The Connoisseurs Learn and Share What They Know
The founding members of the Connoisseurs Club in the tropical backyard setting of Atul Vir’s (standing, fourth from right) home on Friday, April 25, 2014.
By Jawahar Malhotra
SPRING BRANCH, TX: Earlier in the twilight, the breeze knocked down the foldable projection screen and the camera tripod – all of which were easily fixable – but that didn’t deter the small group of frequent travelers from hearing about Ajay Sarpeshkar travels to Bali later in the evening. The images shone brilliant against the dark Friday evening sky in the little backyard tropical Paradise setting of Atul and Aarti Vir’s home in Spring Branch as Sarpeshkar described his travels this past January to the far off tropical haven where he visited relatives who live there and own a hotel.
Bali: A picture from the travelogue that Ajay Sarpeshkar, a promising young film maker, presented from his visit to the island of Bali.
It was the first meeting of the Connoisseurs Club, the newest iteration of the Whisky Enthusiasts Club that held a few meetings two years ago (see IAN August 17, 2012), but the basic premise remained the same: share the appreciation for the finer things in life and learn from others experiences. To that end, the first meeting was held at Vir’s home – the backyard of which is modeled after the tropical lifestyle they had come to appreciate from years in the western African nation of Togo – last Friday, April 25, with a dozen discriminating participants from the community.
The experience started with sipping from four different brands of Scotch Single-Malt Whiskies and appreciating the subtleness of their bouquet and smoothness while the person who brought it to the gathering explained its background – where it was made, the history, the ingredients – and the Connoisseurs offered their experience of tasting it.
These “founding members are interesting people, but not pretentious”, as Vir put it, and would meet every two months to share their experiences on subjects that caught their eye. Along with the whiskies, Vir expected them to share presentations on travel, art, antiques, watches, pens, cars and any other discriminating item. The membership would be by Invitation only from another member, with no fees other than to rotate the hosting of the gathering with food from the featured country. Vir envisions a lavish year-end gala and perhaps even a field trip to Scotland to tour a distillery or two.
In keeping with the theme of Bali, the Virs presented a platter of delicacies from Indonesia, finished off with samplings from an assortment of Dutch, Chinese and masked Cuban cigars and Sarpeshkar took the group away on a flight of fancy to the gorgeous tropical, colorful vistas of Bali. “A place to visit for rejuvenation, knowledge, entertainment and mainly for its endless greenery”, he said, as he narrated the highpoints of his trip.