Scotland has been making the world’s best whisky for a few centuries now, so it can be tough to navigate the selection. You don’t want to buy anything too pedestrian, but you don’t want to get something too exotic either. Mostly, you don’t want to blow your whole paycheck on one bottle, and you don’t want to go searching for some white whale of a whisky that you’ll never find. There’s nothing that drives me crazier than reading articles about what you should be drinking, but that only mention whiskies that there’s absolutely no way you’re ever going to get your hands on. That’s not to say that you’ll find my picks in your corner liquor store, but the better shops generally stock at least some of them.

In that spirit, then, here are five whiskies that I personally would love to receive as a gift, and that I am confident that you will be able to find in some of the better stocked shops. Nothing highly allocated or limited edition, just great whisky at a non-back-breaking price. For the record, in the course of my career in the whisky business, I have had occasion to sell all of these, but I am not currently working for any of them. Hell, I’m not even getting paid to write this. Spreading the gospel of good booze is a labor of love.

Must we have a conductor in our rituals? Absolutely, no two ways about that. They are vital in the first three degree rituals of Freemasonry. Without the conductor explicitly involved, the ritual will not go anywhere.

Let us first examine the nomenclature of the word conductor. According to Merriam-Webster definition, it is one who conducts such as:
a) guide
b)a collector of fares in a public
c) conveyance – a railroad conductor
the leader of a musical ensemble – an orchestra conductor
1. a material or object that permits an electric current to flow easily – copper wire is a good conductor
2. a material capable of transmitting another form of energy – aluminum is a conductor of heat.

It is obvious we can rule out b, c, and d definition parts as they bear no relevance to us. Therefore, masonically speaking, the guide is what we are looking for that applies here. In addition, the word conductor is from the Latin root condūcō which has the meaning “I lead.”

Upon putting together the definition and Latin root, we can now look a little deeper into why a conductor is so important to our ritual. His sole role is to help a candidate by holding arm to arm with him during the time that they are together. By doing so, the conductor is performing “I lead” and guide at the same time. The candidate is fully entrusted to his conductor’s care during those moments of time. At the same token, the conductor will ensure the trust is reciprocated. After all, trust is a two-way street.

One must bear in mind that the terms conducting and escorting do not mean the same thing masonically. Conducting is leading a candidate in a ritual setting. Escorting refers to someone in a formal courtesy or protocol, for example: bringing up a Mason for some kind of recognition, or a high ranking officer either on the District or Grand Lodge level; non-Masons including wives. It is easy to distinguish between by arm orientation: Conducting candidate by the right arm whereas escorting is by the left arm.

Who can be a conductor? Any brother in good standing can do it. This includes past lodge officers as well; it does not need to be the current slate of elected and appointed officers such as the Junior and Senior Deacons. What about candidates in their degree process? Yes, they are qualified to be one. However, there is a caveat. An initiated brother, or Entered Apprentice, cannot conduct a candidate in the same degree or a degree he has not received. But a passed brother, or Fellowcraft, can do that. Likewise, a Fellowcraft in the same degree cannot in the same degree nor a degree he has not received. The conductor’s role formally ends in the degree work once Senior Deacon takes over for the closing of the degree.

This more obscure symbol in the initiatic process requires a little more consideration to grasp its true meaning. In our present ritual, the Senior Deacon is the candidate’s conductor throughout the remainder of each degree. The lecture, which follows the degree, explains that his conductor was a “true and trusty friend,” one the candidate can rely on to navigate them through the several stages of the degree.

This statement refers to a much earlier tradition – a time before deacons were common officers of the lodge – when the candidate’s conductor was his sponsor into Freemasonry. The Entered Apprentice degree teaches, in part, that in order to make progress in life we must trust others to lead us when we cannot otherwise know the way forward. The person leading us is often a “conductor,” or someone who serves as a guide.

It is indeed wonderful that any Mason should seek this role to help a candidate in his pursuit of Light in Masonry, whether it’s his first time as an Entered Apprentice or further both for Fellowcraft and Master Mason. The experience of leading and guiding is very enriching to a conductor regardless of what degree it takes place. He will have the satisfaction of performing a job well-done job. The candidate in due time will come to appreciate what his conductor has done for him. If you as a Mason have not had this opportunity, please consider it. Even if you have not done one in quite a while, do it again and reinvigorate yourself. Either way, it is definitely a worthwhile experience! Indeed, it was for me.

