Major Single Malt Scotch Disappointment

**ForresterModern** · 20th April 12, 12:40 AM

A little background first. 8 or 9 years ago my national professional society annual meeting was held in San Francisco, my first visit to the city. My wife and I were just dating then, but she travelled with me for this trip. In preparation for the trip she cruised one SF tour guide and discovered that the Ritz-Carlton hotel bar, two blocks from our hotel, was listed as having the largest collection of single malt Scotch whisky in the US, something we definitely had to check out. We did, on two separate nights, and discovered a collection of at least 75 bottles arrayed on a table at one side of the small bar, most either secondary bottlings or direct cask bottlings with hand written labels, another 25 or so bottles of distillery bottlings on the shelves behind the bar. The very knowledgeable and helpful bartender knew everything about each bottle, and guided us to several fine whiskies that we greatly enjoyed, to excess, but generally special bottlings that we have not been able to find anywhere since. But it was nirvana while it lasted.
Fast forward, this year's meeting was held this past week in the same hotel as 9 years ago, and we made plans to revisit the original scene of the crime, so to speak, the Ritz Carlton scotch bar. The anticipation was high, especially since the only night of the trip we could go there to get our thirsts whetted was going to be tonight, our last night, while we had a babysitter for several hours while we attended the society annual dinner dance. So after dinner we snuck out and hurried down the hill to the Ritz eager to enjoy several brands each before relieving the babysitter. To our horror they had completely remodeled the bar, shed the whole collection of special bottlings of scotch several years ago, the new bar only had 10 standard distillery bottlings, nothing over 16 hrs old, only one of which I did not already have in my own collection ( a 14 yr old Balblair 97). Our hearts sunk, but Wife enjoyed the Balblair and I a double Glen Rothes 1995, both nice, but still a relative disappointment from our expectations. Barmaid did not have any idea of why the old scotch collection was gone, or that it had ever existed at all. We had to call it an early evening instead.
Guess I will have to find another great scotch bar, or just keep building my own experience when and where I can, and keep enlarging my collection at every opportunity. Still bummed out though----what a disappointment.

**artificer** · 20th April 12, 04:57 AM

Oh my! That is heartbreaking.
I always hate when "updates" ruin something lovely.

ith:

**LitTrog** · 20th April 12, 05:13 AM

That had to be very disappointing, but I have your remedy right here:

http://www.pintspub.com/

Pints Pub, I would wager, has significantly more malts available than the Ritz did and even some extraordinarily rare malts that they'll let you taste for $800 per dram.

Problem is, you have to come to Denver to enjoy it. Which, when you think about it, really isn't a problem at all.

**Livingston** · 20th April 12, 10:44 AM

Originally Posted by LitTrog

That had to be very disappointing, but I have your remedy right here:

http://www.pintspub.com/

Pints Pub, I would wager, has significantly more malts available than the Ritz did and even some extraordinarily rare malts that they'll let you taste for $800 per dram.

Problem is, you have to come to Denver to enjoy it. Which, when you think about it, really isn't a problem at all.

I'll second the suggestion of stopping at Pints Pub in Denver. With over 260 different single malt expressions it IS the largest collection of single malts this side of Scotland. I don't remember any at $800 but there are 3 that are at $845 per dram.

And several more in the $7 to $20 range.

**LitTrog** · 20th April 12, 11:49 AM

Originally Posted by Livingston

I don't remember any at $800 but there are 3 that are at $845 per dram.

They used to be 800. It's funny what a young man armed with a stout liver and a pocket full of stolen credit cards can do to the supply side of things...

**California Highlander** · 20th April 12, 10:07 AM

Bourbon and Branch (http://www.bourbonandbranch.com) is a bit gimicky, but sounds like a great scotch collection. Yelp and Chowhound, while not perfect, can get you some decent places next time you are in SF.

Alembic also looks like a nice selection of scotch (http://www.alembicbar.com/drinks.pdf) while not featuring anything super rare.

**ForresterModern** · 20th April 12, 08:20 PM

Well, after last night's disappointment, I needed something to soothe the savage beast. So I popped for a bottle of the recently released Glenmorangie Artein 15 (finished in Tuscan wine casks---promises to be fruity) to take home with me as a conciliation prize. Hope to perform a tasting before the weekend closes. And topped that off with some nice El Mayor Extra Anejo tequila (cask finished in sherry butts for 3-4 years so it tastes a bit like very smooth light scotch), something far more readily available in Cali than back home in Kentucky. And that I have already had, and know exactly how nice it is. I feel better, and ready to fly home, saying goodbye to NorCal again for a while.

**California Highlander** · 20th April 12, 08:52 PM

Didn't realize you were still in SF! Did you get to the Whisky Shop on Sutter @ Stockton? Great selection there and nice guys.

**English Bloke** · 21st April 12, 02:40 AM

It's the rule of economics Jeff and I guess it's about demand. If you were but two of only a few punters in nine years it's understandable the whisky focus has gone. Companies now are not in the business of having expensive collections to share for the benefit of their clientèle , they are about maximising profit for minimum effort. It forces all the little niche niceties of old out the window.

Your story did remind me of a short stay I made at Meikles Hotel in Harare and the chance discovery of a very well stocked whisky bar - well, you have to go exploring when you stay in a place like that.... A wonderful array of the global whisky art, ranging from US20c a tot Zimbabwean grain [shhhhudddder] through the best of Scottish, Irish, North American and Japanese and up to US$400 a tot Finest Scottish Malt (This was Southern Africa 15 years ago and there were bottles there that on per tot sales were going for US$11,000 - phew!! ) Like you, the experience was accompanied by an equally likeable, nothing is any trouble Bar-Bloke who seemed delighted to impart his extensive knowledge and all in sumptuous surroundings. It was also here I first sampled Johnnie Walker Blue Label, a beautiful whisky for a blended, but then it should be for the price of it...

Needless to say I had a fabulous night before I tottered wearily off to bed (I was tired out my face in fact...).

A quick glance at their website now shows all their bars are of the cocktail variety but the whisky seems to be still there in the Can Can Lounge which is encouraging. It would seem though that everybody drinks cocktails these days and not many folk enjoy a good Malt.

Unfortunately the likelihood of me ever returning to Meikles is slim to zero but hey, it was grand at the time.

**ForresterModern** · 21st April 12, 05:15 PM

Originally Posted by California Highlander

Didn't realize you were still in SF! Did you get to the Whisky Shop on Sutter @ Stockton? Great selection there and nice guys.

Home now. We were at the Fairmont Nob Hill all week but moved yesterday afternoon to a hotel by the airport to be close for an 0630 flight out this morning. Had I known of the Whisky shop while I was still downtown I would have found time to stop round. Next trip I guess.