If you thought the end was near...

This is quite possibly the greatest topic starter I've seen around here!

As for whisky, I suppose I'd open what I have left if the end was nigh. No reason to let it collect dust on the shelves.

@Nozinan i guess 3000+ dead africans wasn't "the beginning"....

i'm with @Fiberfar - might as well open it all! of course i'd share the whisky, just not my glass ;)

I would have to open my 43 year old Bunnahabhain. Actually, I would also open my Highland Park 25 Year Old (higher ABV than the new one). Two-handed scotch drinking would most definitely be in order.

As for fanning the flames of Ebolaphobia, which has begun to blow in the media over the past few days, I was not impressed with the way Dr. Rick Sacra was released back into the general public recently after nearly dying from Ebola. His heroic actions in Africa are certainly to be lauded, helping a huge number of infected patients there, but Sacra should have been quarantined much longer in Nebraska, and detained for observation.

Be this as it may, what struck me the most was how his "release" into the general public was meticulously reported in the media, as if to set up a precedent for some sort of artificially spread/escalated pandemic later. Yes, that's right, I'm coming right out and saying that I think it is worth considering the possibility that if an Ebola pandemic breaks out in the USA, it might could have been spread on purpose by those few in positions of near-absolute power who stand to gain a great deal from martial law (once you go black ops, it's hard to go back, oops!). Of course, it goes without saying that these very same interests would rake in obscene profits from their heavy investments/funding of corporations specializing in the creation of vaccines, as well as other supporting infrastructure in the pharmaceutical industrial complex and the hospital industrial complex.

As any vaccine-related virologist already knows, the process of going from an in-the-wild infection of Ebola to a manufactured vaccine ready for human trials simply cannot be achieved in a matter of a few weeks or months. Apparently, we are all to believe that a spontaneous scientific miracle has now taken place — a literal act of vaccine magic — which has allowed the criminal vaccine industry to skip the tedious R&D phases and create a vaccine ready for human trials merely by waving a magic wand.

The link between Big Pharma, governments of the industrialized west, and globalist investors/financiers is way too cozy. GlaxoSmithKline is one of the worst offenders when it comes to unethical and illegal practices. Care to guess who will be manufacturing this vaccine once it is whitewashed and rubber-stamped as “approved?” GlaxoSmithKline, of course. The same company that also admitted to a massive criminal bribery network in the United States, where felony crimes were routinely committed to funnel money to over 40,000 physicians who pushed dangerous prescription drugs onto patients.

After hearing Obama's latest speech, I did a bit of Googling on the topic of Ebola and came up with the following links of interest: globalresearch.ca/ebola-and-the-rapid-vacci… and biodefense.com/Pandemic-Preparedness-Episod… and naturalnews.com/047076_Ebola_patient_….

You know, when I think about my not-yet-opened bottles, I do often imagine a "death bed" scene where I'm clinging to life, and with one of my final breaths, I implore my heartbroken wife, "bring... me... the PC7...before it's...too late."

So yeah, I'd open the PC7. And the Turf Mor. And the Big Peat Christmas 2013. And the Longrow Red. (I'm pretty sure those are all the big boys that I have down in my vault.)

As for sharing, I always try to. Drinking great whisky alone is not as fun, at least to me. Once in a while, sure, but sharing is more enjoyable, especially with a fellow Connosr.

@thecyclingyogi @Fiberfar

Must agree with both...Ebola Virus - Zombie Apocalypse - Rosie O'Donnell becomes the next President - etc - etc...I would open every bottle, and share with friends, and neighbors.

I shared my last bottle of PC7 last winter. And, wouldn't you know it, the friend with whom I shared it, managed to find another bottle and he shared even more with me, along with a smashing bottle of Ileach, which I'd never tasted before. My friend got the Ileach in Scotland and was told that the bottle he had was actually a fiery young Lagavulin in sheep's clothing (Ileach can be many things Islay, one never knows for sure). Drinking a few glasses made a believer out of me!

I'd visit @thecyclinyogi with my own glass in hand to sample some of those epic releases.

@rigmorole Ileach can be found at Trader Joe's! I buy it all the time. And I agree it's an "outlet" Lagavulin.

@Wodha, Holy crap! That's good to know. I loved that bottle I tasted. I will check and see if I can score a bottle in Vancouver WA down near where I live in Portland. Thanks!

@Wodha No go on that Ileach. No Trader Joe's in Washington State has it. Maybe it was a special buy at one time. If so, then snagging a case would have been smart if it was cheap cheap cheap and had the good stuff (Young Lag)

@thecyclingyogi

Forgive me if my original post seemed insensitive. I've been following the Ebola outbreak carefully since it made the news, but until the case reported in the US it had been contained to a few countries in Africa.

Once a virus like this skips to another continent, with essentially no treatment and a near 60% mortality rate, you start thinking of scenarios like the recent Brad Pitt movie (without the Zombies), or more accurately, the black blague from a few centuries ago.

Once it spreads into the community it can spread everywhere, and over to the next Continent... Worst case scenario it could affect billions of people, and disrupt the world in ways we can't imagine. As a health care worker it worries me a lot.

It was in that context that I was contemplating just what I was saving all my special bottles for, and wondering if I would open them if I felt a catastrophe was almost inevitable.

I suppose I would probably leave them closed for 2 reasons:

1. Once I'm dead I won't be able to to enjoy the memory of the special dram. Better to leave the bottles well-protected for the survivors to enjoy when they find them in 100 years....imagine the OBE!

2. I'd probably be too busy with my family and want to keep my wits about me.

Though I would be tempted to crack my Booker's and other CS products. Anything 60% or higher might be useful as an antiseptic.

@paddockjudge

For you, I would crack open my last John's Private Cask....

@Nozinan, I'll be busy making the rounds. Thumbs up.

First let me state that I currently live in Guinea, in the University Town of Faranah, about 8-10 hours from ground zero of the outbreak in the Guinea Forestry Region. Faranah Division has not had a single case of Ebola in the region since the epidemic began in early 2014 and the disease in Guinea seems to be stabilizing. The disease seems to be the most difficult to stop in isolated areas where culture practices unknowingly pass the disease to others, and isolation and lack of access to central government has created mistrust over the years. Thankfully, do to controls, The virus has only appeared in very minor numbers in urban settings such as Conakry. Regardless of these historical and cultural factors I would imagine that Ebola in Guinea will be wiped out in the next 4-6 months.

Prior to living in Guinea, I lived in Liberia and Monrovia until May of 2014. Liberia is a much trickier situation in terms of government infrastructure and health resources. Equally, a non-existent military -other than the UN- and a distrusting, heavily infected urban population makes for a very scary situation. I would be uncomfortable predicting the course of the virus in Liberia but eradicating it will require major investment, drive and commitment on those implementing eradication programs. Nothing is easy to implement in Liberia and the bigger the scale the harder it becomes. The outbreak in Liberia should be a source of very considerable concern.

As I began and spent over half my life in North America, I think those of you living in North America have absolutely no reason for concern over the short term. Due to the comparative competency and rigor of health and security forces and basic infrastructure, I think this case and any others will be stopped very close to the source.

If I was playing this game, and an army of blood and feces stained ebola infected Guinean's were outside knocking at my gate and trying to climb over my walls, I would open up the only bottle I have in Guinea, HP 18. If I was back in North America: 3-4 big islays, 2-3 sherry bombs and some big flavor bourbons and ryes. In Yaounde: Ardbeg 10, Bowmore tempest, Glenfarclas 21 and some old Cognacs from the 1960's.

I wish you all good health!