Social Whiskey
Whiskey has been a consistent theme as Oasys has grown. From flasks at the golf course, to the ever-expanding line of trophy bottles along the top of the kitchen cabinet, to the yearly, corporate, speakeasy takeover…we enjoy socializing together with a touch of whisky.
A couple of years ago, we took over a speakeasy in DC to celebrate a company milestone and have made it an annual tradition ever since. We pull old bottles off the shelf, light cigars on the roof, trade laughs, and then walk up the street for a curb slice. Whiskey drinking is not a requirement; we just enjoy spending time enjoying the company of our colleagues.
As the company added new employees last year, we prepared for our speakeasy takeover with an American Whiskey 101 brown bag at the office. (To Tony, Paige, and Steve’s credit, the “we” here is “me”, as in it was my turn to do a brown bag and I told them I was booking a whiskey 101–the response was just “make sure it’s on everyone’s calendar”.) I reckoned it would be a shame for all our new folks to walk into the event with no idea of what they might see and may want to try. It was my duty to educate our newest members to a sliver of the Oasys whiskey culture.
A manager at Jack Rose Dining Saloon – the place to go for whiskey – came to our Chinatown office and walked us through four basic varieties: a high rye Bourbon (Old Granddad 114), a wheated Bourbon (Sonoma County #2 Second Chance), an American malt whiskey (Stranahan’s), and a four grain mashbill Bourbon (local distillery One-Eight’s Rock Creek Bourbon). We picked bottles for the 101 that would be easy to find at local liquor stores, with Old Granddad 114 turning out to be the surprise crowd favorite. It was also one of our best-attended brown bags and provided the opportunity for people to enjoy a taste test and learn about whiskey.
All this whiskey intel is really about expanding our knowledge, creating shared experiences, and welcoming our current and new team members. Our social bonding is a portion of who we are and how we operate. We’ve always got some Bourbon in the kitchen for guests. Drop by when you can and share some time with our team. We’d enjoy that!