According to Wikipedia, there are now lots of other slow-movements:
- Slow-Architecture
- Slow-Design
- Slow-Gardening;
- Slow-Parenting;
- Slow-Travel;
- Slow-Living;
- Slow-Reading;
and even . . . Slow-Sex!
Anyhow, as I have read more about this cultural phenomena, I wondered how it might apply to the appreciation of whisky. What about a 'slow-whisky' movement?
Just as we can easily get caught up in our hectic lives and not really be in the present moment, always worrying about the future or dwelling too much on the past, so too can our enjoyment of whisky be hurried.
You may find yourself obsessively worrying that you should be buying a renowned single malt when you, deep down, just want a widely-available, blended scotch that is generally not receiving any accolades. A fact that bothers you greatly. You may rush your drinks, almost as a chore, because you want to finish that bottle while the flavors are supposedly 'optimal,' because if you wait too long, the oxygen exposure of the half-full bottle will cause those flavors to become irreparably diminished. At the same time you are scanning, at the speed of light, a tasting note of the whisky in question while thinking this is not what you are tasting and somehow feeling you "just don't get it." Who knows what else is going through your mind, but one thing is certain, your mind may be racing like a freight train with all manner of whisky related thoughts, when all you should be doing is relaxing and enjoying a dram in an unhurried, present moment. How we get there is the mission of what I call the Slow-Whisky Movement.
Tenets of the Slow-Whisky Movement
No. 1: A couple of hours after your last, non-spicy meal, seek out a quiet place where you will not be disturbed. Preferably in the evening when your abode is quiet. No T.V. or radio. Blackberry, smartphones, turned off and preferably buried in the backyard. Get comfortably ensconced in your favorite chair. Next to you will be a glass with 1 1/2 oz of your favorite comfort scotch or whisky of the moment. Make sure it is what you want, not some recommendation of a fool whisky blogger or a critic's windy must-buy malt suggestion of the moment.
No. 2: Close your eyes. Focus on your breathing. Listen to it. When your mind wanders, come back to your breathing. Just be aware of it. If a thought comes into your head, that's ok, but again, be conscious of your breathing.
"Full Catastrophe Living" is a book written by Jon Kabat-Zinn that espouses the use of secular meditation (mindfulness) to deal with life's stressors and crises. A passage highlighted below from this book is instructive in our quest to belong to the slow-whisky movement:
Do this for three minutes. That's it. I just want three minutes of your time. After that, open those eyes. You feel relaxed. Calm. Peaceful. Good. You are now ready for the third tenet.
No. 3: Reach for your glass of whisky. Hold the glass and look at the color of the whisky. Is it dark? Light? Reddish? Really look at it. Don't worry about the 'proper vocabulary' because there isn't any. Just you and a glass of whisky.
Roll the glass around a little. Does the whisky have legs?
Bring the rim of the glass to your nose. Close your eyes and gently sniff twice and move the rim of the glass away. What do you think of? Old leather books? Grandpa's steaming tea in a Thermos? Cherry pipe tobacco? The sea? Eucalyptus oil? Hospital bandages and pungent ointment? Bring the glass back for one more sniff. Again, do some free association?
No. 4: Eyes closed, take the tiniest of sips. How does the spirit behave on the palate? Sweet? Sharp? Spicy? What else is there? Cherries? Oak? Honey and sea salt? Kosher pretzel. Let your mind wander into the past to good thoughts. Childhood food and baked goods. Note the range of flavors. Marvel at them.
No. 5: Swallow. What remains? Smoke? Iodine? Coarse salt? Malty notes? Spiced honey and oat cakes? Balsa wood?
No. 6: Slowly repeat steps 3 through 5 until your 1 1/2 oz dram serving is gone. Once it is gone there will be no refills. One key aspect of the 'slow-whisky' movement is the restriction of your enjoyment to one modest serving of whisky. In this way, you will relish and catalogue in your mind every nuance, fabric, weave of flavors of the spirit. Remember! No refills.
Follow these main tenets and drinking any whisky will be a much more immediate and special experience. You will experience a greater range of flavors, that would be lost with subsequent refills. It's kinda like listening to two versions of "What I Did for Love." One great with fantastic range of voice delivered by Shirley Bassey and the other, not as great by Jack Jones.
Take a listen! I am serious, just listen, expand your mind, open it, don't be judgmental, just listen to an incredible voice:
Take a listen! I am serious, just listen, expand your mind, open it, don't be judgmental, just listen to an incredible voice:
Now that is what the first and hopefully only 1 1/2 oz serving you enjoy at one sitting, as a participant of the 'slow-whisky' movement.
If you break the rules and pour yourself another dram, the palate loses it's ability to discern the great range of flavors. What's left is a flattened tasting, less exciting, kinda like Jack Jones' rendition of the same ballad:
Welcome to the burgeoning 'slow whisky' movement! Don't be a Jack Jones! Stop at one drink and enjoy a taste experience on par with listening to Shirley Bassey!
Cheers!
Jason Debly
Copyright © Jason Debly, 2009-2012. All rights reserved. Any and all use is prohibited without permission, except for the book "Full Catastrophe Living" by John Kabat-Zinn who holds copyright it. The book is quoted only for the purposes of education, and as a means of illustrating the subject matter. Photograph of McDonald's burger and fries taken by anonymous Flickr member BigFreaky who is holder of all copyright to said photograph.