Note the author wishes to acknowledge that a small portion of the material contained in the above article was graciously offered by a close brother who requested to be anonymous.

Let me first be very transparent, I have been in the beverage industry for over 20 years on the buying side, owning restaurants and bars in New Paltz, New York. Since 2014 I have been on the sales and supply side. I have gotten to meet the owners of Bulleit & Peerless and have many friends that represent Four Roses, Blanton’s, and Michter’s. That said, there are many reasons that I have selected the following five as great choices for gift-giving this holiday season. All have great packaging, all have been recognized for their attention to detail, all don’t add any water to the finished product, and all are 90+ proof from Kentucky. Most of them are easy to find at your local liquor stores but keep in mind that there are 100s of bourbons on the market today and these are by far, my favorite five.

The DSP-K on every bottle is the number when each distillery received their license to distill in Kentucky. This numbering system is very much like how Masonic Lodges are given their lodge number. Currently, Kentucky is in the 20,000 just to give you some perspective. Many have gone the way of the Dodo bird considering there are only about 70 active licenses in KY as of today. Bourbon is America’s only native spirit, as declared by Congress in 1964. It must be made with a minimum of 51 percent corn, aged in charred new oak barrels, stored at no more than 125 proof, and bottled no less than 80 proof. Now for my favorite part, the side by side tasting.

The Bulleit has a proof of 119.2 and on the nose has a lot of heat & spice. You can definitely taste the spice with the high rye mash bill. The Four Roses is 100 proof and much mellower on the front pallet. I get a lot of vanilla and caramel on the Four Roses. Next up is the Michter’s. This one is 91.4 proof and very floral on the nose. More smoke on the taste and much more heat on the side pallet. Neither falls flat or falls short on the overall mouthfeel. Now for the really hard to get Blanton’s. This one was 93 proof. The mouthfeel can only be best described as wonderful. It has spice, it has coffee, and I get a little nutmeg on this one. And I saved my very favorite and best for last. This bottle was 110.2, and it tastes more like 80-ish. There is almost no heat on Peerless at all. The high corn content is very obvious on the first sniff. Sweet toffy and dark chocolate are on the nose and on the front pallet. The last two are collectible for a reason. They are by far the best package and just over-deliver in every aspect. You can’t go wrong with any of my top 5 and they all will wow the person you are gifting them to. And whatever you do, don’t forget to get one for you!

I hope these suggestions aid in your search for that perfect Holiday toast. Please enjoy responsibly!

Happy Holidays, my Brothers!

A year later in 2008 Eric felt like it was time to make a major change in his life. His physician warned that his heart showed signs of an impending heart attack and if he didn’t change his daily life immediately, his life would be cut very short. Over the next few days, Eric started walking every day to work off what we in masonry call the “Masonic Profile.” As he began to see the health benefits of his daily walking, he decided to use his long and distinguished scouting career to help the sick children at the Shriners Hospital for Children in Springfield. By 2009, Eric was walking at least 4 miles a day and with the help of the New Paltz Boy Scouts raised $2,246.09 in pennies, which he donated at Ray Struck’s Potentates Ball. Ray Struck was the first Potentate of Cyprus Shrine to come from Adonai Lodge.

All the before mentioned was accomplished by Eric at his own expense. None of the money went to his shoes, tents to sleep in during the walk, any gear, food, drink, or cover his time off to make the walk every year. Eric is a shining light of hope in the world that epitomizes what every Mason should attempt to emulate. Trying every day to make the world a little better and especially help children most of which who would never have had the life they have if not being treated at a Shriners Hospital. And as I am writing this story about Eric, it was just brought to my attention that he was featured in another world-renowned website. People Magazine online, just wrote a story titled “25 reasons for hope in America in 2020”. Eric Morabito was in the company of 24 other people that have used their creativity to inspire hope in America during these trying times. Brother Eric is in the company of Sam Smith, 4 time Grammy winner, Dolly Parton, Beatrice Lumpkin (102-year-old Chicago women who bought a hazmat suit so she could vote), Sir David Attenborough, and Prince William just to name a few. I am sure that he will soon be given further recognition not only by Shriners International but also the Grand Lodge of the State of NY.

How you can help

To learn more about Eric’s charitable work, donate, or the Shrine – click on the appropriate button below.