It is really exciting to look back at 2013 and revisit the entire year. The point of my 12 memorable drams was to share some of the adventures and moments that changed me or the direction I am headed. I always say the road is a bendy, windy, crazy adventure. I'm glad I have fantastic friends, a helmet and some knee pads, hehehe. The up moments have been glorious, the downs also epic. Can you say crash & burn! Oh yeah... 2013 had some very memorable life experiences indeed. My grandmother often said: "It takes sitting in manure to make beautiful flowers grow". Well this year I felt, at times, like I was in shit up to my ears...After a brief hiatus from the world this summer I came back to whisky, blogging and me with a slightly deflated attitude. I was struggling to find that spark and passion that I used to have. Well at least that's what it felt like at the time. I kept telling myself to just put one foot in front of the other and keep going. Glad I did because on my 2nd trip to Toronto, I took some time to visit Still Waters Distillery (yet again) and had a fantastic time (yet again). Wrote about it here:
http://www.whiskylassie.blogspot.ca/2013/10/get-your-stalk-barrel-here-cask-5-8-and.html
But it's what happened as a result of trying cask 5 that sparked the whisky "burn" back into my life. When I asked Barry how I could get some of the best whisky (IMO) they were casking to date, he replied: "You can't, the whole cask is being shipped to the USA". I recall my shoulders slumping for a moment... "USA? All of it? Really? None for Canadians?"
They explained that an importer had come to the distillery and chosen Cask 5 (obviously had a good nose/taste in whisky) so I asked the who, what, where questions because I really wanted a bottle for myself. Then it happened: The creative juices began to run hot in my veins like a fantastic whisky toddy (just had to add the pun...) and the next thing I knew I made contact with Raj Sabharwal @whiskyraj and pitched my idea, right on the spot. Within a week it was planned, organized and done! What, you might ask? The first USA twitter tasting of course. :)
The fantastic part: Four whiskies from around the world. Canadian, Tasmanian, Indian and English. We had a blast! The whiskies were great and I made 10 new whiskyfabric friends not to mention a fantastic networking contact in Raj, (Purple Valley Imports) whom I had the pleasure of meeting in New York City.
More importantly... I rediscovered that when I find a good whisky that I want, I have no fear in putting my best foot and ideas forward. The fire was there all along, I apparently just needed someone to poke it with a stick and add a bit of fuel so I want to thank Barry & Barry for being such a great repeated highlight to my year. It's meant the world to me to be so privileged and share your story and whiskies with people from around the world.
To cask 5 and being me again. Whisky Lassie back, better then ever and ready to take on whatever 2014 holds...
PS - I did get a bottle of Cask 5 :) which I've shared several times...
LASSIE
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