A Birthday Outing in Glasgow
Well it’s that time again – yes I am another year older. My wife and I decided to have a wee day in Glasgow, a couple of drinks followed by a lovely lunch. Now, much as I enjoy the finer things in life, I still believe that the not so posh venues still have their place and value.
We started off in Wetherspoons Society Rooms, which are excellent. I had an ale and Jacqueline had a glass of sauvignon blanc, Villa Maria, she said it was delicious. It was only £6.45 for a large glass of this wine which is an amazing price for Glasgow, and my real ale was called Gone Fishing.
Our intention had been to call in on the new bar Valinch which I believe will be owned and run by the staff who previously worked at The Bon Accord. Unfortunately when we arrived in Hope Street, we saw that workmen were still very active in preparing this venue for opening, so we opted for the Pot Still. Another glass of wine (according to Jacqueline not as good as Weatherspoons), a wee dram (12 year old Bunnahabhain) and a pint of real ale was had. This had just got us in the mood to enjoy a lovely lunch. We met 3 lads from Austria who were only in Glasgow for a few days so they were trying to find out as much as they could about which ‘Whisky to try so as you can imagine we obliged.
Next stop, and inevitably, we arrived at the SMWS for a few drinks and a delightful lunch. I always get this lovely warm feeling when I go to Bath Street. It’s like an embrace from an old friend. The service is excellent, the ambiance is tranquil, the Whisky divine and the food is to a very high standard.
I got a 3 dram Heresy flight , great selection from the staff. I also had a pint of IPA.
Jacqueline had another Sauvignon Blanc, which passed her very rigid quality control. We opted for Fish & Chips for Jacqueline and I had Venison with Stornoway black pudding and mash.
It was fabulous, really tasty and very filling. Although there is not a large amount of staff in Bath Street, they are exceptionally attentive.
I asked for a snifter of the Caol Ila from the new outturn. A delight, I then had to buy one. (53.518 The Ashy Brunch Club 14 Years Old).
After a discussion with the venue manager we discovered that GN1 (SMWS Gin bottling) was no longer available and they were not expecting to get any future bottlings, to Jacqueline’s delight he advised that he had the venue’s last bottle in his office (GN1.15) if she wished to purchase it. Well, you can imagine how that worked out – she bought it. As they did not have any GN1 behind the bar, Jacqueline tried a GN7.4 (Lime Margarita meets Slivovitz) – surprise surprise she now has found a brand new friend. So yes, another bottle was purchased.
As you can imagine, as I was the birthday boy I was not going to be outdone so I bought a bottle of Whisky from my flight. It was Batch 42 Highland Peaty Potion, 10 Year Old Single Malt.
All in all we had a lovely day out, delightful food and exceptional drams. I cannot recommend SMWS enough as a pleasant, civilised venue to sample some of the best Whisky in the world, plus we came home with some of the finest drinks for enjoyment at our leisure. Win win.
With Christmas coming just remember a membership is a fabulous gift for someone who loves Whisky and enjoys tranquil and elegant surroundings.
