Ahhh…home sweet home.  I am still trying to catch up and get back into the swing of things, having returned from a week on Islay just days ago.  Underslept and over-worked (yep…already).

On my way back from Islay I was fortunate enough to have an evening free in Glasgow.  I had contacted Mark Connelly (www.whiskywhiskywhisky.com) ahead of time about possibly meeting up for a bevvie (or two).  Mark was all for it, and offered to swing by my hotel at the airport to pick me up.  A brief jaunt brought us to the Bon Accord pub in downtown Glasgow.  The place was hopping for a Tuesday night, surprising even Mark, who mentioned that Tuesdays were generally a quiet night at the Bon Accord.

Mark (Left) and I

My arrival in Glasgow, and hookup with Mark, just happened to fall on club night for the Glasgow Whisky Club (http://glasgowswhiskyclub.blogspot.com/).  Mark invited me to sit in with them for the evening.  Within minutes of arriving and shaking a few hands, I was perched at a table with a pint and four Glencairn glasses of whisky (!!!) in front of me. 

…20 y.o. Bladnoch (man, do I hope this makes its way to Canada)

…Bon Accord bottling of ‘Speyside’ 10 y.o.

…Tullibardine 15 y.o. Sherry

…Tullibardine 18 y.o. Port

Tulli’s were exceptional. 

It was ‘game on’ from there.  Pints were delivered in regular intervals and the whisky bottles were passed around like cousins at a barn dance.  An absolute gem I was fortunate enough to try was a Clan Denny Girvan grain whisky at an astonishing 45 years old.  Simply brilliant.  Smooth and sweet like an aged rye.  I was bowled over by this one.  

I remember a Douglas Laing Caperdonich (1982, I believe?)…a 1997 Provenance Benrinnes…a gorgeous Laphroaig shared from a sample bottle…and…well…don’t remember much beyond that to be honest.

The club boats a whopping 64 members, though meetings tend to have about half of that in attendance at any given time.  A truly dedicated bunch though, many in GWC shirts (“A Dram, Not A Drama” on the back), all with a nose in the glass.

I wish I could keep track of all the names that were thrown at me, but by the end of the night I was well-nigh legless.  A lot of insight was shared into product availability, the state of whisky in Glasgow, the format and endeavours of the club, plans and undertakings of certain ambitious members and much more. 

Bill…Matthew…Mark…thoroughly enjoyed our chats.  At the risk of offending anyone by not remembering names, I’d rather say that I enjoyed hanging out with the couple sitting with me (who shared that Caperdonich)…the jovial chap who took the piss outta me all night about being Canadian (and arguably knew more about Canada than many of us here)…the gent I chatted with about tattoos…and all others at my table.  Cheers and thanks for having me.

Apparently I spoke to my wife back home twice that night after our evening out.  Ahem…a little slurred and overly-affectionate, as I am still being ribbed for.  Oh well.  Gotta confess, as well..I was a little worse for wear the next morning.

Thanks, lads and lasses.  Your warm welcome and hospitality was appreciated and shared with those back home.

To the last two standing with me that night (you know who you are)…good luck with your new project.  I’m sure it will be a huge success.  Hopefully next time through Scotland I’ll be able to check it out.

Until next time…

Glasses up!

Ahem…one last thing…what does a guy have to do to get one of them snazzy shirts, huh?