The final pour?

An eclectic group of locals make their way up the steep staircase at the Masonic Lodge here four times a year with a half-dozen glasses in hand to share in the camaraderie of the Celtic culture—and the tasty goodness of a wee dram of single malt scotch.
There is a police officer, a dentist, and a town manager, as well as teachers and a large number of retirees (also mostly teachers) who, whether they truly know anything about scotch or not, come together to learn about the potent potable and to socialize.
“It’s a fun group of people,” said Jim Martindale, president of the Loch la Pluie Scotch Tasting Club here in town. “It’s all walks of life.”
The group pays a yearly membership fee, though some are allowed to pay per meeting, which helps to purchase five bottles of single malt scotch for testing at each tasting session.
Each bottle is poured into small specimen containers and marked with a number. Once poured, the scotch is sniffed and tasted in turn—one through five.
Each taster goes through a series of criteria for the scotch, describing it by sight, smell, and taste.
They check the “legs” of the scotch (basically measuring the viscosity of the beverage by looking at how well it sticks to the side of the glass when swirled) and describe the colour.
Next is the smell, checking for how it “attacks” the sense, whether it’s sharp or gentle, and whether the smell is fleeting or prolonged.
The taste of the scotch then is described, starting with its feel on the tongue straight through to its texture, heat, finish, and aftertaste, among other sensations.
Both the aroma and flavour of the scotch are described by recording what you smell or taste. Is it peaty? Smoky? Peppery? Sweet? Every scotch can have a multitude of flavours and they can differ from smell to taste.
The more flavours present, the more complex—and expensive—the scotch is said to be.
The group then adds a few drops of water to the drink as it is believed to intensify the flavours. Sometimes this is the case, but sometimes it flattens the taste (there’s a mixed opinion on that one).
Unlike wine tasters, though, this fine product isn’t spit out once tasted but instead savoured.
The group finishes the tasting of each select scotch by reading what the experts have to say about it, learning about the distillery in which it is made, and how that particular scotch is made.
Then they discuss.
The meetings always are wrapped up by drawing for the heel—that’s the remainder of each bottle—to take home and enjoy.
“We would like to see anybody [come out] who has any interest at all in learning about scotch,” said Martindale.
“Nobody is marking you,” he explained. “It’s an information thing. It’s an educational thing.
“I think you have to be interested in drinking scotch,” he conceded, adding that’s all you need to join. Knowledge isn’t necessary—that’s the whole point of the club.
“There’s no question in my mind, the more you consume a particular drink, the more you become more familiar with it. I think pallets are developed,” Martindale reasoned.
“As you do more tastings, you start to recognize more flavours,” he continued, noting that most—even himself at times—recognize there’s something there but have trouble describing it.
“You begin to recognize how they’re different from what you’re used to,” he said, referring to how your pallet can broaden. “It’s not just a matter of what you’re drinking, you have to think about it, too. What am I tasting.”
The group has been meeting for the better part of two years, and has enjoyed a lot of different scotches, but the fun may be coming to an end.
Loch la Pluie Scotch Tasting Club is having trouble recruiting members, not to mention have them attend meetings, and is in fear of folding due to lack of funds.
“We’re in trouble as a club,” Dave Hickling, the club’s treasurer, told the dozen people gathered. “We have to get more people here.
“The executive feel we’re at a point where we can’t keep going,” Hickling announced. “We can’t go into the hole.”
He indicated communication to and from members is part of the problem.
“It’s tough when you don’t know what numbers you have,” he explained. “There were only five members last year at the one tasting. That screws up the financing for the rest of the year.”
The group purchases five bottles of premium single malt scotch for each tasting. Each bottle is in the $70 range, meaning the club needs roughly $300-$350 per tasting to supply the scotch.
Currently, membership costs $125 per year or $35 per tasting, which means the fees barely cover the cost with a dozen members. And when members decide not to come, they get a portion of their money back.
Some did suggested this fee structure might be too generous.
Another problem presented to the group now is they have tasted most of the $60-$80 scotches and need to begin buying the more expensive $100-$120 or more bottles.
“I think we want to get to a state where we can buy the more expensive scotches,” said Hickling. “The idea is to expand your horizons and get into the more interesting [tastes].”
Most agreed that, for the most part, the bottles they’ve been tasting aren’t new to the members anymore. They’ve either tasted them in the past or have them in their liquor cabinet at home.
After a good half-hour of discussion, the group had come to some conclusions.
First, they want the club to continue rather than turn into an informal, bring your own bottle kind of gathering. Also, they want to start tasting new, more expensive scotches.
But, they also are committed to making the club affordable. They aren’t about exclusivity.
“We’ve been beating the bushes for two years,” said a frustrated Joyce Cunningham, the club’s secretary. “I’m sick of beating the bushes.”
That prompted some decisions to be made.
It was decided that the club wouldn’t fold just yet and that some discussion items would be brought to the Nov. 13 meeting. Those include bumping the membership fee to $150 and limiting the number of bottles tasted to four.
The $35 visitors’ fee would remain, but people only would be able to attend as a drop-in once per year. Finally, it was decided that to be eligible for the heel, you’d have to be a full club member.
The biggest conclusion, though, was the need to grow the membership. “The key, I think, is recruitment,” said Hickling.
These recommendations will be brought up at the next meeting and some hard decisions will have to be made.
“If by November we don’t have more people, then we’re dead,” said Cunningham. “I don’t see how we can go on.”
Anyone interested in joining the club can contact Martindale or Hickling, or letting another member know.
(Fort Frances Times)