3 Drunken Celts

Photo
3DC
Information
Founded: 2001 Status: Active
Heraldry
3 Drunken Celts

The Three Drunken Celts (3DC) are neither a household nor a warband. They instead are an amalgam of individuals intent on the bringing knowledge of and appreciation of whiskies inclusively starting with single malt, blended and period styles of whiskies, to the Society at large. More of a party organizing comity in reality. The 3DC does not, as a rule camp together at extended events, its members preferring to camp with their individual households or by what ever arrangement they choose. Great Western War is the exception to this general rule, in good numbers, they will pool campsites and sometimes households to facilitate and run the grand tasting. When the 3DC camps together, their mottoes become the primary camp rules: "Never forget the funny" and "Leave your politics at the door." It is said that the founding members of this group have on multiple occasions kicked themselves and others out of the camp for talking politics in camp. Forgetting the funny is met with punishments such that they should not be gone through on an open forum such as this. This group takes the funny very seriously and is rather intolerant of those who take themselves too seriously. (I mean it!)

What's in a name?

Much discussion went on around the naming of this group. The logic of the three founding members went something like this: "We all have Celtic based personas so there should be some reference to that. There are three of us so that needs to be in there too. Some reference to drinking and the like should be in there as well." Pretty simple really. It only seems complicated now that the membership roles have grown well beyond 100 so the logic, or lack there of, goes something like this: "We don't want to keep changing the name do we? Nope" There you go. It should be noted that the 3DC never really were "3". Without the indulgence and kind assistance of Siabhan and Margraig Ingen Dubgaill (Seamus' and Raz' kind ladies) none of this would have come to pass.

Members

The three founders are Erasmus "Raz" MacBain (AKA: Lord Big Dickey Kingswood of Longtown), Seamus O'Domhnaill of Devil's Beef Tub, and Fergus Lochlorian. Master Don Giacomo was the first additional member and artist responsible for the 3DC logo.

The roster of members ranges across the known world with Caid being our birth kingdom. There are the largest contingents of members in Caid, Atenveldt, and the West. Its numbers have now even branched out beyond the confines of the SCA adding members and gaining friends in many different countries around the world as well as contacts in the whiskey industry itself. Its divers membership aids us in the exploration of new drams as well as access to knowledge and research into pre-Victorian drams that we would not otherwise have access to.

To join the 3DC, you must be asked. To make a member, 3 members (harking back to the original 3) must agree to the new applicant's admission. See the 3DC website for more information on this process.

It must be stated that there are no benefits to membership, only detriments. All prospective members are informed of this and yet they still continue to join much to the confusion of the founding members. The 3DC welcomes non-member friends who enjoy a good dram with the same openness as is shown to the members themselves. They strive to be inclusive, not exclusive.

History

The story goes something like this: The 3DC finds its roots in a bad Idea Raz had in late 1999 (CR) he thought; "I like whiskies and I wish more of my friends liked whisky. I wonder if I could throw a whisky tasting. I can't do this alone." So in the following January he said to Fergus, "Hey, if we each buy a bottle a month until GWW, we could throw a whisky tasting for our friends with 20 bottles of different single malts." Fergus was expected as a good friend to say "No, you are an idiot Raz," but instead he liked the idea. Shortly there after, Raz met Seamus and told him, quite offhandedly, of our cunning plan and he said, "That sound cool, can I buy a bottle a month to bring to the party too?" After deliberating with Fergus, this was agreed upon. Thus there was three, and with a couple additional bottles brought by some of the earliest (soon to be) additional members we ended up with 32 different single malts all under one tent and invited over one hundred people we thought might enjoy a good dram and thus, a group was begun. The 3DC (not even so yet named) and also not having the capacity to host an event of this magnitude, asked about and by good luck House Stirling generously offered to host the event (including security) and set up tables arranged in a large C shape in their large dining pavilion. The constabulary, unpronounced to us, was understandably worried about 32 bottles of single malt all under one tent to be opened up in just one night and so put on a good number of extra guardsmen that night expecting some trouble. As it turned out, despite the gallons of scotch opened that night, this was a quiet dignified event garnering the thanks of the constables for not burning the site to the ground, etc. Seamus, Fergus, and Raz were so pleased with themselves for pulling off the event decided to continue to do so at each GWW to follow, but they "we are not bringing all the booze to the next one." To this end the mantra, "one bottles get you and your 3 closest friends into the party," which carries on to this day. To the credit of the membership and friends, they've not yet had less than 30 different bottles at each of these grand GWW tastings. There has been a 3DC grand tasting at GWW each year since 2001 (save the canceled year and the year after).

The 3DC have also branched out to do seated tastings both within and without the SCA (though most have been within) and have taught classes on the history of, methods of, creation of, and proper tasting of whiskies at KWAR in 2006 and The Filthy Dirty Collegium in 2009, and even had a few "East Coast" grand tastings at Estrella hosted by the Atenveldt Membership.

The Death of the 3DC

After the 3rd successful whisky tastings it was determined that perhaps a change in spirit was in order. Rum was selected for the 4th tasting. Because of this change in spirit it was decided that the 3DC should be allowed to expire and that there would be a memorial service for the 3DC at the rum tasting. The tasting was quite successful but did not have the same feel as the whisky-centric tastings so the 3DC decided never to stray from the juice of the barley again, for their tastings anyway. So thus resurrected, the 3DC live on to this day.

Photos

Founders

Fergus, Seamus, Raz and some random Sheep

First Grand Tasting

Seamus schooling (Not yet Sir) Sean of the South (Atenveldt) on the finer points of Non-Irish Whiskies

Death of the 3DC

The memorial service ‎

More Information

To learn more on the 3DC or the drams we love, visit the web site

To make friends with 3DC on Facebook, visit the Facebook group

To get email updates on the 3DC, visit the Yahoo group