Column: Whisky, Grief and Solace: Why This New Netflix Series Strikes the Right Chord

The Beast in Me has recently landed on Netflix. A tense series where Claire Danes and Matthew Rhys play a high-stakes cat-and-mouse game. There’s one scene that really stuck with me: the moment they both reach for the bottle. They decide to share a whisky.

One night she’s grieving and pours herself a few whiskies. Suddenly he shows up at her door. He could use a stiff drink too. And as the night wears on, the nectar of the gods flows ever more freely. Is he impressed by her choice of whisky? Not exactly.

At one point he takes a sip, pulls a face, and says, “From now on, I’m buying the booze. This is undrinkable.” She laughs and tells him about her father. About that one bottle of Glenfiddich Single Malt that was always set out for guests. And how one night she caught him topping it up with cheap whisky and a splash of tap water. “People taste the label,” he supposedly said.

The scene doesn’t spiral. They’re drunk, sure. And it’s hardly classy when she drinks straight from the bottle. But what I love is that it becomes something social, too. For the first time in the series, she opens up about her trauma and scars. It happens because he suddenly drinks with her and makes her feel truly heard.

So you might think you’re just watching a drunken scene, but there’s so much more going on.

As for the bottle itself, it appears to be fake, fictional. We couldn’t quite make out what was on the label. It certainly wasn’t a Glenfiddich. Does it matter? Not at all. Whisky in a series doesn’t always need to be product placement.

What I simply appreciate is that a new show can feature alcohol without wagging a moralizing finger. In fact, whisky pops up several times in the show. Chapeau.

You know what makes me itch these days? When I head to the cinema to unwind and the first thing I see is an ad asking if I knew alcohol can cause seven types of cancer.

That preachiness. It’s enough to make you weep.

What’s next? Alcohol slowly disappearing from films and series? Whisky airbrushed away like cigarettes once were? As if it doesn’t exist. Are we going to be taught that everything is bad for you?

Of course drinking responsibly matters. Of course alcohol isn’t a solution. But scrubbing it out of stories entirely is nonsense. Whisky is culture. Sure, sometimes people go too far, but not nearly always.

And if we simply enjoy it in moderation, there’s nothing wrong with that.

Want to know more about whisky in TV series? Check out our roundup.

Oh, and The Beast in Me? Highly recommended. What a star turn from Matthew Rhys!