...
I had a very productive morning working on the scavenger hunt for Potter Day. I rewarded myself with a visit to the Lounge. And lounge I did, as there were no seats in the bar area. I settled for a plush, comfy chair in the lobby and a waitress promptly came out to help me once I signaled my intention to drink by looking at the menu. How tragically glamorous my life can be at times.
Today we sample the North American Whiskey Flight.
From right to left:
Woodford Reserve Bourbon
Bulleit Rye
George Dickel Barrel Select Tennessee Whiskey
Flights are served with a glass of water which is meant to be splashed, gingerly, into the whiskey in order to "open it up." I'm going to be sampling these before and after adding water to try and discern any possible difference.
Be forewarned, going in, that I'm an absolute philistine when it comes to tasting and describing things. Maybe my taste buds have synesthesia, I don't know, but if I'm out wine tasting with others and dare to venture a description I'm generally told "no, that's wrong."
The first whiskey. Darkest in color. Hot.
Water added: the bouquet becomes spicier, the taste more smokey.
Okay, let's see if my unsophisticated palate can distinguish differences between these. Onto the Bulleit Rye.
Bit drier, not as hot, a sliver more mellow.
Water added: the alcohol's aroma becomes more pronounced. It conjures antiseptic olfactory memories. Like I said, unsophisticated palate.
Flavor becomes more caramel at the front with more water. Heat at the finish.
Others would be able to describe supple aspects and flavor invocations that resemble the nuances of wine consumption. I reach for these things but instead just find myself enjoying the subtle burn that washes over my tongue and down my throat, and then the slight flush that creeps up into my face a moment later.
A full morning's walk plus a hearty lunch coupled with the dimly lit lounge and the softening aspects of the whiskey are making me far too relaxed in my comfy chair. I'm liable to doze off if I don't keep my wits about me.
Oh, I also bought myself a fancy - no, excellent - new commemorative Walt Disney writing pen because my Club 33 pen ran out of ink in the middle of clue composition.
Third whiskey: alcohol on the nose but little heat.
Spicy, dry.
Water opens up the earthy quality on the nose. No, something almost forest-esque or pine-like. Your mileage will certainly vary.
This one seems most multidimensional of all three. Over time it opens up and is at once the mellowest but also has some bite.
...
I had the opportunity to visit 1901 recently. 1901 is essentially DCA's equivalent of Club 33 in terms of its exclusivity.
The menu is identical to that of the publicly accessible Carthay Lounge. The staff is the same as well, who in fact are often seen passing back and forth from one bar to the other. The ambiance is different, however. Whereas the Lounge evokes the sensation of being in a vintage hotel lobby 1901 is like being in a very posh person's den. It's very comfortable.
There are a few novel artifacts to gawk at.
Here are some caricatures of the Nine Old Men.
And here is the Dutch prop book for Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.
There are also two receptionists at the door. I wonder if this means that guests must set up their visitation ahead of time and cannot simply stroll in any time they like. I don't know and it didn't occur to me to ask. I'll have to bring it up next time.
After a few cocktails we formed a boarding party and occupied the Lily Belle for a few circuits around the berm. Not a bad night.
Okay, let's see if my unsophisticated palate can distinguish differences between these. Onto the Bulleit Rye.
Bit drier, not as hot, a sliver more mellow.
Water added: the alcohol's aroma becomes more pronounced. It conjures antiseptic olfactory memories. Like I said, unsophisticated palate.
Flavor becomes more caramel at the front with more water. Heat at the finish.
Others would be able to describe supple aspects and flavor invocations that resemble the nuances of wine consumption. I reach for these things but instead just find myself enjoying the subtle burn that washes over my tongue and down my throat, and then the slight flush that creeps up into my face a moment later.
A full morning's walk plus a hearty lunch coupled with the dimly lit lounge and the softening aspects of the whiskey are making me far too relaxed in my comfy chair. I'm liable to doze off if I don't keep my wits about me.
Oh, I also bought myself a fancy - no, excellent - new commemorative Walt Disney writing pen because my Club 33 pen ran out of ink in the middle of clue composition.
Third whiskey: alcohol on the nose but little heat.
Spicy, dry.
Water opens up the earthy quality on the nose. No, something almost forest-esque or pine-like. Your mileage will certainly vary.
This one seems most multidimensional of all three. Over time it opens up and is at once the mellowest but also has some bite.
...
I had the opportunity to visit 1901 recently. 1901 is essentially DCA's equivalent of Club 33 in terms of its exclusivity.
The menu is identical to that of the publicly accessible Carthay Lounge. The staff is the same as well, who in fact are often seen passing back and forth from one bar to the other. The ambiance is different, however. Whereas the Lounge evokes the sensation of being in a vintage hotel lobby 1901 is like being in a very posh person's den. It's very comfortable.
There are a few novel artifacts to gawk at.
Here are some caricatures of the Nine Old Men.
And here is the Dutch prop book for Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.
There are also two receptionists at the door. I wonder if this means that guests must set up their visitation ahead of time and cannot simply stroll in any time they like. I don't know and it didn't occur to me to ask. I'll have to bring it up next time.
After a few cocktails we formed a boarding party and occupied the Lily Belle for a few circuits around the berm. Not a bad night.
