Christmas Gift from a Colleague

One of my sales colleagues has given me gifts each of the past few years. I've helped him make a lot of money, so it's understandable. (It's a professional custom in enterprise sales that the account executive, the one who makes big bucks on big deals, gives gifts to technical staff who were key to winning the deals.) The past few years the gifts have been bottles of liquor— which is fine, because I enjoy liquor! This year's gift was another bottle of whiskey.



This one's a bit different because, unlike the past few years' gifts, it's not a Scotch whisky. Yamazaki is a Japanese distiller, and this particular variety, Legent Cask Finish Blend Bourbon Whiskey, is distilled in Kentucky from American grains and aged for 8 years then sent to Japan for secondary aging and blending.



I was surprised to learn this is a $200+ bottle of bourbon. No, I didn't go rummaging through the box for a receipt. I'm not the kind of person who checks the price tag when receiving a gift. But when I searched online to learn more about this liquor, well, there was the price, right there.

I haven't opened the bottle yet. I will, soon. I'm certainly not going to make the mistake my grandmother did in saving beautiful gifts for a special-enough special occasion that never came. Perhaps I'll enjoy a drink, tomorrow, on Christmas, since this is a Christmas gift. I haven't celebrated Christmas in over 30 years... but at least I can raise a glass to good friends.