The end of 1963 was a bad time for many people. When Kennedy was assassinated, I think it’s safe to say that the hearts of a majority of Americans simply sunk.
For Donald Draper, the end of 1963 was one mess after another. But each mess, with the exception of the assassination of the President of the United States, was his own doing. In Season 3, Episode 11, “The Gypsy and the Hobo”, Don tells his mistress (Suzanne – also his daughter’s schoolteacher) to wait in his car in the driveway of his family home while he runs in to get something for work. He is surprised that Betty isn’t out of town like she said she and the kids would be. She stayed to confront Don about a secret he’s been keeping. Not the secret of his infidelity, but about his hidden identity. She finally learns that Donald Draper is not his real name. Don agonizes over the truth as he is finally grilled by Betty… as his mistress slips out of his car and walks home.
Betty finally confronts Don - with CC at his side - about his hidden identity. (image credit: AMC)
Throughout each one of the messes he finds himself in, there was is one whiskey Don always turns to: Canadian Club. Don pours from a bottle of CC so often throughout each season of the acclaimed AMC series Mad Men, it’s almost impossible to not notice.
You would think that a spokesman with such loose morals and an utter disregard for the people that depend on him wouldn’t be a very effective advertising tool. But I would venture to say that Canadian Club has benefitted enormously from Don’s constant attention to the familiar dark brown bottle with cursive lettering and a red-and-white cap seal. Well, it got this Mad Men fan to buy it, anyway…
I bought a bottle to take with me to share with family and friends during our Holiday travels. How well did it go over? Let’s just say it lasted only about one day of our 7 days or so of travels. It proved to be a very welcome alternative to the Wisconsin standard whiskey, Kessler, for many of my in-laws – and me, of course. It is by no means a whiskey that is full of character or bold flavors; it’s another very drinkable whiskey. It goes quite well in an Old Fashioned or mixed with water or soda or just on the rocks. CC is a bit less expensive than Jameson and, in my opinion, tastes just as good.
While Don seems to drink CC the most during the worst of times, I think this reputable, reasonably-priced whiskey goes even better with the best of times.
