A friend of mine told me today “Wanna hear one thing I’ve realized in this pandemic? I like whiskey!”  

Just another reason I like him.

Now I’ve been a whiskey/bourbon guy for many years now, but I also have realized that my interest has increased since we’ve been hunkered down more.  For a while, I’ll admit I felt a little guilty as I was trying new things more than I used to (aka drinking more per week), and maybe I was spending money on the good stuff more than before. But then I came to realize, a lot of us are taking this time of isolation to expand our tastes.  

So, I can too.

Then I jumped in with both feet. I joined a few whiskey/bourbon groups and I’ve learned a ton from talking with customers too. A few of us have shared some of our favorites, discovered new favorites and cultivated a few friendships along the way. These Facebook groups and forums provide an avenue for us to share and interact in lieu of getting together for happy hour drinks and such. It’s not my preferred way for get-togethers, but these times call for gatherings from afar, so I’ll take it how I can get it. We make posts about what we’re currently enjoying and other members chime in with their experiences. Of course, some witty and some not so witty banter ensues and after a bit it sort of feels like regular times.  This little “community” is fun and is all too eager to share. Folks even pour off little 2oz samples of their favorites, or hard to find bottles to share with others. We make exchanges when we’re standing, masked and in line at our local liquor stores to buy the latest barrel pick or allocated bottle. You can often find several members discussing their given samples on #SampleSundays.  

If you have been in the store, you may have noticed I have a good selection of whiskey-related items for you to peruse.  In addition to drinking these spirits, its fun to collect new barware, with which to enjoy these new found favorites. You can look through things HERE.

What I’ve really learned is this, it is ALL about the hunt, the find, and sharing the wise wisdom (pure opinions) with your friends. It is actually quite exciting. Cheers to the hunt and camaraderie.  

Here are some of my favorites:

Stop in, tell me about your new favorites and join us on social channels for #ShareSundays.

We all know you are drinking these days. Let’s just enjoy it, huh!

It’s simple.