Why drink whisky? Part Two

"Whisky and beer are a man's worst enemies...but the man that runs away from his enemies is a coward!"
-Zeca Pagodinho

In my last entry I discussed my first experience with whisky, and shared more personal feelings about my passion for uisgebeatha - the water of life. In this entry, the second part of "Why drink whisky?", I want to generalize a bit and talk a bit about whisky and life in general.
There is without a doubt a certain romantic notion about whisky that is present in popular culture. Images of crofters manning illicit stills hidden within caves in the Scottish Highlands, smugglers and bootleggers in Kentucky and Tennessee crafting moonshine bourbon and becoming legends in their own right. It all smacks of danger, intrigue, and whole lot of fun.
Whisky has a very colourful history, full of these strange and wonderful characters, and includes many tall tales better told over a glass of your favourite nectar. We'll get into some of these stories in later entries. For now, it's important simply to appreciate the fact that whisky is a spirit that has been evolving continuously over the past few centuries.
Time is a subject that comes up quite frequently in discussions about whisky. In a similar vein to wine, age is often touted as improving the spirit (the older the better). This is not always the case, and distillers are always aging their whiskies for different lengths of time, trying to find the ages and conditions that suit their spirit best. This is as much an art as a science, and that is what makes it so special.
In a world that puts so much emphasis on speed, efficiency, and consumption, relaxing with a drink that has taken years to produce while sipping it slowly to appreciate its finer qualities is both liberating and enlightening.
This escape can be a very individual experience (as everyone appreciates each whisky differently), but it can also be very social. Sharing a nice bottle with friends, comparing tastes and discussing life in general have provided me with many fine memories. Even if any readers out there decide never to drink a single dram of whisky, I strongly encourage you to slow down occasionally and take the time to be in the moment and enjoy life. Appreciate these moments with friends, family and any other passion, be it music, art, or food and beverage.
Convinced yet? If so, I hope this blog will help educate and entertain you while we discover many mysteries of the "water of life"