Whisky: The Gateway to Mindfulness (part 1)
A 12-step guide to appreciating complexity and nuance.
In this post I use ‘whisky’ as a kind of vague proxy for complexity.
It is the whetstone of curiosity.
Even if you don’t partake of this golden nectar (and good on you) — you can substitute the ‘concept’ of whisky with anything similarly nuanced. We’re essentially talking about applied curiosity and mindfulness, honed to a sharp edge.
Righto, shall we?
How to Drink Whisky (in 12 steps)
Relish in the complexity and nuance.
1. Assess your context
Is the environment free of unnecessary distraction?
A good whisky appreciating environment is relatively quiet, tastefully lit and free from televisions screens showing people doing sports. It is not a busy pub that caters to all types—instead, it’s a haven of warm solace, welcoming of deep friendships and solitude alike.
Once you’ve assessed your context, it’s worth tuning in to review your inner world. The ‘state’ in which we find ourselves in (tired? hungry? anxious? rested? flat? content? etc) will influence the meaning we make of any experience. Are you well hydrated? Have some water. How is your breathing? Breathe. What’s on your mind? Let’s clear that, first.
2. Soak in the brand
Take a moment to appreciate the actual bottle from whence the whisky pours—it’s here that we can begin to attend to the details of the moment, and begin to attune ourselves appropriately.
Does the bottle have a romantic film of dust upon it? What visual branding choices did the distillery opt for? What narrative are they attempting to envelop us in?
“It’s all just some bullshit marketing ploy”, your clever post-modern friend might say. And they’d be right. But still: there’s a kind of ‘enchantment’ on offer, if you allow yourself to indulge in imagination.
In the same way that a movie or a good fiction allows you the opportunity to suspend disbelief and experience new things — so too the marketing ploys of whiskies allow you to temporarily step into a more enchanted world.
Here’s a couple of whisky bottles I particularly admire for this.
The bottle of the Oban 14 year old is flanked in handwritten cursive script, and comes with a sturdy cardboard container flush with an etched illustration of seagulls on a rocky coastal cliff.
Within seconds this transports me to the times I’ve walked amidst dark rocks buffeted by the ocean. I can almost hear the gulls squawking, and smell the mineral quality of the ocean spray in the air. The cursive script hearkens me back to a time when we would actually take the time to write things — slowly, eloquently. And, if I allow myself, I can find myself more inclined to put the phone away, to not fret about the myriad demands of modern life, and to just… settle into the moment.
The STARWARD Solera, on the other hand, invites me to consider our place in the wider cosmos. I can marvel at the exquisite gold and copper foil branding for hours (they’ve since updated their branding, and it’s equally wondrous). This whisky is a pioneering spirit (hoho) in many ways. Opening a bottle of STARWARD transports me to the kinds of conversations one has very late into the night while camping. The fire has died down and it’s a bit cold but you’re warm inside and the stars are so vivid one can see the milky way, and the conversation turns to contemplate the vast mysteries of our universe, evoking that rare feeling of wonder and awe.
Of course, you could ignore all this superfluousness — but why not partake? There’s no real loss.
3. Select your vessel
Just as one does not appreciate vintage champaign from a polystyrene cup, nor coffee with a straw — one does not appreciate whisky from any old container. Again, this is literally about context.
There are many whisky glasses to choose from (here’s a good guide). If you appreciate whisky, they are a thing worth exploring and investing in.
Tulip-shaped glasses are ideal for nosing — the open bowl to narrowed stem helps to ‘focus’ the aromas. I personally opt for the Denver & Liely hand-blown whisky glass. Designed in Melbourne, this glass combines the heft of a tumbler (and the ability to both swirl and warm the whisky when held with semi-open palm) with the tapering of a snifter (to allow for better nosing).
The key here, again, is to notice how context shapes our experience.
4. Clear your palette
Just as the wider context of the room you are in, the inner context of your psychophysiological state, and actual context of the bottle and glass that hold the whisky all shape our experience—so too does the context of what’s going on in your mouth. If you’ve just brushed your teeth, the residual minty freshness will have an influencing effect.
At this stage, you are probably beginning to be reminded about how utterly connected everything is, and how porous our nebulous boundaries are to experience. Thus many factors influence how we experience something—and in turn: what we make it mean. We are, of course, having a likewise effect on the experience and meaning others make, too. In this way we co-create each other, whether we will it or not.
Have some dark chocolate, or a black coffee to reset your palette for whisky appreciation.
We are now ready to pour a dram.
» Continue your adventure in Part Two.
I’m on some fool quest to share 50 insights in 50 days. This is day 3. More at drjasonfox.com
