So the pope’s here in Philadelphia…does he drink whiskey?
Apparently, there are no papal dietary restrictions. Seems the pope can drink and eat what he likes. Pope Benedict XVI was from Bavaria and he liked his beer. On his 88th birthday he chose to sit in the Vatican gardens with a pint. Pope Francis is from Argentina, and though he has been seen drinking mate tea in the streets with the people, is only known to indulge in the occasional glass of wine. He is a man of the people…perhaps just a bit of whiskey?
When the Queen Elizabeth visited the Vatican in April of 2014, she gave Pope Francis a basket of goodies from her estate. One of the items in her gift basket was Balmoral Single Malt Scotch. Royal Lochnagar distillery (originally New Lochnagar), about a mile away from Balmoral Castle, was given its title the same year the castle was purchased by Prince Albert and Queen Victoria in 1848. Turns out Queen Victoria really liked the whiskey. Now the distillery doesn’t produce all that much, but it does go into blends like Johnny Walker Blue. Maybe the pope will drink it. Chances are he either donated it to some needy whisky geek at the Vatican or the bishops fought over who got to pour first…
When you’re an American leader, and you want to be seen as a man of the people, you drink beer. Although the idea was broached after Republicans won control of Congress in the midterm elections this year, there was still hope for a “whiskey summit” between President Obama and Mitch McConnell. Whiskey could be retaking its place as the beverage of the American people…maybe we should be gifting Pope Francis some bourbon! I would love to see Pope Francis sit down with a dram, wouldn’t you?
