A Sip and A Thought (Housecalls): Japanese Whiskys, Part 1

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, TX -- I never imagined being a YouTube star. First off, I consider my hideosity to a high degree, but as opposed to the company at the table, I looked pretty good. And it reminded me, back in the latter half of the ‘80s when GQ was my magazine of choice, and I was buying tailored sport coats, before gallivanting off to some German or French resort town for the weekend as the boy toy of the latest cougar to grace my life. The shame I say! It’s sad that we have to age, but it’s a must. But with whisky (Japanese spelling), age is graceful. Age is value. Age is elegance. Color. Taste. Aroma. Finish. And to partake in a number of glasses, what is the endgame? Who knows?

My friend TechnoDude has a serious collection of whiskeys (American spelling). He’s got bottles from all over The World, and even some bottles that are not sold in the US. TD is a famous, or infamous YouTuber, who has reviewed drinks in the past on his channel. He had been off his game for a few years. Well, TechnoDude is back! My ‘A Sip And A Thought’ column may have re-sparked his passion. So I asked to review his inventory of bottles, and noticed a number of Japanese Whiskys, and suggested a theme. Well, TD ran with it. He planned real hard, and if he had any hair left on his head, he would have lost it in worry. But this past Saturday, we taped the pilot episode. God, I hope my good side was showing, if I even have one.

We started out the night with a glass of ‘Van Winkle Special Reserve Straight Bourbon Whiskey’, aged 12 years. It was formally an affordable bottle under $100, but now you can’t find it anywhere under 1K, so opening the bottle was a special occasion for TechnoDude, and I was honored to be there.

Japanese Whiskys excite me. They’re different. And like an earthquake shaking the country, it shakes up the imagination. What would it taste like? Exotic? Refined? Who knows? But I was game. TechnoDude had a nice set-up of eight Japanese Whiskys on the table, with inert water droppers, which changes the flavor profile of the whisky itself, helping to tone down some of the sharper edges from the initial sip, and make it more enjoyable for the additional effort. And so it began. TD gave his intro to his fans of old, with the hope of making fans anew; then I was introduced, along with Patrick, the guy who started TechnoDude on his journey of the finest refreshment and the search for top quality whiskeys from the U.S. and around The World.

And it reminded me of my renaissance, with my journey back to writing, and having the guts to start a column about sipping, when I too had been off my game for decades. But this time, TechnoDude, Patrick, and I, are not drinking to get drunk. That’s old, it’s dated. It’s unwise. Besides you get drunk on the cheap stuff, and who knows how many times I worshiped the toilet bowl as a kid (after that first time I tossed my cookies on that Sergeant Major’s lawn as an 18 year old). We are imbibing to learn, and teach others to consume for enjoyment, and to understand the elements behind the whiskey, or rum, or whatever is the theme of the show.

We are not experts in the field of spirits, but we are gonna learn with the hope of someday being semi-experts. Pilot shows are usually rough, and it was, but it’s a good record to show how you will grow through the process. And truly, of all the people sitting at that table, I had the least knowledge of what we were drinking. Thankfully I half way knew my limits when I was a kid, having avoided the dreaded Army ‘drunk bed,’ the unmattressed frame of a bed with an unfortunate soldier lying face down on the ‘no sag’ high carbon wire links, with the purpose for the avoidance of choking on their own you know what, so they can revive the next morning. That being said, I still worshiped the toilet bowl until I read about GQ’s cure.

Now that I’ve blurted out a lot of history and assertions that are better kept to oneself, and in looking at the word count, I haven’t mentioned anything about the Japanese Whiskys I tried. No worries, I’ll adapt and overcome, and make a ‘Part 2,’ but at least I’ll give some history. Production of whisky in Japan started in 1870, about 17 years after Commodore Matthew Perry sailed into Tokyo Bay to re-open trade with the West after 200 years of isolationism.

It took over 50 years for the first distillery to begin production on a commercial scale in Japan that was used to Sake for over two thousand years. And with Westerners flooding into the country after Perry, I bet it didn’t take much time to convince some local brewers to convert from Sake to Whisky, and with Japanese Whisky being similar to that of Scotch Whiskey, leave it to a Scotsman, to influence an entire island nation.

I’m looking forward to this little sipping adventure in front of the camera. It's unlike anything I’ve done, and spending more time with my friends is always a good thing. I hope to inform many along the way, besides that is what this column is all about. To enjoy the better things in life. To make new friends, and get invited or go to places that are new and interesting, even if they are outside our comfort zone. So tune in next week to see how I did after being bombarded with shot after shot of Japanese whisky. Will I be able to walk upright or crawl slowly? How many of my faculties will I have control of? Did I wind up on the drunk bed? And did I remember the GQ Cure?

Alcohol Disclaimer: This column is intended for entertainment purposes only. Please drink responsibly, not just for yourself, but for others around you.

Ruben can be reached at: ruben@montgomerycountynews.net