My brother and I used to take the bus to my Grandma’s house after school. Our dad worked for the tugboats on the coast two weeks at a time and our mom used to work at a fabric store in town. So our grandma would look after us until my mom was able to come pick us up. I have many fond memories of our time spent at grandma’s house. In the corner of her modest little rancher in the woods was a piano. Our Grandmother could not read a single sheet of music but if she heard a song, or had one in her head, within a matter of minutes, she would be hammering it out on the keys. She even used to try and teach us to play “Chopsticks”, “Somewhere over the rainbow” and even a little bit of “Honky Tonk”. My parents tried to put me through piano lessons later on but I never stuck with it.
The other night I was attending my daughter’s piano recitals. All of the music was being performed so well and I was enjoying it thoroughly. Then, one student performed a beautiful rendition of “Somewhere over the rainbow”, and all those feel good memories came flooding back.
Since starting this whisky pairing adventure with Greg, I haven’t had a problem coming up with things to write about. However, this week I was stumped! I have so much respect for those that write for a living! When I heard this song from my childhood I started thinking about my Grandma and about how music can, very easily, be paired with 
whisky.
Honky Tonk and Blues I find Bourbon pairs well. Folk or even a bit of punk rock goes well with Irish Whisk(e)y. Some single malt’s stormy complexity pairs well with classical music and others are enjoyed sitting back, listening to classic rock. I even find some of the more heavily peated Islay expressions go down well with some quality metal music.
No matter what your whisky or music tastes are, both are best enjoyed at Full Volume! So, to a very influential person in my life, who lived life at Full Volume, Cheers Grandma!
Adam