I bought a bottle of Famous Grouse whiskey as part of my ongoing attempts to figure out what the appeal of alcohol is. They had a big bottle for £15 or a small flask for £9. The price per unit of the smaller bottle was way, way higher than the bigger bottle but I thought, "I can't drink all of that" when looking at the bigger bottle.

A wise decision. I'm close to throwing out this flask.

First, I tried drinking it straight. Big mistake. I only poured a tiny bit into my cup. Literally two sips worth. I couldn't finish it. It smelled and tasted of death. Every sense was screaming that this is something that should not be consumed.

So I bought some Coca-Cola. I mixed four parts Coke to one part whiskey. So half a cup of whiskey into the two cup can of Coke. This is what the internet said to do.

If I smelled that shit, I felt sick. So I held my breath and took about four sips. I was feeling the effects just from that and it tasted of shit. I might go off cola after this. Not that I drank much of the stuff anyway.

Through holding my breath and taking a bite of my sausage sandwich after every sip, I managed to drink about 2/3 of this shit in about an hour. I had to throw the rest out. I couldn't drink it. It's disgusting.

And for what? A slight light-headed experience? I'm not fall down drunk by any means. This isn't fun.

Did you know that in Finnish, there's a word for "drinking alone in your underpants at home"? Why would I make this up? Check the internet. Kalsarikännit.

There's a big problem in Finland with drinking. But I don't get it. What's the appeal? Maybe you have to start early in life. I had my first beer when I was like 28.

It's odd because so much of Finnish culture I can understand. The not talking. The lack of emotion. The sisu (stoic determination against overwheling opposition). The belief that Swedish men are homosexuals. Even the saunas.

But drinking? I'm not seeing it. It's shit. What a waste of time. Not to mention the health effects.