I stopped drinking all forms of alcohol mid-way through college and didn’t have a drop until just under two years ago. One of the best things for me about spirits are the communities built around them, most of whose members are good, generous folks who enjoy talking about spirits. I’m very fortunate to have met some awesome people because of spirits in my local area as well as further afield. I’m also always happy to help the snag harder to find bottles when and where I can.
I’ve only had the misfortune of meeting one dishonest person, a guy in Maryland, through spirits. Between last winter and May, I bought 9 bottles for him, the majority allocated or otherwise hard to find (all for around MSRP or substantially less than he can find in MD) – he repaid me without issue. I asked him for, and he provided, a “wanted bottles” list that included Colonel E. H. Taylor, Jr. Small Batch bourbon – I already snagged him the Barrel Proof bourbon and the Bottled in Bond rye. After buying an EHT Small Batch and sending him a copy of the receipt, he didn’t repay me and when I finally brought it up, he lied and said he was in a ‘moratorium’ and not buying new whiskies. Meanwhile, he continued to buy lots of new bottles and even started making videos about doing so (he’s also a small-time “WhiskyTuber” who publicly looks down on those who prefer bourbon to scotch). He proceeded to act “persecuted” after I mildly called him out for it – needless to say, I no longer try to help him out anymore.
In addition to these bottles, I also shared a lot of samples with him because sharing samples is one of my other favorite things about spirits. A waste of 20+ mini glass bottles.
It took me a few months to realize that he did me a favor – to paraphrase a famous scene from A Bronx Tale, for the $54.99 I paid for the E. H. Taylor Small Batch Bourbon, he’s out of my life and I’ll never waste another minute or penny on helping out someone who absolutely isn’t worth it. I’ll continue to warn others in our area’s spirits communities about him so he can’t screw them over – many across our area now know who he really is.
This is the last in a series of cathartic writings closing that chapter of my life. Onward in the company of the good, not the bad and dishonest.
Meanwhile, I’ll continue spending that time helping friends, colleagues, and students for whom I’m happy to have been able to grab bottles including helping two friends recently complete their Blanton’s lettered cork toppers verticals.
Focus on the good people in your life and not the POS-es. Easy to say; Hard to do.
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