The Bar

Zulegoona · Post by **Zulegoona** » Tue Nov 23, 2004 9:55 am

It seems like even with all of the " everybody knows I'm right," and the " look how many people are with me" claims he's finding out there isn't as much solid support behind him as he had thought there would be.

Someone wrote on tribe that at the shipyard nailing the petition on the wall party someone defaced the petition with the phrase " meet the new boss, same as the old boss" so it doesn't seem like he has convinced a lot of people that he really is out for giving power to the people.

Simply Joel · Post by **Simply Joel** » Tue Nov 23, 2004 9:57 am

sputnik wrote:I'll take a draw from that bottle of scotch. Don't bother with the glass.

i have bad memories of such antics... bad Dewar's baaaaaaaad.

hey, Z in my neverending quest for knowledge... here is more information about scotch whiskey than you knew to ask...

http://www.whiskyweb.com

The Making of Scotch Whisky - The Full StoryScotch malt whisky is made from malted barley, water and yeast. The first stage of production is the malting of the barley. The barley is first steeped in tanks of water for 2 to 3 days before being spread out on the floors of the malting house to germinate. To arrest germination, the malted barley is dried in a kiln, identifiable by the distinct pagoda-shaped chimneys, characteristic of every distillery.

Peat, a natural fuel cut from the moors of Scotland, is used to fire kilns in the drying process, along with more modern fuels. Smoke from the fire drifts gently upwards through a wire mesh floor to dry out the barley, and the "peat reek" imparts a distinctive aroma which contributes to the character of the final spirit. When dried, the malt is as crisp as toast.

The malted barley is then ground to a rough-hewn grist and mixed with hot water in a vessel known as a mash tun. This process converts the starch in the barley into a sugary liquid known as wort. The wort is transferred to a fermenting vat, or washback, where yeast is added and the fermentation process converts the sugary wort into crude alcohol, similar in aroma and taste to sour beer. This is known as wash.

Now comes the crucial process involving the distinctive swan-necked copper pot stills, where distillation separates the alcohol from the wash. Malt whisky is distilled twice, the first distillation taking place in a larger wash still, and the second in a slightly smaller low-wines or spirit still.

The stillman raises the temperature within the wash still and gradually, the fermented liquid is heated and the alcohol in the wash vaporises. The vapours rise up the swan neck and pass over the head of the still, before being guided through condensers where they revert to liquid.

This liquid is collected in a receiver before being passed into the second low-wines or spirit still where the process is repeated. The stillman exercises much more control in the second distillation as only the heart, or "middle cut", of the spirit flow will be collected as new spirit. This takes place as the spirit flows through a spirit safe, where the stillman can observe, assess and measure it.

The first runnings from the still (foreshots) and tails (feints) are returned for redistillation with the next batch of low wines. The "middle cut" is collected by the stillman, only when he is personally satisfied that it has reached a high enough standard.

Scotch grain whisky is made from wheat or maize which is first cooked under pressure in order that the cereal starches can be broken down into fermentable sugars. The cereals can then be combined with a proportion of malted barley in the mash tun and mixed with boiling water to produce the sugary liquid known as wort.

The resultant wort is fermented to produce the wash which then passes into the massive, continuously operating, two-columned Coffey or patent still. The skills of the stillman, required to judge the moment at which the Scotch malt and the Scotch grain spirit is ready to be collected, are crucial to the art of distilling.

Once the quality has been approved, the malt and grain new make spirit is ready to be filled into a variety of specially selected oak casks for the long period of maturation in cool, dark warehouses. Now time begins to work its miracle.

The quality of the casks is carefully monitored because the new spirit is to gain character and colour from the wood in which it rests. Some casks will previously have been used to mature oloroso, fino or amontillado sherries; some will have contained bourbon and some will be oak. The type of cask used for maturation will have been determined by the master blender who is seeking a particular character and continuity of the whisky.

Only after a minimum of three years maturation can the new make spirit be legally defined as Scotch whisky. In practice, most Scotch whisky matures for much longer - from five to fifteen, twenty, or twenty-five years and sometimes longer. It is this lingering period during which Scotland’s cool, clean air steals through the porous oak of the casks and charms their contents, contributing further to the smooth and golden character of each distillery’s unique creation.

A proportion of the whisky in each cask evaporates annually and is lost to the heavens. This is known as the "angels’ share".

The greatest proportion of Scotch whisky produced in Scotland is consumed in blended form. The highly complex task of creating a marriage of single malt and single grain whiskies to make a blended whisky, is the responsibility of the master blender.

The art of blending is rather like conducting an orchestra: the individual players may be unique and brilliant in their own right, but someone has to ensure that the individual players harmonise. The blender’s aim is to produce a blended Scotch whisky, which is different from others, a little more subtle, a little more complex than the individual whiskies which have gone into the blend.

