I have a small whisky room in my basement. My brother-in-law and I built it a few years ago. Simple and cheap. It has a bunch of old family furniture in it that was never a good fit for the other rooms in the house. My Great-Grandfather’s bookcase is now filled with bottles of whisky. An old leather-bound steamer trunk serves as a table. The walls are adorned with shelves and cubbies that proudly hold my collection. Mostly single malt scotch, with an assortment of blends, Irish, American, and Canadian whiskies mixed in. Even a single malt from Tasmania. About 150 bottles in all that I have collected from everywhere that I’ve been. Many are gifts from friends, which proves the old adage – “If you build it, they will come”.
My whisky room is a source of pride. I host regular scotch tasting events there, eagerly sharing my treasures and educating anyone who will listen. A bit of a hobby, but mostly a passion. I find that I drink less and less every year, not even keeping with the Health Department recommendation of one or two drinks per day. It’s more like one or two drinks per week. Not because I don’t like it. I do. To be sure, the drinks flow when I have guests in for an evening of tasting and talk. Other than that, it seems that life keeps getting in the way.
Then along comes a global coronavirus pandemic. Serious stuff. World changing.
I have a big comfy chair in the middle of my whisky room. It’s surrounded by all sorts of books and magazines that I love to leaf through when I’m enjoying a dram. Dozens of articles and opinions about everything related to whisky.
I was sitting in my chair the other evening and thought ‘I’ll bet there lots of people in the world that would gladly trade places with me right now’. All safe and cozy in my chair in my whisky room.
Will I get coronavirus? Probably. Will it kill me? Highly doubtful. Will it kill others? Tens of thousands before this is over.
Can whisky help? Damn right. It will help keep me calm and help me keep my perspective.
Be safe out there, all my whisky friends.
Whisky Love 