I’ve never been much of a Whisky person. The idea of drinking Whisky straight was beyond comprehension to me just a year or so ago. I would occasionally have some bottom-of-the-barrel stuff called Whisky (I’m looking at you Johnnie Walker Red Label) with Coke and ice at a party or some gathering, but never as my first choice, and most definitely never at home.

And then something just clicked. I was making my way through a couple of TV shows where Whisky was consumed quite a bit, Billons and Yellowstone I think, and my wife must have picked up on some hidden message because she bought me my very first bottle of Single Malt 12 Year Old Scotch Whisky by Auchentoshan. I wouldn’t call it love at first sight, but I would pour myself a finger every now and again and eventually, the bottle went dry.

Keep in mind it took me about a year to finish off a 750ml bottle. So we’re most definitely not talking about a habit here, more so a connoisseur, but I know that would be stretching it a lot.

About the time I decided to look for a replacement Whisky, I came across a bottle of Maker’s Mark Bourbon Whisky staring at me from a liqueur shelf of a local grocery store. I remember that bottle well. But most importantly, it brought back memories of a college friend of mine Isaiah to whom Maker’s Mark was a staple drink at every outing.

And just to prove my point, here’s Isaiah squeezing the last drop of Maker’s during our Geology field trip somewhere near Lone Pine, California.

I also remember how much Maker’s wasn’t my drink at all. It was godawful back then, so naturally, I bought it. Sure enough, 18 years later, I’ve grown into it. And yes, the winter sweater special edition bottle did help to convince Ania to get it, but I must say I enjoy the taste.

This also the time where I need to talk about drinking in general. I’d say it took me some 20 years to grow into Whisky. I’m turning 40 next year, and the real question is should I be drinking at all?
There is a part of me that leans toward the abstinence side to keep away from alcohol altogether. There’s also a part of me that enjoys a single drink of whisky at the end of a week, a cold Pilsner beer on a hot day, or a glass of red wine on a cold winter evening. Are these drinks necessary to enjoy life, most definitely not, and with an influx of non-alcoholic beer I am keen on switching to those for the summer.

But I do like that Maker’s Mark taste, and it must be cause I’m getting old 🙂