November 21, 2021 by Jan Martin Borgersen
I walk into a liquor store in North Carolina with my Irish father-in-law.
"The Irish Whiskeys are along the back wall," I say as we enter, loud enough for the employees behind the counter to hear.
We walk to the back, look at the selection, which honestly, isn't bad, considering North Carolina regulates this heavily. Christy points out a bottle that was advertised by Conor McGregor, saying it's pretty good. We choose our bottles, briefly wander through the bourbons and North Carolina distillery selections, take a quick backward glance at the Scotch's, and make our way up to the checkout counter.
We put our Bailey's and Black Bush (Bushmills) on the counter.
Christy is going to pay, so he pulls out his credit card and Irish ID, because NC checks IDs on everyone paying with a credit card. The credit card is clearly marked with a "Bank of Ireland" logo in the upper right, and the ID is green with elvish writing. "Eire" is somewhat noticeable.
Hey pays. The nice cashier neatly places our bottles in brown paper bags, smiles at us behind her face mask, and says:
"You have a lovely accent. Is it German?"