The idea of simply pointing a camera at a crackling yule log and calling it a show goes back to at least 1966, when WPIX president Fred M. Thrower decided to preempt roller derby one night and instead air a continuous shot of the fireplace at Gracie Mansion for the benefit of New Yorkers without hearths in their apartments. But even a half-century old American tradition needs an occasional update, and the makers of Lagavulin Single Malt Scotch have added two important elements to the mix: whisky and Parks And Recreation star Nick Offerman.
“Nick Offerman’s Yule Log,” then, is not some kind of holiday-themed specialty porn, though pyromaniacs might theoretically derive some prurient thrills from it. Instead, it is the latest episode in an ongoing web series called My Tales of Whisky. The plot of this particular, 45-minute episode is exceedingly simple. For three-quarters of an hour, a plaid-shirted Nick Offerman sits in what looks like the comfiest chair in the coziest den ever and drinks whisky in the presence of a very photogenic fire. That’s it, really. The actor says nothing and, other than drinking and smiling, does nothing. Those waiting for a plot twist will have their hopes dashed. Others are simply advised to let the video run on the biggest-possible screen they have available to them and bask in the virtual toastiness of it all.