Going rogue

For some crazy reason, I often dream about opening a bottle shop or bar.

Considering the skyrocketing rate of bottle shop thefts by rogue teenagers, that wouldn’t be the safest business idea. Although I still think my Can Can concept – a booze store devoted entirely to drinks in cans – would go off like a frog in a sock. There would also be a mobile version for parties.

As for opening a bar, I’m not sure it’s the ideal career choice for someone who prefers being in bed by 9.30pm. But if I did give it a whirl, I thought Whiskey & Roses would be a great name and theme for the drinks list.

DD and I enjoy bourbon and pink wine, so we could share our joint passion with punters.

Speaking of booze, I was invited to a tasting at Brown-Forman’s headquarters last night. The distiller makes lots of delicious bourbons and DD wanted to know what happened to his invite, but he was less enthused when he learned it was for a Scotch Whisky release.

The evening started with whisky highballs …

Nom, nom. Love a good highball.

But the reason for the gathering was to taste The Glendronach Boynsmill House Edition. The limited-edition 14-year-old single malt has been created to mark the distillery’s 200th anniversary.

According to the media release: “Inspired by the historic home of founder James Allardice, the release brings together The Glendronach’s signature Oloroso and Pedro Ximénez sherry casks with a small number of Claret red wine casks, adding a vibrant new dimension to its richly sherried house style.”

I wasn’t expecting the Master Blender Dr Rachel Barrie (pictured main) to join us via Zoom. She’s larger than life and not just because she was on the big screen. Her passion for her whisky and sheer bliss on her face as she tasted it almost felt too private to watch!

I did a lot of this while she chatted to us …

And because I’m a bit of a whisky philistine, I preferred the standard 12-year-old to the special 14-year-old, possibly because it had a lower ABV and was more approachable.

The 12-year-old (on the left) is priced at around $100 a bottle at your local liquor store, while the 14-year-old on the right is available exclusively through The Whisky Club for $195.

Fancy! But I sipped a dram for free, lucky me!

The tasting ran later than I was expecting and I was running horrendously late to meet my astronomer friend Orsola for dinner, who I haven’t seen in forever.

I flung myself in a cab that smelled of stale cigarettes and got there 15 minutes late. I hate being late, so I was mortified.

Orsola is a proper genius, which made for a fascinating few hours. But things took a scary towards the end when she told me she thought humanity had six months left.

What?? Why???

Not because of a meteor or climate change but AI.

She recently listened to a New York Times podcast about how OpenAI’s agents went rogue in July and what she heard filled her with dread.

Apparently, from the start, the greatest fear for those developing artificial intelligence was that their creations would act in unauthorized and dangerous ways.

Some researchers are saying it has happened. And the implications are pretty scary.

I was already feeling a bit end of days so it freaked me out that she was so worried.

My next holiday can’t come soon enough, I need to squeeze it in before the world ends. In the meantime I’ll be ducking to Bunnings to stock up on seeds for when I need to escape the apocalypse and live off the grid in the youngest’s tiny home.

Song of the day: REM “It’s the end of the world”