I was thinking this evening why I like whisky. I guess I liken it to great art. Huh? Yeah, great art, in all its forms, whether it be writing, film, dance or music. There is a link. Now, just bear with me.
I can tell you every great whisky I have had. I can tell you where I was, what I was doing (or shouldn't have been doing), the color of the carpet, the angle the sunlight poured in through the window, and what we were talking about.
Great whisky, whether it be American, Canadian, Scotch, Japanese and Indian too, has the ability to crystalize a moment in time. At times, it makes me pensive. I think ever so briefly about the profound issues of life. For a moment, I realize my materialism is wrong, my career ambitions are not important, and what is important is time with family and friends, whether it be a barbecue, playing cards, sinking a long putt, and of course enjoying great whisky or even a cheap one. Someone once said, "you will be dead a long time."
Great art can do the same. Certain songs frame a moment in your life, make you reflect on the past, maybe something you don't want to do, but know at times it is important to do. Have you been there? I have. Don't believe me? Listen to Suspicious Minds, Bridge over Troubled Waters, Killing Me Softly or Wild Horses.
Why I drink whisky is not for the intoxication. Nor is it exclusively for the taste. It's something else, that intangible, the hard to express, maybe a catalyst for the occasionally needed melancholic introspection.
Jason Debly
Copyright © Jason Debly, 2009-2011. All rights reserved except for photo of Aberlour A'bunadh which belongs to David S. Bloom. Video of Killing Me Softly by the Fugees is presented solely for entertainment and nostalgia purposes. The song copyright belongs to Charlse Fox and Norman Gimbel.
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Scientists envisage "stay-sober" pill. A pill that would allow you to drink as much as you want without getting drunk is being developed.
ReplyDeletehttp://liveoncampus.com/wire/show/3070004
Now, if there was ever an excuse to skip one's medication, that pill would be it . . . .
ReplyDeleteJason, nice post! It's a question I've asked myself (and my wife has asked me!) and is difficult to answer, but you've done a nice job articulating it. Whisky is able to give that extra dimension of mental stimulation that you don't get from beer or wine (although, sometimes a good bottle of wine can make a memory like whisky can).
ReplyDeleteEver heard that the scent and memory functions of our brain are closely linked? Can it be that since we are concentrating on the inherently potent aromas and flavors of whisky, that it stimulates the memory portion of our brains? Ah, excuse me. I am an engineer, and maybe I'm getting a bit too analytical here!
Eh, Ryan, I think you are making a lot of sense. A less scientific explanation that I would have would be the fact that scotch is like a good cigar, neither one can be rushed, and maybe the ceremony and the experience of enjoying those pleasures is forever embedded in our psyches. Maybe?
ReplyDeleteLove the pic of Aberlour. I have the Aberlour 16. I love the taste, especially while enjoying a cigar. I find it relaxing. Like the cigar, take it slow and enjoy.
ReplyDeleteVery well said. So much artistry goes into these brews, and the result is being able to focus on the moment (quite the opposite of why many people drink).
ReplyDeleteM.