I want to share a story that I was reminded of as I scrolled through Facebook.
I was dating this girl while I lived in SF, Laura. Well, Laura had an identical twin sister, whose name escapes me at this moment, and Laura’s sister was engaged to Tim, who was a big whiskey (whisky?) aficionado. Maybe more than an aficionado. He probably had $10,000+ worth of whiskey that had overflowed from its designated space and littered the living room floor.
Anyhow, Laura took me to hang with them (I was the youngest of the group at 28). They were 32+. Tim asked me what whiskey I liked. Knowing that no answer I could provide would be satisfactory, I answered truthfully: “I like Bulleit Rye”. I also happen to be a HUGE Mad Men fan and know that Don Draper’s favorite drink is rye.
Tim more so jokingly than petulantly (but still with some petulance) said, “That’s not a real drink, let me pour you something”.
I thought to myself, “Sheesh what a snob! But I was expecting that response anyways. May as well enjoy whatever he’s serving me”.
I did enjoy whatever he poured me but don’t remember its name. And to this day, although I hardly drink whiskey in recent years, I still like my Bulleit Rye.
All this came back to me when I saw that Tim got a tour of Wild Turkey’s distillery. It’s neat seeing someone’s enthusiasm for a hobby up close.