The Family Bourbon

Our lives are comprised of memories, stories, accomplishments and failures. Choosing what is worthy of being reminisced upon and how to enshrine it is not always an easy thing to do. Yes, some moments are easy to remember. A marriage, a birth or even a death needs no special calling to be recorded in some way. Whatever the criteria are for a moment to be saved, we must also decide how best to represent these moments for our future selves to either enjoy or grieve. 

A Family bible is commonly used to safe guard life's moments. Bibles have been a staple in homes and have been kept safe by families, sometimes through multiple generations. The oldest known family bible is said to be over 400 years old. These bibles not only tell the scriptures of disciples, saints and sinners but the stories of the family it belongs to.  

The births of children and grandchildren, the deaths of grandparents and kin as well as the weddings of beloved family members. All commonly recorded on the pages within the family bible. The bible acts as not just a connection to the lord but to the family tree and of the family's past. A niece can open the bible and study the word of the lord and then remanence on the wedding of their favorite aunt, or the birth of their third “special” grandchild. The family can remember the author of the notes by simply observing the unique handwriting of each entry. The silly Grandma may have more curvature in her letters than the hard lines and angles of the strict grandfather.  

Although my family is Irish Catholic, a family bible never existed or at least did not get passed down very far down the tree. Perhaps because of our Irish roots, our history is remembered and sometimes forgotten over a glass of alcohol. Whether it is a nice cold beer or a fine bottle of bourbon, it does not matter. Alcohol when enjoyed responsibly and in the company of loved ones is an excellent bonding agent. 

In our family a bottle of bourbon has taken the place of the family bible. Much like a hidden treasure, Old Ezra came to us from the confines of an old wooden box. We discovered this bottle in the early 2000’s while moving my grandmother into a new home. At the end of a long day of moving boxes and grandma furniture, we relaxed with a glass and a few shots from the old girl name Ezra.  

OLD EZRA

We asked grandma what she knew of this particular bottle of whiskey. (At this point in my youth, i still never touched the brown alcohol. This was partly because I was more interested in drinking to have a good time and did not understand the importance or had the ability to appreciate a glass of bourbon and I certainly was too naive to the importance of this moment.) Grandma told us that she didn’t know much about it other than her husband, to some in attendance their father to others their grandfather, had purchased the bottle some years before he died and for some reason unknown to her, never decided to open it.  

My grandpa had passed away in 1991 and had been sick for a few years prior so it is safe to assume he came across this bottle and decided to purchase it sometime in the 1980’s. (upon investigation the bourbon had been bottled and sold in stores in the early 1980’s) Perhaps he somehow knew that at some time his children and grandchildren would enjoy it open and create some stories while enjoying it. Maybe he bought it with the idea of saving it for a special occasion and never got around to breaking open.  

We finished the original Old Ezra on another family get together, and today our Family Bottle is a new bottle of Old Ezra bottled in the 2010’s.  We now drink from this bottle to honor and remember our grandmother and Uncle/brother that have gone to be with grandpa.  It is now our duty to ensure the family bottle is passed on to the next generation and to teach them the importance of the memories of our lives.