Technical Difficulties

In: General| News

7 Feb 2010

For those of you who know that there are pictures from the last Old SNOTS gathering and from the Burns Night at the Scottish Arms and have been waiting patiently to see them here, this is to assure you they are coming.  We’re having some technical difficulties with the webpage.  The site administrator is working hard to solve the problem. 

In the meantime, please be patient.  The pictures of Jim Dice in a pink tutu and lumberjack suspenders is not far away.  Well . . . alright.  Maybe not that picture in particular.

Illegal Haggis

In: News

1 Feb 2010

While not strictly whisky related, the following news story from NPR.org as reported on 31 Jan 10 should be of interest to anyone of Scottish heritage or who lifts a wee dram on Robert Burns’ birthday. 

It’s still illegal to import haggis from Scotland, despite reports saying otherwise. There’s been a ban on this concoction of sheep meat cooked in a stomach since 1989, when mad cow disease was in the news.

If you don’t already know, haggis is made from sheep innards — heart, liver, lungs and fat — which are mixed with spices and oatmeal, then cooked in the sheep’s stomach.

American haggis lovers were elated last week when word spread that the ban might be lifted. Haggis producers in Edinburgh were pretty excited, too. They were already salivating over potential sales to a U.S. market.

But when the BBC contacted the U.S. Department of Agriculture, they said not so fast. “Recently, several news articles have incorrectly stated that the U.S. will be relaxing or lifting its ban on Scottish haggis,” a spokeswoman wrote to the news organization.

While a review of the ban on beef and lamb is under way, there’s no time frame for its completion.

Plus, there may be another barrier to importing haggis: Since 1971, the U.S. has banned all food made with lungs.

So, until the day when real Scottish haggis comes to the U.S., we’ll have to make do with scrapple.

Silent Stills

In: Events

28 Jan 2010

Title: Silent Stills
Location: The Wine Merchant in Clayton, MO
Link out: Click here
Description: $25 per person
This evening, we’ll be featuring rare malts from shuttered or mothballed distilleries.  These dilstilleries, such as Rosebank, Dallas Dhu, Brora, and Port Ellen are becoming more legendary and with that the available casks are becoming more scarce.  The tasting menu will be posted shortly but don’t hesitate to sign up–this will be a great night of hard-to-find single malts.

The Wine Merchant
20 South Hanley Rd.
St. Louis, MO 63105
314-863-6282

Start Time: 18:00
Date: 2010-03-25
End Time: 20:00

The Art of Blending

In: Events

28 Jan 2010

Title: The Art of Blending
Location: The Wine Merchant in Clayton,  MO
Link out: Click here
Description: $15 per person
Blended scotch whiskies are sometimes seen as inferior to single malt scotch, but each blend has a story to tell.  We’ll talk about how blended scotch is made, the master blender’s importance in the process and taste some of the best that Scotland has to offer.

The Wine Merchant
20 South Hanley Rd.
St. Louis, MO 63105
314-863-6282

Start Time: 18:00
Date: 2010-02-25
End Time: 20:00

New Offering From The Wine Merchant

In: General

26 Jan 2010

I received the following from the good folks at The Wine Merchant.  It looks enticing.

Greetings O Fans of the Peat!

We’re receiving a meager 18 bottles of the second release of the Octomore, Bruichladdich’s 140 ppm (parts per millionth).  The distillery calls it “the iron fist in a velvet glove.”  This is a very limited offering, only 15, 000 bottles for the world.  I was lucky enough to taste the first edition (Thanks, Don!) and it was amazingly smooth and approachable even with the high peat content.  It’s the world’s peatiest whisky, aged 5 years in bourbon casks and bottled at cask strength-62.5% abv.  The packaging is beautiful (check http://www.bruichladdich.com/specials.htm for a picture) and well worth the price of admission.

OCTOMORE 2_140 Single Malt Scotch Cask Strength
E-Mail Price $170.99

Give me a call at 314.863.6282 or e-mail your order to this address.  Supplies are very limited so act fast!!!

