A Missing Year

My Faithful Readers,

My letters for the year commencing August 2007 and completing August 2008 appear to be lost to the mists of time.  I am, however, able to report that my own memories are not so degraded, and especially as I am prompted by a copy of all our scores I keep here in my office at home.  I beg your patience as I summarize these months.

The summer of 2007 proved to be the first challenging period for the Club.  Attendance was spotty at best, and it wasn't clear that the Club would survive much longer.  It, of course, has...

September 2007 was our first official business meeting.  As with any growing enterprise, the early years held little in the way of business, and we spent this time primarily in the revelry of our cups and company.  The two orders of business we did conduct were the collection of the subscription to pay for the awards the Club procured for our favored server and waitress; and the presentation of the awards to their recipients.

October found us sampling Aberfeldy and Dewar's White Label.  Aberfeldy is the primary malt used in the Dewar's blend, and our intent was to see if we could find the malt's character in the blend.  Neither performed very well.  November pitted the same Dewar's White Label against Johnny Wlaker Black Label.  An undoubtedly interesting match, though both paled in comparison to the scores we generally provide to our singles.  In December we sipped Caol Ila for the first time.

In January 2008 it was the Nectar D'Or.  In February we held our "Battle of the Glens", pitting Glenfiddich Solera Reserve against Glenlivet French Oak Reserve, both 15 year old single malts.  The Glenlivet inched out the win with a score half a point greater than that of the Glenfiddich.  March was our first official Founder's Month, and there was no 'proper' tasting held.  April found us on Islay, tasting Laphroaig and Talisker; Lagavulin and Ardbeg followed in May.  On an interesting note, the Talisker performed very poorly relative to the Laphroaig.  Of the entire 'lost' period, this Lagavulin tasting scored the highest overall.  We took an aside in June, to taste the newly available Buchanan's Special Reserve.  This event was "sponsored" by our local distributer, and included a host of informative materials.  Although not a bad whisky, the Buchanan's did not score very well, though this may be attributable to the fact that there were very few members in attendance this month.  The attendance was so poor in July that we did not "officially" score any whisky.  I suppose very little has changed over the years, and I'm prompted to consider whether summer time tastings should become something much lighter than those of the rest of the year.  We conclude the lost year with a tasting of the Singleton of Glendullan.  This dram scored rather well, ending the year on a positive note!

I now return you to our regularly documented events.

Sláinte,

July 2007

Gentlemen,

    As a result of the height of summer's other recreations, July's Third Thursday was not held.  Not to be completely undone however, I enjoyed my own dram, burned my own cigar, and took the wife to the Toad for supper (she was a very good sport about the whole thing).  It wasn't quite the same without you all, but I've never complained about my own company and my stock includes Talisker 10 yr and Hoyo Excaliber 1066.  Yes, it'll do.

    I look forward to next month's event all the more now, and to improve upon it as much as is possible, am asking you to subscribe to the presentation of two "first annual" awards.  It is traditional in Scotland to give engraved quaichs (a quaich, pronounced "quake", is a small, two-handled drinking vessel.  see picture below) as trophies and, given our penchant for the golden water of that region, I thought it fitting that we do the same.

    After careful consideration, PK and I arrived at two awards, roughly "Favorite Bartender 2007" and "Favorite Waitress 2007".  The exact wording for the engraving to be determined based on cost, and we should expect to produce a suitable trophy for between $50 and $60 a piece (I have already procured the quaichs for $42 each).  The cost per person for two awards then would be $20, with any moneys left over after paying for the awards being applied to our supper bill.

    As for recipients, I don't think there will be any argument with our proposition that Katie at Monte's get the Bartender award and Chloe at Old Toad getting the Waitress award.  Please advise if you greatly dissent.

    Until next month then, at which time we will present the awards.  And just to make things more interesting, I hereby swear to wear my kilt on that auspicious occasion!  ...and how can anyone not be moved by such a show of passion for the cause?

    Sláinte,

 

   

May 2007

Dear Friends,

    Our evening now behind us, I sit to write my usual reflection.  This was something an unusual month, with us not having met at our customary starting point and with having had our cigar before we dined rather than afterward, but all in all I believe those who attended had an excellent time (myself certainly included).

    My thanks go out to PK for providing the starting point, and to all of you who so generously paid into the bottle for the evening.  Our friend TP must also be congratulated on successfully bringing a new acquaintance to our meeting.  It's been a while since we've had "new blood" added to the old crew.  I have to pass along my apologies to JB for my failure to adequately inform him of the night's agenda.  I'll strive to make it up to you the next time out.  To all those who could not make it for one reason or another, we continue to miss your presence and hope you will join us soon.

