To say a whiskey…

I often find myself imbibing in various social situations (in which a number of my disconcerting fascinations are unfortunately discussed) when the “question” is posed: “What is the best whiskey you’ve ever had?”

Now I am a man of brevity at my best (this is not my best) and few people want to hear an over-zealous, self-proclaimed, hobby-enthusiast rattle on about the technicalities of a certain distillation process or the pH of a given brach water while they are working on an early evening buzz. I always seem to end up mumbling something about the mood I am in or the depth of a given bottle. I consistently have trouble putting together an appropriate retort for this question not only on-the-fly but even with advanced contemplation and preparation. This has (comically) tortured me to no end for a number of years.

My recent revelation albeit relativity insignificant has solved this personal conundrum and I believe Mr. Watman puts it best:

“To say a whiskey is the best I’ve ever had is impossible–an absurd exercise. I’ve had twenty-five-year-old Macallan, George T. Stagg, Adberg 10, twenty-year-old Pappy Van Winkle, Corner Creek, an Early Times mint julep as the gates clanged open at the Kentucky Derby, and Elijah Craig eighteen-year-old Reserve while skinning and butchering a deer with a Swiss Army knife in the headlights of a pickup on a dark, cold December night. I drank whiskey on my wedding day, and on the side of a Virginia mountain when the clock ticked midnight in 1999.

I’ve never sat in a lab to taste whicky; my whiskey history is all tied up with my life. The best whiskey I’ve ever had is like the best horse race ever run: the next one.

There are drams, however, that arrest you and grab your attention. Whiskeys that make you stop talking. When a serious whiskey passes my lips, I find myself chewing on it, moving my tongue around, slapping against my palate and exploring the flavors. When I find in my hand a real, deep, layered whiskey, I am always tempted, for the moment that my head is lost in the drink, to close my eyes, let go, and declare that this is the best whiskey I’ve ever had.”

- Max Watman, Chasing The White Dog