Our story / FILM 02 / 48 SECONDS
Two Palates
One feels it first. One wants to know why.
By Old Treasure · September 7, 2026
From our recorded conversations at The Pearl.
BEHIND THE CONVERSATION
One feels it first. One wants to know why.
Larry describes his first response to a whiskey as emotional: he likes it, then works out why. Susie brings a more deliberate look at the parts. Tasting together gives each of them another way into the glass.
Their agreement is often clearest when they pass on a barrel. Different instincts have led to a shared standard, shaped by years of tasting. They’re looking for the best a distillery has to offer, with age and proof kept in perspective.
Read the full film transcript
When I like something, I just like it, and then I find out why. I think that you're probably more intentional than I am and more analytical about the components. And I might be a little emotional about it, We sort of influence each other during the tasting in terms of considering things from another perspective, I think two is better than one. But we've almost unanimously always rejected the same barrels, like pretty simultaneously. We were looking for the best of what that distillery had to offer, But we weren't necessarily looking for the oldest thing or the highest proof. I think we both like just have an understanding of what exceptional is at this point because we've had so much exposure to whiskey.
Story adapted from the accompanying filmed conversation.
