Bourbon Science Society: Virtual Bourboning

How long has it been? To borrow the answer from that old lady that let Leonardo DiCaprio (spoiler alert) drown in Titanic: “It’s been 84 years”. That’s how long it seems to have been since I last sat down with a group of friends in the same room and done, well…anything. When you think about the last time you gathered with your Bourbon buddies and shared a few pours, it seems even longer.

Virtual Bourboning

A few of the B.S. Society trying out Skype.

Threats from governors to beat offenders with a barrel stave if orders of social distancing are violated have caused cancellations of formal society meetings and informal bottle shares alike. Ever the resourceful bunch, the Bourbon enthusiasts have turned to technology (SCIENCE! if you will) to fill that Bourbon social void. If you are like me, you are having to learn on the fly how to survive “virtual Bourboning”.

A few of us in the Bourbon Science Society (aka “B.S. Society”) had a Skype call to try out the technology, have a few drinks together and talk with other humans. The ABV Network Crew Club (click here to sign up) has had a couple of on-line events already. We had a “virtual happy hour” last week (with another scheduled tonight). Last Saturday was supposed to be a pub crawl for the group on Whiskey Row in Louisville. Unfortunately, that was cancelled and a “virtual pub crawl” was added in its place. What is a “virtual pub crawl”? Glad you asked. It’s where you move from room to room in your house and have a different drink in each. A Bourbon in the living room. Cocktails in the kitchen. Shots in the bedroom…where you can conveniently lie down if necessary.

Jason Brauner and our friends at Bourbons Bistro had a “Virtual Dinner with Friends” event last week. You ordered your food from the restaurant for curbside pickup and then went home and dined together via Zoom. The dinner was hosted by Jason and special guest, Bernie Lubbers (Heaven Hill brand ambassador). Bernie told stories, answered questions and even sang a couple of songs to entertain us as we ate. Next week (April 9), Bourbons Bistro is hosting a Virtual Mystery Flight. In this you will purchase your ticket on-line and pick up a flight of unlabeled pours at Bourbons the day of the event. You’ll then log-in to Zoom where Jason will walk participants through the tasting along with our own Steve Akley and Christi Atkinson of the ABV Network. For more information, please click here.

In another use of the technology, some distilleries like Spirits of French Lick have been hosting impromptu virtual distillery tours. Follow Alan Bishop on instagram (@TheAlchemistCabinet) as he may start a tour at any time.

How To Go Virtual

Personally, I can figure out most technology if it is intuitive. If the procedures don’t follow a logical pattern, however, I will get stuck complaining that “this doesn’t make sense” and I’ll never solve it. The technology being used for these virtual meetings is not rocket science, but for some it may be new. Here are a couple of links to help you figure it out.

No offense intended, but here is an article “How To Schedule a Skype Meeting for Dummies”. It’s a step-by-step approach that I’m sure you all can understand, because an actual “dummy” wouldn’t be reading an awesome blog like this!

For the Zoom users, here is an article from the folks at How-To Geek on “How To Set-up a Zoom Meeting”. This also provides easy-to-follow instructions complete with screen shots.

The Big Picture

ABV Network Crew Club Virtual Happy Hour

While it may feel like 84 years, it has really only been 17 days since I had my last in-person, Bourbon-themed gathering. Virtual Bourboning can help scratch that itch for social-whiskey interaction and it was fun at first, but the novelty wears off quickly. The virtual world is perfect when connecting with people over long distances and it has allowed me to make some wonderful friends that way (friends I hope to meet in person sometime while we share a drink). However, Bourbon is a social phenomenon. It is about that connection and personal interaction. Only having video conferences available to us is a substitute that ultimately comes up short. Max Headroom was a lousy pitchman for New Coke back in the ‘80s, but he’s an even worse bartender. Virtual Bourboning is the only option available for the time being, however, and I am thankful we have that. In the big picture, it’s a very small price to pay, obviously, as we hope the “safe at home” and “social distancing” efforts are preserving health and saving lives.

I am very much looking forward to the day when we can once again share a pour around a dinner table, a bar or a fire pit and hear the clink of glasses and shouts of “cheers!” echo deep into the night. Until then, stay safe, stay connected and I’m sure I’ll see you on-line again, soon.