It was poker night. Five yuppies crammed round a table in a room at the back of a south London semi. Tumblers and water were on the table.
Conventions had developed. The host cooked the food (or so he said) and the four guests each brought a bottle of whisky. The guests rotated between four ‘stations’. One had to supply a standard blended scotch. Another had to provide a whisky from outside the United Kingdom. Another had to find an affordable malt (no more than £40). The last had to produce an ‘interesting’ malt. Ordinarily, this would be from a boutique producer; but if the nominee had had a good quarterly review then a special bottle would be brought. The blend was opened first and drunk last. The non-UK whisky was tried first, then the affordable malt, then the interesting bottle. No more than a third of each bottle could be drunk throughout the night — a golden rule.
The cards were dealt and the first three bottles hit the table: Famous Grouse, Four Roses (Bourbon) and a 15-year-old Glenfiddich.
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