the bottle battle

does anyone remember the 99 Bottles of Rum song?
99 bottles of rum on the wall, 99 bottles of rum; Take one down, pass it along, 98 bottles of rum on the wall!
98 bottles of rum on the wall, 98 bottles of rum; Take one down, pass it along, 97 bottles of rum on the wall!
97 bottles of rum on the wall, 97 bottles of rum; Take one down, pass it along, 96 bottles of rum on the wall!... and on and on the song goes...
it felt like that at the bulldog pub in quiet sri hartamas on sunday. the occasion was a birthday party and six bottles of chivas regal 12-year-olds came and went in six hours. not bad for the crowd of reprobates in the circle of friends there.
we put away our chasers of beer as the first bottle appeared. haven't had a tumbler of chivas in a long long time and it felt pretty good, of course with a mix of either ale or soda water. sweet and fizzy, it went down like a shot.
and many a shot was fired from the bow as chips and cake added to the revelry.
but what does chivas, a blended whisky at 40 percent alcohol by volume, actually taste like?
since i couldn't really remember, i decided to take shots of the amber liquid to jog my memory and palate, quench the thirst for knowledge, so to speak.
well, its pretty sweet with honey and long lingering rich finish in the throat. well, honeyed firewater or something like a punjabi sweetmeat - that's the nearest approximation for me.
well, that was that. more shots taken, with a tequila in between, and day turned to night before we shuffled out of the bulldog around half nine, to quote a good friend.
a double burger special from across the pub cleansed the palate and settled the gut.
and off to bed i went at 10pm.
great party, great drinks and most of all, great friends. what a day it was!
the bulldog pub is at 31 and 31-1, jalan sri hartamas 7, sri hartamas, kuala lumpur. its open seven days a week.
chivas regal is available in most pubs, bars and clubs. so are my friends.