Winter 2020 – Isle of Arran/Burns Supper

Our time together on January 25, 2020 was destined for greatness from the start! How often do you get the chance to meet directly on a Robert Burns day? Well, this year it fell directly on a Saturday and we were not going to pass up this opportunity! The festivities began at an early start time of 6:30pm, and as our members and guests arrived quite promptly, the tables were set to the tune of bag pipes and kilts…splendid indeed! With traditional Scottish music playing, we communed at the tables and started by pouring the Isle of Arran Robert Burns Single Malt (43% ABV). This proved to be a great palate tune-up, and a nice dram in its own right. Fruit forward, and well rounded, with a noticeable youth about it, this one would not win a flight, but its accessibility and drinkability made it perfect to start the night. With our night underway, President Klassen made opening comments, and released the floor to our other host on the night, Paul Westlake. He read to us the “Address To A Haggis” by Robert Burns. We raised a glass, and without further adieu, the food was served. We had a wonderful haggis, neeps & tatties, and some delectable roast beef to round out the dish. Wonderful! Highest thanks go to Paul, Mike, and Lee for a meal fit for kings. Thank you once again! At the close of dinner, Mike read to us “Scotch Drink” also by Robert Burns as a fitting transition into our Isle of Arran flight (pictured below).

As for details on our flight, I’ll reserve my personal comments, as this group of malts garnered more varying opinions around the room than most! It was actually a nice departure from the norm to see such differing reactions. Everyone had their likes and dislikes, creating anything but a unanimous consensus…AND HOW GREAT IS THAT!?! Different opinions make our whisky experiences so much more fulfilling. Here are the bottles: