About

Hello! Welcome to The Right Spirit, a blog about the water of life.

Having grown up in a small California wine country, north of the more famous Napa Valley, and having then spent a good deal of time living in Germany where beer flows supreme, it was to my great surprise that I eventually became a full-fledged whiskey enthusiast and certified bourbon steward.

I’ve spent most of my life as a freelance theater maker and teacher. When I’m not doing something or another related to that, I can often be found somewhere along my whiskey journey—meeting new people, gaining new insights, making new memories, enjoying a ray of sunlight in a glass!

I’ve noticed a few things theater and whiskey share. They are handmade. They are a craft and an art. They can only be experienced live, in person. They offer something for everyone who wishes to partake in them. Some people find them intimidating, others frivolous. Theater and whiskey aren’t always easy, sometimes even dangerous. But at their best, they encourage a spirit of community, curiosity, and contemplation.

This blog explores whiskey, and where whiskey and culture sometimes meet. The notion of leaving politics at the door when it comes to whiskey is not a thing here. A good deal of world history is literally soaked in whiskey. Whiskey connects us to who we are and to who other people are—something very worth talking about over a glass of whiskey.

Posts come out every Friday, often also Tuesdays, with periodic bonus posts to mark special occasions or an impulse. Posts include notes on whiskeys poured at my kitchen’s red table, informational reports, and various points of view.

There is also an eclectic Resources page, and a Videos page featuring original Instagram videos of my own and links to other whisk(e)y oriented documentaries and videos. You can also follow the blog on Instagram and Twitter.

I hope you’ll enjoy following The Right Spirit.

Mark J

And what is the right spirit?
Here’s one idea…