The Zen of Whiskey: Unpopular Opinion #3

#zen #zenofwhiskey #zenofyou #humandevelopment #gratitude #growth

Unpopular Opinion #3: The Zen of Whiskey

I am not much of a drinker. I do a pretty good job with my daily water intake and rely on my 2 cups of coffee daily, but rarely drink alcohol. It is partly to do with having had an alcoholic parent but quite truthfully, I really enjoy welcoming my morning clear-headed, making it all the more interesting that I recently had an in-depth conversation about the complexities of whiskey. Okay, so I more or less sat there and listened and nodded and asked the odd question. I listened to Phil Steger of Brother Justus Distillery talk with conviction about the science and the artistry of whiskey-making (yes, that is possible) and the development of a discerning palate with some other cool people I know. I’ll admit to allowing my mind to wander. I observed Phil’s passion for this whiskey and the process. I noted that there was a great deal of science in the work of making this high-quality whiskey but it’s apparent that the science of it couldn’t alone get to the product; it took artistry - of adapting, of flexing, of believing, of leaning into what was given - to help it become all that it was meant to become. Call it the Zen of Whiskey.

I won’t try to capture all the nuances here. You’ll have to go talk with Phil yourself. But as I listened, I began to understand where Phil was coming from. As a sociologist, a counselor, an educator, and a systems-thinker, I thought about the parallels in the Zen of Whiskey to the personal development. For each of us across our lives, we become all that we are meant to become by leaning into the artistry of self-understanding through believing that what we’ve been given is ours to adapt and to develop. The Zen of You.

Phil was asked about developing a discerning whiskey palate. He spoke of trial and error, deciding what you like and what you don’t, how to use all your senses to enhance your understanding of the whiskey. Again, I thought about how true this is about life in general. We only know what we know and in order to expand our understanding, we need to not only try new things but to also go deeper into what’s in front of us. To see it, to understand it, and to appreciate it. Aha… The Zen of Gratitude.

Part of zen is moderation and balance. So for those of us who are able to be moderate with alcohol, let me introduce the Penicillin cocktail at Brother Justus. I am infatuated with the lemony-ginger-honey concoction mixed with cold-peated whiskey. It’s sweet and tangy and spicy and the whiskey warms your inside while served cold over the most amazing ice cube ever. I have experienced the Zen of Gratitude, the Zen of You, and the Zen of Whiskey all at once!

Your “Zen of…” can be anything or anywhere you choose to place your gratitude and your desire for deeper understanding. Where might you find your Zen?