Rewards For Good Behavior

We were very busy yesterday with a line out to the front door for most of the afternoon. Lots of people were ready to get their drink on, so much of my time was spent simply ringing people up and wishing them a happy weekend. However, I did have a small break during the onslaught where I was able to answer a few whiskey questions. While I was helping one gentleman with a Bourbon inquiry, another man who was kinda hanging back, off to the side, finally asked where he could find the Larceny from Heaven Hill. I pointed it out to him on the shelf and he said thank you. He then said, "You don't have any Weller by any chance, do you? I can't seem to find it anywhere."

"No, I don't unfortunately," I answered, before launching into the scripted response. I finished the explanation with: "Basically, all the guys who can't find a bottle of Pappy have decided that the Weller Bourbons are the next closest thing, so tracking down a bottle has become rather difficult." And what did the man say in response?

Did he say, "Oh, that's not me. I'm not one of those guys whose taste is dictated by fashion."?

Nope.

Did he say, "Oh, I'm well aware of what's going on. In fact, I just got back from Kentucky where I personally met with each master distiller, so I'm more than versed in the situation."?

Nope (although someone has said that to me before).

What he said was: "Wow, you've got me pegged." He chuckled, and continued: "That's exactly what I'm trying to do. I've always been a Jack Daniels drinker, but a few friends told me about other Bourbons I should try. I don't want to spend that much money on something like Pappy, however, so I thought I could maybe track down the Weller."

"You've never had it before?" I asked in response.

"No, like I said, I'm not that serious of a drinker. I just thought I'd give it a try, but apparently I'm just like everyone else out there," he said.

I was so moved by someone owning up to their actual mission, willing to admit that they didn't know anything, and the fact that he had actually never tried anything from Weller, that I marched right up to my desk, grabbed that unsalable bottle of Weller with the small dent in the cap, put it in a bag, and handed it to the gentleman on his way out.

"This one's on me," I said.

Good behavior always deserves a reward.

-David Driscoll