Club Function, Men Only

[Conky]

I'm attending the Spring Dinner at the Club. Evening suit, and meal, wine and Port is obligatory. After Dinner Speakers will be weak. The Port is going to be Taylors First Estate...so a crisis.

I could take a couple of bottles of Dows 77 I recently purchased (Got 6 for £30 a bottle), but would it be a sheer waste on the drunken masses? How do you stop the bottles wandering around the room without buying one of those decanters with a pointed bottom that has to be returned to the stand.

Any thoughts?

[jdaw1]

You are right that decanters subject to special supervision cannot go on the table. Instead double-decant into a seemingly undesirable bottle, which is then stored between your feet. All yours.

[Alex Bridgeman]

Invest in a very large glass and just take a glass of port with you.

Or decant into a Taylor's First Estate bottle, mark the label so you know which is your bottle and make sure that bottle is the one that stays next to you.

Or persuade the committee to buy better port for the dinner - Noval Unfiltered LBV from Tesco probably costs about the same as Taylor's First Estate.

(£30 a bottle for 6 Dow '77 is excellent value).

[Conky]

Thanks for the advice. I plumped for the 'under the table' option. It went well and I only gave away a third of a bottle for tastes. The after speaker was a German ex-Captain of a local Club. He played on the fact that the Germans are perceived to have a limited and unusual sense of humour. The irony being that it was that subject that was supplying the humour.
He told a story of a famous golfer playing a Championship course on the Southport coast (Where our after dinner speaker was Captain). The golfer held court in a crowded Club House, praising the Course and Club, before turning on two very large bunkers guarding the apparoach to a particular hole. He asked, having previously sang the course's praises, which blithering idiot was responsible for the over the top shape, and decidely poor positioning. Our after dinner speaker had great delight in speaking in a dead pan voice, "That was my Grand Father, Fritz, who flew over the Course in 1943!"

The 77 Dows was charming, but not as fruity as I would have hoped. It didn't fill the room with a bouquet when decanted, and it's strengths were in the silkyness of taste and mouthfeel. Not a bad drink by any means, but I didn't recognise it from your tasting notes. Luckily I have a few more to see if it changes in anyway.

I mentioned the suggestion of Noval unfiltered, and the Steward at the Club wrote it down and seems keen.

I also recently aquired a bottle of Royal Oporto 82. It was only a £30 purchase, so no harm, but I have read Jule's condemnation of that years very limited declarations. Does Royal Oporto declare every year? It appears so. I have also seen a case of Sandeman 82 for £300. I would have bitten before, but I'm thinking like 75's it is not worth good money?