Thanks for the replies. Sounds like it's probably rotten luck.

Maybe it was already old when I bought it....that's my current thought.

There's really no reason for the varnish smell to happen so quickly, other than it was no good in the first place...

There might be regional considerations too, not sure, I know they blend it differently for different weather but not much beyond that.

Went and stocked up on stabilizer and will just try a little harder to remember use that whenever it sits, from now on. It sat for four years with stabilized gas and fired right up.