8:00 rolled around and I safely navigated the demilitarized zone and made it to the ROK with a crock pot full of meatballs and a tucker tote filled with whisky. Mr. and Mrs. Miracle Max and the ROK were joined by the Wookie and G-Lo as I dropped off my parcels. A quick return home to pick up my Pappy (and his bottle of Yamazaki 12) and then a well-planned drop-off from the wife and we were back to the ROK. After a quick introduction and an unveiling of the stock on hand (60+ bottles from all over the world), we were off.  Of course, there is only so much weight a card table can take, so only about 25 bottles were placed on the table with the remainder left inside the boxes that Max and I had brought. Pappy remarked that aside from better looking servers, the selection at the Union League might not be any better.

Our (Pappy and I) taste are the smoother and less peaty flavors so an Aberlour 16 for Pappy and a Dalwhinnie 15 for myself made for a comfortable start. A couple of pretzel rivets and some spicy mustard and then we were on to round 2 which was interrupted by the arrival of the RICK. Sadly, he came empty-handed but with a tale of untold riches in the form of Cardhu that had been placed by his front door but left behind in his haste to make it across the river. For our next selection, I chose an Inchgower that came in an ice wine bottle with a paper label held on by a rubber band. We emptied the bottle with our pours and the rest of the table’s loss was our gain.

A plate of lasagna, meatballs, stromboli and Primo’s provided a brief break in the action and some much-needed carbs to sop up the whisky. And, we were joined by Jay (with an Ardbeg 6) and Jerry with a tale of beer flights on Girard Avenue with ABV in excess of 7.5%.

For our next selection, we sampled the Murray McDavid Isle of Arran. This was a tasty sample not as flavorful as the preceding pair but not bad.  Then,we decided it was time to leave Scotland and we headed for Frankfort, KY and chose a twin pairing of the Eagle Rare 10 and 17.  Both come at 90 proof but it was clear that while the 10 was good, the 17 was exceptionally smooth. The extra time in the charred oak barrels was well worth it. A little more food and then we left the USA for the land of the rising sun and a bit of Suntory’s 12 year old blend, Hibiki.

Next up with time of the essence, Pappy requested a quick trip to Ireland. As the bottle of Midleton was uncorked, we were quickly joined by the table in a quick tribute to the best of Jameson. Then the society bottles came out with some favoring the salty dog, westering home (Springbank) while I took part in the sweet chili tingle (Mortlach). Neither of these satisfied Pappy’s delicate palate so rather than double up on the Midleton, I poured out a Red Breast, still in the Jameson family and nice little dram. To end the evening and our tribute to the Emerald Isle, Miracle Max suggested a bit of Tyrconnell as the finish to our night.

After a quick call to the wife and the assistance of the Wookie, Pappy was loaded back into my car and then transferred to Mrs. Pappy’s car and he headed back over the river and I headed back to the ROK to retrieve my now empty crock pot and my not too depleted whisky stock. Of course, I noticed that Pappy managed to get some swag as the remains of both the Midleton and the Tyrconnell found their way into his vehicle. For my part, I managed to keep the nearly full bottle Yamazaki so I won’t cry over my losses.