Sitting in my fridge right now. Would love to see someone (young or old) take a nice big swaller, straight up.

I got me some of that white stuff myself. We get it out of Virginia stills. $40 a gallon, what do you pay? Not sure I know what's in that second jar though?

Nice big swaller? Now that there is for sippin' straight up as you say.

I keep a jar of that around myself. However, I have a bunch of starlight mints dissolved in it. If I feel a bit of the crud coming on, a couple swigs will knock it right out. World's best cough medicine.

I LIKE the mints additive Michael! Cough medicine, decongestant, and sleep inducer, all in a couple of good, as you say, swigs!

Forget your midlife crisis; it won't be over your whiskey and water. More likely it will involve a hot red sports car and "is this all there is?" as a start, then your seeking other hot aspects of indulgence. If you're lucky, you'll avoid the temptations, especially if you're married when it comes....and it will.

So, for your whiskey tasting, here is my suggestion; others will have other suggestions, but this one is mine.

Start ordering your whiskey of preference on the rocks, let it sit a bit and let the ice do a little mingling as it melts; sip a bit, and take your time to enjoy the whiskey. Learn what you like and what you don't like. Don't rush it. (Where have you learned that before?)

When I was in my twenty somethings I was mostly a beer and wine drinker, and the few times I ordered whiskey, Scotch was my choice in the form of Scotch and soda, probably owing to the old Kingston Trio song. That's because I didn't know squat about Scotch, or any other whiskey for that matter, and the soda gave it a bit of a fizz. But only when I reached my mid sixties after working decades around the newspaper business, did I learn the pleasures of good whiskey, sipped on ice. A double is a good start. Have fun with your journey.

Part of that journey (if you follows Bob's recommendations and more so if you travel) is the adventure of sampling local water. At least that's where most ice comes from. It's kind of like sex with different women... mostly the same, but with differences ranging from subtle to noticable.

The statistically minded wish to know your sample size.

The sensitive would rather not.

LOL! The magician knows how to keep a secret.

Excellent advice Michael! Not all ice is created equal in the stomachs of foreigners, no matter the country. But your analogy of ice and sex with different women is one of the best original quotes I've seen on the Café.