Minutes generic - Norwegian Scotch Malt Whisky Society

MINUTES from meeting #33
The meeting was held at Springbanks abode at Nordnes.

Springbank held the following speech

THE AGE OF INVENTION
Distilling in Scotland remained an extension of rural life will into the 19th Century. It was the invention of the "patent still" that revolutionised distilling and laid the foundations of the industry we know today.

Ironically, the patent still that came to be used widely by distillers was invented in 1830 by an exciseman - Aeneas Coffey, a former inspector - general of Excise in Ireland. The Coffey still, as it became known, had some significant advantages over the traditional pot still. It produced whisky more cheaply, quickly and in greater quantities, and the process was continous (as opposed to in batches)- Above all it could be installed more or less anywhere - in the burgeoning town of the Lowland, for example because, unlike whisky made in a pot still, the end product did not rely on having the "right" climate, water and peat to maintain consistency. This whisky was made from malted and umalted barley mashed with other cereals, and was quite different in character from malt whisky, which is prepared from malted barly alone. It became known as "grain whisky".

It was not long before creative minds were experimenting with blends of pot still malt and patent still grain whiskies. There had been some "blending" before now but it had taken the form of mixing or "vatting" different malt whiskies. From 1860 the Excise permitted the blending of whiskies from different distilleries. The technique of blending - balancing the full bodies malts of the Highland, say , against the lighter Lowland malts and grains - made possible the emergence of distinctive brands which were uniform in character from year to year and , it could be argued, appealed to a wider public than malt whiskies.

Just an interesting site note on how the blended whisky VAT 69 got its name. In July 1882 William Sanderson of Leith made up 100 different blends of malt and grain whiskies, plancing each one into a spearate container and giving it a number. Expert blenders and friends were invited along to choose the best one. Everyone agreed on the blend in the vat numbered 69 - VAT 69 had thus arrived.

The speech was then followed by tasting the whisky of the night which was an untainted bottle of Bowmore. This was bottled by the Scotch Malt Whisky Society and had the bottle number 10.48. None of the members were told the name of the whisky except that it was an Islay whisky. Here are the guesses as to which whisky it was we were drinking:

NSMWS member	Guess	Points
Anne Katrine Haldorsen	Ardbeg	81-85
Atle Kårstad	Bowmore	86-90
Paal Bjaarstad	Bowmore	81-85
Per Chr. Valland	Bunahabin	81-85
Andreas Jaunsen	Bunahabin	81-85
Vivienne Knowles	Bunahabin	81-85
Bjarne Augestad	Bunahabin	81-85
Finn Atle Haldorsen	void	86-90

Apart from the whisky tasting we also had some whisky which was brough along by Atle. The same test was done and only Vivienne guessed the correct whisky (Dalwhinney). The other guesses were so bad that they do not bear mentioning here (for example Upper Ten by Mr Augestad).

Vivienne held an acceptance speech (content ranged from walks in Scotland to giving birth in Aberdeen) and was duly accepted as a formal member of the NSMWS represented by the Grand Master.

Otherwise the events of the 11 September were discussed and the conclusion by the majority was to nuke Afganistan.

Synopsis written by Mr. Haldorsen