Gathering Minutes – February 2010

Minutes of the Meeting
of the

 Old Scotch Nosing or Tasting Society

(Old SNOTS)
February 20, 2010

Members Present:                                                     Single Malts Present:

Bruce Card                                                                   Glenmorangie Lasanta
Gary Machovina                                                            Glenmorangie Quinta Ruban
Tim Robinson                                                                Balvenie 12 Doublewood
Jim Dice                                                                         Balvenie 21 Portwood
Bobby Fowler                                                               Talisker 10
Gail Wojtowicz                                                              Tomatin 12
Dan Eckstrom                                                               Inchgower 14
Steve McAllister                                                             Lagavulin 16
Mike Russel
Mark Caslen
Mo Verling
Don Lustig
Mark Richardson
Stan Skavdal(V)

 1.  Well folks, it’s finally here.  The much anticipated, highly publicized finals of the best Scotches this group has sampled in the past seven years…or at least some think it is.  More appropriately, it’s a collection of favorite Scotches that a bunch of tight wad Air Force dudes can afford.  OK, so much for the lead in.  This Old SNOTS was once again graciously hosted by Gail Wojtowicz at her South Chicago (Glen Carbon) abode.  Being concurrent with the winter Olympics, Gail had the big screen TV on for us as it featured young athletic ladies in their tight little ski suits swishing down the mountain.  Several Old SNOTS were more than momentarily distracted.  

2.  Owing to the forecast for frigid temperatures, we once again dispensed with grilling bovine and kicked in a five spot for barbecue from Bandannas.  Yum Yum!  Following dinner we gathered in Gail’s basement bar area for sampling Scotch.  But then; when what to my wondering eyes did appear, but Don Lustig from Alabama, not so near!  Yes, not even the trek of 402 miles could keep Don from joining us on this mystical evening.  That, or he could smell the barbecue; great to have you back with us Don!  It should also be noted that on this bewitching night we also had a virgin in the group.  Mr. Stan Skavdal, recently unencumbered from employment with the government (no, he didn’t get fired) joined us for the first time.  We look forward to having Stan join us for many more future gatherings. 

3.  Once we all got settled in for Scotch tasting Mr. Jay Hepner, who was visiting Gail, was kind enough to do the decanting and labeling of the evening’s selections.  Thank you Jay for enabling our endeavor.   At this point Steve McAllister began pontificating on what comes next for Old SNOTS, after the grand champion Scotches were sampled; all slept.  Now for the tasting notes: 

a.  Glenmorangie Lasanta
“Oaky nose”-Jim; “Too sweet”-Stan (V); “Vanilla taste”-Bobby; “Very sweet, almost citrus flavor”-Mo; “Acidic nose”-Steve

b.  Tomatin 12
“Dead crustacean smell”-Jim; “Sweet vanilliny nose”-Dan; “Weak flavor”-Jim; “Brings out the cracks in your lips”-Mark R.; “Taste buds vibrating…but in a good way”-Gail; “Vanilla and plums”-Mo; “And chocolate”-Gary

c.  Lagavulin 16
“We’re at the Dr.s office”-Jim; “Ooh, more peat in this one”-Steve; “We walked into a peat bog”-Bobby; “The old tennis shoe smell that I remember”-Mark C.; “Rubber mask smell”-Stan (V)

d. Glenmorangie Quinta Ruben
“Fruity smell”-Jim; “Smokey nose”-Dan; “Awfully sweet”-Steve; “This one’s gonna hurt”-Gail (we think she was referring to the latest ski wipeout at the Olympics)

e. Balvenie 12 Doublewood
“The smell of celery”-Steve (who knew that celery has a smell?); “Light taste”-Jim; “Great mouthwash”-Gail; “This has an aftertaste”-Mark C.; “No taste at all”-Mark R.

f. Talisker 10
“Ooh!”-Jim (NOT in an approving manner); “Musty”-Dan; “We have reached the sea”-Bobby; “Cloudy smell”-Mark R.; “That’s awful, and it burns”- Jim; “This is NOT boutique”-Gary; “I like this one”-Mike. (what the hell does he know?)

g. Balvenie 21 Portwood
“Who pulled this off my wife’s dresser?”-Steve; “The taste is weak, no aftertaste”-Jim; “Kinda flat”-Steve; “A breakfast Scotch”-Bobby (you want an omelet with that?); “Orange juice would taste more powerful”-Steve; “Green apple flavor”-Gail

h. Inchgower 14
“No nose”-Jim; “By this time, there may not be any nose in anything”-Steve (first correct comment all night); “No taste, all burn”-Jim; “Nothing in this; like water”-Mike; “Need to add water, like Scotch on the rocks without the rocks”-Gail; “Buttery”-Stan (all agreed that Stan was now an Old SNOT!)

 4.  After yet another terse discussion on the voting process, it was decided to just elect the winner on the first ballot.  Talisker 10 came away with the most votes (6) with Glenmorangie Lasanta a close second (5).  Glenmorangie Quinta Ruben took third place with 2 votes while Lagavulin 16 collected 1 vote.  That’s 7 votes for Highlands and 7 votes for Islays in case you didn’t notice.  

5.  So what has this really told us?  Is Talisker 10 the best Scotch of everything we’ve tasted since the inception of Old SNOTS?  Is Glenmorangie Lasanta the second best of that time frame?  Probably not on both accounts.  But they have survived the arbitrary taste buds of the diverse groupings that chose to show up at various Old SNOTS gatherings; many no doubt influenced by the highly vocal electioneering of the person who brought a particular bottle.  No, the Scribe thinks that what this tells us is that we have a polarized bunch of hooligans; two factions with very different tastes in Scotch.  Don Lustig summed the process up nicely when he stated, “I think this was peer pressure.” 

 “Cab for Bean?!”