A blend is a careful and judicious combination of anything from fifteen to fifty single whiskies of varying ages, compiled to a highly secret formula. The master blender will have spent long years mastering and perfecting the art of "nosing".

For this most important of tasks, his equipment is simple - a tulip shaped glass, which will best capture the aroma of the whisky, and fresh water, which he adds to the whisky for nosing.

His acute sense of smell enables him to determine which whiskies will combine successfully with others, and those which will fight. Keeping the incompatible apart is all part of the blender’s skill.

Once the blender has selected his single whiskies, he will nose them as new spirit fresh from the stills, to ensure they are up the required standard. He will continue to nose them throughout maturation, until he is content that they should be taken forward.

Eventually, all of the selected whiskies are brought together, pumped into vats, and then back into casks where they will rest for a further period of up to six to eight months. This is known as the "marriage" - the period during which each component whisky harmonises with the others.

When a bottle of Scotch whisky bears an age statement on the label, that is the age of the youngest whisky in the blend. It is not the average.

Upon completion of the marriage period, the whisky is ready for bottling. The blender will nose it again, once it is reduced to the alcoholic strength required for bottling, to ensure that the quality of the blend is consistent with all the others he has produced over the years.

Once it is finally bottled, Scotch whisky has reached the end of its long journey down the years in perfect condition, ready to be dispatched to whisky lovers around the world.

sputnik · Post by **sputnik** » Tue Nov 23, 2004 9:58 am

Simply Joel wrote:i concur with bob's last post on the subject.

But I've yet to see a justification for any kind of direct funding out of the ticket money, given that it's supposed to be a DIY, self-reliant, self-expressive, participant-not-spectator event, and much of the art produced by funding is crap that requires tons of hand-holding by the SF office and DPW.

I have to say that this whole petition thing has got my juices flowing and I've lit a fire under the Michigan crowd to produce something big and wonderful and haul it all the way out without any grant money just to show it can be done. It's going to be fun.

Sandwichman · Post by **Sandwichman** » Tue Nov 23, 2004 10:10 am

Can someone pour me a drink be back in a bit to drink it.

Jason

Zulegoona · Post by **Zulegoona** » Tue Nov 23, 2004 10:17 am

more than everything I wanted to know about scotch,.... thanks Joel

Zulegoona · Post by **Zulegoona** » Tue Nov 23, 2004 10:19 am

sputnik wrote:
Simply Joel wrote:i concur with bob's last post on the subject.

But I've yet to see a justification for any kind of direct funding out of the ticket money, given that it's supposed to be a DIY, self-reliant, self-expressive, participant-not-spectator event, and much of the art produced by funding is crap that requires tons of hand-holding by the SF office and DPW.
I have to say that this whole petition thing has got my juices flowing and I've lit a fire under the Michigan crowd to produce something big and wonderful and haul it all the way out without any grant money just to show it can be done. It's going to be fun.

It is good to see all this petition stuff has had some good effects,

Simply Joel · Post by **Simply Joel** » Tue Nov 23, 2004 10:20 am

Zulegoona wrote:more than everything I wanted to know about scotch,.... thanks Joel

another scotch for Zule and me.

scotch is an acquired taste.

Rian Jackson · Post by **Rian Jackson** » Tue Nov 23, 2004 10:21 am

Simply Joel wrote:
Zulegoona wrote:more than everything I wanted to know about scotch,.... thanks Joel
another scotch for Zule and me.

scotch is an acquired taste.

can i join you for one of those?
i'm really busy at work but i'll try to keep an ear here.

Simply Joel · Post by **Simply Joel** » Tue Nov 23, 2004 10:23 am

Rian Jackson wrote:
Simply Joel wrote:
Zulegoona wrote:more than everything I wanted to know about scotch,.... thanks Joel
another scotch for Zule and me.

scotch is an acquired taste.
can i join you for one of those?
i'm really busy at work but i'll try to keep an ear here.

a tall one for the lady while i step outside for a smokie smokie...

be back in a bit.

Zulegoona · Post by **Zulegoona** » Tue Nov 23, 2004 10:26 am

I don't really have time either I need to get something done today , Oh what the hell, a quick one then I'm out of here.

gigglesnort · Post by **gigglesnort** » Tue Nov 23, 2004 10:28 am

Sandwichman wrote:Can someone pour me a drink be back in a bit to drink it.

