But it's a blend," but let me tell you - as my brother said when I got him a small 50 ml for Christmas last year, "I can taste the inside of the barrel."
It's my go-to when life is rough and let's just say I've been keeping some on the shelf for a bit now.
Can't wait to try that.
