Franklin Room: Scotch Malt Whisky Society, November 2023 Outturn

November 6, 2023

Tonight was another monthly SMWSA outturn event, at the Franklin Room. This has fast become a fun monthly event for us.

On walking in, we were treated to a welcome dram (a bit of an appetizer, before the main event).

The evening’s samples.

We had a fun night tonight, sitting with some old and new friends. Next to Liz was Dave (one of the group of U of Chicago doctors that we met, back in December of 2022). Of note, Dave is the one who claimed that “Memory is state dependent”.

Next to me was Michael, whose notes and opinions matched very well with Liz. And to our left, there were two younger first-time attendees (who seemed like college kids). They weren’t quite sure what to exepct, but I’m hoping they had a fun time.

Elhan wasn’t able to host tonight, but Ben (the event’s prior host) guided the evening’s discussion. I daresay that by the third or fourth dram, things got pretty lively. It wasn’t quite as raucous as last March, but folks were definitely chatty and animated, which is always a good thing.

Somehow, recently – Liz managed to guide the two of us over to the afterparty that tends to happen at the bar, once the event finishes up.

Recently, we’ve had the good fortune to taste several very incredible bottles that folks brought to share. And prior to tonight, Liz and I were debating on bringing something of our own to share.

After having sampled so many generous drams from others, we were wanting to offer something to the “group” at large. We ended up bringing one of the bottles we got from our visit to Bunnahabhain, when we travelled to Islay back in 2021.

The bottle was a 2004 distillery exclusive (meaning you could only purchase it at the distillery), and was a 17 year old whisky from a refill hogshead and finished for 5 years in a Moine PX cask.

I’d like to say that our offering was a hit, and we had a lot of takers (and we ended up killing the bottle, which we knew was a possibility). Of note, we got to offer some of it to Peter Kim (the beverage director at the Franklin Room)… and he really seemed to dig it.

We got to talking with a few other folks who’ve been at the “afterparty” a few times now: Max and James (who recently returned from a trip to Scotland). Phone numbers were exchanged, and the idea of a bottle sharing/tasting gathering was proposed. We’ll see how things go over the holidays, and with the next December event.

A fun side note: a random group of folks came over, and sampled some of the Bunnahabhain. They ended up pulling out a recently purchased bottle of Glen Scotia, and offered me a bit – which was incredibly unexpected.

A very fun, social evening. I’m used to the concept of going out to bars, and used to the concept of “regulars” at said establishments. But with these tastings and events, it’s a bit more than someone buying someone else a round. The drams and whisky being shared is pretty serious stuff – rare, not inexpensive drams that folks are offering up freely to one another.

It’s difficult with these events, which happen once a month or so. People come, people go. But Liz and I are slowly starting to recognize folks, and to slowly identify the “regulars.” And, with some luck, are turning into those “regulars” ourselves.

smws whisky

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