Jason

Looks like scotch on hand today, Mr. Man.....

meanwhile, what's Big J doin outside?Hey, nether J, wait for me![/i]

tisha2 · Post by **tisha2** » Tue Nov 23, 2004 10:45 am

didja all see this?? fucking hilarious:

http://eplaya.burningman.org/viewtopic.php?t=7643

i'll have a lil o that scotch in my coffee, please!

tisha2 · Post by **tisha2** » Tue Nov 23, 2004 10:51 am

samtzu wrote: Just some warm milk .... or as I origionally typed "Milf".... for me for me and then back to bed...

i gotcher milf right here....

buckethead alien · Post by **buckethead alien** » Tue Nov 23, 2004 10:55 am

tisha2 wrote:
samtzu wrote: Just some warm milk .... or as I origionally typed "Milf".... for me for me and then back to bed...
i gotcher milf right here....

Indeed.

tisha2 · Post by **tisha2** » Tue Nov 23, 2004 10:58 am

buckethead alien wrote:
tisha2 wrote:
samtzu wrote: Just some warm milk .... or as I origionally typed "Milf".... for me for me and then back to bed...
i gotcher milf right here....
Indeed.

*mwah* 'morning, Bucket! ...everyone!!

if bha finds a reason to go to sea-town...i'm goin', too, dammit.

samtzu · Post by **samtzu** » Tue Nov 23, 2004 10:59 am

tisha2 wrote:
samtzu wrote: Just some warm milk .... or as I origionally typed "Milf".... for me for me and then back to bed...
i gotcher milf right here....

Yes.. You... ARE!

Please, M'am, may I have another?

helitack · Post by **helitack** » Tue Nov 23, 2004 10:59 am

Fuck, it's my birthday so may I have a little whiskey to go with this coffee I'm drinking. Funny, I don;t feel old, just wiser, no regrets, just wondering why I headed down the paths I have taken. Sometimes it seems if it is all for naught, but I know there is a reason. Nuff said, now how about my whiskey?

GuinivereElise · Post by **GuinivereElise** » Tue Nov 23, 2004 11:03 am

a birthday whiskey for Heli...

may you always have a full belly, a full purse, and a light heart.

Health and long life!

Huzzah!

GuinivereElise · Post by **GuinivereElise** » Tue Nov 23, 2004 11:04 am

tisha2 wrote:
buckethead alien wrote:
tisha2 wrote: i gotcher milf right here....
Indeed.
*mwah* 'morning, Bucket! ...everyone!!

if bha finds a reason to go to sea-town...i'm goin', too, dammit.

And we'll find a way to get you here, too!

Rian Jackson · Post by **Rian Jackson** » Tue Nov 23, 2004 11:05 am

happy birthday indeed!
shall we give him the tilt-a-whirl in honor of his big day?

GuinivereElise · Post by **GuinivereElise** » Tue Nov 23, 2004 11:06 am

Rian Jackson wrote:happy birthday indeed!
shall we give him the tilt-a-whirl in honor of his big day?

Oh, yes yes! I think it only appropriate!

sputnik · Post by **sputnik** » Tue Nov 23, 2004 11:07 am

Ho,ho,ho and happy fucking birthday Helitack

Rian Jackson · Post by **Rian Jackson** » Tue Nov 23, 2004 11:10 am

*Heli finds each leg straddled by a GE or an RJ. they begin to bite his neck...*

Sandwichman · Post by **Sandwichman** » Tue Nov 23, 2004 11:12 am

After they are done with you Heli let me buy you a drink.

Jason

GuinivereElise · Post by **GuinivereElise** » Tue Nov 23, 2004 11:13 am

Rian Jackson wrote:*Heli finds each leg straddled by a GE or an RJ. they begin to bite his neck...*

*eventually, they find a way to each earlobe, sucking and teething ever-so-gently*

helitack · Post by **helitack** » Tue Nov 23, 2004 11:15 am

Gracias, I wanted to keep it a secret but, what the hell, I want kisses and backrubs from the ladies, is that OK? And gimme another whiskey,

helitack · Post by **helitack** » Tue Nov 23, 2004 11:16 am

GuinivereElise wrote:
Rian Jackson wrote:*Heli finds each leg straddled by a GE or an RJ. they begin to bite his neck...*
*eventually, they find a way to each earlobe, sucking and teething ever-so-gently*

Yesm, keep on a goin' yahooooooooooooooooooo

buckethead alien · Post by **buckethead alien** » Tue Nov 23, 2004 11:25 am

Sandwichman wrote:After they are done with you Heli let me buy you a drink.

Jason

He's going to need more than a drink, methinks.

Somebody call for a wheelchair.

GuinivereElise · Post by **GuinivereElise** » Tue Nov 23, 2004 11:26 am

*and just as quickly as they appeared, Ge and RJ were gone, leaving two rapidly cooling thighs for Heli to remember his first Tilt-A-Whirl experience by*

helitack · Post by **helitack** » Tue Nov 23, 2004 11:28 am

Teaser! But thank you.