"Bring thou this fiend of Scotland and myself. Within my sword's length set him", Macduff in Shakespeare's Macbeth.
I always think of Macbeth when I see anything from the MacDuff distillery. So as I bounded back up the stairs this morning with sample bottle in hand, it apparently did not amuse Graham that I was jabbing him in the ribs with my "pretend" sword, totally bastardizing the English language and quoting this line from the play. Sheeeesh... some people don't have a sense of humour at 6:20am on a random Thursday!? Aye.... but it's not a random Thursday, it's day 15 and sure enough my dram today is from the Malt Whisky Co... a MacDuff 16 year old.
I've had this whisky a few times but what I didn't remember and Graham reminded me this afternoon is that one of my other discoveries for 2016 (great bang for your buck whisky) that is made by MacDuff is the Deveron 12 that I received as a gift twice this year!!
I poured a little in my NEAT glass and proceeded to nose and take a very small sip. This is clearly some high strength stuff. I was a bit surprised as it took my breath away. Mental note: Remember to add water later when I get home, check! What followed was the same routine for the last week: Go to work, put out fires (and no I'm not a firefighter), train new staff, forget to eat at break and feel like my brain is pudding by the time 5:00pm rolls around. Today, however, I felt like there was an end to the long tunnel, as tomorrow is the weekend....
Home again, home again, kick the shoes off, get into comfy clothes and put my feet up in my lovely armchair! Whisky in glass, notes are taken and I hurry up to get our supper started. Satiated with homemade chicken noodle soup and a thick grill cheese sandwich, I happily sit down in my corner once more to simply STOP... If anything I have to say this advent calendar has given me that freedom every day and it's lovely to just sit, relax and enjoy a nice dram.
The Malt Whisky Co. MacDuff 16 year old, 54.9% ABV, refill Hogshead cask #500720
Colour: Noticing a trend here with all of these "natural" whiskies, not much colour. This is a lovely white gold
Nose: White Stilton cheese with mango and ginger! (Yes there is such a cheese on the market). It's slightly salty, spicy and fruity. Quite nice really.
Palate: There is a recipe I make that is called puffed pancake with an orange sauce. It's rich and is sweet but tangy. Delish!
Finish: I think this has the longest finish of all the whiskies so far. Sweet, slightly hot... Reminds me of hot cinnamon candies and it really stays with you for quite some time.
Another cracker of a dram if I do say so myself. I really enjoyed this one. As always I urge you to see what Jonathan thought of today's dram by checking out:
www.singlemalting.com
If you like the sounds of how this nosed/tasted... you might want to contact Jonathan to see if this is coming to Canada.
With only 10 days left, it's hard to imagine what might be left in the calendar but my level of excitement grows as we get closer to the final dram on the 25th. I've had hints it's an amazing, once in a lifetime, unicorn whisky!!
Now... if you'll excuse me, Benoit I've done my good deed for today. I finished my dram, my blog and now I get to put my feet up and read my latest edition of Distilled Magazine which just arrived!
Cheers all...
Lassie
Having just come back from a month away in the UK, the smell of 'home' always makes me smile because there is a briny aroma in the air as soon as you step off the plane and you only get that when you live next to the sea (Sorry New York or Toronto...)
The last thing I wanted to do when I got home was drink more whisky!? I was offered a few drams but found myself using the designated driver excuse. It seemed as though I was slightly whisky'ed out! Yes, it does happen... trust me!
Before I left, back in April I received a bottle of Deveron 12 as a gift. It was a lovely surprise and we immediately opened it. Just so happens we were away, having rented a lovely cottage on the Atlantic Ocean. We spent the whole weekend watching fishing boats, sunsets and relaxing. I told Graham several times how much I thought the whisky was simply perfect for the entire weekend. Then yesterday, unbeknownst to me, Graham packed the Deveron 12, a few glasses in his backpack and we went down to finish getting our sailboat ready for the season. It was a lovely surprise when he pulled it out and it made perfect sense that it be the first dram of the sailing season. Suddenly my whisky appetite was back!
Our friend Peter was working away on his boat so we also poured and offered him a small dram. There we were the three of us, whisky in hand talking about our plans, hoping for fabulous weather, great destinations and many days/nights on the water.
I didn't spend any time making notes about this whisky. Didn't even so much as take a photo. It was about being in the moment, sharing a great whisky and creating the first memory of my 2016 sailing season. I watched as Graham finished his dram and put the half empty bottle back in his bag. It didn't take long for me to realize how much we both really love this whisky and it's because it speaks to us as people who live next to the ocean. Living on the eastern seaboard molds you as a person. You learn to go with flow, slow down sometimes, not take life too seriously and most of all, the sense of community. As I stood there looking at all the sailboats at our club it was easy to see why I love this place so much.
Deveron 12 envelopes me as the perfect maritime dram should. I'll add it's also excellent value for money since it's still quite an affordable whisky (£26 in UK, $45 US). Graham asked me if I wanted to keep the bottle on the boat to which I answered: "Bad idea, it will be long gone before the end of the season". I thought about that later on in the evening as I was watching a bit of television. Why didn't I want to keep it on the boat? What was wrong with drinking the bottle, it's whisky... that's what we are supposed to do with it. I'm a huge advocate of opening, sharing and finishing bottles so why had I suddenly become a little stingy with this one?
And then I just stopped trying to analyze the situation and accepted the fact that I see Deveron 12 as "our water dram". It's become something special that Graham and I share when the moment calls for it. Forever linked to a weekend away, alone, watching fishing boats, sunsets and relaxation. There is absolutely no shame in not wanting to share that with too many people, now is there? ;)
Deveron 12, 40% ABV
Nose: Malty, sweet, green apples or pears. Summer orchard.
Palate: Light, delicate with a briny undertone. Sweet, like tinned peaches.
Finish: Doesn't linger, slightly tannic but still sweet.
This is a very well balanced whisky, that if opened for the right occasion will forever stay imprinted on the memory. It's a lovely dram indeed!
Here's to discovering your favourite drams of 2016, may they be as wonderful as the moment calls for. Slainté!
Lassie
