The magical haunted whiskey glass

by **jcskinner** » Thu Nov 26, 2009 10:46 pm

Like other society members who attended last night's president's selection tasting, I was delighted to receive my 'Irish Whiskey Society Founder' Glencairn glass.
I carefully put it away in my bag and enjoyed the tasting (report coming soon to a website near you.)
This morning, I completely forgot about the glass, grabbed the same bag and ran out to work. During the course of the day, I was hither and thither, doing a couple of interviews, running into Government buildings for the Dublin Diocesan report launch and back to the office, and then finally, a quick meeting with a photographer about a job before home.
So an hour or so ago, as I was making my dinner, I got a sudden chill in my guts. My glass!
I had flung my bag roughly around all day, lobbing it at the floor in my office, throwing it against the wall in meetings, even treading on it at a press conference. It couldn't possibly have survived. I began wondering if it would be possible to get a replacement, or if I had lost all opportunity of tasting whiskey from my IWS founder glass.
With a heavy heart I opened my bag. Not only was the glass perfectly intact, even though my pen had broken, but when I raised it close to look for cracks, I caught a faint hint of sherry spice and vanilla.
Even in my joy, this struck me as odd, since I didn't use my glass at all last night during the tasting. But clearly someone has tried a dram from this glass. Either that, or in addition to being magical, the glass is also haunted by the trace of what smells like a sherried Speyside.
I'm going to lash a Lagavulin into it now to see if I can exorcise the ghosts of whiskey past.
Cheers, everyone.

by **Willie JJ** » Thu Nov 26, 2009 11:03 pm

Nice story JC. Glencairns are pretty tough and hard to break, but I don't have any that smell of whisky on their own. Spooky!

by **jcskinner** » Thu Nov 26, 2009 11:07 pm

I have a suspicion that someone might have given my glass a trial run, just to be sure it held whiskey well or something.
It's holding Brogan's, a bourbon finished Bushmills, at the moment. But until I thoroughly washed it, I swear it smelled strongly of a sherried oaky spirit.
I even handed it to the better half, and she smelt it too. (Good nose, she has too.)

by **IrishWhiskeyChaser** » Thu Nov 26, 2009 11:12 pm

Where were you between 2am and 3am last night .... can you recollect

by **jcskinner** » Thu Nov 26, 2009 11:14 pm

LOL!
The other half suggested that too. But I was tucked up in bed, as I reminded her!
I was more than satiated by the tremendous drams we had last night, and didn't tipple when I got home.
Nope, whatever my glass smelt of predated my ownership, I'm pretty sure.

by **Willie JJ** » Thu Nov 26, 2009 11:22 pm

I guess you could wash it, dry it, put it in the cupboard and if it smells of whisky when you take it out .... :shock:

by **jcskinner** » Thu Nov 26, 2009 11:32 pm

I intend to do just that tonight. Although, when I washed it earlier, the smell vanished. And with a Lagavulin in it, it smelt pretty comprehensively of peat and the ocean as you'd expect. And right now, it smells of, well, a bourbon finished Bushmills.
But we'll see if there's any scent left after a good dousing in the old fairy liquid.
I'll be honest with you, if it smells of a sherried Speyside again tomorrow morning, I may sleep somewhere else tomorrow night!

by **Willie JJ** » Thu Nov 26, 2009 11:59 pm

LOL! If you feel the need to be far away then let me know and you can come here and drink Scotch for a while. It'll be hard I know, but as needs must.

by **jcskinner** » Fri Nov 27, 2009 12:31 am

You're a tremendously kind man, Willie.
The Scotch would, of course, be purely for medicinal purposes.

by **Willie JJ** » Fri Nov 27, 2009 12:38 am

Really just to help you sleep after the trauma JC.

by **jcskinner** » Fri Nov 27, 2009 12:41 am

They say the sleep of reason produces monsters.
I've tended to find that the sleep induced by Scotch produces exactly the opposite effect.
It should be available on prescription on the NHS. Probably more organic and better for you than many of those ghastly pills doctors are always prescribing.

by **Luke Gough** » Fri Nov 27, 2009 1:01 pm

Alas JC!

The only Haint about your glass, and indeed mine and Ken Mahwinney's, was a drop of the Tullamore Dew 10 Year Old Single Malt poured into it!

Remember?

Reemmmembbbeer? :roll:

Still, a very interesting vatting of all the Cooley wood expressions in one (40%ABV) bottle.

Sorry to burst the bubble, I've been reading too much H.L. Mencken...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HL_Mencken

by **jcskinner** » Fri Nov 27, 2009 1:37 pm

You're pulling my leg!
I don't recall trying the Tullamore 10 yo single malt at all.
If I managed to have a new dram and then completely blanked about it despite taking copious notes of the evening, then I'm even more frightened than when I just thought my glass was haunted!

by **Luke Gough** » Fri Nov 27, 2009 1:51 pm

jcskinner wrote:You're pulling my leg!
I don't recall trying the Tullamore 10 yo single malt at all.
If I managed to have a new dram and then completely blanked about it despite taking copious notes of the evening, then I'm even more frightened than when I just thought my glass was haunted!

We were drinking on the hoof, being shooed out of the room at the time, so no worries if you can't recall!

I've often been reminded, months later, of far worse behaviour on my part after ten pints and a rake of shorts (lock up your daughters!)

That said, a nice drop.

by **jcskinner** » Fri Nov 27, 2009 1:59 pm

LOL!
That's very bad of me. I have absolutely no recollection of that!
But yup, a vatting of the Cooley wine-finished Tyrconnells would likely produce the sort of sherried Speyside character that haunted my glass.
:oops: