ABOUT PSCOTT

 

The fact that Pscott has had someone other than himself write an About Pscott page for his drinknotes says a good deal about his very particular nature. The fact that before doing so he presented that someone—myself, an acquantaince who only edits and maintains his drinknotes due to a rather brash wager over the 2004 Derby—with a four page handwritten list of What Not To Write About says a good deal more.

Among the items not listed were a handful of frequently asked questions he wished me to formally address. First among them, the name. Which he has explained variously as a nickname and/or an homage to a dear friend and mentor. (He will not say whether it is in fact his real name, which I have always taken to mean that it probably is not.) As for pronunciation, I quote him directly as having often explained that: The ‘p’ is silent, as in ‘pscotch.’ Then there is the Austrian (.at) domain name. When asked why, he has only ever said, and again I quote, because the English .co.uk would be too confusing. Your guess is as good as mine. He claims to speak five language; all of them, from what I can tell, poorly. His permanent address is here in Boston but he travels frequently and often pays for his drinks with foreign currency that does not always convert correctly. He is in his early to mid-thirties, I think. And I have absolutely no idea what he does for a living (his business card lists no title other than Gentleman Adventurist).

What I do know is that he is a superb drinking companion. By which I mean he drinks well, and never too much. He knows what he likes, yet is willing to try just about anything. Once. He is also—as one may tell from the drinknotes within—high on the appropriate drink for any given situation. (He once explained to me that the reason he so often uses sartorial associations is because he feels the questions what to drink and what to wear are almost identical in the factors one should consider beforehand—season, setting, occasion, company, etcetera.)

As for the drinknotes themselves, the story he told me was that they came out of two distinct but interconnected elements. The first being his increasing frustration over the ‘produce market style’ (his term) of traditional wine description, all nuts and berries, which he has compared to describing a Renoir by listing off what colors he used. He sought a better way. Then one day he read (he cannot remember where) a description of oysters. The writer noted that a good oyster should taste exactly like kissing the ocean on the lips. For Pscott, it was the Rosetta Stone. And the drinknotes which followed are his continuing translation of the cellar and bar.

More than anything they are intended to entertain (himself foremost, it seems). If along the way they promote an interest in the ways certain drinks enhance our enjoyment of life, he will be glad. However, if they provide any form of education, or even enlightenment, Pscott has asked me to add that he will concede no responsibility whatsoever, for that.

 

Cheers,

A. Knoefel Longest
general editor