You’re Invited to Whiskey Wednesday
Twenty years ago at a warmly-lit hotel bar near Jonesborough, Tennessee my mom found, bought, and drank an ounce of Pappy van Winkle bourbon. She has not stopped talking about it since.
She used to tell me stories about the layers of a good bourbon. She used to say a good bourbon “tasted like a memory”. But for most of my life, frankly, it tasted like nail polish. I couldn’t make sense of her descriptions. The beauty eluded me for years.
As I got older, I was able to negotiate a truce. I didn’t love whiskey but we got along. I often mixed it with ginger ale, sometimes with sweet vermouth. I knew bourbon was different from scotch but I didn’t know exactly how. I wanted to like whiskey, but I didn’t know where to start.
When I joined HoneyBook, a few members of the Product team had a tradition. Each Wednesday, they would sit around a table with a dram of whiskey and chat. You could talk about anything except work. No laptops allowed.
They were a welcoming bunch and encouraged me to sit with them. As much as I loved getting to know my coworkers, I was also intrigued by the opportunity to try new whiskeys. It was an excuse to explore. I went back the next Wednesday and then the one after that. In time, I was a regular. More drinks, more snacks, and more people began attending this quickly growing tradition.
That was four years ago. The tradition has continued nearly every Wednesday since.
We call it “Whiskey Wednesday”. It is a fixed tradition at the company and attracts attendance from every team in the building. A typical group might be five or six people gathered around the library sofas in our San Francisco office. On good weeks the group swells to twenty. Loose attendance creates a fresh crowd every week. The spread includes snacks and drinks. Whiskey, wine, and all non-alcoholic beverages are welcome. Throughout the pandemic, we have maintained a 5:00pm Zoom meeting on Wednesdays for anyone to join. Virtual attendees arrive from across the company to drop in and catch up. It even attracts former employees.
Over the years, we have traveled all over the whiskey world and even explored beyond. Featured at each meeting is a new whiskey. We taste and describe to the best of our limited abilities. We clumsily attach labels to the tastes. Is it harsh or easy? How does it compare to last week’s whiskey? What do you think you taste?
I’ve gotten better at this game over time. Good whiskey words include wood, smoke, grass, and leather. Your grandparents’ house is a great source of adjectives, think toffee and tobacco. You can have some fun with guesses like pepper or iodine or toast. Trust your instinct, there’s no wrong answers.
Beyond the whiskey, we also have a chance to mix with people with whom we might never interact professionally. New hires and executives can get acquainted over snacks and drinks. All guests are welcome including spouses, partners, plus-ones, and friends. We talk about our weekends and our families, our kids and our dogs. Occasionally people bring a drink from a state or a country they’ve recently visited and share travel stories.
After four years of exploring, I’ve gained some confidence in my palate. I’ve learned where scotch gets its smoke and why so many wines, beers, and cold brews are suddenly “bourbon-aged”. I can navigate a whiskey menu. I can taste the layers in a good bourbon. My mom is finally making some sense.
Whiskey Wednesday is a thread that weaves through many layers of the company. The tradition holds us together even while we’re working apart. It’s my favorite part of our work culture.
My mom used to say that good bourbon “tastes like a memory”. When I think back on good times at HoneyBook, the best memories involve good bourbon.