Slainte!

Dave Davis
The Wine Merchant, Ltd.
20 South Hanley Rd.
St. Louis, MO 63105
314-863-6282
800-770-8466
314-863-5670 (fax)
www.winemerchantltd.com

Robert Burns Night

In: General

23 Jan 2010

Monday is Robert Burns’ birthday–the national poet and bard of Scotland.  Traditionally, a Burns Night celebration involves reciting Burns poetry, piping in the haggis and toasting with single malt whisky.  Some of the Old SNOTS will celebrate by gathering at a St. Louis Scottish restaurant, the Scottish Arms, for a fine meal and a toast with a single malt.  Who knows . . . there may even be a wee bit o’ Burns recited.

But, since you all can’t be there, here’s a Burns song to mark the occasion:

Ae fond kiss, and then we sever;
Ae fareweel, and then for ever!
Deep in heart-wrung tears I’ll pledge thee,
Warring sighs and groans I’ll wage thee.

Who shall say the Fortune grieves him,
While the star of hope she leaves him:
Me, nae chearful twinkle lights me;
Dark despair around benights me.

I’ll ne’er blame my partial fancy,
Naething could resist my Nancy:
But to see her, was to love her;
Love but her, and love for ever.

Had we never lov’d sae kindly,
Had we never lov’d sae blindly!
Never met–or never parted,
We had ne’er been broken-hearted.

Slainte . . . and happy birthday Rabbie.

Meeting Minutes - January 2010

In: Minutes

15 Jan 2010

oldsnots

 Minutes of the Meeting
of the
Old Scotch Nosing or Tasting Society
(Old SNOTS)
January 9, 2010

Members Present:                                                     Single Malts Present:

Bruce Card                                                                        Talisker 18
Gary Machovina                                                                Caol Ila 12
Don Halpin                                                                        Talisker 10
Jim Dice                                                                             Lagavulin 16
Bobby Fowler                                                                    Bruiladdich Peat
Gail Wojtowicz                                                                  Bowmore Dusk
Dan Eckstrom                                                              
Steve McAllister                                                          
Mike Russel
Mark Caslen
Mo Veling
John Arsenault
Mark Richardson
Teri Newman (V) 

1.  The Old SNOTs convened at the residence of the Dice family in scenic O’Fallon, Illinois.  Despite the winter chill a rousing group of Old SNOTS braved the single digit temperatures to attend this edition of the winning Scotch playoffs.  Yes, this was the tasting of the winning Islays (itself a dichotomy), which guaranteed to put hair on everyone’s chest and leave you gasping (or gagging) for breath.  There was serious consideration to sneaking in a blind tasting of Sheep Dip, but then it was realized that most probably wouldn’t notice the difference.  Joining us for the first time, hence the virgin designation, was Teri Newman.  Teri is from Highland and shares an affinity for Scotch, though she deserves special acclaim for joining us on an Islay night. 

2.  Owing to the single digit temperatures, and Jim not thrilled at the idea of setting up a charcoal grill inside the house, the grilling of steaks was dispensed in favor of a couple of briskets from the oven.  Same result, large portions of dead bovine liberally seasoned and consumed by Scotch-loving carnivores.  Following dinner all settled down to sample some interesting selections.  As these were Islays, it was decided that we could just put down “iodine nose” and “peaty flavor” on all the tasting notes.  Wojo summed it up when she stated, “Anyone got any cuts or bruises?”

