We didn't just get a flight, we got an education … on how the spirits are produced, where they originate from, and why they are so special. There were flavors I still don't know how to describe, aromas so unique that they changed your concept of what a spirit can be, complexities and subtleties that challenged and rewarded your mind and palate in equal measure. We took our time and time is your friend … in the glass things swirl, evolve, open up, and reveal.

For one last time I went analog in the digital world. I made soundscapes, themes without algorithms, I dropped the needle and heard it snap, crackle, and pop in my ear wherever I was in the world … one hand on the wheel, one eye on the road, the other to the lens … as the first drops of rain begin to fall and the piano notes welcome the first line of the Low Anthem … “On my way home …”

The star of the show is Iim Beam’s Old Grand-dad 114, a high proof, high rye bourbon that is affordable, punches above its price point, and stands up in cocktail by making its presence known. Easily the one bottle, in a vast sea of bottles that I own, that has been purchased the most. And as this is my house bourbon in my house cocktail .. my old fashioned has a house name … perfectly dubbed The Old Fashioned Granddad.

The thing that grabbed me most was watching the stream of onlookers marvel, explore, and move through the exhibit in a way that was not simply silently standing before a work, looking for a moment, and then respectfully shuffling on to the next — like me, they were transfixed and engaged as they explored a wonderland of glass, shape, and color. The experience was so immersive…

…and so began a kind of love affair.