    Our whisky was the Lagavulin 16 year old.  We've tried several times to have this made available to us, but it is generally not procurable for us by our usual watering hole and therefore has continued to elude us all this while.  It was a difficult call to make, but I believe well worth the rather late-to-be-communicated, clandestine assembly.  By all accounts this is one of those whiskies full of character.  When poured into the glass, one immediately recognizes the red-gold color and long legs.  In the mouth it is smooth and slightly oily.  It is a generally smoky, meaty drink, with a briny sting early on, and a long finish containing an anise-like sweetness.  A little water seems to really open this one up, cutting some of the influence of the sherry cask and bringing out the oak.  We scored this one at 7.8, significantly lower than some of the other brands in the "Islands group" (e.g., Laphroaig, Talisker) and even lower than the Dalwhinnie, all of which scored 8.0 or better.  At least a few of us who enjoy this dram on a semi-regular basis would tell you that this seems low for Lagavulin - and in fact we missed the fullness of smoke that the glass usually contains.

    I personally enjoyed the opportunity to start out at a more personal location this month, the warmer weather making it more enjoyable to sit outside and the opportunity to explore a drink beyond what the bar has to offer just seems a better way to go.  I'm not sure how everyone felt, but having our cigar before dinner isn't my most preferred approach.  It did however allow for a more controlled evening's enjoyment.  I'd really like to hear your thoughts on this month's agenda, to help set the course for our next few Summer-time meetings.

    My final thought put simply: A middling dram, when taken with such good company as this, is far more often the basis for fond memories than a great one taken with mere acquaintances.  And the parting ponder: which is greater, a plate of Yorkshire beef or a shot of Irish whiskey?

Slainte,



April 2007

Dearest Friends, 

    This month's event now completed, and the yard work well in hand after our first fine-weather weekend, it's high time for the recap.

    This month was an odd one, differing from the standard in a few ways.  First, we were attended even more lightly than usual, only three of our members being present.  Second, we had to compete for bar space with a beer tasting group who has just started, and who, apparently, has the same idea of what makes for a good meeting place.  Next, we had the audacity to discuss club business rather than the customary banter and frivolity.  And lastly - though I suppose it was bound to happen sooner or later - our host establishment was unable to provide the single malt whisky that I had called ahead to secure.

    We had planned to taste both Cardhu and Johnnie Walker Black Label.  Being what it is, the Johnnie Walker was readily available.  This blended whisky contains an estimated 40 component, including a large quantity of grain, whiskies, the youngest drop of which has been aged 12 years.  It was caramel in color and lightly oily in the mouth, though it showed a bit too much alcohol on the nose.  There was distinct citrus and a hint of wood in the flavor, but it was much better with water, and I'd even go so far as to say it is generally better on the rocks.  We did not collect scores on the blend, as it was intended only to provide a source for comparison and contrast.

   Although the Cardhu was absent, we did discover another little gem.  Hidden away from our previous view was a bottle of Glendronach 12 year old (40% ABV).  I didn't capture notes, but let's just say that this one will get on the list for a future session!

  Club business?  Well, there were three things discussed that I'd like to share with you all - and please feel free to write back so I can get a sense of your thinking on these.

1. JB proposed the idea of a ThirdThursdays.org website, and even the possibility of email addresses for those who are interested.  He will investigate further and let us know what's available.
2. Time for an annual outing event?  We discussed taking ourselves, significant others, and a picnic (to include some of our favorite water of life) to someplace where we can sit on boulders -- and we called it "Scotch on the Rocks 2006".  Of course, we'll have to take this one to committee.  If you're willing to help organize, we'd love the help!
3. Monty's Korner's web site (http://www.montyskorner.com) has a listing of it's beers, but their "Whisky and Port" page is desperately lacking content.  Is it time for us to give something back to the establishment that's given us so much already? (and maybe get some free publicity out of it, too?)

   Well, I see this letter has gone on far longer than usual, and certainly longer than I had anticipated writing.  So I'm going to wrap up here and begin the long, arduous task of waiting until next month to chat with you all again.

p.s. Here's an interesting little site for those of you wo are not culinarily challenged as some of us are: http://www.malts.com/en-us/Home/WhiskyFoodIntro.htm (you'll have to register to see the page, but it's pretty painless and certainly worth it!).  Enjoy.

Sláinte,

March 2007

Dear Friends,

    First of all, allow me to wish you all a happy St. Patrick's Day!