 3.  The tasting notes:

a.  Talisker 18
“Smells like a garden I used to have”-Teri;  “Ouch!  My lips are chapped”-Jim;  “Please, water, quick”-Mark R

b.  Caol Ila 12
“Holy cow, where did it go?”-Steve (Steve was referring to the flavor; he hadn’t yet lost contact with the his faculties);  “No nose”-Wojo;  “Long follow”-Dan;  “It’s the Sheep Dip”-Don;  “A little peppery…not too bad”-Wojo;  “No nose”-Wojo;  “No nose bleed”-Dan

c.  Talisker 10
After nosing..”This one’s gonna be strong; I don’t have any nose hairs left”-Jim;  “Nose hairs are overrated”-Teri;  “Don’t spill it on your lap”-Wojo;  “I really like this one”-Steve;  “You would!”-Jim;  “I like this one, it doesn’t mug you and take your lunch money”-Mike  “Is this #3, I’ve lost count”-Mo

d.  Lagavulin 16
“Lost the nose again”-Steve (Let’s just not go there);  “Lingers a little”-Wojo;  “Some caramel in there”-Mo;  “It ain’t too bad for an Islay”-Jim  It should be noted that Mark R enjoyed this so much, we had trouble getting him to relinquish the carafe.

e.  Bruiladdich Peat
“Butterscotch in that one”-Mo;  “No finish at all”-Steve;  “A little peppermint”-Wojo;  “Not a lot of nose”-Teri;  “Bad Scotch, bad Scotch, go to bed!”-Don

f.  Bowmore Dusk
“Not a lot on the front end”-Wojo;  “It grows on you”-Steve;  “The nose is abrasive, the taste is terrible”-Mark C;  “Nice finish”-Mark R (not sure if he meant the Scotch or Mark C’s comment)

 4.  With our palates now fully paralyzed we got down to selecting the best of the not so best.  The winner with six first place votes was the Lagavulin 16 and the silver medalist with eight second place votes was the Talisker 10 (I guess 8 more years in the barrel doesn’t help).  By now the group seemed genuinely intrigued by the selections and proceeded to empty all but one of the carafes in an effort to develop a taste for Islays.  Sorry Steve, just ain’t gonna happen. 

 5.  Our next gathering is tentatively planned for February 20 at Wojo’s house in the great northern territory of Glen Carbon.  This will be the highly-celebrated battle of the grand champions and will bestow on the winner the crown of the ultimate Scotch…or at least the best Scotch that a bunch of cheapskate Air Force dudes can afford.  Stay tuned sports fans, this is going to get good!

 “Cab for Bean?!”

Deluxe Single Malt Whisky Class

In: Events

15 Jan 2010

Title: Deluxe Single Malt Whisky Class
Location: Wine Merchant in Clayton
Link out: Click here
Description: Please call 314.863.6282 for reservations.
Our resident expert, Dave Davis will lead you in this great Scotch Whisky class. He\’ll cover all of the bases and you\’ll taste rare bottles too.
$75 per person

Start Time: 18:00
Date: 2010-02-12
End Time: 20:00

The Finals

In: General| News

10 Jan 2010

We’re now down to the finals.  In February, the following eight whiskies will compete in a blind taste testing for the title of The Old SNOTS’ favorite.

Glenmorangie Quinta Ruban
Glenmorangie Lasanta
Balvenie 12 Doublewood
Balvenie 21 Portwood
Tomatin 12
Inchgower 14
Lagavulin 16
Talisker 10

It’ll be an interesting competition for several reasons.  Probably the most important is that the members who will vote seem to favor the softer whiskies that have had special finishing.  Three of the whiskies use casks that once held port wine for the final bit of aging and proudly declare it on the label.  Two of the whiskies are what’s typically referred to as ”classic highlanders” with very little peat on the nose or the palate.  These five whiskies stand in stark contrast with the remaining three which are more heavily influenced by the sea and more liberally use water infused with peat or peat smoke in the distillation process.  As I said, it will be an interesting competition . . . and very telling.

