Preparing for San Francisco and the Ganza

[Mark549]

I'm stoked to be packing today for a four-day trip to the San Francisco bay area centered around the scotch extravaganza. I am looking forward to making a better, more educated plan of attack than I accomplished in Dallas at the Ganza last spring. The only bummer is that while I'll be gone, Simon will be here in Fort Worth, Texas hosting a FOL event. Darn it.

[Mark549]

Trip report follow-up

After a great couple of days touring Alameda, Berkeley and the wine country in Sonoma, we headed back to San Francisco for the Extravaganza.

Mistake #1 – We ate lunch at the Spinnaker restaurant in Sausalito
Mistake #2 – Always carry Imodium in your wallet (in your bag back at the hotel is not good enough)

Later in the afternoon, I was feeling Dizzy as we signed in to the tasting and received our booklets. During the Whisky Panel, I was quite ill. I was able to make my way to a number of whiskies I had not yet experienced and to a few others I needed a second look at from several months ago, namely Glenmorangie.

It was not a proper tasting experience because I was nauseous and not in the right frame of mind for whisky.

– Oh well, here’s what I tasted:

Oban DE
Glengaroich
Talisker DE
Glenrothes 1985
Glenrothes 1994
Highland park 18
Bowmore 15
Yamakazi 18
Hibiki 12
Glenmorangie nectar d'or
Glenmorangie 18 xr
Glenmorangie 10
Glenmorangie signet
Glenmorangie lasanta
Glenmorangie Quinta ruban
Aberlour 16
Aberlour a'bunadh
Laphroaig triplewood
Aberfeldy 21
Ardbeg Corryvreckan
Dalwhinnie 15
Caol Ila
Cragganmore
Cragganmore DE
Glenfiddich 18

We went to the Whisky Shop the next day and I bought a bottle of the Talisker Distiller’s Edition as it was my favorite from the event.

[Mr Tattie Heid]

A shame your illness limited you to tasting only 25 whiskies.

[mongo]

what event does this refer to? and does it not feature any non-standard whiskies?

[Mark549]

Mongo, pawn in game of life, the event is one of the several tasting events sponsored by the Scotch Malt Whisky Society

http://www.smws.com/

The whiskies offered are mostly mainstream expressions with some society IB offerings. I hope to make a different tasting event next year after attending two of these this year. We must take what we can get here in the states.

[mongo]

aha. well, i haven't been to any whisky festivals and am unlikely to go*, but the whisky advocate's whiskyfests seem to feature more exciting lineups.

*only because there are none in my area and tacking on airfare and hotel costs i might as well buy myself a bunch of bottles.

[Mr Tattie Heid]

mongo, if you justify it as a weekend in, say, Chicago, or Victoria, with Whiskyfest or the VWF as just part of the deal, it seems a lot more reasonable.

[mongo]

mongo, if you justify it as a weekend in, say, Chicago, or Victoria, with Whiskyfest or the VWF as just part of the deal, it seems a lot more reasonable.

yeah, certainly something to try and hook a work trip up with.

[Mr Tattie Heid]

Work trip? Mongo, do you know what a vacation is?

[mongo]

Work trip? Mongo, do you know what a vacation is?

yes. and in another 18 years or so i hope to take one again.

[Mr Tattie Heid]

Life's too short, mongo--don't die with unopened bottles.

[mongo]

are you threatening me?

the unopened bottles will be inherited by the brats (3 and .25 years old) who currently make it impossible for us to dream of vacations that don't revolve around extended family--and who're also the reason that neither of us can up and take off on a 2 day pleasure trip while the other has them on their hands.

[Uisgehound]

the unopened bottles will be inherited by the brats (3 and .25 years old) who currently make it impossible for us to dream of vacations that don't revolve around extended family--and who're also the reason that neither of us can up and take off on a 2 day pleasure trip while the other has them on their hands.

Would that mean that mongo was "pwned" in the game of life, as well?