    We completed our sixth tasting this week, thus concluding our initial circumnavigation of the major regions - Speyside; Highlands; Western Islands, Skye and Islay in particular; Lowlands; and Northern Islands.  Once again we enjoyed a very pleasant evening together, a few of us learning on the morning after that it is truly wise to "beware the Ides of March."  Luckily, green is in vogue for this time of year ...even if it's the color of your skin.

    Our tasting this month was of Orkney's Highland Park 12 year old (43% ABV).  We must credit our own PK who offered that this whisky was "well balanced, but not memorable."  The rich golden color would lead you to believe that this one held a stronger flavor, but instead it was smooth and dry.  And although there were hints of peat and salt, a characteristic of most island malts, neither of these stood out from the whole.  In the end, we gave it slightly above average marks, with a result of 5.6 out of 10.  If we account for one particularly low score, it would have obtained a 6.5 -- in either case, a low-end performer.  However, the price of this whisky helps to offset its lack of luster, and I might even go so far as to say that it would pair well with a dessert or cigar that had a lot of its own character.

        We missed several members at this month's event, but we wish them all peace and health, and look forward to their attending again soon.  Although K---- was out of town, I think we all felt that her replacement behind the bar was an acceptable alternate.  We even met a few new faces there who encouraged us to start expanding the club in a more meaningful way (a subject for further conversation!).  The service was back on track at dinner, and although not all of our members are as adept with the English language as our favorite server, we all enjoyed the conversation.

    What will the future hold for our club?  Will we continue our trials of select individual brands, or will we begin comparitive tastings?  You'll have to wait until next month to learn more!

    Until then, I remain...

Sláinte,



February 2007

Gentlemen,

    Our fifth tasting is now behind us and, as always, it was a most pleasurable and memorable evening.  It's apparent that no matter the temperature, good company and a drop of the pure are all we need to feel perfectly cheery.  That said, I think all who came out will agree that we teetered on the brink of insanity as we trevailed against the wind and driving snow on Thursday night.

    Our tasting this month was of the Scottish Lowland's Glenkinchie 10 year old (43% ABV).  While it certainly wasn't much of a charmer, it wasn't so bad as a Highlander might be led to believe.  The pale amber dram was light and unobtrusive, smacking of hay and cereal, and the slightest pepper on the brief finish.  With a splash of water the scent and taste of straw and florals emerged, leading us to unanimous agreement that the water was a welcome addition.  We gave it slightly above average marks, with a result of 5.8 out of 10.  This makes Glenkinchie our lowest scoring dram to date, but perhaps we've just been a little spoiled by our recent trials.

    I hope that those of you who were able to brave the elements enjoyed, as I did, the consistently steady hand of our favorite barmaid slash ticket counter clerk slash graphic artist.  There has been some discussion about continuing to use the Korner for the purpose of our tastings, and I think the idea that we might find other accomodations more suitable is something we should discuss ere long.  And while the service at our supper is always fine, I think we can all agree that this one was probably better without the kilt.  At least the pints and puddings were spot on.

    The best thing of all was learning that it's only 20 minutes through the most horrendous twists and turns in some of the roughest weather you'll ever have to drive, 'till you find yourself in the comfort of a good friend's home for a fine nightcap and wonderful cigars.

    I'll leave you on that note and begin waiting desperately until our sixth... 

Sláinte,

January 2007

Geezers,

To be sure, there is simply too much to try to recapture from last night and I'm honestly not quite over it!  Must have been the Buttery Nipples.

A few members were absent last night as JB had to travel out of town due to a death in his family, AS stayed home due to the recent birth of his son, and GR was enjoying some vacation.  These fellows were sorely missed, and we look forward to their appearance next month.

We tasted Laphroaig 10 year old.  The golden honey colored dram held great promise ...and lived up to expectations.  Sea salt, pepper, and peat were the primary characteristics, with undertones of hay and oak.  The complexity arose only after adding a little water to open it up.  We scored it an 8.4, creating a tie with the Talisker from last month, though I am inclined to believe that if we had more tasters the score might fall to a close second place.

As for the rest of the evening, let's be sure to cheer our favorite barmaid with a hearty "up, up, and away", and make sure our favorite server doesn't continue to do the same with our dinners!  I am impressed by our ability to withstand the cold weather, too.  It must be the warmth of good friends and fine conversation over a cigar (or maybe it's just the alcohol).  In any case, we'll certainly see how well a Scot can hold his own out-of-doors in the cold next month!

I am tempted, but will not sign my letter "GG" as some of you might desire.  Instead, I'll just bid a fond farewell and rest on the assurance that the time will fly until our next meeting.

Sláinte,