Which brings me to the real reason for this post.  At last night’s gathering, it was suggested and adopted that the winner of the finals not be called “The Old SNOTS Favorite.”  That seemed too final and definitive.  And too arbitrary.  Depending on who shows up the evening of the final, any one of the whiskies could win (although I’m thinking the Lagavulin, Talisker and Inchgower are long shots).  Also, the winning whiskies that have competed in the runoffs were from all the way back in 2003 when the Old SNOTS first formed.  There’s only two of us from that initial meeting in today’s Old SNOTS (though once an Old SNOTS, always an Old SNOTS).  So, we decided that when we determine a winner in February, what we’ll be determining is “The Old SNOTS Favorite - 2003-2009″. 

From this point forward, the Old SNOTS will have an end-of-year competition where we’ll sample the winning whiskies from that year’s gatherings.  The whisky that wins the competition will then be called “The Old SNOTS Whisky of the Year - 2010″, for instance.  The challenge will now be to broaden our single malt whisky horizons to try whiskies we haven’t tried before.

A Christmas Whisky

In: General

22 Dec 2009

Some may see the title of this little article and balk.  “Christmas has nothing to do with whisky . . . unless you’re a drunk.  Christmas is the time we take to celebrate the birth of Jesus.  What does that have in common with whisky?”  A fair question and one that deserves an answer, so let me see what I can do with it. 

Christmas has evolved from the “miracle” of Jesus’ birth.  In fact, I doubt that it was ever about only that event.  If you look at the history of the holiday, there’s an argument to be made that Christmas was actually absconded by the Christians.  But that’s beside the point.  There are whole numbers of reasons for celebrating Christmas and Jesus’ birth is just one of them. 

One of the pivotal stories embedded in the birth of Jesus story is the story of the three wise men bearing gifts.  These three learned men arrived at the manger and presented the baby Jesus with among the most cherished “things” of the time—gold, frankincense and myrrh.  (What a newborn child would do with a precious metal and two ingredients for incense is beyond me.  Their wisdom obviously wasn’t in their ability to pick appropriate gifts—like something more comfortable than swaddling clothes.)  So now, or so the story would go, we present gifts to others to emulate the three wise men in their act of praise on the first Christmas.

Really?  I think if Jesus were here today (you know what I mean and not in the Jacob Marley sense) he’d say that there are infinitely more important things than praise.  To elevate praise above those things mitigates the lessons he was trying to teach.  A gift given as an act of kindness and thoughtfulness would have far more impact than a gift given and received as an act of praise.  So what was it the story of the three wise men was trying to teach us?  I would submit that the ultimate goal is fellowship . . . the fellowship gained by willingly offering gifts to others

So, when next you have guests at your home, pour them and yourselves a single malt whisky.  Raise your glass and say “Slainte and Merry Christmas” and don’t expect a return salute.  When you’ve taken your sip, you’ll notice that the warmth at the back of your throat is surpassed only by the warmth you feel from your offered and received fellowship.  That’s what I’d submit is among the things we should look to celebrate at Christmas.  The wonderful thing about this simple gift . . . you can give it year round.

 

That being said, I’ll be stopping by everyone’s house soon for a little fellowship . . . and make sure it’s the fellowship from Islay.

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About the Old SNOTS

SNOTS = Scotch Nosing Or Tasting Society

A group of men and women from all walks of life and all parts of the globe who, when the situation permits, warrants or demands, succumb to the reverence of Scotland’s most distinctive product—uisghe beatha, water of life, single malt whisky—and firmly of the conviction that “Whisky may not cure the common cold, but it fails more agreeably than most other things.”


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  • smcallister: I've been thinking about it, Bill. I'll let you know. But there's no guarantee it would last until [...]
  • smcallister: I hope I'm able to attend, but I'm afraid I may be on my way to Bahrain on that day. Jim and Gary m [...]
  • Bill Webster: I would imagine that they are releasing a small number at 5 yrs to keep interest high, so when the m [...]
  • Bill Webster: Steve, sounds like a good night for a tasting. If I send you $25.00, will you get a couple of to-go [...]
  • smcallister: This would be the high end. Actually, we've sampled some that were $200 or a little more. The rang [...]

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